Globally Popular Calico Critters Celebrates Retail Launch Of New Town Series With Interactive Pop-Up Experience

NEW YORK, Oct. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Epoch Everlasting Play (EEP) kicked off the holiday shopping season with a special pop-up experience to celebrate the retail launch of the globally popular Calico Critters new Town series. The series, first introduced in 1985, features beautiful, richly detailed animal figures that live like humans with a focus on "Nature, Family and Love." The collection is now available at specialty stores nationwide and online at Amazon.

Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8421351-calico-critters-interactive-new-town-series/

The world of Calico Critters came to life at Stella's Exclusive Town Tea at Lady Mendl's Tea Salon in New York City. The dazzling interactive day of play featured life-size replicas of the playset fun including a chance to step inside Stella's Designer Studio, taste testing at the Chocolate Lounge and Gelato stands and a first-ever look at the new Calico Critters animated series debuting on Netflix on November 1^st in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Other countries in Europe and Asia will launch in their respective languages on December 1, 2018.

"For more than three decades Calico Critters have captured children's imaginations with the sweet innocence of their animal families and the stories of their home life," says Michael Varda, president/CEO of EEP. "We're excited to bring the play to the next level with the Town Series and the debut of the animated show to engage children as they grow."

The Calico Critters Netflix series will feature animated content:

• Calico Critters Mini Episodes: This 12-episode series (each about 3 minutes long) focuses on Bell Hopscotch Rabbit's life in Calico Village, and her sister Stella Hopscotch Rabbit who lives in Calico Town.
• The Treasure of Calico Village Mini Movie: This 22 minute long mini movie is a touching story about the treasure Bell Hopscotch Rabbit finds in Calico Village.
• A Town of Dreams Mini Movie: This 11 minute long story reveals how Stella Hopscotch Rabbit is living out her dreams in Calico Town.

Epoch is the third largest toy company in Japan and has expanded worldwide, as corporate sales have grown 80 percent in the last three years.  The company's US subsidiary, Epoch Everlasting Play, is based in Parsippany, NJ and jumped from the country's 93rd largest manufacturer all the way to number 53 since 2014. The popular Calico Critters brand has grown more than 40 percent in unit sales in the past year.

The introduction of the new Town series is the company's biggest and most exciting launch in the past 10 years.  The new collection takes girls to the next level as they move beyond preschool play to the early school years.  It features a more elegant, sophisticated styling, and a focus on the lives of more grown-up characters, who have fun jobs that children can dream of having when they grow up.

Located on the west side of the treasured Calico Village, each beloved character can take the Tram to the center of Town and visit the richly detailed Grand Department Store and Stella's special Designer Studio, where she lives.  Shopping is at its finest in the Town Series, offering various ways for children to collect and connect each detailed set; enabling them to create their own town from their own imagination. 

Highlighting the collection is the ultimate holiday gift set:

Grand Department Store Gift Set, Ages 6 +/ $129.95

The centerpiece of the Town is the Grand Department Store, the most iconic building in the new series, which also introduces Stella.  It features elegant, sophisticated styling and a unified design for even more freedom with the layout.  With finely sculpted areas and exquisite attention to detail, it draws children in and enhances imaginative play.  The special gift set comes complete with terrace, balconies, custom windows, awnings, flags and railings to spark even more customizable play. 

The play starts at the entrance tower through the revolving doors and continues throughout all levels on the elevator. Once upstairs, children can send their Calico Critters out to the terrace or balconies to watch over the beauty of the Town.

CONTACT:
Ellie Bagli/ [email protected]
Maria Habermann/ [email protected]
Freeman Public Relations
973-470-0400, x17/x20

SOURCE Epoch Everlasting Play