Find a Dollhouse Home for Your Barbie or Bratz Dolls

This guide should help you find a suitable habitat for a stylish doll like Barbie or the Bratz Dolls, that is also suitable for your child and your home!

Barbie tends to spread her clothes, shoes and accessories all over a little girl's home. Maybe if Barbie had a home of her own, she could be a little more organized? A Barbie-sized dollhouses was on my Christmas list for many years, when I was a little girl! I was very excited Santa brought one for me (... umm I mean for my daughters) a couple of years ago! However, after assembling it and now dusting it every week for almost a year, I am less pleased with it! I wish we had the flat back bookcase style dollhouse that offers more options! This dollhouse can take up ALOT of space and stores very little.

Here is the one we have by Step 2. This was a bargain price, (and still is) but the footprint is huge! If you have a large enough playroom, this is a great sturdy dollhouse. This also works outdoors as well! The PROS: Sturdy, virtually indestructible, wide open and easy to play with! The drawbacks: very little space in the rooms for doll furniture. The stairs in the middle design makes for a deep narrow rooms in the first floor. Unless you raise the dollhouse off the floor, the first floor is hard to play with. Also Barbie tends to take many spills down her staircase when she is in the 2 upstairs rooms! Again the placement of the stairs takes a large amount of what would have been useable play space! The attic area is very narrow and barely fits an armchair ( Barbie and friends tend to fall off the floor) The footprint of this dollhouse is too big for the play space offered. The dimensions are 46 inches H 32inches L 22 inchesW. We took off the balcony entrance way portion ( in pink in the photo below) of the front of this dollhouse, and can now place it up against a wall.

Step 2 Fashion Place

Kidkraft Wooden Dollhouses

Kidkraft now offers 4 great wooden dollhouses.Kidkraft also manufactures the dollhouses sold at ToysRUs under the Imaginarium name brand. Barbie, Bratz, and other 11.5 inch fashion dolls would be right at home at any of Kidkraft’s sturdy houses. 

All the dollhouses have a similar construction made to fit nicely against a flat wall. The dollhouses feature wide windows so kids can view dolls from different angles. 

The dollhouses are securely packaged. Out of the box, the components are easily identified and have excellent form and fit.  All Kidkraft instructions are clear and concise, allowing for easy assembly.

The Glamour dollhouse  was introduced in 2007 and feautures realistic lights and sounds. There is a playing piano and real cooking sounds and more! The dollhouse is bright and trendy and probably the choice of a fashionable Barbie or Bratz doll. The solid wood 14 piece furniture set is also brightly painted wood in natural with neon green, pinks and purples. The dollhouse sacrifices stairs for added space. Any hip Barbie can figure out how to get around without stairs! The 4th floor even depict a treadmill artwork along the wall.

Kidkraft Glamour Lights and Sounds Dollhouse

Kidkraft also manufactures this same size but different artwork dollhouse (minus the lights and sounds) as exclusives to some big department stores and toy stores.

Kidkraft Interactive Dollhouse

The Kidkraft Interactive Dollhouse has lights and sounds, with a a softer decor and palette. Two chandeliers light up to brighten the playtime experience. The piano entertains with music. This dollhouse has a fully functional doorbell for Barbie's friends to visit, and a working elevator ( when Barbie is too tired to take the stairs, you can crank her up in her elevator!)

Kidkraft Interactive Dollhouse

Southern style and class! The Kidkraft Savannah Dollhouse

The  beautiful Victorian style dollhouse, the Savannah Dollhouse is reminiscent of stately Southern homes , with rich realistic styled wood furniture in deep cherry. This dollhouse comes complete with a porch swing and a canopy bed. The approximate size is 32.5 inches x 13.5 inches x 51 inches H .  Center outward facing stairs gets your dolls to the 2nd floor.  They have to beam up to the 3rd floor though!

Kidkraft Savannah Dollhouse

The latest addition to the Kidkraft portfolio of dollhouses is the Georgia Peach Dollhouse.

The Georgia Peach Dollhouse has the same similar layout as the Glamour Dollhouse but in a soft pastel palette, and country decor. The roof is cottage style in pretty  blue instead of vibrant hot pink! The roof storage is replaced wiht a higher 3rd floor ceiling. The home features center zigzag stairwell in natural finish. This home is for a Barbie who likes life in the country!

Georgia Peach Dollhouse

You will not be disappointed in a Kidkraft dollhouse. They are constructed of sturdy wood frames, and MDF board backs and sides. They are designed to be placed up against a wall. When not used by dolls, they can also serve for other storage space. The furniture sets are included, and are all the furniture that would fit comfortably in these dollhouses. All rooms are easily accessed.  They are beautifully decorated and look great! Barbie will still need to keep her Barbie suitcase for all her clothes though. No closet space!

Need an even more spacious solution? Try the giant 3-story wooden dollhouse! Maxim manufactures one, as well as some others. They used to be more readily available but now only seem to pop up around the holidays.

This is a huge dollhouse designed to fit up against a wall. Many dolls can party in this house! However, the biggest drawback for this one, is construction. Although the frame is solid wood ( rubberwood) the walls and sides are laminated melanine board. They can bow out of shape and have form and fit issues. The floors can also bow even when they are not heavily loaded.

Some of the nice features include swiveling stairs that can easily be repositioned and out of the way, to  help dolls get from floor to floor. This dollhouse measures 39 inches  x 15 inches D x 56 inches H, about  half a foot wider than the Kidkraft dollhouses, and a few inches taller. The dollhouse furniture has to be purchased separately for these type of dollhouses. Furniture sets are usually all plastic construction and sold in complete sets.

For sturdier furniture, purchase Barbie or other brand name in individual sets, bedroom vanity, kitchen, living room ,etc. For example, the Barbie Play All Day Kitchen Set was a big winner for us. (We use it in our huge Step 2 dollhouse) Usually, these sets come with a lot of little accessories, dishes, etc, which the kids love!

Looking for a solid wooden dollhouse that you can personalize? Try the Quickbuild Barbie size dollhouses offered by Real Good Toys in Vermont.

These are cabinet grade dollhouses! Made of cabinet grade MDF. they assembly quickly with a screwdriver and white glue. This dollhouse is also great if you are a doll collector and would like a display case for your 11.5 inch fashion dolls! The dollhouse is a classic style,   All you have to do is screw and peg ( glue) the house together, then decorate! This dollhouse measure 52 inchesH x 26 inches W x 22 inches D. This one is a narrower.  It does have 7 easy access rooms. This is heirloom quality.

Quickbuild Dollhouse by Real Good Toys

Some things to consider prior to  and after purchase:

1. Measure your space and make sure the dollhouse will fit.
2. If you are selecting a model without furniture, ensure you also find furniture to fit at the same time. Many times the furniture sells out faster than the dollhouses and it harder to find!
3. Always read the reviews! Many other parents, grandparents and family friends have purchased the dollhouse you may be considering. See what their experiences were regarding value for the money, easy assembly, durability over some time, and playtime.
4. Ensure the dollhouse comes with a warranty against any defects, and the seller will help you get replacement parts if needed.
5. Always open and inspect all parts when you receive it. Check the parts list to ensure you have everything, and no parts are damaged.
6. Don't wait to assemble the night before you are to give the dollhouse as a gift. Although assembly may seem pretty straightforward, there is always that one missing screw or the panels that don't fit quite right. Reliable manufacturers like Kidkraft offer full customer support and will assist you in getting any part or screw you lose or are missing. However, they won't be there for you at midnight on Christmas Eve!

The best part is the look on the little girl's face when she sees the dollhouse for the first time. The funniest part is watching how the dolls use the house:

This is Disney's Princess Jasmine at work on her computer in our dollhouse... hmmm? Maybe Mommy needs to take a hint!

Thanks for your time, and I hope this has been helpful to you! Please feel free to contact me with any questions.  I not only sell dollhouses but I enjoy them as much as my kids do!

A Modern Renaissance