Furniture: Patio Furniture & Barbeque

I posted this set seperately since in theory the furniture can go without the pool just fine. The pool came furnished and unfurnished just as the house did. This would be the accesories for the triangular floor pieces to the A Frame DreamHouse. Or if you wanted to give barbie her own veranda off the bedroom. Again, not crazy about the pink. I know everything cant be orange, white and yellow, but maybe brown and green? I have never seen a BBQ, patio chair, chaise lounge or umbrella in real life that anything resembles these toys, but i guess that lends itself to childhood whimsy. The patio table itself is well designed and period. Is that an apple martini?

Box: Circa 1982 or '83?

Another incarnation of the DreamHouse box. It looks circa 1981-83, probably not long before the pink version came out. I am still looking for a picture of the green box (unfurnished one, i think) i remember seeing in Kay Bee toy store in 1982. This one looks to have the pink and white stove, and no triangular patio sections. I wish they would have included them in all the issues of this house so they wouldnt be so rare now on ebay...=-(








1978 Mattel A Frame Barbie Dream Doll House Red roof yellow floors mod groovy 1970s 1980s custom OOAK 

The Instructions

Almost nobody kept the original instructions. You can get a photocopy on ebay for $5-$7. They arent crucial for putting it together, but are nice to have with the house. The color brochure is even harder to find since it cant be photocopied easily. Here is the inventory sheet, hard to read on this post, but ask me and i will let you know how many of what was included. Mattel (and Kenner) were good about making it easy to order replacement parts at the time. The time was when instructions were easy to follow and only came in English.

The instructions will not mention that the toe kick needs to be on top of the balcony floor, or else the doors will not open outward and the balcony will be bowed upward. 

Nearly 50 pounds with furniture! And only $20 more for furnished =-) 

1978 Mattel A Frame Barbie Dream Doll House Red roof yellow floors mod groovy 1970s 1980s custom OOAK 

Color Variation: Pink House Circa 1985-1991

Beautiful sunlight streaming through the openness of the house. 

Original box for the 1985 house. 

Dark pink framed windows. 

I think this is where most A-Frame fans divide into two camps. For me, this is a bad concoction of groovy seventies architecture and big eighties PINK. I can see where Mattel was coming from with this. About 5 years after the original came out in '78, they were probably needing another dollhouse to market and still had the molds to produce the A-Frame, but in the mid eighties orange and yellow were no longer in style colors. It makes sense, but to me is hideous. I am sure there are some A-Frame fans out there that have no problem with it, but as an older fan there is no replacing the original. They even regurgitated the Harvest Gold stove and fridge in pink and white to go with this house (the stickers are better and cooler though), i have never seen the other furniture recycled.

Hot pink dinette set. 

Pink and black, very sharp! Looks like the hutch sticker has seen better days. This is the lighter pink dining room.
=-) 

A wee bit fuzzy, but in all its glory! 

Pink 'vette, cottage and dream pool. These are either repaints or foreign issue. 

Light pink frames. 

Light pink frames. 

How to get a minty, complete house affordably...

You may not like this, but its the truth. The way that I got a nice, complete house (for under $100) was to buy two icky ones, completely clean, repaint (the white only) and lay out all the parts, construct one complete one with all the best parts, and put together a second one with the leftovers and sell it higher to help pay for the first one. I managed to buy aquarium flowers, include photocopied instructions and a green outdoor carpet mat for it and got a decent price for it ($30-40 more than i paid). Also, I included the yellow kitchen appliances (not so great ones i had spare) and billed it as partially furnished. I didnt intend to buy a second when I bought the first, but decided after I got it that I really did want a mint complete one. Right now you can get a mostly complete house on ebay for $85-$125 including shipping. The average price of one piece is $10-$20 (and parts are VERY hard to find). I added everything up and it came to at least $200 if bought seperately, not including shipping. To date, I paid $60 on the first house, $10 on paint, about $15 on the green carpet, and used $10 worth of aquarium plants. The second house i bought for parts was more, about $125 I think, plus more paint and $10 for copied instructions. The caveat is the triangular patio floors. Only about 1 in 8 of the houses i see online have the triangular patio floors. If you want those, you will pay dearly for them.

Colorforms: The 'virtual' A-Frame house.

The reason for making a colorforms version of the A-Frame is unclear. Maybe after a kids sugar crash its just easier to move around cut outs rather than actual 3-d furniture. =-) Looking at the box art, i wonder how the sales would have been affected if they had marketed it as 'The Barbie Califronia Dream House'. Has a nice ring to it and southern California blonds and Malibu was very popular at the time.

Travel size!

Buy your new Colorforms kit on Amazon (2020-now) for under $20! 

search "barbie colorforms house"

architect architects idea ideas goal aesthetic eames eichler palm springs by the sea malibu granola earth tones earthy autumn wexler wood slats open playful fun 1960s 60s open playful play timeless heirloom 

The Birth of the A-Frame

Circa late 1950's, with a distinctly Germanic feel to it (snow slides off steep roofs rather than caving it in). Perhaps this was the original inspiration to the Mattel Barbie A-Frame DreamHouse from 1978. I think there is definately a California contemporary blend to it that was very popular in the late 1970's. Real estate agents call it a 'granola house'. My parents were the granola type, but we lived in an arcadian house in the late seventies. You can see in the illustration the same colors from Miss B's house and decor- orange, yellow, blue and green. I wasn't digging the blue dining room set that went with the toy line, but this softens my opinion a bit. The dangling light fixtures are groovy.

Red roof, white sides, and yellow! 

What a real life upstairs of center section looks like. 

Our 1978 Barbie Dream house's journey begins in the 1950's: 

...and evolves through the 70s and 80s: 

keyword terms: barbie doll house dollhouse vintage 1970s 1978 1979 a frame malibu chalet orange yellow red white pink hot free for sale ebay pinterest etsy new old renovated dolls fashion clothes clothing lot estate parts wall walls door doors window windows part balcony closet flower flowers planters planter plant plants box boxes accessory accessories small pieces info information instructions how to put together where to find buy purchase locate available collector collectible gold silver platinum label individual post posts covers sides custom 3 three section sections patio triangles floor floors dark light build scres pictures club group rare custom ook htf oop in mint clean complete 1980 1981 cottage 1982 1983 1980s color colors anniversary 1984 1985 1986 large bog 3 ft 4 feet long high tall huge large open moveable arrangeable craigslist online forum question questions 40th 50th 45th 55th 60th 35th reproduction remade retro nostalgia nostalgic memories childhood play display mini miniature set up sections  mid mod mid century modern 60s kitsch fun playful open new design designer interior decorator decor designer  

architect architects idea ideas goal aesthetic eames eichler palm springs by the sea malibu granola earth tones earthy autumn wexler wood slats open playful fun 1960s 60s open playful play timeless heirloom 

Paperwork: The Original Brochure & Booklets

Even harder to find, this color toy brochure features the 1978 house and furniture line. The brochure (dated 1982) i have folds down, not sideways like this photo on the left. Barbie lounges in her blue denim pantsuit. Jaime Summers would be jealous.

How to Find Vintage barbie 1978 A frame dreamhouses

So where do you find barbie's dreamhouse? A lady i talked to said she scavenges yard and estate sales and has sold 8 in the last few years. I have never seen any in a thrift store (and I used to go a lot). So, as i am lazy and dont get up at dawn to comb over yard sales, internet shopping is my preferred method. Love 'em or hate 'em, the best bet is ebay. A quick browser search will reveal that craigslist has them, but only 5 states away, and the seller is not prepared to take payment and ship to you as you are 5 states away from them. As far as what you get for the money timing is everything. Some weeks there is only one or two online for sale and other times there are a dozen. I have seen them as low as $25 plus shipping all the way up to $400 plus shipping for one with the original box and shipping carton, timing is EVERYTHING. The condition varies, i have seen pristine ones not even have one bidder and faded brown incomplete ones go for 100 plus shipping. I bought first one for $60 total. The shipping was $35 USPS parcel post, the seller used at least $10 in packing supplies only leaving him $15 for the house. On average, I have seen them go for around $80-$100 including shipping on ebay. If shipped post office it is sometimes shipped in two boxes though I have found a particular moving box that can fit it all. Some sellers ship UPS and Fed Ex due to size and reliability of carrier. Insurance is always recomended as loss or damage is always a distinct possibility with USPS. Watch them on ebay for awhile and get an idea of the ebb and flow. Your pocket book, desire to have one and timing are the three things that dictate when you will be the proud new owner of one.

In early 2023, here is what is available for local pickup, your Facebook marketplace should look the same, notice the very different titles, or key search terms that are used, one even read 'dram house' so cast a wide a net as possible, I usually search 'barbie house' first, and then 1970s, then 1978, then dream house (which can be typed as 1 or two words) and so on. 

$50-$150 is much better than the $300-$800 now on Feebay listings, plus this way if you pick it up yourself, you won't have to worry about it getting damaged in shipment and you can see exactly what you are getting prior to paying. One time I had to return a house and wage a feebay open case battle with a weirdo in Florida because the picture he used in the listing was not the actual house he was selling, and naturally he had no idea of all the missing parts his house had, he was belligerent and argumentative, what a nightmare! 

Brown vs White (paint post)

I would LOVE to refurb this one, but its in Houston, the seller is illiterate, and even if they agreed to pack and ship it I have no way of guarenteeing they will actually send it once I pay through paypal (assuming they have even heard of paypal). Sigh...

The white spots where the lanterns and flower boxes go are further proof that the browning is a result of direct heat/light exposure. 

as it arrived

during

example of sun discoloration. (one door is turned over)

The pictures just say it all. Although it was almost painful for me to paint a huge vintage toy like the 1978 barbie A frame dream house, it needed to be done. I am sure it technically devalues it and maybe in 100 years someone will think i was an idiot for altering it in any way, but i stand behind my decision to paint. Van Gough would be proud. I would love to see more before and afters if anyone has some good ones. Currently, I am debating wether or not to find a pale yellow spray paint and do the one side of the doors that is brown. I think if i can find the right shade, it would be acceptable. Same with discolored roofs that are sun faded. On the white parts, i did a very light spray, just enough to get even coverage on the main details of the wall itself and door/window frames. this preserves detail like in the woodgrain. speaking of painting, i never liked that the front door lanterns were white like the walls, maybe i can find the right shade of orange or yellow spray paint. they were orange on the cottage and looked pretty good. POST UPDATE: I have completed reconditioning my 2nd ebay A frame. I used 2 cans of spray paint on the first one, and 3 1/2 cans on the second because it was considerably browner then the first. Especially the post covers. I had to superglue a crack on one of the wall panels support column. the windows were still bright yellow around the edges, but several were previously cleaned with an abrasive and are pretty scratched up. the doors were relatively the original color. the floor panels all had dirt stains which came 90% off with soft scrub. be sure to really clean the white wall panels before painting, plan on sitting in front of the TV for a few shows with q tips to get in all the nooks and cranies or else the paint wont stick.

This house is ready for a color change.