Macmillan Children's announces five-year deal for Sylvanian Families publishing

Macmillan Children’s Books has announced a five-year deal for new Sylvanian Families publishing in English in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and the US.  

“This major acquisition is the start of an exciting new journey for this classic evergreen collectible brand, beloved by generations of children,” the publisher said. 

Nicole Pearson, publishing director, brands and media, bought publishing rights for children’s books and annuals in the English language from Epoch. It will launch in the autumn with The World of Sylvanian Families: The Official Guide and a Christmas sticker dress-up book.  

The publishing programme will continue in 2024 with picture books, dress-up sticker books, an annual, and a search-and-find book. This publishing will cover the toy brand and the new animated series Freya’s Happy Diary, based on Freya the Chocolate Rabbit, one of the key characters in Sylvanian Families.  

Pearson said: “We have had such wonderful collaborative discussions with the Epoch teams in the UK and Japan about Macmillan’s vision for bringing the rich Sylvanian Families universe and extensive cast of distinctive, collectible characters to the printed page and are beyond excited about finalising this deal. Sylvanian Families lends itself perfectly to publishing and our creative team are bursting with ideas that will showcase these wonderful animal families.”  

Stephanie Barton, publisher preschool, brands and classics, added: “Concluding this major deal is exciting for us. With nature, family and love at its heart, we are long-standing fans of Sylvanian Families and their immersive world. As a business, this acquisition is another key step in our strategy to partner with high-quality, world-leading brands.”  

Misato Mae, Epoch’s Sylvanian Families branding manager, said: “We are excited about this partnership with Macmillan. In the UK, Sylvanian Families is already a beloved toy brand, played with by generations of children, just as it is in Japan. We believe Macmillan’s publishing series will support us to grow communication through our toy brand in families from a different perspective.”