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Calico Critters Townhome

2010 June 29
by Mother Bear

The Calico Critters Townhome is also known as Willow Hall in the Sylvanian Families range.

It is a two storey house that has the notable feature of being the first Calico Critters house to have working lights. As with most of the Calico Critters House playsets, the Townhome doesn’t come with any figures or accessories.

Working Lights

The two lights are interchangeable and can be placed in various points around the house or you can add two more lights to have a four fully lit areas.

The house is designed to work as a 4 sided home or, with hinges on one side, to open up and be played with inside. The house has a pink/ red tiles roof and cream walls with highlights of white and rose on the windows, doors and verandah.

The house measures 12″ x 12″ x 12″  closed up and inside there are four large rooms and a small plastic divider which allows you to do some DIY renovations and add another room where you choose.Stairs on the outside lead up to a verandah but when you open the house up to be played with the staircase can be moved to a desired location inside.

Small Footprint

Some parents have had concerns about the size of the house, that it is small compared to other play houses.

This is indeed a negative for some people but I find the size to be perfect if you are after a small place to play and store the figures and furniture. It fits in well with the size of the Calico Critters theme, given it is a family house and anything bigger would look out of place.

I find large plastic houses an eyesore and hard to store once play is finished so having one this small is a bonus in my eyes.

If you take a look at the pictures and keep in mind the size of the figures and the furniture in each room then it will give you an idea of what is possible with the playset. If it seems too small then the larger, Calico Critters Cloverleaf Manor might appeal as it is quite a bit bigger.

Calico Critters Townhome Extensions

You can also add a Conservatory Verandah onto the set which allows for greater outside play for the critters. The conservatory has two levels joined by a ladder and can also be used as a separate summer house  on its own. An extension set that includes extra lights and curtains is also available.

Amazon currently has the Critter Townhome at the best price including shipping.

You can access the rest of the house reviews via our Calico Critters Home Reviews page.

11 Responses Post a comment
  1. Debra K permalink
    July 3, 2006

    Rating

    The Town Home is a fine addition to your Calico Critters collection. My daughter got this when she was 2 to go with the mouse family and kitchen set. She then got the baby bedroom and twins…although all of the furniture will not fit in each room, she has always had a fun and easy time playing with it. She puts some of the furniture in the rooms and then plays with a lot of it out in front…the lights are great, it’s been very durable and easy for her to open/close and set up herself. Although it’s smaller (there are bigger homes if you’re purely concerned about space), it’s a great option at this price point. She’s about to turn 3 and will be getting more!

  2. L. Hannes permalink
    December 26, 2007

    Rating

    My 3 year old just received this house, and she is having a ball with it. We read reviews and were a little concerned that it would be too small, but it’s really not. You just have to get a little creative with the furniture layout – and rearranging furniture in a doll house is half the fun anyway. Also, you can move part of the floor, one of the walls, and the staircase so you can change it up easily. I do wish the stairs were a little better designed – they work great in some spots but fall off more easily in others – but it’s not a big deal. The little lights are very cute.

  3. A. Bengel permalink
    November 28, 2008

    Rating

    My daughter received this house for her eighth birthday and loves it. I’ve seen a lot of reviews from people who bought it for a 2-year-old, which I don’t understand, because all of the play pieces that go with it would present a choking hazard for such a young child. That said, the only limitation I see is that the rooms could be a little bigger, but that’s my observation, not my daughter’s. She has no complaints whatsoever. She doesn’t do much playing inside the house. Her play mostly involves deciding where everything should go, setting it all up, and shuffling it around until it’s just right.

    People with limited storage/play space will appreciate the manageable size of this piece. My friend’s daughter has a gigantic Barbie castle that looms over any room he puts it in and take up all the space in the room when it’s open and being played with. This is a more reasonable size and just as much fun.

    The house seems sturdy enough for normal play, and the lights that really light up are very cool. Some people have dogged this product in their reviews, but I think it’s a neat little house. More importantly, my daughter really likes it and uses it.

  4. madmax permalink
    December 2, 2008

    Rating

    My 3 & 5 year old love this toy! The lights turn off and on in two of the rooms and the accessories and Calico Critters are super cute. It is a little small to fit all the accessories (like the bathroom fits the tub, toilet and small wall sink), but my kids enjoy trading them out and re-decorating any way. There is a bigger version of this one if you prefer more room. They enjoy plaing with all the little rooms and it is better if we elevate it so they can both play. It doesn’t open to a 180 flat front, which does sometimes make it difficult for both to play at the same time, but it is very durable and withstands a lot.

  5. Honeybear permalink
    January 7, 2010

    Rating

    We got this Calico Critters Townhome for my 3 yr old daughter….She super love it!!!

    She can fit all the Disney mini princess in to the living room and best of all is the living room and upstair bedroom light… it really light up!! Super cool.

    But the only problem is the bathroom is too small, but over all the townhome is easy store and good structure.

  6. S. Shawver permalink
    January 11, 2010

    Rating

    My daughter absolutely loves this toy she plays with it all the time. Very sturdy.

  7. Carla Whiting permalink
    January 17, 2010

    Rating

    I purchased this as a christmas gift for my 5 year old daughter. She has enjoyed countless hours playing with her Townhouse. She also incorporates other toys into her play. She’s plays inside the house and set up areas outside the playhouse. The size is perfect for how she wants to play. She also recieved a few furniture sets. You don’t need too many, as it will fill up the house. We are really pleased with our choice.

  8. Nelly Furtado permalink
    July 23, 2010

    Do you think its okay for a 12 year old to play this?

  9. admin permalink
    July 23, 2010

    Absolutely!
    You’ll probably have trouble staying away from it yourself!
    Cheers

  10. Debbie Kellenberger permalink
    November 10, 2010

    Can you help me looking for the wallpaper for the townhouse were to find it my niece is 7 is this ok?

  11. Amy permalink
    November 11, 2010

    I was thinking about getting this for my Twins 4th birthday. I played with Sullivan families untill i was in middle school (shhh!) My friend and I loved it! It lasted for YEARS and YEARS! I still have pieces from my sullivan family

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