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Sylvanian Families (1987 TV series) facts for kids

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Sylvanian Families
Sylvanian Families (1987 TV series).png
DVD cover
Genre Animated television series
Created by
  • Epoch (toys)
  • Adapted for animation by Phil Harnage
Developed by Phil Harnage
Directed by Christian Choquet
Voices of
  • Frank Proctor
  • Len Carlson
  • John Stocker
  • Brian Belfry
  • Noam Zylberman
Country of origin
  • United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 13 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Andy Heyward
Producer(s) Tetsuo Katayama
Running time 30 minutes
Production company(s) DIC Animation City
Distributor Coca-Cola Telecommunications
Release
Original network First-run syndication
Original release September 18 (1987-09-18) – December 11, 1987 (1987-12-11)
Chronology
Related shows Stories of the Sylvanian Families (1988)
Sylvanian Families (2007)

Sylvanian Families is a fun animated series from 1987. It's based on the popular Sylvanian Families toys made by Epoch. The show was created in the United States by DIC Animation City, with the animation done in Japan. It first aired in 1987 and was shown again on channels like The CBN Family Channel and PAX TV in later years.

Meet the Voices Behind the Characters

Many talented actors brought the Sylvanian Families to life! Here are some of the main voice actors:

  • Frank Proctor – The Woodkeeper
  • Len Carlson – Packbat, Wade Waters, and the Babblebrooks
  • John Stocker – Gatorpossum, Grandpa Smoky Wildwood, and the Timbertops
  • Michael Fantini – Preston Evergreen
  • Jeri Craden – Mama Honeysuckle Evergreen
  • Thick Wilson - Grandpa Ernest Evergreen
  • Ellen-Ray Hennessy – Grandma Primrose Evergreen
  • Noam Zylberman – Rusty Wildwood
  • Catherine Gallant – Hollie Wildwood
  • Jeremiah McCann – Buster Slydale
  • Lisa Coristine – Scarlette Slydale
  • Brian Belfry – Papa Slick Slydale
  • Diane Fabian – Mama Velvette Slydale, Grandma Flora Wildwood, and Mama Ginger Wildwood
  • Tabitha St. Germain (credited as Paulina Gillis) – Ashley Evergreen
  • Chuck Shamata – Forrest Evergreen
  • Tara Strong (uncredited) – Bridget (this was her first role!)
  • Cree Summer (uncredited) - Donny, Jessica
  • Kerry Shale (uncredited) - Papa Herb Wildwood

Who Are the Sylvanian Families Characters?

The show features many animal families living in the Sylvanian Forest. They are mostly kind and helpful, but there are also some tricky villains!

The Heroes: Friendly Forest Families

  • The Evergreens (Bears): Forrest, Honeysuckle, Ernest, Primrose, Preston, Ashley, Dusty, and Poppy.
  • The Babblebrooks (Rabbits): Rocky, Crystal, Cliff, Pearl, Bubba, Breezy, Sandy, and Coral.
  • The Thistlethorns (Mice): Chester, Willow, Lester, Prissy, Barry, and Heather.
  • The Chestnuts (Raccoons): Durwood, Pansy, Grover, Myrtle, Hoss, and Charity.
  • The Wildwoods (Rabbits): Herb, Ginger, Smokey, Flora, Rusty, Hollie, Barkley, and Juniper.
  • The Timbertops (Bears): Taylor, Rose, Gruff, Fern, Bud, Daisy, Burl, and Blossom.
  • The Waters (Beavers): Wade, Nancy, Roger, Misty, Bucky, and Bubbles.
  • The Windwards (Rabbits): Hickory and Lily.
  • The Sweetwaters (Bears): Morris and Kelsey.

The Villains: Who Causes Trouble?

  • Packbat: The main bad guy!
  • Gatorpossum: Packbat's helper.
  • The Slydales (Foxes): Slick, Velvette, Buster, Scarlett, Skitter, and Lindy. Sometimes they cause trouble too!

The Woodkeeper

  • The Woodkeeper: A human character who watches over the Sylvanian Forest.

Episode Guide: Adventures in Sylvania

Each episode of Sylvanian Families tells two short stories. Often, human children wish for something, and then they see a similar situation happen in the Sylvanian world.

Nº Title Written by Air date
1 "Dam Busters / Outfoxing the Foxes" Phil Harnage (Dam Busters)
Jack Hanrahan and Eleanor Burian-Mohr (Outfoxing the Foxes)		 September 18, 1987 (1987-09-18)
  • Dam Busters: Donny wishes he was strong. In Sylvania, he helps Preston and Grandpa Ernest with an invention. Meanwhile, Packbat tries to flood the Sylvanians by destroying a dam.
  • Outfoxing the Foxes: Joey wishes he was smart about tricks. He helps the Wildwoods pick carrots, but Buster and Scarlett keep stealing them. Joey makes a plan to save the carrots from Packbat.
2 "Grace Under Pressure / Fraidy Cats" Phil Harnage (Grace Under Pressure)
Jim Lenahan (Fraidy Cats)		 September 25, 1987 (1987-09-25)
  • Grace Under Pressure: Grace wishes she wasn't so clumsy. She helps Myrtle and Ashley with babysitting and mail. Packbat tries to stop them.
  • Fraidy Cats: Maria is afraid of the dark. She helps Daisy and Holly get ready for a party. Gatorpossum captures them, but Maria helps them escape and stop Packbat's plan.
3 "The Bear Facts / Fool's Gold" Martha Moran (The Bear Facts)
Cherie Wilkerson (Fool’s Gold)		 October 2, 1987 (1987-10-02)
  • The Bear Facts: Charlie wants a mystery to solve. In Sylvania, he helps figure out who stole acorns, after Mayor Gruff is blamed.
  • Fool’s Gold: Penny wants treasure for her family. She goes on a scavenger hunt with Rusty and Grover at Packbat’s house. Grover gets kidnapped, and Penny finds treasure to trade for his freedom.
4 "Know It All / School Daze" Steve Robertson and John Vornholt (Know It All)
John Howard (School Daze)		 October 9, 1987 (1987-10-09)
  • Know It All: Jack wishes people would stop telling him what to do. He helps Bud stop the Slydales from stealing beehives. With Mrs Timbertop's advice, they succeed.
  • School Daze: Jonathan never wants to go to school. He skips school with Rusty and Lester. Packbat gets Buster to help destroy the school, but Mr. Thistlethorn stops them.
5 "Double Trouble / Cooking Up Trouble" Martha Moran (Double Trouble)
Eleanor Burian-Mohr and Jack Hanrahan (Cooking Up Trouble)		 October 16, 1987 (1987-10-16)
  • Double Trouble: Katie wants to be happy again. She helps Ashley and Breezy babysit, but Packbat kidnaps them all. They escape and trap Packbat.
  • Cooking Up Trouble: Bridget wants to eat lots of sweets. She helps Hollie and Rusty with Grandma Pearl's bad cooking. Gatorpossum tries to ruin the Ginger Festival.
6 "Daddy's Little Girl / Beauty and the Beast" Phil Harnage October 23, 1987 (1987-10-23)
  • Daddy’s Little Girl: Jessica thinks her dad doesn’t love her after her parents' divorce. She runs through the forest with Ashley’s father to find a cure for Ashley and Skitter, who ate bad toadstools. She learns that love can still be there even when people are apart.
  • Beauty and the Beast: Lisa wishes she was beautiful. She goes with Rusty to a beauty contest, but Packbat captures her, Rusty, and Scarlett. After escaping, Lisa wins the contest.
7 "The Wheel Thing / Muddy Waters" Jean Ann Wright (The Wheel Thing)
Steve Robertson and John Vornholt (Muddy Waters)		 October 30, 1987 (1987-10-30)
  • The Wheel Thing: Chrissie loves reading stories but wants her own adventure. Packbat tries to sneak through a golden door by pretending to be Chrissie and stealing her wheelchair.
  • Muddy Waters: Robby never wants to bathe. He helps Rusty stop the Slydales from making the water dirty with skunk cabbages.
8 "There's No Place Like Home / Tough Enough" David Ehrman (There’s No Place Like Home)
Antonio G. Ortiz and Carmella Ortiz (Tough Enough)		 November 6, 1987 (1987-11-06)
  • There’s No Place Like Home: Sara wishes her mom could stay home more. She goes camping with Ashley and Breezy, and they get lost. When their moms rescue them, Jessica realizes how much working moms love their kids.
  • Tough Enough: Sid thinks it's fun to tease his little brother. He learns a lesson when he teams up with Buster and Packbat to dig a trench at the river.
9 "Hip to Be Bear / Feud for Thought" Eleanor Burian-Mohr and Jack Hanrahan (Hip to Be Bear)
Martha Moran (Feud for Thought)		 November 13, 1987 (1987-11-13)
  • Hip to Be Bear: Jamie wishes his grandparents were "cooler." He helps the Evergreens save Dusty and Poppy from Gatorpossum.
  • Feud for Thought: Tracy wishes she had a perfect family. She helps Rusty Wildwood with his grandparents' anniversary party, but things don't go as planned.
10 "Stand by Your Dad / My Brother's Keeper" Temple Mathews (Stand by Your Dad)
Lisa Maliani (My Brother’s Keeper)		 November 20, 1987 (1987-11-20)
  • Stand By Your Dad: Diane wishes her father wasn’t a garbageman. She helps Preston save the recycling center from Packbat and Gatorpossum.
  • My Brother’s Keeper: Susan and Jerry are siblings who fight a lot. They learn to work together to stop an avalanche caused by Packbat.
11 "Boy's Intuition / Here Come the Brides" Brynne Stephens (Boy’s Intuition)
Eleanor Burian-Mohr and Jack Hanrahan (Here Come the Brides)		 November 27, 1987 (1987-11-27)
  • Boy’s Intuition: Mikey wishes other boys wouldn't call him a "sissy" for liking dolls and babysitting. He helps prevent Buster’s siblings from being kidnapped by Packbat and Gatorpossum.
  • Here Come the Brides: Lori worries about her mother getting remarried. She helps the families with a double wedding, which Packbat tries to stop.
12 "Founders Keepers / Little Ms. Woodkeeper" Phil Harnage December 4, 1987 (1987-12-04)
  • Founders Keepers: Andy wants a good bedtime story. He goes to the Founders’ Day campout and hears about the first settlers of the Sylvanian Forest.
  • Little Ms. Woodkeeper: Deborah wishes she could be the next Woodkeeper and do something exciting. She helps destroy a dam Packbat built at the top of a waterfall.
13 "Hoppily Ever After / Really Amelia" Eleanor Burian-Mohr and Jack Hanrahan (Hoppily Ever After)
Steve Robertson and John Vornholt (Really Amelia)		 December 11, 1987 (1987-12-11)
  • Hoppily Ever After: Evan is an only child. His dad is marrying a woman with two kids. He helps the families after Packbat and Gatorpossum steal their wedding feast.
  • Really Amelia: Amelia wishes she was a hero like Amelia Earhart. She helps Preston save the crops by flying his plane to scare away Packbat.

Where to Watch: Home Video Releases

Over the years, Sylvanian Families has been released on home video.

  • In 1988, Golden Book Video and DIC Video released VHS tapes in the United States.
  • In the UK, MSD Video and Abbey Home Entertainment released many tapes. One was called Sylvanian Families: The Movie, but it was just edited episodes.
  • In 2004, Sterling Entertainment released two VHS/DVDs: The Big Adventure and Hoppily Ever After. Each had 3 episodes.
  • In May 2004, Maximum Entertainment released a DVD in the UK with the first 5 episodes.
  • In Australia in 2010, Magna Home Entertainment released a 2-disc set with all 13 episodes.
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