The McBurrows Mole Family
FATHER DIGGER McBURROWS is an expert tunnel maker. He is so dedicated to his craft that sometimes he doesn't see the sun for days at a time. This is especially true during the frosty winter months when the ground is hard and the digging is even harder! But Digger feels so at home underground that he has created a special tunnel for his family to live in. Although perhaps we should say a series of special tunnels as his earthy woodland home consists of a parlour, a kitchen, a bathroom and no less than four bedrooms. It is Digger's pride and joy and he likes nothing better than showing it off to visitors when they drop by for tea and crumpets. This happens particulary often on chilly winter days as no matter what the weather is like outside, inside 'The Burrow' it is always delightfully warm and cosy!
MOTHER HEIDI McBURROWS is very house-proud. Visitors to her cosy underground dwelling always find her cleaning and tidying no matter the time of day. Indeed, no one in Sylvania is handier with a dustpan and brush than Heidi – so much so that her husband likes to joke that she has 'tunnel vision' where housework is concerned! Dirty footprints are Heidi's pet hate and woe betide anyone who steps inside her house without taking their shoes off first! She certainly has her work cut out when it comes to Digger, of course – after all, her husband does spend his entire day burrowing through the muddy Sylvanian soil! Soap, washing powder and bubble bath are always right at the top of Heidi's shopping list!
BROTHER MUDDY McBURROWS keeps his mother very busy too. He always seems to be covered in mud, even when no rain has fallen for weeks onend. Muddy sets off to school every day in a clean pair of blue and white dungarees – but by the time he gets back home, no one can tell what colour they are! How this happens Muddy is never quite sure, especially as he only plays rugby and football a couple of times a week! Of course, his mother always makes him jump in the bath the moment he steps through the door, but his father just strokes his head proudly and says, “You're my little mud magnet, you are!”
SISTER MOLLY McBURROWS is very clever with her hands. She uses her artistic talents to make beautiful presents for her family and friends. Molly puts a lot of thought into her gifts and usually gets them just right. Her mother was thrilled with her willow basket, for example – now she could keep all her cleaning equipment in one easy to find place. Her father loved that pair of slippers she sewed for him – now he could put his feet up when he got home after a busy day at work. Unfortunately the beautiful sweater Molly knitted for her brother Muddy was not such a success – it was white, but obviously didn't stay white for very long!
BABY BROTHER MONTHY McBURROWS wriggles and wriggles around in his cot. That is why his blue blanket is always on the floor and why his mother always has to keep a close check on him. No sooner has Heidi tucked in her fidgety son than he has turned over and she has to start all over again!
BABY SISTER MO McBURROWS is the total opposite. She burrows so far under her pink blanket that when she is asleep you can hardly tell that she is there. Her father says she takes after him and that she is sure to be a tunelling expert too when she grows up!
MOTHER HEIDI McBURROWS is very house-proud. Visitors to her cosy underground dwelling always find her cleaning and tidying no matter the time of day. Indeed, no one in Sylvania is handier with a dustpan and brush than Heidi – so much so that her husband likes to joke that she has 'tunnel vision' where housework is concerned! Dirty footprints are Heidi's pet hate and woe betide anyone who steps inside her house without taking their shoes off first! She certainly has her work cut out when it comes to Digger, of course – after all, her husband does spend his entire day burrowing through the muddy Sylvanian soil! Soap, washing powder and bubble bath are always right at the top of Heidi's shopping list!
BROTHER MUDDY McBURROWS keeps his mother very busy too. He always seems to be covered in mud, even when no rain has fallen for weeks onend. Muddy sets off to school every day in a clean pair of blue and white dungarees – but by the time he gets back home, no one can tell what colour they are! How this happens Muddy is never quite sure, especially as he only plays rugby and football a couple of times a week! Of course, his mother always makes him jump in the bath the moment he steps through the door, but his father just strokes his head proudly and says, “You're my little mud magnet, you are!”
SISTER MOLLY McBURROWS is very clever with her hands. She uses her artistic talents to make beautiful presents for her family and friends. Molly puts a lot of thought into her gifts and usually gets them just right. Her mother was thrilled with her willow basket, for example – now she could keep all her cleaning equipment in one easy to find place. Her father loved that pair of slippers she sewed for him – now he could put his feet up when he got home after a busy day at work. Unfortunately the beautiful sweater Molly knitted for her brother Muddy was not such a success – it was white, but obviously didn't stay white for very long!
BABY BROTHER MONTHY McBURROWS wriggles and wriggles around in his cot. That is why his blue blanket is always on the floor and why his mother always has to keep a close check on him. No sooner has Heidi tucked in her fidgety son than he has turned over and she has to start all over again!
BABY SISTER MO McBURROWS is the total opposite. She burrows so far under her pink blanket that when she is asleep you can hardly tell that she is there. Her father says she takes after him and that she is sure to be a tunelling expert too when she grows up!
FATHER JACK McBURROWS has worked with his brother Digger to create a series of tunnels under Sylvania. They are known as the 'Sylvanian Underground'. It is an inter-woven network of tunnels which lead from house to house and shop to shop, so the McBurrows never need appear overground. It has become a huge joke in Sylvania because you never know when a member of the McBurrows family are going to pop up in the middle of your house for a cup of tea! Jack is very strong and muscular. He works out regulary and does lots of exercises to ensure his body and feet are strong enough to create his underground world. Why exactly he exercises is a mystery – with all the digging he does, exercise seems unnecessary. His favourite pastime is collecting fossils which is a great hobby for someone who is always digging around underground.
MOTHER SALLY McBURROWS is very house proud (or rather tunnel-proud!) No matter when you visit, you'll always find her cleaning. She has a terrible time because all her family are always digging and getting themselves muddy and dirty. Black footprints on the furniture, mucky handprints on the wall – there is never a dull moment for Sally. She dreams of having an all-white tunnel with all her family wearing white gloves so there will never be a mucky mess ever again!!
BROTHER RUSTY McBURROWS drives his mother up the wall. He just cannot keep his clothes clean – he is always covered in dirt and mud. Rusty just loves to be dirty and cannot bear to be clean. If a bath is mentioned in the household he develops a nervous wriggle and has to rush off to get extra dirty in the hope that his mother will be unable to get it all off him. At school, he always has to sit on a sheet of plastic as Aristotle Treefellow gets very annoyed if his school gets covered in mud. Rusty is very good friends with Byron Underwood and enjoys going on trips with him, to take pictures for the Sylvanian photograph album. The only trouble is that Rusty has very poor eyesight and Byron always ends up with pictures of Sylvanians with no heads, that's if Rusty even manages to get anyone at all in the picture!!
SISTER MAUREEN McBURROWS is an expert at arts and crafts. Mr Merryweather, her teacher, is very pleased with her and gives her a good report from her art classes. Maureen has been very busy recently because she has been making cushions and a bedspread for the annual School summer fete. The Brambles lent her their sewing machine and Sophie Snow-Warren helped her gather all her bits and pieces. Everyone agreed she made a splendid job of the cushions and bedspread.
BABY BROTHER BARTHOLOMEW McBURROWS likes to stand up in his cot (with great difficulty) and wave at his mum and dad early in the morning to let them know it's time to get up and play! He is named after P.C. Bobby Roberts, who helped Sally get to the hospital in time when she was giving birth. Bobby hopes little Bartholomew will grow up to join him on the Sylvanian Police force.
MOTHER SALLY McBURROWS is very house proud (or rather tunnel-proud!) No matter when you visit, you'll always find her cleaning. She has a terrible time because all her family are always digging and getting themselves muddy and dirty. Black footprints on the furniture, mucky handprints on the wall – there is never a dull moment for Sally. She dreams of having an all-white tunnel with all her family wearing white gloves so there will never be a mucky mess ever again!!
BROTHER RUSTY McBURROWS drives his mother up the wall. He just cannot keep his clothes clean – he is always covered in dirt and mud. Rusty just loves to be dirty and cannot bear to be clean. If a bath is mentioned in the household he develops a nervous wriggle and has to rush off to get extra dirty in the hope that his mother will be unable to get it all off him. At school, he always has to sit on a sheet of plastic as Aristotle Treefellow gets very annoyed if his school gets covered in mud. Rusty is very good friends with Byron Underwood and enjoys going on trips with him, to take pictures for the Sylvanian photograph album. The only trouble is that Rusty has very poor eyesight and Byron always ends up with pictures of Sylvanians with no heads, that's if Rusty even manages to get anyone at all in the picture!!
SISTER MAUREEN McBURROWS is an expert at arts and crafts. Mr Merryweather, her teacher, is very pleased with her and gives her a good report from her art classes. Maureen has been very busy recently because she has been making cushions and a bedspread for the annual School summer fete. The Brambles lent her their sewing machine and Sophie Snow-Warren helped her gather all her bits and pieces. Everyone agreed she made a splendid job of the cushions and bedspread.
BABY BROTHER BARTHOLOMEW McBURROWS likes to stand up in his cot (with great difficulty) and wave at his mum and dad early in the morning to let them know it's time to get up and play! He is named after P.C. Bobby Roberts, who helped Sally get to the hospital in time when she was giving birth. Bobby hopes little Bartholomew will grow up to join him on the Sylvanian Police force.
FATHER FREDDIE McBURROWS is the youngest of all the McBurrows brothers. He is nowhere near as an accomplished tunnel maker as his brothers. He has recently moved into his new home with his wife and child and is hoping to watch their family grow like his brothers. He is more house proud than his brothers, and is usually the one running around the house with a mop and bucket.
MOTHER ISLA McBURROWS is enjoying setting up home with her husband Freddie. Before their home was finished they were staying with Digger's family. Isla was certainly shocked to see much cleaning Heidi did each day, and is hoping her child doesn't grow up to be as dirty and muddy as his cousins Muddy and Rusty. She is the most laid back though out of the McBurrows wives when it comes to cleaning, and says that boys will be boys. Although Heidi has said she would say differently living with Digger and Muddy!
BABY SHANE McBURROWS seems to be quite clean for a McBurrows baby. He doesn't like mud and whenever he is playing in the garden with his cousins he is careful not to get dirty, mush to his mother's delight!
MOTHER ISLA McBURROWS is enjoying setting up home with her husband Freddie. Before their home was finished they were staying with Digger's family. Isla was certainly shocked to see much cleaning Heidi did each day, and is hoping her child doesn't grow up to be as dirty and muddy as his cousins Muddy and Rusty. She is the most laid back though out of the McBurrows wives when it comes to cleaning, and says that boys will be boys. Although Heidi has said she would say differently living with Digger and Muddy!
BABY SHANE McBURROWS seems to be quite clean for a McBurrows baby. He doesn't like mud and whenever he is playing in the garden with his cousins he is careful not to get dirty, mush to his mother's delight!
FATHER GRANT McBURROWS is an archaeologist, keeping in line with the family tradition of digging. He often leads teams out on excavations throughout the Sylvanian countryside and coastal areas. His greatest find was unearthing a large dinosaur skeleton which is now on proud display in the Sylvanian Museum. He is leading a team out to 'Sea Breeze Cape' soon, to see what they find on the coast.
MOTHER SHIRLEY McBURROWS has just launched her own cleaning company. She was inspired after seeing how compulsive her sisters-in-law were when it came to cleaning. She has many clients already on her list, including the Grand Hotel and the village schools. She tried getting Heidi and Sally to join her, but they both looked at her aghast, and said in unison “Who would keep our houses clean if we were cleaning for others?”
BROTHER HARRY McBURROWS wants to be an archaeologist when he grows up, just like his father. His mother wouldn't mind so much, but he started doing his own excavations in her garden from a young age. He hasn't unearthed anything of value yet, but he did find the remains of a broken plant pot in his last excavation!
SISTER SHELLEY McBURROWS likes to bake cakes. Whenever she is not in school, she can be found in the kitchen baking something nice and tasty. She got some recipes from Crystal Babblebrook which she treasures, as they make the best cakes and muffins.
BABY SISTER LOLLY McBURROWS is turning into a tomboy. She isn't too keen on playing with her dolls or teddy bears, she prefers playing with dinosaur toys and her brother Harry's football and firetruck. If you walk past her room you can normally hears roars coming from it, it is usually Lolly doing her best dinosaur impression!
The McBurrows mole family were one of the Original families released at the launch of Sylvanian Families. As you can see, there have been several different variations on the figures. Originally when released, the family just wore jackets and not proper clothing like the other families. Each size figure came in a selection of different colours, so you could colour co-ordinate if you wanted to. The family got a special release as two parents and a baby, all in clothing when Sylvanians' reached their ten year anniversary in the UK. This version was classed as 'The Early Years', taking original family figures and showing them in the early stages of their marriage. The Babblebrooks and Timbertops also got 'Early Years' releases. The family were then released again around 1999, when Flair took over the distribution of Sylvanian Families in the UK, releasing several old families to a new generation. The final release of the Mole family was in 2011, when they were released, but all of them wearing clothing for the first time since they were first launched. When originally launched in the UK in the 1980's, the mole family was very hard to find and seemed quite limited to suppliers. From personal experience I only over saw the moles once in a toy shop in Cornwall, and they were limited to just one a person. I managed to get a father figure in a blue jacket, which I treasured for many years. He was the only figure I kept the box for at the time.
MOTHER SHIRLEY McBURROWS has just launched her own cleaning company. She was inspired after seeing how compulsive her sisters-in-law were when it came to cleaning. She has many clients already on her list, including the Grand Hotel and the village schools. She tried getting Heidi and Sally to join her, but they both looked at her aghast, and said in unison “Who would keep our houses clean if we were cleaning for others?”
BROTHER HARRY McBURROWS wants to be an archaeologist when he grows up, just like his father. His mother wouldn't mind so much, but he started doing his own excavations in her garden from a young age. He hasn't unearthed anything of value yet, but he did find the remains of a broken plant pot in his last excavation!
SISTER SHELLEY McBURROWS likes to bake cakes. Whenever she is not in school, she can be found in the kitchen baking something nice and tasty. She got some recipes from Crystal Babblebrook which she treasures, as they make the best cakes and muffins.
BABY SISTER LOLLY McBURROWS is turning into a tomboy. She isn't too keen on playing with her dolls or teddy bears, she prefers playing with dinosaur toys and her brother Harry's football and firetruck. If you walk past her room you can normally hears roars coming from it, it is usually Lolly doing her best dinosaur impression!
The McBurrows mole family were one of the Original families released at the launch of Sylvanian Families. As you can see, there have been several different variations on the figures. Originally when released, the family just wore jackets and not proper clothing like the other families. Each size figure came in a selection of different colours, so you could colour co-ordinate if you wanted to. The family got a special release as two parents and a baby, all in clothing when Sylvanians' reached their ten year anniversary in the UK. This version was classed as 'The Early Years', taking original family figures and showing them in the early stages of their marriage. The Babblebrooks and Timbertops also got 'Early Years' releases. The family were then released again around 1999, when Flair took over the distribution of Sylvanian Families in the UK, releasing several old families to a new generation. The final release of the Mole family was in 2011, when they were released, but all of them wearing clothing for the first time since they were first launched. When originally launched in the UK in the 1980's, the mole family was very hard to find and seemed quite limited to suppliers. From personal experience I only over saw the moles once in a toy shop in Cornwall, and they were limited to just one a person. I managed to get a father figure in a blue jacket, which I treasured for many years. He was the only figure I kept the box for at the time.