Friday, June 13, 2014

Customs: 3-story 1970's Dollhouse


To make this house you will have to snap off wall posts to make everything fit, which I do not recommend. The better option is to make a custom first level out of any material you wish, or the 1982 Cottage and then stack them up for multiple levels. Some may like the original yellow and '80's pink together. Its fun and colorful, but just not for me.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctinnMRmmKM

Furniture: Foreign Issue 1978 Dream Furniture for the Barbie California Dream House






German issue. Very rarely you'll see these on US Ebay, otherwise you can go to the German site of Ebay, though international shipping and exchange rate will make the price pretty high.



It's hard to imagine this very American style house and play set in a foreign country, but with moonier changes they made it work. I just wish we had the color variations in every country to further customize our collections. 


I wish these were available for us, I like the floor lamp and the red TV and accessories are quite fetching. 

Vintage Print Ad: Rare 1978 Tri Pic



Rare, original ad from '78. 

Another rare one courtesy of Pinterest: 





Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Similar Houses: Others Dare to Compare

HO scale model house. Most likely Pleasantville.

Custom house perhaps? Back when dads would tool around in the woodshop  rather than facebook. 




Fisher Price castle

Random internet image. 

1985 Sylvanian Families House by Epoch. MDF material with plastic resin and wood furniture. 


1950's tin litho house in the cape cod style. 

early 1960' train model house. 

Contemporary Ranch by RGT (Real Good Toys). Wood dollhouse kit YOU assemble. Having built a farmhouse before I can tell you these things suck up a surprising amount of glue, paint and TIME not to mention decor, wall and floor coverings, fixtures and accessories! 

I'm in love...

German looking kit or home made house?? Definitely Mondrian inspired.

Paper dollhouse kit?  Meh...

HO scale train house from Europe in the modern style. 

roof shot of Sylvanian family home. 


Cloverleaf Corners house circa 2012











Very cool, love the fire pit, I would own this. =-) 

Similar to Lundby, this German A Frame style house looks like the "Ikea Design House 1974". Enjoying the color scheme, it's nearly entirely orange, yellow and white, sans the club chairs and bathroom. 
The original 1960s Plasticville Cntemporary Home, issued in several different scales, one as a kit, and one prebuilt, I feel as though the inspiration behind our 1978 Mattel home was based on this:
Looks like in Germany and other places, the midmod A Frame style home was also very popular. Here are some cool examples from the 70s thorugh now:
I beleive this is a smaller 4" size doll line from Kenner that was 'Disco' oriented (40 years before hootchie cootchie Bratz dolls came out, but notice the open window placement and overall similar aesthetic to our white walls on Mattel's mamoth structure: