Real Life Examples: Decorative Iron Security Doors and More!

the stove...

It might seem excessive as this is my third post about real life examples of the infamous DreamHouse, but everytime I go out driving I find more better stuff, especially the yellow wrought doors in the top left corner. This is why I say that this house is California Contemporary, not technically an 'A Frame'.

Other Houses: The Purple Elephant in the Room...

I had seen this house over the years here and there online, and hadnt thought too much about it. After seeing some posts on Flickr.com I decided it was worth a second look. It has the weight, girth and presense of the legendary A Frame though it is visually dated to the late 80's early 90's. It does command far more money than the 1978 house as it is so much rarer. I suppose it is made with high density board with plastic supports, which is okay, but again I just prefer the changability and overall look of the orange and yellow house. But if the A frame had competition this would be it.

Okay, so our house doesn't 'light up'. I don't know there is just something that got terribly dated with this house in the early 90's and not in a good way. 

Generic wood kit version. 

Foreign Issue: Guten Tach, Damen Barbie

These are european issue furniture, townhouse, cottage and beauty salon toys. If you look closely, you can see the dining room butler cart, a living room lamp, and the furniture in the townhouse is pink and black. Cool. Also, the floor pattern of the salon is similar to the yellow floors of the '78 Dreamhouse.

Other Houses: Blue Pool House, Home Made House & More!

I think this is the beach house from aound 1990? This is technically an A Frame. Since moving here to Palm Springs, California I have photographed (see other posts) so many houses that have similar architectural detail to the 1978 DreamHouse and they are definately California contemporary-not A frames. The ones that are actual A Frames are nicknamed 'swiss misses' and the roofs go all the way to the ground as in this photo. This should have been a ski lodge, but that would have made too much sense. I guess its not Mattels fault since they never called the 1978 Dreamhouse an A frame, only collecters dubbed it that.

And then there is this custom work…

If the 1978 A Frame Dreamhouse didn't exist, I think I may have fallen for this one (just not as much). It is also large, customizable and easily decorated: 

Vintage Photos ~ From Christmases and Birthdays Past

From the original commercial. 

As usual no one know what side the planter boxes went on, and where are the upstairs planters? When you think of the average size of a childs room, this would take up almost the entire space? Probably why so many ended up in basements, garages, attics and carports. 

But Mom, I wanted a baseball glove and BB gun! 

Mama, they forgot to put the water in with the pool!

Ah, the good old days. They were good, they were old, they were days...

Tres 1978. 

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

Customs: A Classic and Pink Fusion...

Credit goes to barbieboygr on flickr. I never thought I would like anything 'pink', but here is a nice blend of both versions of the DreamHouse. Notice the incredible attention to detail in the stone courtyard and fountain. I love the topiaries, and the doll shown has an almost "Welcome to Stepford' look. Awesome job, barbieboygr.

I am still not entirely sure if this cottage and pool are repaints or not. It looks factory to me, but what country? 

Furniture: Follow the Rainbow...(and turn my flash on)

I had a lightbulb moment the other day when I realized that the likely reason for making the furniture different colors was to mimic all the colors in the rainbow. Thats why nothing really matches. So, here I have it laid out to illustrate the point. I am more ok with a blue dining room china hutch and a pink bedroom dresser with the whole scheme of things in mind. Please also refer to the box cover of the colorforms set.

Another rainbow from that era. Completely unrelated to the A frame, but still an integral part of growing up in the early 1980's. Totally Rad, man! 

Vintage Ads: Final Year of Red and Yellow Version: The End is Near...

Add caption

This is a 1981 Sears catalog ad. Its an unusual photo of the house and so I gave it its own post. I love how crisp and bright the colors look. I am not that familiar with the red vette, it looks either like a re-issue of the yellow or the purple one. Thats a very period Ken as well. I am sure the pink house is not far off.

This looks like an older, more original ad for it given the 1978 Kissing Christie and orange stove. 

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

TV Commercials: Lights, Camera, Action =-)

See the commercial for the main house, pool and guest house...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNdB6inafiE
It stars the real life sister of the actress who played "Carol Seaver' on Growning Pains.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVNRzQNiYDI
Very 1980, but it held up well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgjf6WR94S4
The cottage, and Dad getting in the way again.

Lagniappe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbxLVdUltiI
Superstar Barbie, and Judy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=refwzLKOlZQ
Star Traveller Motor Home.

Shout Out: To Flickr.com!

I have to give a shout out to all the good folks on Flickr.com. There are countless thousands of photos of collections, projects and dioramas. There's some A frame stuff, alot of Blythe, and custom retro hand made furniture and room boxes that are stunning. I will try to post cool things from Flickr as I come across them. UPDATE: Having spent more time on Flickr while I think of new ideas for this blog, I have come to the realization that Flickr may have been a better way to go than Blogspot.com. People chat and network in clubs on there, you can view many more times the number of pictures at a glance, and still post relevant comments under each photo as well as have a profile and different sets. So, likely what I will do is create a collection account on flickr, and showcase my different collections. I'll use all the photos of A Frames on here, as well as have different sets for my other collections. The 'tags' will mean you can find me a lot easier on there than here with a google search. I will reference this blog on flickr so that people can still visit, and in doing so, make this come up on the first page of google searches consistantly.

Color Variations: Orange Floors, Salmon Dresser and Blue/White Chairs

Rumor has it that the last year the red roofed A frame was made (before the Pink Regurgitated Years), the roof was molded in orange instead of terra cotta. On my quest for just such a house, i located this unexpected beauty on ebay. the floors are as orange as orange can be. I like it. I dont love it, but its alright. UPDATE: On my 4th house purchased online, the roof panels were not the regular terra cotta, but lighter orange, almost as orange as the floors here. I photographed, but it just didnt show the difference. I just sold them for $18 to a person whos cat  jumped on her A Frame and broke the roof. I had it as extra because I bought it seperately from a parter-outer on feebay. It wasnt much and if I didnt buy it changes are they would have been 'pitched'. The pink vanity has often faded to a really neat salmon color. I thought mine was the only one, but I see one online nearly every week. I wish I could find another faded to green china hutch like the one I was outbid on.

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

Miscellaneous: Distance Travelled: On the Road Again...

So how far does an A Frame travel in its lifespan? Well, in 1978 it traveled from the Mattel factory (not sure if in the 1970's it was America or Indonesia) to retail locations throughout North America, and presumably europe and australia. After being kept for a few years by original owners, were most likely donated to charity or sold at garage sales. At this point pieces were lost, post covers were cracked and windows were scratched. 90% of boxes would be in landfills by now. I think there must have been a point where houses generally ended up in the hands of poor people buying them at thrift stores, or rescueing them from the curb. Of course alot would be in attics and garages for twenty years giving them that familiar brown patina. Then, perhaps in the nineties new adoration would be garnered with the fact that by then they were 'vintage' and children wo played with them would now be starting their own families and having feelings of nostalgia. This with the invention of the internet and online selling increased the interest and value in the A Frames. So, I am willing to bet that they went from $20 in the 1990's to $120 in the 2000's. My prediction is that they will continue to increase in value as more collectors hang on to one indefinately (like me) and sellers who gut houses and pitch the rest (see 'scary story' post), plus with a growing population, more will discover and want to own one, too. So, the average A Frame has most likely traveled thousands of miles from factory to store, and perhaps hundreds or thousands of miles wherever the owners moved, to finally across the country again when it sells on ebay each time. The 1978 Dreamhouse probably travels more in distance than the average world citizen.

Ebay: And now for a scary story.....

I learned a sad truth this week. You see, I forgot to bid on a set of solid yellow doors on Ebay. The listing expired and when I emailed them to see if I could still buy them ($10) they told me they were 'tossed'. And then another seller told me they routinely 'pitch' walls, roofs and floors after the windows, doors and other smaller parts are sold off on ebay. In fact they have 'pitched' at least 8 or so in the last few years. So, this week I got my feelings hurt to know that just because a garage sale rumager cant make any more money on an A frame house, means it is garbage and is thrown right in the trash can. I honestly dont know what to say. I used this clip art because it sums up how I feel about the people that do this sort of thing. They are gutting and discarding these 30 odd year old toys that arent being made anymore. Its cold, heartless and unintelligent. On another occasion, I saw an online seller state that the MIB house also comes with the originial shipping carton which would be used as the box to ship to the potential buyer, meaning she shipping carton with all the original 1978 graphics and labeling would be defaced with a buyers mailing address and postage. Its disapointing to know that these things are rare to begin with and uncaring sellers are literally reducing the number of houses and boxes that do exist.

Real Life Versions: Part 2

Sorry for the bad placement on the pix, the manuevarability is not so great on here, and i try not to have redundant posts, but when i added these to the original 'real a frames' post it deleted (without telling me) the earlier shots. so here are more from my new home in the desert. the A frame house is more california contemporary than actual a frame is what i learned from these real life exapmples.