Victorian Dollhouse

I have a 3 and 5 year old and did tons of research before deciding on this dollhouse. Huge thanks to the other purchasers who posted photos and wrote detailed comments. Like the woman who painted hers pink, I also purchased the basement floor, the Le Toy Van furniture and painted/wallpapered mine. It exceeded my expectations in quality and took very little time to assemble (maybe 30 mintures). Painting however was a major project. Since this was present from Santa I couldn't risk my kids finding it at our house, so I painted it at my mother's house. I did not have to sand it, but I did prime it and then did 2 coats of blue paint + two coats of white for the trim. If you know anything about painting, cutting trim is the hardest part and this dollhouse is all trim. I completed the project in about a week, but it was a lot of work. Now that it's done I adore it and am so glad I invested the time. I highly recommend it - just plan accordingly or inlist your husband! Also, I purchased the dollhouse in Nov '12 from this seller on Amazon and it was $179. Plan Toys no longer makes the basement floor (I called the manufacturer) but I eventually found it on a Canadian website. I think basement add a lot to the charm, but I think it would be really cute without the basement if you put in a table or even built some sort of storage base or put it on casters so you could roll it around. I purchased all of the Le Toy Van furniture from YoYo.com (which is now owned by amazon) for 60% off...the have random sales that you just have to watch for. The quality of the Le Toy Van stuff is incredible and so sweet. I just didn't like all the painting inside of their dollhouses so wanted this dollhouse from Plan Toys. This is something I'm certain my girls will be passing down to their girls in 30 years. It's timeless and every little girl's dream.

Originally posted at plantoys.com

I love this house. We bought the plan toys Caucasian family to go with it. It's beautiful, not overly big. Comes with furniture. My son is 3, so he hasn't played with it too much, but I'm sure with time he will.

Originally posted at plantoys.com

This dollhouse is AMAZING! I love the quality of the wood and a few people have posted personalizations on other feedback so I am looking forward to paint/wallpaper/flooring with my LO soon! The only downside I saw was that the company discontinued the basement level so if you want it to be a little bigger, it is next to impossible to find that level! I located it (with great difficulty and expense) in the UK and paid dearly for it (so dearly, we are saving it for a birthday present as it cost more than the actual dollhouse when you included shipping!). Other than that, my LO and I love the hinges, the opening, the windows that open, etc. It is so great that my husband had a friend over and he was even checking out the wood and the construction! No MDF here! :D

Originally posted at plantoys.com

This is an impressive and beautiful dollhouse. I had done a bunch of research on dollhouses to get as a gift for my toddler turning two. I was looking for a wooden dollhouse that was playable (without worrying about things breaking) and had some old world charm. This fit the bill perfectly! The fisher cat family from calico critters live in the house along with some calico critters furniture and DIY painted pieces from the creatology puzzle furniture set (can get this at Michaels). My daughter's expression when she first saw it, was priceless. The dollhouse gets a lot of play and we're now enjoying wallpapering it (just using scrapbook paper and double-sided tape). I also would say that natural wood exterior is beautiful and generally goes well with room decor so you can hang on to it in its current form until your daughter is older and wants to make it her own.

Originally posted at plantoys.com

This dollhouse is actually larger than I thought, and it's just the perfect size for our home. I love teaching my children about all of the ways to be "green". My daughter loves the shade and recycling bins. It is constructed beautifully and will last a long time. The appliances are well designed and modern. The only thing it's missing is a chicken coop!

I recommend buying the other household appliances/items to go along with it. My children love the vacuum, mop, hamper, and washing machine set.

The Plan Toys dolls are too big for the house though, so it is a bit difficult to actually play with them inside of the home, which is a bummer.

Originally posted at plantoys.com

we were looking for a contemporary dollhouse for our son and came across this. we made a great choice. it was easy to assemble (much like ikea furniture) and quite sturdy. it is open from all sides so that three people can sit around it and play. the roofs come off for even more access.

the silver lining in all this is that it has features that teaches "green" living. it has three recycling stations which opens up, grey water collection area, and wind and solar power generators with a battery storage area which opens up. it also comes with furniture and bedding... which are really convenient for playing with the dollhouse from day one. no need to buy furniture. it is missing dolls, but we are playing with playmobil and star wars characters. it works.

the only complaint i have is that when the roof is off, the sunshade falls out of the socket, since the two walls are slightly warped away from each other. i know the roof isn't meant to be taken off all the time, but that is my only slightly negative comment. and that's being picky.

go get it... you and your child won't be disappointed.

Originally posted at plantoys.com

We, my husband and I, purchased this for our three year old's Birthday. I decided to put this review into three sections Durability, Creativity, and Function.

1) Durability:

The one issue I had was the stairs which I glued down with eco-friendly wood glue. Took me about two hours to put together. The wood feels solid enough and did handle rough housing just fine. Also handled me tripping over it while painting it. Our daughter has played with it several times now without it breaking in the least. No splinters or rough edges. Overall very pleased with the durability of this doll house. Will probably last through both our kids.

2) Creativity:

I love that this comes as bare wood. One can make this house truly unique with a bit of paint, and doll house wall paper/flooring. I painted ours pale yellow with dark green trim. Both were eco-riendly paints. Also kept some of the natural bare wood as is. I then got some doll house wall paper and flooring. It took me over three weeks, mostly due to letting primmer and paint dry. Took one coat of primer and one coat of paint. I actually posted some pictures on amazon of our finished doll house.

Of course creativity is not just talking about decorating but also that it inspires creativity from our daughter as she plays. I love just sitting back and hearing her talk for her calico critters (yes they do fit), and hearing the sounds of the furniture being moved again.

3) Function:

This functions very well for a dollhouse. It is pretty big so one should have the space for it. I also love that it closes up and acts as storage for all her dollhouse accessories. It closes and opens fine even on carpet. It can have up to six rooms if you make the very top into two rooms. One can buy an extension for two more rooms (not on amazon) but that is pretty expensive. Our daughter is fine with six.

Overall I am very happy we made this purchase.

Originally posted at plantoys.com

We have been through some doll houses. I always wanted this one, but couldn't afford it, so I opted for cheaper models that eventually fell apart.

Then Amazon listed it $50 cheaper than it had been anywhere in years. I bought it immediately. Every piece was there. Everything fit as it should. It was the most amazing quality. I might glue down the stairs, not because they are poor quality, but just so they stay in place and my kids don't move them around or lose them.

My kids aren't destructive, but they play. I don't buy toys to be breakable decorations that can't be touched. I buy toys to play with. This can be.

My only regret was all the dollhouse purchases before this one.

Originally posted at plantoys.com

This doll house is lovely. My granddaughter likes using it. My big disappointment is that I can't find the Extra Floor available anywhere, which I was planning to get. It adds a lot of extra play potential to the doll house from what can be seen in the pictures. I hope it won't be discontinued, because investing quite a sum for the doll house, people and furniture, it would seem the company wouldn't discontinue a valuable accessory.

Originally posted at plantoys.com

I really wanted a large, gender neutral doll house for my 3 year old boy/girl twins and found this one really fit the bill. It opens completly so they can both get in and play, it is totally neutral (no pink, purple or any color at all) and it is just so cute! The Plan furniture is super cute and durable and again, very gender neutral and we have had such fun putting this together. It is on the expensive side especially once you get all the furniture and dolls, we're talking a few hundred dollars but it seems very durable and is sure to last a very long time. I can see how you might want to take some wood glue and glue the stairs in place but aside from that it's awesome. Husband said the assembly instructions were pretty vague but he was able to get it put together ok in the end. I love that you can close up the house when you are done playing since I often babysit younger children and I wouldn't want them getting into the tiny pieces so this is another plus. My older son even said he could see painting it to look like the house in the Madeline books which I thought was very funny. I really debated between the Plan house and the Calico Critters set but didn't like the plastic and the tiny clothes that came in the set, also I thought the Plan might be more durable in the long run and more realistic.

Originally posted at plantoys.com

My little one just inherited the house alone with the furniture from our friend's daughter who had had it for years. I could not believe how new this house and all the furniture looks!!! There is no paint or stain used, or hardly any on the furniture. This gives me a great peace of mind. Who knows what kind of toxic chemicals might be included in a paint. I would play with the house myself. Great-great quality.

Please note, this house does not include the furniture. However, when you buy it separately, you will love it. Good luck and enjoy!

Originally posted at plantoys.com

We recently purchased this dollhouse for our twin daughters' 2nd birthday, and we couldn't be happier! We love how they can access the rooms from the front and the sides--excellent for when they both want to play. It was easy to put together and the quality is just what I would expect from Plan Toys. We chose this dollhouse because we knew it would stand up to hours of play for years to come--my sister bought this same dollhouse for her daughter over 10 years ago--subtle differences in design/style, but good as new. We also love the option of adding another floor in the future. And the Plan Toy accessories are absolutely wonderful and durable!
I must admit, I have as much fun playing with it as my girls--I even made new cushions to resemble our home--so much fun for the whole family. Educational in so many ways, too. You will not regret this investment in your child's stash of "must-have" childhood toys.

Originally posted at plantoys.com

I almost didn't get this dollhouse for my 2.5 year old because there were no reviews on it and I didn't know how much she would like it but I am SO happy that I got in anyway! She LOVES this dollhouse. When she saw this house on Christmas morning all of her other presents didn't exist anymore. She started playing with the house immediately. I did buy one of the Plan Toys family sets to go with it and she loves playing with her "little people" and her dollhouse.
The house itself was really easy to put together and looks great! It's also fun to point out and talk about the solar panel and wind power parts. She enjoys playing with the recycling bins too. It's great that the house comes with furniture but I have to be honest that at my daughters age she doesn't really seem to care about it too much. It mostly just winds up on the floor and she plays with the family in the house without the furniture. One day she will use the furniture so it's nice to have it.
The dollhouse is really well made. I mean, my daughter is tough on toys and this one is taking her beating REALLY well. Nothing broken so far. :)
It's a wonderful looking dollhouse. It's a great size and she will get many years of play out of it. She loves playing with it and it's well made. What more could I ask for?

Originally posted at plantoys.com

This is the most amazing dollhouse ever, for my cockatiel! I bought it for its non-toxicity and simple design to use as a substitute for a bird playpen while it is out of the cage. I bought bird furniture feeders, shaped like a bed, couch, sofa, etc. and strung her toys throughout. My 9-month old cockatiel is so ecstatic that she sleeps facing the house and can't wait to wake up and saunter into it in the morning looking for treats. It took me 15 minutes to put together, the pieces fit perfectly and it is well-made, durable, sturdy, yet lightweight. I can't tell you how thrilled I am with my purchase. If a little bird loves it, a little girl would too! And it arrived in just a few days time, packaged perfectly. Stores in my area carry this product, but they are at least 20 to 30% more in price. So this was a good deal all around.

Originally posted at plantoys.com

I bought this to give to my daughter who will be 3 in October. It doesn't come with any furniture; you have to buy it seperately as well as the dollhouse dolls. By the time you buy all four rooms of furniture, plus the dolls, you will have spent about what you spent on the house if not more. The house was only $59.95 with free super saver shipping from amazon which was nice. I think that she will like the balcony to put the dolls up on and the sliding doors. She is real into pretend play and talking to her dolls, so I think she will like it. The classic doll family is cute. It is a cute first dollhouse for 3 and up. I haven't given it to her yet. It's in the closet until her birthday.

Originally posted at plantoys.com

We looked at every dollhouse -- on-line and up close. Our criteria was:
1. Made of wood
2. Durable
3. Large enough for (2) children to simultaneously play
4. Not made in China

This beautiful Victorian dollhouse fit the bill - the pictures, while nice, don't do this product justice. Imposing and elegant, easy to construct, and durable. So far it's been a catalyst for hours of rich, imaginative play.

If you're not familiar with Plan Toys, there are other incentives for buying this product. They are a designated Green company. The wood comes from recycled rubber trees, non-toxic glues are employed and, while not applicable here, organic vegetable dyes are used instead of paint. The company is located in Thailand, where the toys are also manufactured.

I gave it (5) stars but there were (2) imperfections, one the fault of shipping, the other by design:
1. A shard of gable trim was broken upon opening the box. It arrived a day before the birthday so I repaired with a quality wood glue. Since the shard fit perfectly and didn't splinter, it was a perfect fit and undetectable.
2. As another reviewer mentioned, the stairs are not stable -- if the house is moved or jostled they fall down. Again, I used wood glue and it can now survive a rough night at sea.

However, given the ease of remedying the staircase issue, I would hardly label this a show stopper.

Originally posted at plantoys.com

This is an excellent first doll house for a young child. We bought it for our son's (yes, son!) third birthday after watching him enjoy playing make-believe with every doll house he saw at a variety of toy stores. This one has some great features: easy to access all the rooms; made out of wood; is not made in China; the Plan Toys factory (Thailand) it's made in is very aware of safety standards and has a good track record. It was easy to assemble, took about 15 minutes. It's sturdy and is standing up well to lots of play time - some of it not terribly gentle. There are myriad rooms of furniture and accessories available, so this won't grow boring. Great value; great learning tool. Very pleased with this product.

Originally posted at plantoys.com

Easy to assemble. I was amazed at how sturdy & solid this dollhouse is. The quality is excellent and it is very large. I got it on Amazon during some crazy sale for $22 and expected to get what I paid for: a so-so but serviceable toy. I wasn't even expecting the greatest quality for what I paid, even though it was Brio. Was I wrong. The wood is SOLID hardwood, not the thin, easily breakable wood stuff of my son's Ryan's Room Firehouse.

Given the price, I bought two and painted the triangle & rectangle front pieces pink & white for my daughter and red and blue for my son and left the rest natural. They look fantastic.

It is the perfect first dollhouse for a young child/toddler. We will invest in a "fancier," prettier one for my daughter when she is older, but it doesn't get any more perfect than this for a 3-year old. My son loves that he has a "clubhouse" for the guys (Spidey, SuperDude, his Ninja Turtles). It has even spent some time being the Bat Cave, an army barracks, an animal rescue center and a Dino-Safari headquarters.

I can't even imagine how enormous it will be when we add the basement. Best toy I have purchased for a toddler overall.

Originally posted at plantoys.com

Our 2 1/2 yr old daughter loves this dollhouse! We bought it because it's the perfect combination of simplicity in its form, quality and detail. The craftmanship of the dollhouse is solid and well made, with two sliding windows on the front and a great balcony! The quality of the furniture is second to none -- excellent craftsmanship/attention to detail and the Plan Toys family is poseable so you can bend them into whatever position needed (sitting, standing, lying down, etc.) The one gripe is that the dollhouse and the basement don't lock together -- the house slides off a bit (maybe an 1") from the base when you move it (though not completely because it's partially locked). It's not the end of the world though, if it really bothers me, I'll glue them together.

It's a dollhouse that she can grow with and I guess we'll eventually replace when she's 8 or 9 with something more complex/detailed. We bought it through Imagine the Challenge, a merchant partner of Amazon, and they had a great deal on the house, the basement and all the furniture. Also, it was easy to assemble -- took this non-mechanically-inclined Dad about 1/2 hour to put it all together.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

Originally posted at plantoys.com