In 1962, The Barbie Dreamhouse Was First Released, And Here’s Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About The History

Aygul Bulté - stock.adobe.com-  illustrative purposes only
Aygul Bulté - stock.adobe.com- illustrative purposes only

The new Barbie movie has recently premiered, and audiences all across the globe are going crazy for it!

One aspect of the Barbie craze is the infamous Barbie Dreamhouse, which now has its own HGTV series dedicated to building them. The Dreamhouse has come a long way since it was first introduced to the line of Barbie toys. Here is its origin story.

Barbie has always been a doll with some of the most elaborate accessories. There are endless amounts of Barbie clothes, pets, jewelry, etc.

However, when the Mattel toy company first released Barbie, which businesswoman Ruth Handler invented, there was only the doll. She had no place to live, and kids would often have to create their own makeshift homes for her to live in.

So, in 1962, Mattel released Barbie’s Dreamhouse. It was not nearly as elaborate as the lavish homes for Barbie you can find in the store today, but it was still very exciting. It was made to look like a studio apartment and was made out of collapsible cardboard.

By the late 1960s, new Barbie Dreamhouses were being built out of plastic and included a kitchen and sliding patio door, a major upgrade from her previous kitchen-less cardboard studio.

Then, in 1974, her very first townhouse was released, which had her own elevator! It was painted her signature pink color in 1986, making it a house little kids would genuinely dream of living in.

By the 1990s, Barbie’s Dreamhouses doubled in size and could fit multiple dolls, making it easier for kids with extensive doll collections to play with.

One reason the houses were made bigger was to accommodate dolls like Becky, the first Barbie with a wheelchair, released in 1996.

Aygul Bulté – stock.adobe.com- illustrative purposes only

From there, Barbie’s homes only became more fabulous, as Mattel has released several with different aesthetics and styles.

There’s the Barbie Victorian Dreamhouse, the Barbie Estate Dreamhouse, and even the Barbie Pool Party house, which comes with its own swimming pool.

In honor of the 2023 Barbie film release, an actual real-life Barbie Dreamhouse was built and brightly decorated in Malibu and opened for guests on Airbnb this summer.

If you had Barbie dolls as a kid, did you ever own a Dreamhouse? If so, which one?

If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe

She Disappeared While Hitchhiking In Prince George 21 Years Ago, And She Was Last Seen At A Gas Station

This Medieval Queen Was One of The Wealthiest Women In All of Europe, And She Later Spent 16 Years Imprisoned In England

Here Are Some of The Most Versatile Furniture Pieces You Can Own, In Case You’re Short On Space Or Cash

She’s Refusing To Punish Her Daughter For Rejecting A Boy At School Who Had A Crush On Her, Despite Other Parents’ Opinions

She Snapped At Her In-Laws When They Made It Clear At Dinner That They Don’t Approve of Her Son’s College Major

He Told His Wife He Didn’t Want Her To Go On A Beach Vacation With Her Friends, Because He Was Worried About Having To Care For Their Kids All By Himself

Her Cousin Screamed At Her And Then Kicked Her Out of Her Wedding For Bringing Her Service Dog, A Doberman, Along

Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.

More About: