The Sylvanian Drama Saga that Sparked a Brand Identity Debate
When Epoch Company Ltd, makers of children’s collectible toy Sylvanian Families (known as Calico Critters in the US) filed a copyright lawsuit against the TikTok account ‘Sylvanian Drama’ earlier this year, it raised an important question: can brands truly own their identities in the age of user-generated content?
Launched in 1985, the collectible creatures are described as “a unique and adorable range of distinctive animal characters that live, work and play in the idyllic land of Sylvania.
"The word Sylvan means ‘of the forest’ and the brand has three values at its heart: Nature, Love and Family.”
By contrast, Sylvanian Drama, a social media account run by Irish creator Thea van Engelbrechten, rejected these values, instead putting the characters into an array of adult scenarios centred around alcohol, drugs, cheating scandals, violence and more. The TikTok and Instagram account amassed 2.5 million and one million followers respectively – enough to attract brand collaborations with Marc Jacobs, Netflix and Hilton.
However, the account’s most recent post was in December 2024, and as fans began to question its absence on their feeds, it came to light in July that Epoch had filed a copyright infringement case in the US against the account.
According to the BBC, Epoch argued that the videos were causing “irreparable injury” to its reputation.
Thea responded with a counternotice that claimed her work was a ‘parody’.
BBC News continued, “Court documents filed by Epoch with the Southern District of New York on 4 July and seen by the BBC accuse Ms Von Engelbrechten of infringing the company's copyright without its permission.”
A pre-trial conference was scheduled to take place on August 14th, but on August 8th the case was dropped. The account subsequently broke its social media silence on the same day, posting to Instagram: "Hi guys, on the 19th August I will be changing the name and profile picture of this account.
"I'm not sure what to change it to yet so please let me know if you have any suggestions".
In light of this action – which could serve as a warning for other creators – LBB’s Abi Lightfoot was keen to hear from brand and social strategists on the extent to which brands can manage their identity in the age of social media. Can brands truly own their own image once their product is in the hands of the public, and how can they balance the benefits of potential virality and exposure versus damaging an established brand reputation?
A Question of Control
Gen Kobayashi, group chief strategy officer , M+C Saatchi UK, sees Sylvanian Drama as part of a wider shift in brand ownership and control. “I think this action taken and then subsequently withdrawn by the manufacturers of Sylvanian Families is an example of brands coming to terms with a new world where brands aren't gate kept in the same tight ways as before,” he says. “In a world where algorithms decide what's popular, interesting or shared, brands don't have the same level of control as they used to.”
Madison Caprara, strategist at BUCK agrees. ’Total control’ of your brand image is impossible, and instead, there should be pre-determined parameters of what is or isn’t acceptable.
“In this age, identity management isn't about maintaining total control,” she says. “That's impossible, and if it's something you're setting out to achieve, you're setting your brand up for failure. Instead, focus on setting and maintaining smart guardrails. Picking your battles, if you will.”
Madison’s advice would be:
- “Define your hard no's. Be very clear on dealbreakers so you can act fast when there's a true threat to brand reputation. Take a beat to gauge if viral content is doing harm or just expanding reach.
- “Separate tone from ownership. The brand can protect its core values while still allowing others the agency to remix on their personal platforms. This is where things can get interesting and new ideas can emerge. When you think of the brands that went viral this year, the content wasn't expected or 'safe'. That's what gets people talking.
- “Collaborate when you can. Lean into creator love, even if their spin is unexpected or not entirely on-brand. #yolo”
Katie McDonald, head of strategy at We Are Social US, points to the power of consumer voices and behaviour online. “How people feel about your brand lives and breathes in the comment section and in feeds every day. Viral trends like ‘Describe your ex as a brand’ prove that consumers have strong and sticky brand perceptions that catch fire in culture.
“As our digital experiences become increasingly hyper-tailored to our tastes,” she adds, “behaviours and preferences, co-creating with the communities and creators people already love and trust while remaining true to your brand DNA will continue to drive impact.”
The Merits of ‘Memeification’
“When an account like Sylvanian Drama amasses millions of fans, the brand stands to gain far more than it loses,” says Madison Caprara, strategist at BUCK. “It's the old adage in action: any press is good press. Come down too hard and you risk looking stuffy and out of touch with how people choose to enjoy what they've paid for.”
Sylvanian Drama’s noughties drama-inspired skits might not have been straight out of the brand’s own playbook, but their existence signalled a resonance and place in cultural dialogue for the brand. Instead of speaking to their target market – children – the parody account appealed to an older generation, likely to have grown up playing with the toy, thus appealing to a pre-existing brand affinity through a more mature, humour-first approach.
“You don't have to co-sign the content to respect the impact of its craft,” adds Madison. “A brand can say, ‘This isn't our tone’, and still appreciate the creativity, community, and cultural reach born from their product.
“Art is disruptive. In the social era, that disruption can either tank you or, if you're willing to keep an open mind, turn into the best free marketing you'll ever get.”
Katie agrees. “In the constant battle for attention online, it's a privilege for a brand to stay top-of-mind, and the brands who are winning are deeply self-aware about what consumers think about them – like Ryanair turning their “cheap” reputation into a TikTok persona.”
Gen also cites RyanAir as a prime example of brands playing into their brand reputation in exchange for social popularity. “This is often talked about as the ‘memeification of brands’ – brands not just allowing themselves to be parodied but creating strategies to actively enable and benefit from being remixed by their fans,” says Gen.
“Ryanair and Duolingo to name but a few are brands that have actively enabled the memeification of their brands by people. It obviously doesn't come without risk but by strategically planning for it, brands can leverage this fame for their own benefit. The ultimate jujitsu move.”
For brands and agencies alike, the Sylvanian Drama saga is a reminder: in today’s social-first world, they can fight to control their image – or embrace the chaos and turn it into opportunity.
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