HELP!!! Dollhouse woes!

[treemom2]

Well, DD decided yesterday she would like a dollhouse for Christmas. I have been looking all around online and, wow, they are expensive! I don't want plastic and I really don't want pink. I don't really want to spend over $100 on it, but might go up to $150 if it is really worth it. One problem is I would rather if dolls and furniture came with it. I also need them to ship priority mail to an APO/FPO address. Please help! What have you found that you like and I can afford? Thanks a lot!!!

[bu's mama]

I found a Melissa & Doug or Battat (don't remember which) wood doll house with furniture at Marshall's for $33 on clearance. I know it was quite the deal, but if you have Marshall's or TJMaxx it might be worth checking out. Also, Target has a good selection of wood toys, including Doll Houses, around Christmas time. I was in there the other day & they were starting to put out the Christmas stuff, maybe check their online site. I do think most of the wood toys are made in China though.

Another avenue may be to try freecycle...you never know, someone may be looking to get rid of theirs.

[ceilydhmama]

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...s-20/ref=nosim
The Melissa and Doug Fold and go is a great one - we've had it for 3 years and dd still loves it

[Flor]

I think the Melissa doug one is regularly around 50 dollars and comes with some furnature.

You could also buy an inexpensive bookshelf and spend the rest of your money on furnature and dolls.

http://store.busybeeboutique.com/mel...dollhouse.html

I know nothing about this company, just googled it. You could find the same item from a retailer that you know of, I'm sure.

If she doesn want wood, Fisher Price makes cute ones:

http://www.fisher-price.com/us/lovin...show=dollhouse

[ilex]

I don't know if you have a Michael's in the US but it is a huge craft store that sells wooden houses unpainted, you paint and furnish but they are cheap, maybe $35 Can. ? Perhaps you could find something like this? Or could you make one? I have been looking for a template for a house, so if anyone has one

[bu's mama]

oh I like that fold & go one! I think it's a good deal for $50 The one we have is open & it always seems to get dusty. I'd love to be able to fold it closed.

The only thing I don't like about the ones at Michaels/ACMoore, etc. is that they seem so delicate (not a fact, I haven't looked that closely at them). Dd is 4 & I just don't think they'd stand up to the type of play she does right now, maybe when she's a bit older.

[libba]

This is the one we got dd two years ago when she was 4 - still plays with it at 6 and it is REALLY sturdy. I thought it was a good price- the others like it are over $200 and don't even have the furniture.

http://www.toystogrowon.com/sku433

[libba]

Oops - here's another one I found on that same site.

http://www.toystogrowon.com/sku6761

[EmsMom]

I think that this is a very cute dollhouse. More than the Melissa & Doug one, but just barely under $100!

http://www.joebrands.com/page/JB/PRO...Y_DH/KKR_63060

Same site has other dollhouses as well. I ordered from that company through Amazon, but my stuff hasn't been delivered yet, so I cannot vouch for their service (yet!)

[busybeemommy]

When Grace got a dollhouse for her birthday, I bought an old kitchen cabinet from the flea market and painted windows and shrubbery on the outside, floors, walls, and curtains on the inside. I bought a small lot of dollhouse furniture off of ebay for about $15, and I bought wooden bendable people dolls from three sisters toys. I think it cost about $35 all told, and it really is a nice house- much larger than what I could have bought if it was sold as a dollhouse.

[mata]

we have the portable Melissa and Doug and it's gotten a lot of use. Brio Plan accessories go well with it.

[PiePie]

My Dollhouse by Alex: http://www.alextoys.us/alex.asp Comes with 22 figures and furnishings.

Deluxe House, by Plan/Brio: http://www.brio.net/BRIO_NET/corporate/Startpage.htm

Alas, none of these are even semi-cheap.

[LightForest]

I've been admiring some of the dollhouses on the Oompa Toys website:
http://www.oompa.com/cgi-bin/category/Dollhouses

They have nice wooden dollhouses with furniture included in your price range by Plan Toys and Woody Click.

Does anyone have experience with the Woody Click brand stuff, like this "Holiday Home"??? It looks super cute (if you're into more modern architecture ), it comes with all the pieces shown in the photo, and it's actually affordable!

[MOM2ANSLEY]

If there is a ross near you look there; they often sell melissa and doug cheap...or Tuesday Morning; they sell lots of wooden toys

[treemom2]

Oooh, I really like that Oompa website! Such cool toys. I also really like the fold and go dollhouse on Amazon--especially the price. Usually for Christmas, we buy our children one nice gift and a book. We also try to live simply so buying a super expensive gift isn't usually for us. Thank you for all your suggestions. I guess I should have mentioned in my OP that I live in Japan, so the stores mentioned aren't an option for me since they don't have any of those here. All I have been able to find in the Japanese toy stores are plastic super expensive playhouses (almost all toys here are plastic and super expensive--small set of legos are over $50.00--ugh). Please keep your suggestions coming, I love looking at the new sites--gives me some ideas for DS as well!

[simple living mama]

Here is the one I just bought this week. http://www.amazon.com/Plan-Toys-Chal.../dp/B000FZP2XA

I love it and better than that, the kids do. It shipped fast and was super easy to put together. I looked high and low for something sturdy as this is for a kids studio that I run and I know it was going to take a lot of abuse. It seemed stronger than the Doug and Melissa dollhouses that I checked out. It comes with just enough furniture but unfortunately, no dolls.

[KathinJapan]

Hi I am in Japan too. There is a yahoo group called tellandsell. Look under
yahoo groups for it. People buy and sell stuff, someone just mentioned a wood dollhouse on it today. Yes, stuff is expensive here.
Kathryn

[bu's mama]

just an fyi - I was at ac moore today & they have lots of Melissa & Doug stuff...including the folding dollhouse....and they have a 50% off coupon for this saturday. pm me if you want me to email you the coupon.

[LynnS6]

Well, my 5 year old ds just looked over my shoulder and saw the one from Toys to Grow on and said "I want that sometime." Silly me, I said, "well, maybe we'll get that for your sister for her birthday." He replied, "why for HER? I want one!" I clearly need to be sent for remedial training in preventing gender bias! :

Seriously though, am I the only one who is bothered by the lack of stairs in doll houses? I HATED having to 'fly' my dolls from one floor to the next.

[lisalou]

We have Plan Toys my first dollhouse

http://www.kidsurplus.com/bri39711010.html - $47.99

and they have other dollhouse stuff too

http://search.store.yahoo.com/cgi-bi...uery=dollhouse

We thought about a fold and go one but we thought the one we got would be more expandable. We also considered furnished ones but thought this would give her an opportunity to choose what she wanted and really make it her own.

A friend did give me a bit of a warning though when she knew were planning on getting dd one. She asked if we were willing to make the committment. Because if her interest takes off it's not a cheap hobby. DH and I talked about it and agreed we were and that also factored into our decision for the house we got. We figured it's basic enough she can work on desiging it and it's cheap to add the basement and a gazebo before we really have to consider upgrading the house.