This is Barbie’s Dreamhouse, not Ken’s Mojo Dojo Casa House. In 1962,Barbiereceived the keys to her first home: a yellow single-story house with one bed, a vintage television set, and a framed photo of Ken on the shelf. Over the next six decades, Martell - Barbie’s real-estate company and her toy manufacturer - would add on a kitchen, garage, elevator, and pool.
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While Barbie has pursued nearly every career path imaginable from law to game development, she remains a single homeowner through the years. As Barbie evolved and adapted to the decade, Martell remodeled her Dreamhouses to mirror the lifestyle and architectural trends of the era that they were built in.
102013 Pink Barbie Dreamhouse
The 2013 Barbie Dreamhouse is pink from top to bottom, with blue accents here and there. The three-story house is a modern dream with six rooms, two elevators, and a walk-in closet.
Though Barbie is not expected to cook for anyone but herself, she has a full kitchen complete with a stovetop, kitchen appliances, and an oven that can hold a cooked turkey. At the same time, the scroll walls and railings evoke a more old-fashioned, almost regal feel. To round out the luxe interior, a magenta chandelier hangs above the dining room table.
91984 Barbie Dream Cottage
If Barbie were on vacation, she would stay at the Cottage. This cabin-shaped house bears a resemblance to the larger 1979 Dreamhouse, likely functioning as Barbie’s home away from home in the summer.
Downstairs, the single bed and vanity table suggest that she is traveling alone, and the colorful, square-patterned couch looks like it could have only been purchased in the eighties. On the roof, Barbie can cook at the grill, then sit under the umbrella, where she will be safe from invisible sun exposure.
81998 Barbie Deluxe Dreamhouse
The whimsical Deluxe Dreamhouse seems like a fairytale home in dollhouse form. Made in the nineties, the house channels the Victorian-era aesthetic but takes a modern twist. For example, the silo-shaped roof and stained glass windows look vintage, whereas the elevator and porch swing are more contemporary.
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The exterior pastel color scheme is unique as far as Dreamhouses go, so this storybook house deserves a spot on the list. Meanwhile, the pink interior preserves nineties furniture trends, including the white wicker coffee table and loveseat with floral upholstery. Popularized in the eighties, the ruffled pillowcase and ethereal bed skirt styles were still going strong, too.
72023 Barbie Pool Party House
In preparation for Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie, Mattel released a Dreamhouse with a three-story slide that resembles the pink spiral one on set. Mattel designed this extravagant house so that Barbie could throw both pool and slumber parties. There is even a pet pool and slide, so Barbie’s puppy does not feel left out.
With a palm tree, string lights, and an open-concept design, the Pool Party House imitates homes in Malibu and Palm Springs. Like in the 2020 and 2021 Dreamhouses, the elevator is big enough for Barbie in a wheelchair.
61990 Barbie Magical Mansion
Finally, Barbie could live out her dream in a hyperfeminine house that was pink on the inside and out, down to the porch columns and bathtub. Her new address also signaled a financial upgrade from her previous homes and a step back in time with the floral vintage wallpaper.
From the queen size bed to the fireplace, the plastic furnishings are sophisticated and luxurious. In designing the mansion, Mattel paid great attention to detail, giving Barbie multiple mirrors and a landline phone, so she could call her friends Midge and Christie.
52000 Barbie Victorian Dreamhouse
As shrunken house models, Victorian dollhouses originally symbolized one’s status and would only later become toys. The Barbie Victorian Dreamhouse, therefore, alludes to the past and represents how Barbie has accumulated her wealth over the decades.
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This Dreamhouse diverges from many of the midcentury houses in Barbie’s early years. Yet its silhouette looks a lot like the picture hanging in her 1962 home. Inside the mansion, there is a canopy bed, a clawfoot tub, and a crib for Barbie’s sister, Krissy. (Barbie is and will always be unmarried and childless.)
41974 Barbie Townhouse
At a whopping three and a half feet high, the Townhouse was the tallest Dreamhouse of its time. It features six rooms and an urban-style elevator. The painted walls - for example, displaying a full kitchen and backyard pool - give the illusion that the house is bigger than it really is.
A well-rounded Barbie lives in the chic Townhouse. With an eye for design, she decorated the interior with a Tiffany lamp and framed art. Her books indicate that she is well-read, and the tennis racket on the third floor implies that she was sporty as well.
32020 Barbie Dreamhouse With Accessible Elevator
In 1997, Mattel releasedBecky, Barbie’s friend and the first doll in a wheelchair. Then, in 2019, the toymaker made a Barbie in a wheelchair who belonged to theFashionistasline of diverse dolls in wheelchairs. However, it was not until 2020 that Mattel built an elevator that a doll in a wheelchair could fit.
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Along with having an accessible elevator, the large Dreamhouse is sizeable and interactive. The accessories include a puppy and dinnerware. In the kitchen, you can hear the stove sizzle with the push of a button, and the bathroom toilet simulates a flushing noise. The 2020 Dreamhouse might just be the most inclusive and realistic dollhouse yet.
21979 A-Frame Barbie Dreamhouse
After living in studio houses and townhouses, Barbie migrated to the suburbs. By the end of the 1970s, the private housing market boomed, as former renters - who were usually white - left the city and became homeowners. Barbie may have been oblivious to the plight of cities and their residents, but she certainly knew how to choose an enviable house.
In 1979, Barbie moved into a two-story, A-frame house. The skylights are one of its best features, encouraging Barbie to soak in the fictional sunshine. Under the ideal weather conditions in Barbie World, the 3D plants flourish on the roof and in the planters out front.
11962 Barbie Dreamhouse
The fact that Barbie owned her own home was revolutionary. When the first Dreamhouse hit the shelves in 1962,banks denied single women credit cardsand loans, and married women typically needed their husband’s signatures. At the time, women made significantly less than men in the same positions, and while the pay gap still exists, it is now illegal in the US to discriminate based on gender in the workplace. These obstacles made it difficult for a woman to own her own property.
Sure, the original Dreamhouse was small and made from cardboard, but Barbie had the place all to herself. The pennant flags on the wall suggest that she obtained her degree or was at least college-bound. While other dollhouses held cribs and ovens, Barbie owned a closet and a home theater set-up. Sorry, Ken, there is only enough room for one doll in this house.
