# Dollhouse - Why would I want WOOD?



## Anastasiya (Jun 13, 2006)

DD wants (really, really wants) a dollhouse for her 4th birthday. I had my heart set on a nice wooden one - the My First Dollhouse from Plan Toys, with the basement addition - but lately I'm wondering WHY I want wood.

Granted, I love the natural look of it, I love the feel of it and the sturdiness, but they do tend to look very....um....babyish. Like when she's six it won't have enough detail to keep her interested. (And just to clarify - I do NOT want the "Victorian" dollhouses that are so delicate a toddler cannot enjoy them - the kinds with wallpaper, and fancy staircases, etc.)

I say that because as a child I was BIG into miniature detail. Something simple like the wooden dollhouses and accessories would not have held my interest for long. They are just too simple. The plastic dollhouses, on the other hand, with all their little details and working pieces did interest me. The tiny plates and silverware, the itty bitty books, and blankets and pillows, etc. And the fact that they looked like real things in miniature. Wooden dollhouse accessories don't look "real."

So, what should I get? Wood? Plastic? Any recommendations?

What would your kids be interested in? Why?

Sorry - this isn't that big of a deal but it is an investment so I want to make the right decision.


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## jenni_goes_grrr (Jul 1, 2006)

I just find that wood is sturdier, atleast in our household.. and i like how it looks better.


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## KsMum (Nov 1, 2006)

We have a kidkraft one that we're super happy with,
http://www.kidkraft.com/catalog/cat00005.asp
the veranda one. Totally sturdy. Although we don't use the dolls that came with it.


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## velochic (May 13, 2002)

For us, it's mostly an issue with the fact that wood is natural and plastic is not. You can find wood toys that are made in fair trade countries, manufactured under humane conditions, with people getting paid an amount that actually allows them to make a living. Plastic is often manufactured in sweat shops by people who are overworked & underpaid, in countries like China/Taiwan. The products are not tested as well and are more likely to contain lead and other harmful elements. I'd rather buy a wood doll house manufactured in Germany than a plastic one made in China on principle alone.

So all in all, for us it's really a natural living / ethical, responsible consumerism decision - not really a "which would they like better" kind of decision. I hope that makes sense.


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## carfreemama (Jun 13, 2007)

I bought a Plan Toys wooden dollhouse just like the one you describe. It cost almost $200 Cdn with the accessories. Dd, 4, used it as a stepstool to get to her light. Two little boys used it to have a car race and broke a wall.

By contrast, the Calico Critters plastic dollhouse, which is set up at the local independent toy store, she plays with for literally hours when we visit. I think it is for the reasons you describe.

I also have huge issues about fair trade working conditions, in particular. I don't want toys "made by children, for children." However, I have found that what I want for dd and what she wants for herself are not always the same.

I would not buy this dollhouse again. I like it. I think it's beautiful. And I think the reason maybe she doesn't play with it (although she IS starting to now, a bit), is because she's seen the other stuff and likes it better. And I don't know how much of my adult concerns I really want to share with her at this age. One educator said "no disasters before grade 5" and that's a principle I intend to raise dd by. I don't want her to know about unfair working conditions...yet.

So maybe next time I just wouldn't get the dollhouse at all. There's lots of other stuff to play with. I might by one second-hand, though. I've held my ground against things like Polly Pocket so far. That I just can't stomach...too much packaging, let alone the actual toy, and the teeny-tiny stuff either rips or goes missing.

Maybe there are more detailed, realistic wood dollhouses out there. Or maybe your child will really like the wood ones. Good luck!


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## MtBikeLover (Jun 30, 2005)

We have a plastic dollhouse. i debated long and hard about which one to get my 3 year old and I just really didn't like the accesories and the lack of detail on the wood dollhouses. So I got her a fisher Price Loving Family dollhouse with all the accessories.

She LOVES it so much - it is the most played with toy in the house by both my 5 yo DS and my 3 yo DD.

We've had it for 5 months and it has been holding up really well for as much as it is played with. I think I have only had one tiny part break but that is because my kids keep taking the doors off the kitchen appliances so the tab was bound to break eventually.


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## LuckyMommaToo (Aug 14, 2003)

Hmmm... what about Playmobil?
http://www.utoypia.com/moreinfo.php?...laymobilmodern

(There are other PM houses as well.) It's detailed plastic, but almost all of it is made in Germany. We don't have a house, but DS does adore the Playmobil sets we have.

-e


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## mommy2abigail (Aug 20, 2005)

What about adding detail to a plainer wooden house? Like, knitting or crocheting tiny area rugs, making curtains out of scrap fabric, using wallpaper samples or even painting the rooms different colors? Mounting it on a bigger piece of plywood and adding felt grass, flowers, a picket fence? It might even be something that you and your dd do together as she gets older and craves more detail.


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## EmsMom (Dec 13, 2001)

I just wanted to add that both of my kids got lots and lots of play out of dollhouse pieces but not really so much out of the dollhouse itself. They preferred to set up scenes on the floor and also they really like to have lots and lots of furniture so they can set up "meetings" and libraries and scenes like that. So we have maybe 12 chairs, 7 tables, etc. I get the wooden ones from yard sales. My dd is now 9 and she is just using the "collectible" kind of dollhouse that someone gave us and I really think that she would enjoy decorating it at this point, but neither kid was interested in the younger kid kind. Nice thing about having only furniture is that you can store it all in a box on a shelf. The dollhouses themselves are bulky...


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## One_Girl (Feb 8, 2008)

We actually had a plastic doll house and a farm and my dd played with it a few times when we first got it and then hasn't since then and she begged to have the doll house for a long time before we got it. At her school they have a very big wood doll house that she also enjoyed the first week and never touched again. I suggest getting a plastic doll house from a second hand store and letting her play with it for a few weeks to see if it is something she is really going to be interested in and if it is getting her a bigger doll house after that.


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## kennedy444 (Aug 2, 2002)

It's warm in the hands and stands up well to lots of play and it looks nicer. Here is one that I would like to get: dollhouse with furniture. From homepage, click on doll play and then it's on page 3 of that grouping.


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## Bird Girl (Mar 12, 2007)

I was going to second the recommendation for Playmobil, and then I realized that we haven't actually been happy with the larger Playmobil pieces we've bought. My kids have wooden dollhouses--two actually, a modern house and a castle. Then, they fill them with Playmobil princesses, Calico Critters animals, and Japanese miniatures called Pucci. All of the "filler" is plastic, but the houses themselves are wood. To be perfectly frank, I think they would have just as much fun with the little people and animals in something as simple as a bookcase--in fact, you can get bookcases shaped like dollhouses and farms--I know that Target sells one.

For my kids, at any rate, the house has been much less important than the people/animals who live there, and the stuff that goes with them.


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## AAK (Aug 12, 2004)

I had a wood one and sold it at a garage sell. I am sure I probably just chose poorly. Our problems revolved around the fact that my kids couldn't reach in very well to manipulate the dolls, etc without knocking everything else over. And if two kids tried to play at once--oh boy, nothing would stay standing.

Like a pp said, my kids love setting up the stuff on the floor. But I think they would have done ok with something more open like a book case style house. We do have a small fisher price house too though (bday present from a friend) but I like it because it folds up and is very portable. However, the kids use it more as a prop. They still can't really play with it for the same reasons as above.

Amy


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## AdInAZ (Jun 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommy2abigail* 
What about adding detail to a plainer wooden house? Like, knitting or crocheting tiny area rugs, making curtains out of scrap fabric, using wallpaper samples or even painting the rooms different colors? Mounting it on a bigger piece of plywood and adding felt grass, flowers, a picket fence? It might even be something that you and your dd do together as she gets older and craves more detail.

This is what we have done. As dd has gotten older, we have made stuff for her doll house. Little books made from scraps of paper, a coffee creamer cup made into a trash can by painting, postage stamps on the walls for art, etc. Some of the chunker furniture has been moved out and more delicate, detailed stuff has moved in. For instance, Michaels has plain wooden furniture, and we picked up an armoire for the dollhouse kitchen and painted it. I think she loves her dollhouse more because it is personalized, and thus "hers". Oh, we also have plenty of plastic pieces intermingling amongst the wood, stuff she has found, acquired, or otherwise. The house itself is wood and my MIL bought it at a second hand store.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *EmsMom* 
I just wanted to add that both of my kids got lots and lots of play out of dollhouse pieces but not really so much out of the dollhouse itself. They preferred to set up scenes on the floor and also they really like to have lots and lots of furniture so they can set up "meetings" and libraries and scenes like that.

My dd does this a lot too. The house almost becomes a storage area. And when she plays, all the furniture and people are on the floor. She also likes to use her play horses to move the furniture into other rooms and go "camping". Ha ha! Its totally cute.

I also remember getting into detail when I was older (say 8 or 9) and not having much of a dollhouse that satisfied that. My mom checked out a book at the library and it gave me all sorts of ideas for making my own stuff. That ultimately became very rewarding for me. I had more fun making the stuff than playing with it.


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## Nolamom (Jan 29, 2008)

Just this past weekend we brought out my childhood wooden dollhouse (that my mom made from a kit) and gave it to my daughter. It has held up beautifully for all these years. Since she is 4, we're furnishing it with items that can take a little "rougher" play, but as she grows she may get into redecorating it (wallpaper, paint, new pieces, etc...) or furnishing it in greater detail. I think that's the great thing about wood houses. They stand the test of time and can be personalized to become an heirloom. I am so happy I saved it and have it to pass along to my daughter.


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## abeliamama (Feb 5, 2007)

I wouldn't go all out on an expensive one unless you are sure you DD will like it. I spent too much on a Plan Toy house, furniture, etc. and my kids never played with it. The pieces that are glued together broke a lot, too. The stairs broke, the swingset and a few other pieces. Wood is not always sturdier. I liked the aesthetics and natural aspects of wood, too. We also had a Playmobil house, too which DD loved when she was 2-4, mostly the people and animals. My DS didn't play with either dollhouse but he loves babydolls. Maybe try e-bay?

Mama to DD 4-00 and DS 4-03


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## moondiapers (Apr 14, 2002)

My daycare kids love our Plan dollhouse. The furniture does have detail....like the shower with the painted tile floor, the shower curtain, a shower head that attaches to the wall with a magnet. The teeny little plastic faucets attached to the wooden sinks etc. You can always use contact paper or wall paper on the walls before you put the dollhouse together


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## BurgundyElephant (Feb 17, 2006)

I picked up a wood dollhouse at a garage sale for $4. It is vintage - made of wood with hand-glued shingles, stairwell, hand-laid wood flooring with little imprints of nailheads. It was in poor shape though so I rewallpapered and repainted the outside. Anyway, my kids love it. It came with a couple pieces of brass furniture and then I've filled it with Plan furniture. Totally doesn't fit the style of the house but it fits. They do love the little plan families, too.

This wood dollhouse is WAY more durable than the piece-of-crap Barbie Princess and the Pauper castle that we bought four years ago and got rid of when I bought the dollhouse. The stickers peeled off, the stairs broke, etc. Also we got rid of barbies at the same time.


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## CawMama (Nov 4, 2005)

If you do decide to go with wooden, there are a couple that I know of that are made in the USA:

http://www.storyboardtoys.com/store/...m-the-top.html

and the second is Emeline's Dollhouse from Willow Toys.


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## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

The grandparents got my daughter a plastic one - the big Victorian Loving Family Fisher Price one - when she was 3. She's played with it lots, though she hasn't been too interested lately. But it's held up very well. I don't think it has any broken parts at all. If I'd had the choice I would have bought wood, but this plastic one hasn't been bad. The other thing is that I would probably have gotten one that fits Barbie dolls. I'm not a fan of Barbie but I don't think it's a huge deal or anything, so my daughter has some Barbies and would probably still play with the dollhouse if it fit that size doll. Her birthday passed recently and, as always, she got Barbie stuff. It isn't her favorite but it does get some play.

When I was a kid I had a metal dollhouse that I loved. I didn't have any furniture but I used thread spools and little boxes and whatever other little stuff I could find and still had huge fun. They must not make that kind of dollhouse anymore? They were very popular back in the 70s. I imagine they sold furniture for it but it was probably a stretch for my parents to even get me the house. My brother played with it too and loved it.

Someone above suggested just a bookcase shaped like a dollhouse. I've seen those and I think it's a great idea because it would fit dolls and furniture of various sizes, and because it can be used as a bookcase when it outgrows it's usefulness as a dollhouse. But your dd might not think of it as a dollhouse and might be disappointed so you'll have to weigh that one.


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## SleeplessMommy (Jul 16, 2005)

The Playmobil dollhouses are made in Germany and Malta (non sweat shop)

With careful shopping on craigslist, you can get the people and expansion sets at a reasonable cost- especially if you live in a higher income area. Some of the Playmo house are expandable.

That being said, the Playmo furniture and accessories would work in a wooden dollhouse, thought the scale is a little different. You can also buy Playmo parts buy themselves (for example a string of garlic is 20-cents or so) if you are willing to be on the phone for a while.

www.playmodb.org has part numbers!


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## BlueSkyJennifer (Dec 11, 2004)

We have a large wooden doll house and it gets a lot of play. It is 3 stories and came with tons of accessories - rugs, lamps, washer/dryer, iron & ironing board, vacuum cleaner, lawn mower, gardening tools, plants and flower beds for exterior landscaping, kid's toys, etc. Some of the pieces have some great working details (like the shower stall has a fabric curtain and the shower head is magnetic-removable on the hose). It also came with an adorable garage with a rooftop patio complete with outdoor furniture and a car that my dd takes the dollhouse people for a ride in daily. Also, should note it takes up a ton of room.

We also have a ton of playmobil. We only have the small, take-along dollhouse but we have farm/animal stuff, a playground, castles, pirate boats, pirate hideouts, etc., etc. and DS spends hours on end setting up elaborate worlds where the pirates, knights and romans all co-exist with modern people in a world built out of playmobil, legos, unit blocks and a vintage 1970s FP little people castle thrown into the mix. Sometimes when we are on our way home from somewhere fun DS will comment, "I really miss my playmobil".

If I had to pick only one of the two I would definitely pick the playmobil over the wooden dollhouse, for both dd and ds.


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## amygabrielle (Jun 25, 2006)

dd1 has the Playmobil castle and she loves loves loves it. The people and accessories do get carted around to other places in the house, but all in all she will play for hours with it. It was a PITA to assemble







: but it was worth it for us. We have a smaller wooden dollhouse that sees no action what so ever.


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