"The coolest of all these features, though, are the slipcovers for both of the beds! Much like the bedcover of an actual bed, the elastic of these cloth covers slips over the top of the beds, allowing the dolls to "sleep" on beds so real-looking, even Barbie herself would drool."

---from the review

-----------------

Feel free to contribute. As always, review submissions are accepted!

------------------

-------------

Sidebar :

-------------

The magic of cloth in a "plastic" toy... Some may look at the notion of the cloth slipcover that slides over the plastic easy chair and ask, "Why?" The answer is easily apparent when seeing the final product, complete with a throw pillow to place on the chair when a toy figure isn't present; this is one cool, realistic looking chair! Better yet, all it needed was a simple piece of cloth, sewn in the shape of the plastic chair. Yes, toy manufacturers, you want to consider this whenever you can. Trust me.

Dollhouses come, and dollhouses go. Most of the ones that are worth keeping from generation to generation include intricacies as amusing as working lights, cloth throw rugs, sound effects, and blankets on every bed...yet they cost hundreds of dollars. The rest seem to be be mere molded plastic; a container for all your daughter's Barbie dolls, nothing more. Can't someone offer the best of both worlds: a realistic doll house that is relatively affordable as well? The answer is within Fisher Price's Loving Family Special Edition Townhouse; a toy house so real, it requires 3 "D" sized batteries to operate all the lights and sounds! Even a pesky little brother would admit, this toy's features are pretty cool.

The overall design is simple enough; a doll house with a hinge in the middle, allowing it to be shut and placed in a corner for neat storage. When opened, there are three levels of playing area, including a front door, a staircase, a bathroom, a master bedroom, a child's bedroom, a family room, a living room, and a kitchen. The majority of the largest stickers are pre-applied to the rooms; the rest are optional, and applied by the parent. The box comes (along with some cool furniture I'll mention later) with a mom-dad-daughter family, complete with jackets for the daughter and dad, and real hair on the girl-dolls. Cute.

What makes this house so cool? The details. Three "D" sized batteries power, among other things: a doorbell, a front light, a lit fireplace (with sound effects), a lighted stove, a lighted refrigerator, a phone that "rings" when pressed, and two additional lights with their own wall switches. All lights shut off automatically after 2 minutes, to preserve the batteries, and shut off automatically when the house is shut for storage. Three of the windows include plastic covers which light shines through, giving the appearance of a garden or blue sky "outside." You want exquisite detail? Open the rolltop desk and the computer monitor underneath lights up; open the porch window nearby, and hear the sound of birds outside. This is a lot of additional realism, for a dollhouse of this type.

What enhances the realism even more is the cloth furniture. There's even a bean bag chair for the family room! There's a cloth rug for practically every room, as well as a plastic chair with a cloth slipcover and removable throw pillow, that makes it look like an accessory twice as expensive. The coolest of all these features, though, are the slipcovers for both of the beds! Much like the bedcover of an actual bed, the elastic of these cloth covers slips over the top of the beds, allowing the dolls to "sleep" on beds so real-looking, even Barbie herself would drool. Topping off the bed realism are perfectly-sized blankets and pillows.

Of course, no house is without its "sold separately" accessories, of which there are three, yet none required for play. The Spa/Pool Accessory offers a battery-operated pool which lights up with bubbling sounds, and includes: a fixed (non removable) tape deck with sound, plus a removable umbrella shade, towel, and a doll with a bathing suit. The "Pet Set" offers a pet station, complete with removable parrot in a cage, a fish tank, a removable cat from its bed, and a removable dog from its bed, all with sound effects if pressed (the fish tank even lights up!). My personal favorite, though, is the Loving Family Townhouse Piano (shown here), which not only actually plays random songs (press the black keys); there are eight separate white keys (do-re-mi-fa-so-la-te-do) allowing your music-inclined youngster to play their own tunes! For $50 more, you can get these accessories with the dollhouse all at once, saving a buck or two; click this handy link to order the Loving Family Townhouse Gift Pack! However, let me be honest, with so many nice accessories already included with the dollhouse, it's just as easy to buy your daughter the dollhouse as-is, and save the purchase of the accessories for a later time.

Any gripes about this toy? Aside from my niece not allowing me to play with it (just kidding), I can't think of one. This is a very nice toy, and currently set at a price under $109 --a price which is sure to only go down-- it is a steal, given its intricate detail. I've seen limited edition collector dollhouses with far less detail sold for hundreds of dollars. If your little girl is looking for such a dollhouse, this is the one to get.