The Boxed Barbie DreamHouse : Fall 2016

As many of you may already know, the very first blog post here is by far the most popular. So, given that, I decided to make a follow-up post with new pictures and commentary. Here it is! 

All three structures together! This would make a wonderful Christmas morning indeed! 

I am not sure of the exact year, but I am supposing this is about 1981-1983. 

One thing I really love about the box is the comic strip panels showing all the different rooms, features and play possibilities. 

The lesser known Finishing Touches accessory packs. I was never into these, but it was cool that they made the attempt to add things to fill out this admittedly sparse house. 

This shipping carton is in GREAT shape. My original A Frame memory at ToysRUs is that they strung these up high in the ceiling far above the shelf, with no boxed houses on the lower shelves amongst the Barbie items. Maybe there was one of those ticket stub dispensers, so once paid for, a stocker would retrieve one (in a carton) from the back. Sadly, many ebay sellers ship the house in the original shipping carton, requiring the carton to be written on/tape/shipping label applied, and then go through shipping getting dirty and banged up. Mwa, mwa, mwaaaaaaa....

Even now, 30-40 years after these mammoth toys rolled off the factory conveyer belts minty new, surprising treasures pop up every once in awhile online. I always hope that the buyer does not open these extremely rare finds since its too easy to recreate the flowers as seen in previous posts. 

Vintage Italian Ads - Godere!

These were stylish looks, I am not sure why they did not make it to America. 

Classic colors. 

Great photo, I like Ken's suit. 

This American ad features the house re-imagined in shades of pink (with solid pink window frames). Notice the furnished house price is $159.99. Considering houses today are $79-$159, that was pretty pricey for back then, although obviously the quality of this house is superior structurally, the new homes are electronic and interactive. I still prefer these vintage beauties! 

The German issued furniture line. The living room came in light blue or orange, the sofa featuring similar upholstery.

Not Italian, but it is a rare ad that I do not recall seeing before. It looks circa 1983-84

One of my favorite aspects to this toy was being able to make extra cottages and what not: 

Villetta D'Barbie! 

Custom Colors & Themes: Craft Projects Galore

I truly believe this could be resold with a newly designed box for today's generation. Wouldn't that be something? 

See the before photo? This is how I get mine in the mail prior to restoration, what most ebay buyers don't realize is, the level of filth and disrepair is hard to see online until you have it in hand. After restoration, the ones I used to sell are practically in new condition, which is why I sold higher, but not high enough to make it worth the trouble. 

Real Life Examples: Fall 2016

Top hung, swing out aluminum windows. 

Great example of the rear doors. 

Full transparency, 3 sections, forward facing roof gable, white beams, good match! 

Excellent example of modernist, minimalist architectural design, oversized double front doors with oversized hard ware and lantern. 

To the right is a white iron gate, akin to the breezy walls of the 1978 house. 

Late 70's California contemporary Spanish shed roof with 2nd floor patio - the exact style of the Barbie 1978 or 1979 A Frame Dream Doll House. 

4 tall, skinny, glass patio doors. 

This house is in southern California, features exposed white beams and a front, central white balcony, these were built around 1980, when I was driving past I immediately saw the similarities between Mattel's house and these ones, but as I have not ever seen these anywhere else, I wonder if the original designer of the toy house lived around here or someplace similar. 

A variation on the house above, there were about 5 of these houses in the neighborhood I was in. Not far, there was a house with a very exaggerated long sloping red roof, shed roof and different angles, very akin to Barbie's house, regretfully, I did not pull over to take a photo. 

White beams, yellow floor side view in 1970's local restaurant. 

Two real center sections placed together. Just needs a new paint job. 

This is a 1970's Spanish contemporary that seems to have been restored for a "Tuscan" look. Yes, if it were painted white with a red roof, here is our beloved A Frame Dream House. 

while the house is not a frame, look closely at the red roof tiles, they are a perfect match. 

here is another 1970's Spanish contemporary asymmetrical suburban house with balcony in the front. The center garage is the only real departure from our beloved 

Imagine this house painted white, with yellow doors, its a near perfect match! 

rear side section ground  level

Just the right shade of yellow!

thats what I imagine the real life bedroom to be decorated like. '70's Optimistic Yellow'.

Casper quietly enters the home. The only thing I would change is the door hardware needs to be oversized and vintage.

This aging suburb relic features a long sloping asymmetrically gabled roofline, front balcony, horizontally rectangular windows and vaulted ceilings, just like the 1978-1985 Barbie DreamHouse.

From 1987's, 'Harry and the Hendersons', the neighbor's kitchen floor is sheet linoleum in the same pattern as the yellow floor pieces of the 1978 A Frame house. I didn't know until now that was actually a thing, I always thought it was meant to be a flagstone patio thing they just made for all the rooms, good to know this is based in reality.