Thank you all for staying with me year after year! It is amazing how fast time flies. Our favorite toy house is now...46 years old this year. So, this is an anniversary AND birthday post (now over 318,000 views).
How long has this house been in your life? Do you have vintage memories of it, or are you just now discovering how unique and amazing this play set it? Would love to see your comments below. I still remember being in the ToysRus and KayBtoy stores and seeing this in the original 70s colors on display, and later the pink version assembled in store and hanging from ToysRus's ceiling above the Barbie aisle in the late 80s.
Mine was eventually given away and it was out of my life until 2008 when I acquired a very incomplete one from ebay. This was the first of I think about 8 or so that I got, restored and sold, upgrading parts to my own one each time along the way.
Through these years I have posted everything I can find on this house and related content. Presently, my house is set up in a spare bedroom / hobby room on its own table with all its accoutrement. I have truly enjoyed preserving and writing about these houses. It's a labor of love! I hope you continue to enjoy the blog and your own adventures with the house.
* Butterflies courtesy of dollar tree, there is a green and brown version of bag of cut outs, fun for crafting. I modified by holding with needle nose pliers to bend the wings up and added dollar tree wire to mimic antenna and provide a means of attachment.
Small scale 3D printed:
Congratulations! What a milestone! I found your blog years ago and have revisited many times. The depth of knowledge and incredible detail are a delight. I got a Barbie Dreamhouse for my birthday around '72 or '73. It was the Lively Livin' house and I loved it. I did not know the A-Frame existed until I saw one at a church rummage sale and had to have it. I restored it using many of your tips and techniques. Thanks for this resource! I recommend it to people often.
ReplyDeleteHello, thanks so much! I picked up a Livin' Lively house a few years back because I liked how open it was and the vintage print backdrops intrigued me. I love the overall Groovy Mod design premise, yard tools, and all the little pieces to interact with. Ultimately, I sold it to refocus attention on the 1978 shed roof style 3 piece house. I'm glad these houses are still popping up at yard and rummage sales. I never see anything like that when I go, but I'm sure it was a great deal. They are getting more and more rare as collectors hold on to them for the long haul. Since mine is so refined (from 8 other houses) and there are custom post covers and plants, I can't see ever selling it as it is now pretty much one of a kind. I do think the designers who made the "World's Smallest" house yellow dishwasher sticker got the inspiration from my custom kitchen sink piece. I'll be posting more stuff soon, happy collecting!
DeleteMy question is why, hasn't Mattel come out with an updated A Frane Barbie Dreamhouse?
DeleteAs a kid I always wanted one. I got the 3 level Townhouse with the elevator you pulled with the string instead.
Now im 54, and I bought 2 of the A frames to re paint and make 1 big one.
My son has a 3D printer, so ge is making new column covers because the original one's are splintered and yellow.
I need to find someone with the 1982 Dream Cottage, to get the measurements to have him make the cool front covered porch. Do you possibly own one?
Please text me 619/665/1138
Mattel did come out with an A Frame inspired house a few years ago, but it was not so great. I would have loved to see a 1978 A Frame re-molded in different colors with each decade, like blue for the 90s and beige/grey for the 2000's, special collector's editions like translucent, rainbow colors, etc, but oh well!
DeleteCongratulations on your A Frame anniversary! Because I was a boy & toys were SO gender-divided, I never knew this A frame house existed until this year! I LOVE 🥰 it, & restoring miniature houses. There are pretty much NO A Frame houses to be found anywhere on the Internet; just trickles of pieces here & there. So maybe one day I will collect all these orphaned pieces & build my own A Frame one day. The yellow & orange 💛🧡 is definitely my favourite; but your green & white creation 💚🤍 is wondrous too!
ReplyDeleteYou’d think that Mattel would recreate more A Frames for all us avid fans… especially as 2028 will be the A Frame’s 40th Anniversary!
Thanks so much! Agreed, I was a lucky boy to have this in 1982. He Man and Skeletor would battle each other in it, lol. Mattel did do a retro house similar to this one, but the original is still the best. The furniture pieces are getting rarer and more expensive, but if you search enough, including you'll find them.
DeleteIM GLAD IM N9T THE ONLY ONE RHAT THAT WANTS THEM TO DO IT TOO.
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