The other day, as I was trawling the wilds of the internet, I came across this:
It was probably the first home I ever fetishized. I remember myself belly-sprawled on the floor, chewing my lip and flipping through the Sears Wish-Book, admiring the windows that really opened and closed. It represented all of my young ideas about worldy success – stylish furniture (in matching sets for every room); a modern kitchen tricked out with appliances; everything new and clean and specific in a hygenic new house made just for you.
It’s amusing and a little frightening to see how closely old ads for Barbie’s dream house mimic a realtor’s pitch (you can watch for yourself here). Plenty of room! A sundeck! Sliding doors! The idea of dream houses pre-dates the Mattel era, though:
This photo of an enraptured little girl is from 1915, and even earlier examples abound, but back then, miniature dreamhomes were mainly the province of the well-to-do. It wasn’t until after WW II that dollhouses became affordable and mass-produced, neatly coinciding with the post-war boom in home ownership and general prosperity. These dream houses for all were disarmingly modest – brightly painted tin transmitters of the property aspirations of the newly solidifying middle-class. Picture windows, tile bathrooms, fireplaces, bedroom sets, well-kept yards for cook-outs and shiny televisions in pride of place. Modern and up-to-date, but not outlandish – no hot tubs or elevators.
These appeal to me. I often think about creating my own little subdivision, a la Rachel Whiteread, but there’s the rub: these little ranches and colonials were the cheerful harbingers of fifty years of relentless suburban growth.
I wonder about desires and expectations these toy houses establish. Maybe Mattel is thinking the same thing – in these uncertain days, you can either spring for the dream house, or confine your child’s play to the comparatively cramped confines of the Forever Barbie Totally Real House or the even more humble Barbie My House. Since a dollhouse may be the closest any of us ever get to owning a dream home, I say swing for the fences, consequences be damned. I’ll take this one. Or maybe this one in the city and this one for the weekends …
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It’s scary… you’re right, I look at that Barbie dream home and I remember wanted one SO badly. And I kinda still do, which is even scarier.
However, for me the Barbie dream home didn’t really create any expectations for a home when I got older. Well, of course my Barbie dream house came with a bathtub that you could put water in and pull the plug and it would drain out. I have to admit, that is something I require of all of my bathtubs now.
I wanted a Barbie house with an elevator when i was a child. But really, looking back, it was a piece of tatt, wasn’t it? Honestly, who were they kidding? Now i can see why my parents refused!
I saw an amazing little home-made dolls house online the other day which was nothing more than two interlocking pieces of mdf, with 4 little ‘doorways’ cut out to make it all interconnected. The walls were covered in wallpaper offcuts, and there were detailed instructions on how to make the bed and the kitchen sink. I showed my 7 year old and her eyes nearly popped out of her head with delight.
She’d have to fight me for it!
Toy makers are evil – giving people such unreachable dreams and then you realize life sucks – I think they are in cahoots with the peeps who make antidepressants…and another thing – where is Contractor Ken who trys to rip Barbie off when she needs a kitchen remodel???
I had the Dream House model previous to your Sears beauty, the three-floor townhouse. I played with it for hours and hours wishing I could get into the tromp l’oeil background and rearrange the furniture.
Great post, EC!
That tin Colonial just dredged up a VERY old memory – I have seen that in person, I know I have. But I could not tell you where!
I had a dollhouse, right around the time I redecorated my room in floor to ceiling Laura Ashley. Just goes to show that you should not allow 11 year-olds to a) make design choices and b) convince you to buy them expensive gifts. Both the dollhouse and the floral wallpaper border were passé by the time I was 12. Oh well!
Such a fantastic post Miss Cleveland. I too coveted one of these, but sadly it was not in the cards for a child of immigrants barely scraping by. But the fantasy factor is undeniable and why not, afterall these sweet dollhouses are the stuff dreams are made of.
really good thoughtful post (just as we’d expect from Stephanie) – i didn’t have that house. my heart belonged to Sindy. and boy, i sure wanted her house. and the beach buggy and etc, etc (you get the picture). instead, i had a few bits of furniture and an old cut down cabinet with a pull-down front that my mum gave me which served as a house of sorts. so, that is definitely a bit like life for me!
ooooooh, i love dollhouses!!! my grandpa made one for my older sister when we were kids, and i could not get enough of it. someday i hope to make one on my own, as it is much more realistic than me getting my own home at this point.
I love those tin doll houses, my mom & her sister had them as children and my grandparents kept them so I played with them whenever i visited. At our house it was a different story: my mom wouldn’t buy me a barbie dream house, much to my dismay, so the insides of her kitchen cabinets were dismantled, by me, to construct the world’s largest, and ever changing, barbie house. I don’t remember much but I do know that my lunch box was her movie theater, and the thermos was her shower. I’m glad I didn’t have the mattel version.
Great post! Thanks so much for joining us. Oh, I also LOVE the last 3 houses you linked to!!
great post. I had the 1974 dreamhouse with the yellow heart elevator. LOVED it so much, thanks for posting that picture, hadn’t seen what it looked like in years. Dollhouses are awesome. I just bought a homemade one for five bucks at a yard sale. For my sons. Who quickly put superheros and transformers in it.
God, this brings back memories! I had the Barbie Townhouse and I thought that yellow elevator was the greatest things I’d ever seen in my young life! I also had some sort of house that folded into a carrying case – I can’t remember the name but it must be the predecessor to the Totally Real House. I thought of that as Barbie’s weekend house. I hadn’t thought about it before but I think my obsession with houses began with Barbie! Fantastic post.
Aw, my grandmother built me a beautiful dollhouse when I was a kid. It wasn’t especially fancy, but I loved to play with it all the time. My favorite part was that she also built a little gazebo for the “yard.” When we moved, the movers dropped it and it was destroyed. It was pretty traumatic. I really wish I still had that thing to pass on someday.
I had a house that was similar to the first one. I also had the corvette, SUV & horse trailer & quite few versions of Barbie & Ken.
I dont remember asking for any of it or being particularly into it- but the relies just kept sending the stuff (thats what happens I guess when part of your family is on the other side of the world – spoil you with plastic crap!)
I had a Victorian-style dollhouse when I was a kid. My parents and grandparents built it from a kit, secretly, and gave it to me for Christmas when I was about seven. I LOVED it. The funny thing is, it still exists — in my aunt’s basement. There are no children in the family to pass it on to.
Sometimes I imagine living in a house with actual extra space and bringing it out and “playing” with it again. Except now I would be kitting it out all eclectic-like!
Which is my way of saying: fun post. I love that Mackintosh dollhouse!
This post is perfection! And Amy’s comment above made me want to throw a fist pump in the air and cheer “SPOT ON!” So true, isn’t it? The reality of owning a house, taking care of a house, and the years and time spent living in that house to make it your home. But I do think kids need a good mix of both reality and dream. I pray my future, one day children will be grounded enough to live day to day life in a happy reality, but also have lifelong dreams and aspirations they constantly shoot for. I think a balance is crucial.
When I was a little girl, my mother would leave me in the toy department at Sears while she shopped. I used to pour over the playhouses and beg for one of them. I especially wanted a tin ranch house with all the fake textured stone. So modern! I resorted to making my own playhouses out of boxes. I even made Barbie’s stereo and kitchen appliances. My deprived childhood probably lead to my present day home decor obsession!
Such a fabulous post! Well researched and thoughtful.
I had both the pink barbie dream house and a daddy handmade one.
I played with the plastic pink one way more.
I recommend checking out http://minimodern.blogspot.com/
for enviable homes even though their doll sized.