Dollhouses and family values

[carryingandstrollingabout]

For Xmas, I've bought my 2 girls a nice dollhouse. I wanted to buy them each a set of dolls to reflect our own family. One set I was thinking Barbie size, and the 2nd set the Fisher-Price Loving Family dolls, or similar. We need...

Big sister
Little sister
Baby (we don't have a baby, but "Little Sister" likes to play babies)
Mom
Dad
Grandma
Grandpa
anybody else to be our "Friends"

Barbie used to have "Happy Family" and "Neighborhood." You could get Midge w/ Baby, Alan (dressed in casual clothes) who came with a little boy Ryan, and plenty of Kelly dolls to be sisters. There was even a Grandma and Grandpa. They've discontinued these family lines. Some are available on Ebay for 3X-4X the cost of a regular Barbie doll, plus the bother of auction bidding, plus shipping. I like storefronts and regular online stores, not bidding and paying for shipping.

So how about Ken to be dad? The only models out there seem to be sold as a groom in a tux (a little fancy for dad) or there's Blain the surfer dude, or Ken as various princes. Does anyone know where I could buy causal Ken clothes to alter Prince Ken to a Dad Ken? I can't find any live stores or online sites that sell casual Ken clothes?

If no Ken clothes available, here is a marketing research question: If you were a little girl, would you want your dollhouse dad to be formal in a tux? Or a surfer dude? Or a prince?

Mom and girls and babies are readily available. Grandma/pa have to be bought as old models off of Ebay.

Fisher-Price Loving Family has a White Mom and Dad and toddler girl and older girl and white grandma. Black mom, black baby, black dad, black toddler boy. Nobody has a grandpa, in any race. I truly mean no offense to anyone, but whatever race you are and whatever race you wish to purchase, you need to create a blended race family to get the characters you might need. It just looks as if they aren't from the same family, or someone was adopted, or there's been a 2nd marriage. A little complicated for little kids. Just wish they'd make more doll choices. Especially add Grandpa.

The Extreme Makeover Design Family has Dad, Mom, Girl, and 2 babies and 2 pets, but no boys for those who need them. No grandma or grandpa.

So 2 points in all this. First, please do let me know if you know where I can get casual Ken clothes to create a dad. Second, why are all dolls girls? Princesses, teens, young girls, pop star girls. Why no families? Girls have played with dollhouses for generations. Don't they play family with them? Why aren't there family dolls? (There are some little wooden ones, but they don't look realistic. We want dolls that look like people).

Family values and dollhouses?

[nfowife]

Ryan's Room makes a family with a grandpa included:
http://www.kazootoys.com/faafica.html
They have a seperate baby set that includes a baby if you need that.

[alexsmommy]

Oh wow, I had no idea FP discontinued so many of its family dolls. There used to be an Asian family and I'm pretty sure there was a Hispanic family as well. I know there used to be a brother-sister set in all complexions available b/c I used to have to buy family sets for work (child pscyhologist) and somewhere along the line I acquired a boy baby (mmm, but now that I think about it, I could never find the AA one and most of my clients were AA children - Luckily, they couldn't care less about the color, but I do remember trying to find one). I know that you can find family sets available in some wood sets that probably include every family member that you could think of - I'd try posting in Around the House for additional suggestions. Sorry it's such a pain to put together, I'd be frustrated too.
Alaina
Alex Feb '03

[kristenk]

Who knew it would be so difficult?!

Okay, how about this:

http://www.storyboardtoys.com/store/caucasian-doll-family.html

8 family members (mom, dad, gma, gpa, older bro & sis, baby boy, toddler girl) all in painted vinyl;

this link was the first I found, but it's also available in african-american, latino, asian-american families as well as a set of people with diverse-abilities and a set of career dolls

If you're okay with vinyl (and moms wearing cheesy sweaters), it looks pretty good!

[trumansmom]

>Fisher-Price Loving Family has a White Mom and Dad and toddler
>girl and older girl and white grandma. Black mom, black baby,
>black dad, black toddler boy. Nobody has a grandpa, in any
>race. I truly mean no offense to anyone, but whatever race you
>are and whatever race you wish to purchase, you need to create
>a blended race family to get the characters you might need. It
>just looks as if they aren't from the same family, or someone
>was adopted, or there's been a 2nd marriage. A little
>complicated for little kids. Just wish they'd make more doll
>choices. Especially add Grandpa.
>
No offense taken, but then they would look just like the family I grew up in. Except I would need two mommies, a daddy, another (step) mommy and then the rainbow siblings. :)

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/01 and Eleanor 4/04

[stillplayswithbarbies]

For Casual Ken clothes, look on eBay for a line called "Fashion Avenue". It was out from 1995 - 2005 and it goes for less on eBay than it sold for in stores. You can even find it out of the box for cheaper. Or you can email the seller and ask if she will debox the outfit and ship it cheaper in an envelope. Many Barbie sellers are very nice and will do so. There were all sorts of casual clothes for Ken and some even looked grandpa-ish

Here is a link to a site that shows all the Fashion Avenue clothes in case you want to search for a specific one on eBay. The later years are more easily found.

http://come.to/fashionavenue

I'll bet if you found a seller who sells a lot of Barbie clothes auctions and told her what you were trying to do, she would put together a lot for you to buy what you want. EBay has chat rooms and there is one just for Barbie, if you go in there and ask about it they may be able to help you find a cheaper solution.

You could easily make a Grandpa Ken doll by painting the hair white depending on the age of the kids and whether they would put the hair in their mouths of course. It would only take a streak of white to make him look Grandpa-ish.

For the grandma doll, look for auctions for the Marlena Evans (soap opera actress) doll that was out a few years ago, it's the same doll Mattel used for Grandma they just greyed the hair.

If none of that sounds worth doing, I would go with a surfer Ken and try to find clothes. K-Mart tends to have the best selection of clothes, with Toys R Us running second. WalMart is generally good too this time of year and Target is almost all trampy skank Barbies now.

KMart usually has some non-name brand accessories too.

Check Big Lots/OddLots/JObLots as they tend to have older Barbies and you might get lucky there.

Browse the Barbie category on eBay, there are older Ken sets that are going for way less than they retailed for that might have what you want in them.

What you want is out there, it's just finding it that is the problem.

[lisams]

You could just do what my DD does and has her horse families live in the doll house, lol! I really like the Loving Family doll house dolls (to me they look the most like typical people - no divas or princesses or whatever the new trend is) but I have yet to find a Grandpa. Kind of strange since they have a Grandma.

[MarisaSF]

Ditto. No offense taken here either. Maybe that's one reason we don't have dolls. Which color are we supposed to choose? :P

We're all different colors in these parts... and we're all the same family, no adoptions, and no second marriages. Kids come out different colors no matter who birthed them.

I say get a blended mixed-up family. Your kid won't know the difference or what a family is "supposed" to look like. Blended is fun anyway... certainly better than a family on the rocks. :P

[Melanie]

I think our Melissa & Doug ones came with grandparents and boys, and a baby and a girl.

Here it is:
http://www.outoftheboxcrew.com/toys/md284.jpg

I guess the one child could be ambigious if it's a boy or a girl.

[JoyNChrist]

This made me smile...I can remember my mother bringing me to a toy store to pick out my first dollhouse. The dolls were all sold separately (no idea who made them).

Anyway, I picked out a white mom, white girl, white baby boy (the little brother I was wishing for and never got), yellow dog...and a black dad. The funny thing is that my dad isn't African American. He's 3/4 Cherokee Indian, but I didn't know the difference - all I knew was that he was a lot darker than me and my mom!

[carryingandstrollingabout]

Thanks so much for all the suggestions!

I'm going to customize a Ken with a Fashion Avenue clothes. I didn't know about them. Thanks for the hot tip! And I'll probably get that family with the plastic clothes. The grandpa looks pretty good.

Thanks for responding with leads! I'll get those families put together by Christmas!

[carryingandstrollingabout]

...and anyone else who would know...

I got the Barbie Wee 3 Friends sleepover set in my quest to create a family for the dollhouse. One of the dolls is "Stacie." I'd like to get some dayclothes for the dolls. There don't seem to be too many "Stacie" doll clothes options, even on Ebay. Would regular Barbie clothes fit, even though Stacie is shorter, or are Stacie's hips bigger? Would Bratz clothes fit since both Stacie and Bratz are 9 inches?

Thanks!

[tarahsolazy]

we have a Ryan's Room family, but those dolls are littler and less realistic than what you are looking for, I think. It came with a mom and dad, grandpa and grandma, and two kids.

I inadvertantly bought the Hispanic family, but we kept them, who cares, after all. (We are all pale whities here)

[stillplayswithbarbies]

I think some of the Barbie clothes might fit, but pants would be too long I think.

I did see one seller on eBay making clothes for the wee 3 friends.

If I get any other answers, I'll come back and update. I'm asking on the Barbie boards.

[carryingandstrollingabout]

Thanks guys.

When I bought the house, I imagined just walking through the doll aisle and buying a family of dolls and spare clothes!

I tried to join Barbie forum, but it wants $20 to join!

Also, does anyone know why some Kelly dolls are mini and some are 6"?

Thanks!