Barbie furniture
Barbie, born almost fifty years ago in 1959, has become an icon for young girls all over the world. Produced by Mattel,Inc. Barbie was first conceieved by Ruth Handler who designed the doll after a German doll "Lilli" and named it after her daughter Barbara. The first Barbie doll ever produced was blond/brunette, had a ponytail and was dressed in a black and white zebra striped swimming costume. Barbie has been marketed in more than 150 countries and more than a billion Barbie dolls have been sold till now. With the passage of time, different Barbies are available such as Mexican Barbie, Indian Barbie, Afro-American Barbie and so on. Barbie dolls also took up new careers. To keep up with all this, Mattel produces a wide range of Barbie accessories that includes clothes, jewelry, furniture, dollhouses, pets, vehicles, and so on. The list is exhaustive.
With the one and a half foot Barbie wearing real mink stoles over designer gowns and earrings to match, fashion in dolls has acquired a new meaning. Not surprisingly, Barbie is the leading brand in terms of the number of dolls, dollhouses, clothes and accessories sold.
In addition to clothes and other accessories, there are several dollhouses and furniture available from the Mattel collection as well as by other manufacturers. Barbie can have anything she wants. The wide range of products include the Barbie Fashion Fever Series. Barbie Fashion Fever Rocking Guitar Chair that is pink and plush and comes with a guitar set. Another furniture set is the Barbie Fashion Fever Study Space Furniture that is white and is comprised of table, chair, desk and computer. The Barbie Fashion Fever Go Bananas Chair is beautifully blue and the perfect place for Barbie to lounge in. Barbie Fashion Fever Sweet Dreams Bed is cute and purple with plump pillows.
A beautiful dollhouse built for Barbie and worth a buy is the Forever Barbie Totally Real House Playset, which contains every kind of furniture. Then there is the Barbie Forever Decor Family Room that consists of a variety of furniture in bright colors. For Barbies kitchen, the Barbie Kitchen and Doll Kitchen Gift Set is available. This contains all the implements necessary in a modern kitchen. A simple Barbie Table & Chairs Kitchen Playset is also available for those who do not wish to have a complete kitchen set. Other Barbie sets include the Barbie Bathtub & ; Toilet Bathroom Playset, Barbie Bed & Doll Bedroom Giftset, Barbie Desk & Chair Deskroom Playset, etc. There is an immense variety of Barbie furniture to choose from and each one is unique.
An interesting incident occurred in 1997 when Mattel brought out Share a Smile Becky, a friend for Barbie in a pink wheelchair. A student with cerebral palsy pointed out that this doll could not get into the lift of Barbie's Dream House. Mattel had to redesign the house to fit in the doll.
Other noted toymakers also produce furniture for dolls and sometimes, specifically for Barbie. Manley Toys, Venture Horizon, KidKraft, etc are the premier dollmakers who make dollhouses and furniture for Barbie dolls. KidKraft has an excellent range of dollhouses amongst which is the KidKraft Fashion Dollhouse that is displayed. KidKraft even markets this dollhouse as the perfect Barbie sized dollhouse.
It is important to consider the type of furniture you are buying for Barbie's house. You must make a careful estimation of the type of furniture that you will be requiring in the dollhouse. The first step is to determine the size of the dollhouse. Many of the Barbie dollhouses are small and do not require a lot of furniture to clutter up the space. Then you must make a list of the existing furniture so as not to duplicate anything. Most of the Barbie dollhouses have a living room, a bedroom and a kitchen. Some might have a toilet/bathroom, study room, etc. You must keep the rooms in mind while buying furniture.
Before actually buying anything, it is wise to take a trip to the local toystore and check out the Barbie aisle. You will be able to see all the available products. There are also many battery-powered gadgets available and it is up to you to see whether you require something simple and aesthetic or something high-tech. After checking out the Barbie products, it might be interesting to consider furniture designed for other Barbie-type dolls. Many toymakers advertise such furniture as being the suitable size for Barbie and their prices are usually lower than official Barbie furniture. Lastly, you can check the internet and online shops for interesting offers before ultimately deciding on buying something. You must consider both Barbie and non-Barbie furniture before deciding on your purchase in order to get ample choice.
After making the purchases and before assembling the furniture in the dollhouse, read the instructions very carefully in order to avoid putting the stickers in the wrong place or upside down. In case this happens, you can inform Mattel and they would send you new stickers free of cost. It is important to treat the furniture well as it may be valuable and could be damaged by a rough and tough treatment.
It is no surprise that Barbie dolls and accessories have withstood the test of time and have taken the fancy of young and old alike. Though essentially targeted at a feminine market, at least ten percent of Barbie collectors are male. With the help of the above tips and a sense of style, you can assemble a Barbie collection to the envy of your friends and fellow collectors.
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