--- description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. title: EPOCH image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf7e324b3df7ee95e/6a4b525b21e475e22a47284d/B7038B1D2532495CAA31EE3F86E19A32.png?branch=production&width=640&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- # EPOCH  **CRAFTING TIMELESS HAPPINESS** The beloved series of charming animal figures, Sylvanian Families, has been bringing joy to families around the world since its launch in 1985\. Produced by Japanese toymaker Epoch, the company’s hands-on approach has been key to the brand’s success, as the “family” continues to grow over the years. “We plan and design all of our toys ourselves, manufacture them at our own factories and sell everything through our own global network,” President Kazuhiro Onoda explains. “This gives us transparency at every step of the process.” With interest in Japanese kitsch and kawaii continuing to rise, Sylvanian Families exclusive stores have become a popular stop for tourists, with up to 50% of sales at select locations coming from overseas shoppers of all ages. “Our dream is to inspire children and bring playfulness to adults,” says Onoda. “Toys cross borders and create enthusiasm around the globe.”  EPOCH ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/global-kigyo/epoch/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/global-kigyo/epoch/"},"headline":"EPOCH","datePublished":"2026-06-18T14:27:49.930Z","dateModified":"2026-06-09T07:28:03.510Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/branded-content/global-kigyo/epoch/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/global-kigyo/epoch/","name":"EPOCH"}}]}] ```