I have the loving family, now where can I buy the house?
Written: Nov 01 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: durability, folds up for storage, "cute", builds child's imagination
Cons: doesn't come fully furnished, some of the stickers peel off
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| hlcooper75's Full Review: Loving Family Doll House |
At some point in her childhood, almost every little girl longs for a beautiful doll house. I didn't have to wait long for my daughter to reach that day. Not only did she inherit my fine, straight blonde hair and affinity for chocolate, she was begging for a doll house before her second birthday. Low and behold, her great-grandmother, from whom I think I inherited my doll house mania, insisted on buying her a dollhouse that she liked the best.
She had several reasons for choosing the Fisher Price Loving Family Doll House, and I have found even more.
THE GOOD
It is suitable for a large age range. - Because of the chunkiness of the pieces, and the lack of small parts even the smallest of children will find this fun to begin developing their imaginations. As the child grows, accessories can be added and the growth of the imagination allows for even more fun. Both my one year old, and now nearly three year old enjoy it. Hey, even the 10 year old next-door neighbor plays with it when she's here.
Boy is it durable! - Both of my girls have a terrible inclination towards climbing... on EVERYTHING! This doll house is no exception. It was only a few days ago that I found my 24 pound one year old using it as a perch to look out the front window! What I thought to be the least sturdy of the pieces is the floor of the "foyer". It protrudes quite a bit and I didn't think there was much support for it. Well, my 40 pound 3 year old proved that thought to be totally incorrect. There aren't even any white stress marks in the plastic. There is one plastic piece that I find to be a little lacking - the doors come off very easily and having to bend them to reattach is causing some stress.
It is a "quiet" toy that makes the child use their imagination! - In a day and age where everything beeps, rings, bounces, wiggles, barks, or makes some other annoying noise this is a God-send. Some of the accessories make noise, but the main pieces don't and even if you do have them, the noise is not essential to the play. I also love the thought of my girls being able to make up the story as they go along. You'd never believe the things a three year old can come up with! This only helps to develop their growing minds!
It folds up for easier storage. - For those of you who are among the square-foot challenged as I am, you know the importance of something taking up, at least, a little less room when it's not in use. The doll house itself, takes up it's fair share of room when being played with - a full 32x16x23 inches. On the other hand, when it's folded up it's 16x9x23 inches. Not too shabby in my book!
THE BAD
Agggh! My decorations are peeling off the walls! - Kids get things dirty, that's a fact of life. In order to remove that grime, things need a gentle scrubbing from time to time. After a little less than a year's worth of use, some of the stickers are beginning to peel. i don't know if this is from the grime, the wiping, or the playing. The stickers on surfaces that don't get touched often are still in pretty good shape. It could have even had something to do with the fingers that initially put them on.
I paid how much and the house isn't furnished? - Things sure sure have changed since I got a Fisher Price doll house for Christmas so many years ago. I think mine came with all of the essentials. This house is practically bare! Included in the purchase price are: Daddy, Mommy, Baby, Fido, a couch, an end table, a lamp, a baby seat, baby blanket, baby swing, a tree with adult swing, outside gate and 3 sections of fence, and a sandbox/baby pool. Not much for such a big house. So far I have found bathroom, parents' room, and nursery sets that can be purchased to add to the family home. Although, each of those is a whopping $10! So, if you buy the house and stock it full, you are looking at at least $70 to $80. If you think your child will get years of use out of this, it's worth it. If not, I'd just stick to the basics.
THE UGLY
Oh wait! I mean the not at all ugly! - This house is so darn cute! The exterior is a pleasant cream with pink trim surrounded by green shrubs and window boxes full of flowers. The front windows have arches above them with faux blue and pink stained glass. This is all a plus if it must set out as ours does!
All in all, Fisher Price has another success on their hands. I just wish my house were so cute!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
hlcooper75
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Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Reviews written: 54
Trusted by: 26 members
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