Review on 🐇 Explore the Delightful World of Calico Critters at the Grand Department Store by Leo Torres

This is a NOTES toy, wow! It would also be nice without all the extra accessory sets, but with these added to the gift set version it's just such good value. This is a family heirloom that I want to pass on to future generations. It's amazing how far plastics technology has come over the years. Intricate tiny details and decorations could only be made of plastic, compared to a wooden dollhouse, for example. Whoever designed this is a design master. It has a sense of luxury, sophistication and a feel for the elegant Parisian street scene. No wonder it attracts so many adult collectors of both sexes as well as children. There is a working elevator and a working revolving door with ornate gold doors just like the old days. Both are hand operated so this toy works great even without batteries unless you decide to purchase an interior light which is sold separately from Calico Critters Light & Curtain Play Set, Multicolour. This light fits most Calico Critters buildings and the ceilings come with built-in brackets to hold the light. This building has 5 light holders, one on the ceiling of each lower floor, one on two floor pieces that can be roof decks to light up the upper floor, and one on the movable quarter balcony. Can I just say how dainty the "ceiling" patterns are under these parts of the floor should you use them as roofing. attention to detail! Everywhere you look there is something thoughtful and beautiful. The Calico Critters Town Light Up Street Lamp accessory, sold separately, is a must! something to build, including sticker fans. Luckily, they put up two of the trickiest stickers (department store signs) at the factory, but left one over the entrance for us, as well as a few others, otherwise it wouldn't have had the same excitement of unwrapping a new Calico Critter toy. Sticker Tips: I recommend using tweezers to get the stickers straight. To minimize the chance of the decals peeling off with age, I usually wipe the plastic surfaces lightly with rubbing alcohol to remove any remnants of the plastic release coating that may be left over from the factory. Just be careful not to use too strong alcohol or keep it in contact with painted surfaces for too long as it can dissolve/soften some types of paint. I've removed any banner characters that look like the gold color. Nothing bad happened and the stickers stuck much better. I would also pre-paste most of the stickers if I were giving them to a younger child or a child who would be annoyed by the crooked stickers. Stickers are always a challenge to apply successfully and if you want them to look good or be able to be resold later (these toys always keep/increase in value if they are in good condition), crooked stickers will be a challenge. There is a separate guide describing how to assemble/glue, but it's pretty intuitive. Most of the assembly is done, it's just a few railings and such. The hanging banners in the shop hold up well, but somewhat, and can be torn off if hit at the wrong angle. This is a common design trait across this line of toys, and I sometimes see reviewers complain about it. Welcome to the world of small miniatures! This is actually a safe feature for a toy since the dainty railing would rather fall off than snap and snap. For those concerned, super glue or gorilla glue etc. is your friend. Be aware that super glue will crystallize over time, so never use it on decals. The department store has a flexible design and can have multiple layout configurations depending on your mood. The building is no deeper than 7 inches when laid out in a straight line and none of the individual parts of the floor are laid out so it fits nicely along a bookshelf and makes a great display or even hide a night light inside. However, when removed to play, it can be positioned at right angles and some of the moving parts of the floor can be repositioned to make the building much taller and deeper, brilliant design! The floors inside the building are not in good condition. Only those that form the front sidewalk, patio, or roof terrace are moving parts. Additional floor kits are also available which can really expand the store. Unfortunately, they've only been released in Japan so far, but you can find them on eBay under the Sylvanian Families name, which is the original name of this toy line and the name it's still sold under in the rest of the world. Expensive, especially the chocolatier set. Small Pieces: I use transparent moving glue dots to attach the small pieces when not in game so you don't lose anything, and also wrap some of these when not actively playing. Some people use Bluetack. There aren't as many tiny accessories as usual, and I know they'll disappoint avid miniaturists, both kids and adults. Unfortunately, there are enough parents who give bad reviews because "it's small parts" because they see those as some kind of burden and they may have ruined it for everyone. It keeps confusing me as this line of toys is all about the miniature world. Through trial and error I found that the elevator only goes up and down smoothly when the door is fully closed, but that's because I didn't read the instructions. Instructions explain it first so make sure you teach the kids so they don't get frustrated. If you want to see it in a great diorama, the famous woodruff Mimi (Ashmimi) has a nice exhibition on her blog. that the manufacturer commissioned her for the toy fair, as well as plenty of well-written instructions for some of the things she made for the diorama, like flower boxes, fountains, and tram tracks. I believe they are archived in one section from June 2017 to Summer 2017. Some crafts are interesting for kids and my daughter and I have tried a few with great results. In general I highly recommend it.