Calico CrittersTown Series Grand Department Store Gift Set, 3 - 8 years, Fashion Dollhouse Playset, Figure, Furniture and Accessories Included

This is a toy of NOTE, wow! Even without all the extra accessory sets it would be a glory but with them added in the gift set version, it’s just such a value for money. It’s an heirloom piece that I will want to see passed on to future generations. .It’s amazing how far plastic technology has come over the years. The complex tiny details and ornamentations could only be done in plastic, say compared to a wooden dollhouse. Whoever designed this is a master of design. It has a luxe feel that is sophisticated and feels like an elegant Parisienne street scene. No wonder it appeals to so many adult collectors of both genders, as well as to kids.There is a working elevator and a working revolving door with ornate gold doors just as in old timey days. Both are manually operated so this toy is wonderfully battery free, unless you choose to buy interior lights sold separately Calico Critters Light & Curtain Play Set, Multicolor. This light fits into most of the Calico Critters buildings and there are light holders built into the ceilings already that will hold the light. This building has 5 light holders, one in the ceiling of each lower floor, one in two of the floor pieces that can be roof decks in order to light the upstairs, and one in the movable quarter balcony. Can I just say how exquisite the "ceiling" patterns are underneath those floor pieces just in case you use them as roof decks. The attention to detail! Everywhere you look there is something thoughtful and beautiful.The accessory Calico Critters Town Light up Street Lamp, sold separately, is a must!In keeping with the Calico Critters tradition of giving you both a crafting experience and then a toy to enjoy, there is some stuff to assemble, including the stickering fans have come to expect. Thankfully they have factory applied two of the most difficult stickers (the department store signs) but left the one over the entrance for us, plus some others or it just wouldn’t be the same unboxing thrill of a new Calico Critters toy.Sticker tips: I recommend tweezers to get stickers on straight. To minimize the chance of the stickers peeling up with age, I usually lightly wipe plastic surfaces with rubbing alcohol to remove the plastic mold release coating residue that may still remain from the factory. Just be careful not to use too strong a proof of alcohol and don’t keep it in contact for too long on painted surfaces as it could dissolve/soften some types of paint. I wiped down all the banner signs which look as if the gold could be paint. Nothing bad happened and the stickers gripped much better. I would also pre-apply most of the stickers if giving this to a younger child, or a child who would be irritated with crooked stickers. The stickers are always a challenge to apply successfully and if you want it to look good or to resell later (these toys always hold/increase their value if in good condition) crooked stickers will be a liability.There is a separate manual to describe how to assemble/sticker, but it is pretty intuitive. Most assembly is done, it’s just a matter of a few railings and such.The store hanging banners hold on well, but lightly, and can be knocked off if bumped at the wrong angle. This is a common design feature for this toy line and I sometimes see reviewers complain about it. Welcome to the world of tiny miniatures! It’s actually a safely feature for the toy so that a dainty railing will rather fall off instead of snap and break. For those whom this bothers, superglue or gorilla glue etc. is your friend. Just be aware Superglue will crystallize with time so don’t ever use it on stickers.The department store has a flexi-design and can go in several layout configurations depending on your whims. The building is no deeper than 7” when set out in a straight line with none of the separate floor pieces laid out, so it will fit nicely along a bookcase, and make a gorgeous display or even tuck a nightlight in it. Yet when taken down to play it can be right angled and some of the movable floor pieces repositioned to make a much larger and deeper building, brilliant design! The floors inside the building are fixed though. Just those that make up the front pavement or the inner courtyard or the roof deck are movable pieces.There are also additional floor sets that can be purchased, so you can really amp up the store size. Sadly they have only been released in Japan so far, but you can find them on eBay under the name Sylvanian Families which is this toy line’s original name and the name it is still sold under in the rest of the world.The accessory sets are just darling, especially the chocolatier set.Tiny pieces: I use clear movable glue dots to attach the tiny pieces when not in play, so as not to lose any, and also box away some of them if not in active play. Some people use bluetack. There are not as many tiny accessories as usual, which I know will be a disappointment to the keen miniaturists, child and adult alike. Unfortunately there are enough parents giving poor reviews because “there are tiny pieces” because they see them as a liability of some sort, and they may have ruined it for everyone. This always bewilders me as this toy line is about a miniature world after all.I learned by trial and error that the elevator only slides up and down smoothly when the door is completely closed all the way, but that’s because I didn’t read the instructions first which explains this, so be sure to teach the kids so they don’t get frustrated.If you would like to see this set up in a gorgeous diorama, well known Sylvanian crafter Mimi (Ashmimi) has a beautiful display on her blog, which the manufacturer commissioned her to make for a toy fair, along with lots of well written tutorials to craft some of the things she made for the diorama, such as flower window boxes, fountains and tram tracks. I think they're archived in the June 2017 section onwards through the summer of 2017. Some the crafts are fun for kids and my daughter and I have tried quite a few of them with lovely results.All in all, very highly recommend.

I’ve wanted the Grand Department Store gift set for over a year and finally decided to get it. It’s absolutely astounding in detail and design. Whether you’re an adult collector or the parents of children or a child yourself, this is an exceptionally cool set. It’s also a steal in terms of what you receive. Each of the four sets that come with the gift set version are available a la carte for roughly $30-$40 a piece, while the Grand Department Store alone is roughly $100 by itself. So for the cost of the Mall and one of the sets, you basically get the other three free. And if you have the Town Girl sets that come with dresses, shoes, and accessories, you’ll have the perfect opportunity to display all the usually unused pieces. I highly recommend sticky tack for displays that you don’t want moving or for tiny pieces like the make up brush and chocolates. Sticky tack will not harm the plastic, though I don’t recommend putting any on surfaces or items that have stickers as it will discolor the stickers. All in all: highly recommend as a gift for yourself or others!

This is an unbelievably lovely set. Just what my youngest asked for and my husband and I just spent some time prepping it with the stickers and removing extra packaging before Christmas.Over the years my daughters have amassed quite a collection of these critters and their homes, but the detail and beauty of this one really astonished me.Here are a few things we noticed:1. There are fewer short railing pieces than one might wish. There are many configurations for them, but this inevitably leaves blanks where extra would be nicer.2. The central flooring is made up of several panels. This allows them to be used as exterior sidewalks and rooftops. I wish there were one solid square center piece as well as the sidewalks, and roof slats.3. Any other building from the Town series can stack on top of these (if you first remove the exterior top railings), including another department store.. or the town manor (penthouse mode).4. There are two versions of this set. One includes the shop items and one bunny figure, the other is only the two joined buildings and tower piece. They are both expensive by any measure, thus the reviews where there is disappointment over and empty building.5. The golden doors really spin and the elevator in the yellow building section works beautifully, which is to say there’s a nicely shaped ridge/handle and when raised to the second floor it stays put. The elevator has a beautiful gilt door that slides shut for critter safety.6. Everything, I mean EVERYTHING has decorative molding. Even the ceiling pieces that double as additional floor. Even the backs of the railings. Even the upper interior of the tower. The detail on the gilded elevator and door alone are lovely, but the windows are also unexpectedly detailed, with interior sills that clipped into the fancier exterior frames.7. The entire thing folds nicely shut. Many of the critter buildings have an “always open” side. There is something nice about how this closes, though it does not have any latching mechanism.I like the concept and art design on this so much, I will likely consider getting more pieces for the downtown in the future. The “studio” is at the top of that list.I feel a great appreciation to the artists and sculptors who brought this lovely toy to life.