Originally dolls houses were actually aimed more at the grownups than children! It was a hobby of affluent people in society to collect “baby houses” as they were known back in the late 17th and 18th centuries.

They were usually contructed to actually fit inside a cabinet. It would have the appearance on the outside of an normal piece of furniture but when it was opened it revealed an impressive dolls house with many rooms. On the inside there was furniture all scaled down to size and the craftsmanship was of the highest standards.

The dolls which were usually made of wood or wax are extremely collectible toys today.

Wax dolls are usually made by pouring melted wax into a mould. Wax does’nt really seem to be the perfect medium for making dolls but they were less fragile than bisque or china and it could be tinted to give the doll a beautiful and realistic skin tone.

It is sometimes quite difficult to accurately date these dolls because they were tricky to mark and the only way they could do this was by labelling them.

It was in the 19th century that “baby houses” began to be known as dolls houses and were often found in nurseries of the children belonging to wealthy families.

They were often furnished with beautiful needlepoint rugs and couches upholstered in silk. The furniture was usually made of excellent quality wood and was accurately cut down to scale.

At the end of the 19th century the dolls were made of bisque and glazed china. The attention to detail was amazing and often the dolls were equipped with their own gloves, purses, fans and even sewing kits! This made them very easy to personalise and the accessories became very popular gifts for her.

In recent times plastic and metal dolls houses were introduced but undoubtedly it is the amazing craftsmanship of the early “baby houses” which have stood the test of time that will remain firm favourites with miniature collectors today.

Because of the recession and the financial strain that everybody is experiencing today, some people have opt to go head-on for a business venture and if you care to browse the Internet, you will be surprised to find a steady increase in the number of business opportunities from MLM or multi-level marketing, selling products online, doing home staging business, foreclosure business and even soap-making. Now, there is one more opportunity that people are looking into and that’s collectible selling.

There is even this one individual who started collecting action figures ever since he was a little boy and weeks ago, he planned to sell them to somebody who is interested in his collection, for a price. Now, he’s doing it again. He’s presently collecting, of all things, dolls, which he bought from different places all over the world and what he needs to do next is to learn some collectible appraisal system so that he can determine how much money he could actually earn after selling his doll collection. Indeed, selling your collectibles can be lucrative, too. What have you got in mind?

One strong suggestion that you might like to get is to start with your own collection of anything. You might have been collecting stamps, coins or even taxidermied or stuffed butterflies. If you don’t have one, which might be impossible, you can start to collect things of your own interest and if you indeed one to make profit from them, you should also be aware of collectible values. Try to find out what makes people go gaga. It might not be of interest to you but it can surely be an interest to somebody else. One person even go for the kill going for car collecting and selling them off for an income but he sold them by bulk, which means to say, his whole collection and he even doubled his profits with it. So, what about you? What are your interests or better yet, what have you found out that is of great interest to everybody else?

The other day I posted a question on “answer bank” and had a good response. It seems that there are loads of people out there with fond memories of the various toys that they owned back in their childhoods. 

My question was what do you think was the best or most entertaining toy you ever owned?” 

The first response I got back was “etch a sketch” I too remember having one of those and got hours of fun out of it. 

Next up was “Hungry Hippos” probably a game that many people have either owned or heard of. It’s quite an addictive game and one that you never seem to grow tired of. 

Someone else said it was a yo yo and another “juggling balls” which kept them amused for hours. 

Football was mentioned often using Mums washing line to make your own makeshift goalposts in the back garden. Also there were boomerangs. 

Another real old favourite was lego which I suppose really took over from mecano. 

For the girls out there it was of course “Sindy”, “My Little Ponies” and the “Barbie Doll”. 

It seems that a lot of the girls were lucky enough to have their own dolls houses. Very often they are kept in the family and passed down to further generations. 

One thing I do notice is that out of all the replies there is only one game which requires more than one to play. 

I wonder what that says about our childhoods or do we just prefer our own company? Maybe we were simply just used to amusing ourselves better, that’s what I think anyway! 

When I look at all the different toys I think what strikes me most is the lack of computer games. It looks like the good old fashioned traditional toys are the ones that seem to stand the test of time and its those that we remember best! 

What do you think?

Collecting dolls houses, particularly the plastic accessories for Barbie or Cindy, is a relatively recent phenomenon.Just how long these injection moulded products will last is anyone’s guess, however, recreating houses and their contents is a hobby that’s been around for centuries in one form or another.
The earliest recorded dolls house – an exquisitely detailed replica of his own fully furnished residence – was owned by Albert V, Duke of Bavaria, in the mid 1500s.Inspired by this example, many other wealthy people began to commission fine miniature pieces made by expert craftsmen.These were not children’s playthings but were intended as conspicuous displays of wealth and social position.

The fad continued throughout the 17th and 18th centuries and gradually these miniature creations began to be considered appropriate for the children of the wealthy. Not as a toy though!Rather they were used as visual aids to educate young girls about the domestic management duties that any well to do young woman would be expected to perform when she became married and responsible for running her own household.    It wasn’t until the mid 19th century that the concept of “childhood” was really developed and the dolls house became more of a plaything. They were still the product of craftsmanship however and restricted to the children of the well heeled middle and upper classes.   No contemporary nursery was considered complete without one.

The Victorian age saw the beginning of industrial mass production and it was this development that changed the dolls house from lavish miniature heirloom into a genuine child’s toy.  The major innovator in this, and many other types of mass produced toy, was Germany, whose factories exported dolls houses and accessories all over the world.

The fascination with reflecting their lifestyle in miniature persisted in the ruling classes.Queen Mary, wife of King George V, had an abiding interest in dolls houses. n the early 1920’s she commissioned one of the foremost architects of the day, Sir Edwin Lutyens, to design a dolls house for the queen’s personal pleasure. All the miniature items for Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House were made by the finest craftsmen available and their work which can still be seen on display in Windsor Castle.
Nowadays the mass production of dolls houses for fashion dolls (and even woodland creatures!) as toys for kids runs parallel to the hobby of miniature collecting by adults.   Arguably, diorama sets for model figures – be they model soldiers or Sci-Fi characters – are dolls houses too in spirit at least.  There are a growing number of specialist shops, miniatures fairs and dolls house publications to cater for adult enthusiasts who like to recreate past eras in whole houses or specific scenes. Some enjoy making the models, while others collect craftsman-made pieces. The aim is to achieve accurate detail to capture the character and period style, raising what is a hobby to the status of a (very lucrative!) art form and creative expression.

Dolls Houses are thought by some as merely a child’s toy or just miniature displays of wealth and social standing by the rich.  They were used in the 18th century to teach domestic management duties to middle class young women and it wasn’t until mass production by the Germans initially that the dolls house became a genuine child’s toy.However, these miniature creations can also perform another useful function by preserving and commemorating significant architectural styles.  As the actual buildings themselves fall before the bulldozer and developer, at least the expertly and loving crafted dolls house keeps an accurate picture of period styles alive.
Take for example the works of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, doyenne of of the Modern Movement.Among his major architectural works is Glasgow School of Art (now the Mackintosh Building), a series of Glasgow Tea Room interiors and large private houses such as Windy Hill in Kilmacolm. For those who can’t make it to those destinations, there is a chance to appreciate Mackintosh’s unique take on architectural design by viewing a Charles Rennie Mackintosh-style dolls house in the Bethnall Green Museum, London.The miniature faithfully preserves details such the staircase newel post design taken from Martyr’s Public School, the front door reflecting 78 Southpark Avenue and the internal doors inspired by Craigie Hall.
In the same vein, Edwin Lutyens became the best known British architect of the early part of the 20th century.Creator of the Cenotaph in Whitehall, Luytens was one of the major contributors to the ‘Arts and Crafts’ movement.Famous for what was termed the “Surrey Style”, he also designed Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House which is now in Windsor Castle.The Surrey Style is reproduced in many examples of dolls house, with large latticework windows, distinctive big roofs with dormer windows and heavy window frames and doors. 
So before you dismiss dolls houses as mere playthings or the fads of obsessed collectors, remember that they at least are portable and easily protected.  In future years, they may well be the only reminders of great artistic and architectural achievements when the real thing has crumbled to dust or made way for a shopping mall.

Miniature models of houses are created as dollhouses. These are usually meant for children who use them as toys. However, adults too are developing a fascination for the dollhouse miniatures and building, decorating and maintaining it has become a favorite pastime for children and adults alike. These miniatures have a unique appeal and never fail to please visitors who glance upon them. Indeed, these small-scale home marvels can win many praises for the person, young or old, setting them up. 

Historical background of the dollhouse miniatures

The history of creation of things akin to the dollhouse miniatures can be dated back to four hundred years or so when there were the ‘baby houses’ in Europe. The ‘baby houses’ being cabinet display cases made up of rooms built with architectural details and filled with miniature household items were particularly treasured by the select wealthy matrons in the cities of Holland, England and Germany. Quite strangely, these ‘baby houses’ were kept out of reach of children and was exclusively for adult usage. Owing to their immense value and treasured nature because of which these were considered to be safer when out-of-bounds of children. It has been known that the fully furnished ‘baby houses’ could have been worth the cost of a modest full size home’s construction.

Going about with setting up special dollhouse miniatures

The great thing about dollhouses is that they can come in just anyway you may need/want them. While a dollhouse can be made expensively using the choicest decorations, furniture etc. it can also be set up attractively in an inexpensive manner and decorated beautifully by incurring only the minimum costs.

By deciding upon the style of home to be adopted in the dollhouse miniature a modern contemporary or traditional classic architectural effect can be brought about in the dollhouse too. Famous homes of great people or those of historical significance can also be recreated in dollhouse miniatures by making a judicious selection of dollhouse miniature kits.

You can get started with acquiring a dollhouse miniature of the day in several ways. You may conveniently opt for the readymade and decorated varieties available. You may also buy the dollhouse miniature kits that are on offer or you may proceed to design and make your own dollhouse miniature. It is perhaps best to make use of some suitable dollhouse miniature kit. This can help provide a wider scope for innovative designs to be created. 

After readying the dollhouse miniature the miniature objects that are to go inside the dollhouses are to be decided upon. Furniture, interior decorations and dolls- all can be placed appropriately inside the dollhouse miniatures to give a livable feel to the interiors of the dollhouse. Books, clocks etc. may also be placed inside keeping in with taste of the person concerned.

Doll carriages are a dollhouse accessory. These are carriages for dolls that can be pushed around quite like a baby carriage or perambulator. These are good things for children to play with. They can move around their dolls on the carriages. Sometimes, the doll carriage can even be big enough to carry a child on it. So, children can playfully carry each other on these carriages quite like dolls.

Doll carriage types

The doll carriages can come in a variety of styles and designs and can make use of different materials. There are the popular wooden doll carriages which resemble pushcarts and are strong enough to carry children too. So, children can push around each other on the doll carriage just like they do with the dolls. There are many providers of doll carriages who make the carriages extra wide to ensure stability. Children can turn the wooden doll carriage into a multi use vehicle using their imagination too. So, the doll carriage can become a tractor, a stroller and a lawn mower also during play. Thus, the single toy, the doll carriage, can take over the roles of several toys.

Some doll carriages are there that make pleasant sounds when moved around. These are much in demand. There may be plastic or wooden horses attached to the doll carriages to give a real carriage feel. Floral prints may also be used for decorating the carriage beautifully. Special doll carriages that resemble Cinderella’s carriage can be obtained to accompany dolls representing characters of the Cinderella tale. There are also on offer a variety of doll carriage accessories like the doll carriage cushions, curtains etc. which seek to spruce up the doll carriages and make them look all the more true to the fairy tales.

Resistance to tipping- important doll carriage safety feature

Just like in case of baby carriages it is important for doll carriages to also be resistant to tipping. A durable construction of the doll carriage is important too in order to ascertain that it can withstand years of intense and varied play and can resist the strains of both indoor and outdoor usage.

It can be said that the beautiful dollhouses- castles, palaces etc. seem quite incomplete without the elegant doll carriages accompanying them. So, dollhouse owners need to try and secure suitable doll carriages from the wide variety of designer doll carriages on offer. These will not only make the dollhouses look complete in all respects but also provide an item of great fascination for children to play with.