The purpose of this guide is to help you select a sturdy and fun wooden dollhouse (1:12 inch scale that is intended for dolls approximately 5-6 inches tall). A dollhouse can provide years of enjoyment for both girls and boys.

As a toy retailer and Mom of almost 5 year triplets and a 2.5 year old, I have had the not so fun task of assembling many dollhouses, as well as the very fun task of playing with them!

I purchased the first wooden dollhouse for my children prior to becoming a retailer of dollhouses. I couldn’t wait until Christmas morning to see the looks on my little ones faces when they saw what Santa had for them!  My anticipation and excitement was replaced with disappointment as my fantasy of Christmas morning was replaced with the reality of 4 kids trying to get access to the dollhouse, fighting over the dolls, and the collapse of the dollhouse roof!

In our home, the dolls and doll house furniture are played with more than the dolhouse itself. The actual playing usually involves taking all the furniture out of the house and using building blocks to make their own dollhouses on the floor!

Things to look for in a Dollhouse:

1. EASY Access for multiple children to play together.

The A-frame dollhouse such as the one I had purchased, look great. However, access to the rooms can be tricky, even though the sides are open. This style dollhouse is a nice option for one or two children. We removed the sliding doors on our Plan Toys A-frame, to open up the dollhouse in the front.

Open Dollhouses

Open front dollhouses work much better! Children can see all the rooms at once. These style dollhouses are usually finished like the front of a real house on one side or are flat, intended to rest against a wall. the play side is open with all rooms exposed.

Guidecraft Victorian Dollhouse

KidKraft Victorian Swivel Dollhouse

This swivel dollhouse model offers 360 degrees of play. This is a nice smaller dollhouse that comes completely furnished!

Folding Dollhouse

A folding dollhouse looks like a real house from all sides when folded closed. This dollhouse will have 2 hinged doors or panels that then open up to reveal the interior rooms of the dollhouse. An example of this style dollhouse is the Melissa & Doug Fold and Go Dollhouse

My personal favorite is the Sunshine Country Manor Dollhouse by Small World Toys:

This dollhouse is stylish and beautiful! The back side opens up fully for lots of play space, and then folds closed!

2. Sturdy, Quality Construction

Look for a solid wood dollhouse, with sturdy floors that won’t bow or bend. Ensure the dollhouse has a large enough footprint to not tip over easily. If the dollhouse is finished, ensure the walls are painted with non-toxic finishes, or are laminated.

3. Style

Select a simple natural finish dollhouse. Children will add their imaginations. Although fully decorated and brightly painted dollhouses look pretty at first glance, they are not always intended for young children to play with them. They may not be the best choice if you have both boys and girls,  and you want to encourage cooperative play.  A simpler dollhouse will allow children to use their own imagination to design and redesign. They can even draw their own little pictures to hang on the dollhouse walls. A natural finish dollhouse can later be revisited by an older child who decides they want to paint or decorate the house and have the skill set to do so!

4. Full Warranty

Always purchase a product with a FULL Warranty against shipment damage or product defects. Look for and ask for a warranty that if something is damaged, the manufacturer or retailer will replace the item or provide parts in a timely manner. Select a known quality manufacturer of children's wooden toys.

5. Size

A large dollhouse will need a place of honor in a playroom, family room, or bedroom. To access all the rooms easily, the dollhouse should be placed on a kids sized table or other low table ( like a coffee table). If you leave the dollhouse on the floor, accessing the 1st floor rooms can be difficult. The children may not play with that level. The dollhouse should sit approximately 12-20 inches off the floor.

A smaller dollhouse can be portable which is a better option when purchasing a dollhouse for a younger child, one child, or if you don't have alot of space. A small dollhouse like the Kidkraft Swivel Victorian Dollhouse, is also a greater starter dollhouse!

6. Price
A quality wooden dollhouse for 5-6 inch sized dolls (not fashion size 11.5 inch dolls) dollhouse, from a well-known trustworthy manufacturer average between  $50-$180. This does not always include furniture.

Fancier Victorian style dollhouses with detailed furnishings can start at $150-$400. These dollhouse are intended for children ages 8 years and up who appreciate their collectibles and will care for them.

7. Assembly

Most dollhouse need some assembly. Ensure you are purchasing a toy dollhouse, not a collectible dollhouse kit that requires you to act as general contractor and builder, building the house from flat sheets of ¼ thick plywood!

Always purchase and assemble the dollhouse long in advance to giving the dollhouse as a gift.  The last thing you want to be doing the night before a birthday party or Christmas eve, is assemble a dollhouse!

Selecting Dollhouse Furniture

Dollhouse furniture sets can be found by the room, as complete sets, or included with the dollhouse.

Guidecraft Complete Set of Wooden Furniture

Solid wood furniture is great and sturdy, but always examine the pieces carefully for splinters and weak glue points.

Plastic furniture should be the molded plastic kind, not the thin breakable kind.

Selecting Doll Families

Dolls are available in the classic plastic style, with poseable (rubber vinyl over wire frame bodies) with removable clothes

Wooden primitive style dolls with block hands and feet, with wire frame bodies, and yarn hair:

Plastic pose able figures with painted on clothes.

Doll manufacturers still sell doll families in sets of 4 members: Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother. These doll families are available in Caucasian, African American, Asian families, and sometimes Hispanic families. Dolls are not usually sold separately. If you need to create a family to mimic your own, you usually have to buy multiple sets and mix and match.

Fisher Price Loving Family dolls are a great option for any 1:12 inch scale house. They are intended for the Fisher Price Loving Family dollhouse, but they fit most 1:12 dollhouses nicely. They are also available in sets of 2, Mom and Sister, Dad and Sister, Grandmother and Brother, Babysister (or older sister) and Toddler, etc. This way you can create your own family!

The Trading Space Designer Doll Family is a nice option because it fits any 1:12 inch scale home, is much more realistic than the wooden dolls, and comes with a cat, dog, and twin babies! (Of course you would need to purchase a doll furniture that has 2 cribs!)

Summary

If you want a quick and easy dollhouse for a gift, go with the furnished all in one styles. If you want to create a unique dollhouse, start with an unfurnished dollhouse, purchase a doll family or individual doll family members. and then purchase either a complete set of dollhouse furniture or room by room. Always inspect every piece when you receive your dollhouse. Check for splintered wood, and weak glue points. Assemble the dollhouse in advance .. just in case! Most of all, don’t be disappointed if the pleasure the children get out of the dollhouse involve playing with the dollhouse pieces separately, on the kitchen table, while the dollhouse sits with a “For Rent” sign on it!