The first Barbie doll was introduced in 1959, followed by the first Barbie Dream House in 1961. This house
was a cardboard box that opened up into a cardboard studio apartment, complete with furniture and accessories. The
Barbie Dream House was followed by the Barbie and Ken Little Theater, the Barbie Dream Kitchen/Dinette, the
Barbie and Skipper Deluxe House, and the Skipper Dream Room, all made of cardboard.
The earliest plastic Barbie furniture was manufactured by a company called Susy Goose. From 1961 to 1966,
this company produced a variety of Barbie furniture items including a four-poster bed, bedroom sets for Barbie and
Skipper, Barbie and Ken wardrobes, and a Barbie and Midge music box piano.
By 1966, Mattel began to manufacture Barbie houses and furniture in plastic. The cardboard Barbie structures
were changed into vinyl covered cases that could be opened up and set up simply by unlatching a door. The World
of Barbie House, Barbie's Family House, and Jamie's Party Penthouse are a few of the items offered as vinyl cases.
In the '70s, the cases gradually gave way to freestanding plastic, including a succession of Barbie Townhouses,
Barbie Dream Houses, and Barbie Dream Furniture.
Quick Facts
- The first Barbie Dream House included a cardboard stereo with cardboard record albums that included
Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and The Lettermen
- In 1962, the Deluxe Reading company produced a Barbie Dollhouse Kitchen. Made of cardboard and plastic,
this item was sold in grocery stores. Sears also produced a Barbie Family House in 1963 sold through Sears
Catalogues
- Barbie dolls and accessories, including Barbie furniture, are manufactured in 1/6 play scale
