Follow #cottagecore on Pinterest or Instagram, and you'll find that children's stories and series feature heavily in the cottagecore repertoire. Now trending: Illustrations from the classic Frog and Toad children's books are quintessentially cottagecore with woodsy-illustrations, simple prose, and gentle conflicts, like how to resist devouring the last cookie in the jar. Finnish designer Tove Jansson's illustrated Moomin franchise is a cuddly favorite featuring a family of friendly, roly-poly trolls in Moominland. And with dreamy stories of friendship and love, artfully animated films from Studio Ghibli are also a staple of the cottagecore escape fantasy. For the literary set, cottagecore enthusiasts swoon over the work of authors like Jane Austen, who present easygoing romance with wit, delicacy, and old-fashioned charm.
More modern forms of entertainment can be cottagecore as well: computer gaming franchises offer a peaceful simulation for the bucolic lifestyles many cottagecore fans crave. Consider the Story of Seasons and Stardew Valley franchises; in both games, players take over a dilapidated farm and score points as they grow crops, tend chickens, craft goods, sell produce, socialize with townspeople, and raise children.
