Customer Reviews

Loving Family Sweet Sounds Dollhouse

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I just ordered this dollhouse for my almost 3 year old for Christmas. I bought this dollhouse because I wanted a house larger than the FP classic house. We have the classic house from 3 years ago and the rooms are almost too small for furniture. This dollhouse is definitely larger. It is also easier to fold up and open. My daughter had trouble with the other one because you had to fold up the stairs and the second floor before you close it. This one just folds shut. The stickers were very easy to apply and I liked the addition of the bonus stickers for decorating. The dolls look cute and have real hair (our old ones had painted hair). I haven't tested the speaking aspect of the dollhouse since I am waiting until Christmas to put the batteries in. My only dissapointment is that there are some pieces of furniture permanently attached (in the middle of rooms no less). This is necessary for the sound I suppose, but I think it may limit placement of additional furniture and play. All in all, this is a much nicer dollhouse than the classic dollhouse and is worth the $.

This dollhouse has everything and more for your little one's imagination to explore! It's large when opened up, but easily folds for storage. Built sturdily. Wonderful sticker accessories that you can add yourself for personalization. It came with the mom, dad, daughter, baby, cat, baby accessories, chair, radio, and more! And here's the best part...the family, cat, and radio will all interact with one another when placed easily in certain areas of the house! Loving and wholesome interactions, too. I highly recommend this to any dollhouse enthusiast!

We purchased this dollhouse for our three year old daugther last July when she turned three. Fortunately, at the time, I went a bit crazy with ordering the furniture and bought almost all of the furniture sets that were made to activate the Sweet Sounds dollhouse. I just recently discovered, however, that you cannot buy the Loving Family furniture that was made for the dollhouse in the department/toy stores. Instead, you have to buy it for three to five times the original price from an individual on eBay (i.e., $54 and up for one set which originally cost $12).

If you do decide to buy this dollhouse, the furniture that you actually need to activate some of the 200 phrases must contain an item called a "BONUS FEATURE". The BONUS FEATURE are furniture sets that come with a certain furniture item (i.e., wrapped gifts and balloons, parrot, blue television, tea set, blue teddy bear) that has a PINK or BLUE ribbon attached. Those items will activate the dollhouse sounds. Yes, you can still buy doll furniture from Fisher Price for the Twin Times Fisher Price Dollhouse that are on the same size scale as the Sweet Sounds dollhouse, but that furniture will not activate the dollhouse's supposed 200 phrases.

Personally, I think it is an atrocity that Fisher Price continues to sell this dollhouse with the marketing claim that it has over 200 phrases. A majority of those so-called phrases are activated by the extra dollhouse furniture that you USED to be able to purchase. Hence, the claim that Fisher Price (aka Mattel) makes that the dollhouse has over 200 phrases is misleading and false advertising because the dollhouse only comes with a few pieces to activate the dollhouse sounds (i.e., adult female, adult male, child female, cat, and tape recorder). That's it!

Someone else put together a list of all the sets you used to be able to purchase so you can see what I'm talking about here (although the representative picture of the displayed furniture on the left is not always the same item as the boxed picture on the right -- the boxed picture on the right shows the correct furniture to activate the dollhouse). Please see: http://mydreamdollhouse.com/FPdollhouse_sweet_sounds.html

Obviously, Fisher Price and/or Mattel believe that as parents we are stupid and that we don't pay attention to details. They have incorrectly assumed that we will not recognize that although they sell the Sweet Sounds dollhouse (probably because they have a lot left to deplete in their inventory), they don't sell the corresponding furniture to activate the house. Why then spend the extra $20 pay for the electronic dollhouse sounds when you can purchase the Fisher Price Twin Times dollhouse for much less?

Although I already own almost all of the Sweet Sounds dollhouse furniture sets, I have now developed a great disdain for the unscrupulous business dealings of the manufacturer who no longer supply the corresponding furniture for this Sweet Sounds dollhouse.

Lastly, today I contacted a supervisor within Mattel's customer service (1-800-432-5437). Although she was very nice, I could hardly believe that their computer datebase does not reflect that the corresponding activating furniture has been discontinued. She was totally unaware that people across the globe cannot purchase it anywhere but on eBay at a ridiculous prices. I did not realize when I spoke to her that there was this message board with so many complaints in this regard, however, I pointed out to her that I have been unable to find the furniture sets (with the "BONUS FEATURE") in any in the stores and that everyone on eBay is bidding them up three to five times the original price (I think that was fairly convincing to her). Dare I say that the omittance of the word "DISCONTINUED" in Mattel's database was completely purposeful because they don't want their customer service representatives telling the consumers that you we can no longer get the activating furniture because they want you to buy up the inventory of remaining dollhouses! I'm sorry, Fisher Price, but not all parents are quite as dumb as you think they are.

For a mother with two toddler girls ages 2 and 3, I am going to boycott Fisher-Price altogether because I think this is unscrupulously deceptive marketing on their part. I cannot return all of the unopened furniture sets and the Sweet Sounds dollhouse, but I certainly will continue to raise an awareness via the Internet.

Final word: If you don't care whether or not the dollhouse makes sounds and talks, then go ahead and spend the extra money, although the feature is otherwise useless. In truth, you're wasting your money because you can buy another dollhouse that doesn't have electronic sounds for considerably less money.

Signed,

MAD AS HECK AT MATTEL IN SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA

I selected this dollhouse over the classic dollhouse because I wanted one with big enough rooms for the furniture and one that would allow more than one child to play with it at once. I was concerned the classic dollhouse might be too small. But I did not want something as big as the townhouse that was being sold at the time. I was hesitant to order this dollhouse because of the permanant furniture...some reveiws said it was totally in the way. But for the most part it is fine. There is a fixed rocking chair in the nursery that could be a little closer to the wall however it is still possible to fit the crib and dresser, and the kitchen chair could be a little closer to the table, but again not a big deal. There is one other room with a fixed chair and desk that are against the wall and not at all in our way. I was also not thrilled with the sounds feature (must all toys make noise??) but it has grown on me and my kids enjoy it. In spite of those concerns I picked this one and am very happy with it. You will want to get some additional furniture right away but once you have a few rooms you can add addititional rooms more slowly if desired. Our Toys R Us store has a good selection of furniture sets (more than on this site, typically) and I've also found furniture at Walmart and Kohls stores. For some reason it is sometimes hard to find on line.

My 3 1/2 year old daughter has both the Sweet Sounds dollhouse as well as the Special Edition Townhouse dollhouse.....Both are lots of fun, and all the small accessories are great (though for some reason difficult to find in stores and on the internet - except for ebay). We play with both dollhouses A LOT and both townhouses and all accessories are very durable. BUT, the speaking in the sweet sounds dollhouse is frustrating (you have to place the dolls in exact positions for them to talk, move them and replace them to talk again, the sound turns off after a few minutes, etc.), the phrases they say are pretty stupid, and the spots where they talk (rocking chair, chair, bench, kitchen chair) can't be moved to place other furnishings...my daughter usually plays with the sound off. The Special Edition townhouse has more room for furniture, really nice touches - lights, fireplace, oven/stove/refrig lights, curtains and cupboards, birds singing, phone ringing, crackling fireplace - enough "sweet sounds" to satisfy. The backround of the townhouse is much nicer too - the sweet sounds just has a lot of stickers to place any which way. So, for the extra $20 I'd definitely recommend the Special Edition Townhouse over the Sweet Sounds. I'd also recommend purchasing a lot of the extra furniture, dolls and accessories to make these houses fun. My daughter plays for hours with this, and I love all the little details. I wish the accessories were easier to come by, though!

My 3 year old daughter received the Sweet Sounds Dollhouse for Christmas this year. She loves it! This dollhouse, in my opinion, is the best one out there! I researched and carefully looked at each of the 3 Fisher Price Dollhouses, and the playmobile dollhouse, and like this one the best. It's very durable, very roomy, and pretty. Having three girls, we've had 3 different Fisher Price Dollhouses, and a Playmobile Victorian Dollhouse. The Loving Family Fisher Price Classic Dollhouse is nice, but just doesn't have enough room to hold the furniture. We tried this one first, and exchanged it for the Sweet Sounds Dollhouse. I like the Sweet Sounds Dollhouse better than the bigger, more expensive one that has a fireplace that crackles and has sounds and lights, because the plastic is thicker and more durable, and prettier colors inside. I had a chance to play a little with this one as well, and found it tipped easily over and the plastic was not as thick and durable. The playmobile Victorian Dollhouse is nice too, but my kids never played with it much. The colors and style are more of an older styling, and my girls preferred the Fisher Price one's better. My oldest daughter still has the original Fisher Price Dream Dollhouse, which is very simuliar to size as the new Sweet Sounds. The Sweet Sounds comes with the most detailed and adorable furniture, a Dad, a Mom with combable hair, a big sister with combable hair, and a cute baby. 3 pieces of furniture are permantly attached (the rocking chair, little girl's room chair, & kitchen table chair) to the flooring because these are the 3 pieces that make the 200 phases when the people are placed on them. The moveable furniture included is an adorable cradle, highchair, & baby swing. The stickers are very pretty , and there are tons that take sometime to apply but are worth it. A sheet of additional optional stickers are included as well. A nice touch. You will have no trouble fitting in the extra furniture you will want to buy to furnish the house with, because there is a ton of room in this house. The house closes easily and my 3 year old can close it herself. It fold compact for storage and holds the furniture inside. The 200 phases are very sweet. My little girl likes the voices and it gives her ideas of different ways to play. The sound can be turned on or off. Some of the phrases are "how about a big Daddy hug?" and "I like playing dollhouse with you". All the phrases are very loving--like the perfect family! My 3 year old daughter has no trouble positioning the figures correctly to make them talk. Basically she just sits them in one of the 3 pieces of furniture that make them talk and they talk. The 3 pieces that make the dolls talk are the rocking chair, kitchen chair, and the little girl's room chair. Some of the additional furniture sets have extra pieces that will talk, meow, or play music in the dollhouse too. My 7 and 11 year old daughters think this dollhouse is fun too. Take it from a Mom who has tried them all----this is the one to buy!

I have just assembled this dollhouse and am impressed. The victorian styling is lovely and it is much more spacious than other dollhouses.

If you are buying this house & matching rooms, you need to know that it has a built-in kitchen (not removable) with fridge, stove, sink, breakfast table, etc. so you do not need to buy the Loving Family Kitchen. I did, and now have to return it.

I just gave my 3 year old daughter this dollhouse today - I love playing with it as much as she does. I would encourage buying extra furniture to complete the look. The furniture that does come with the house is not moveable which is a great idea because these are the pieces that provide all the phrases and sounds and this way they won't get lost - good idea Fisher Price! The many stickers to come with the house completes the look. This house is very sturdy I am sure it will be played with many years from now. My 7 yr old son also plays with this along with his sister.

My almost 2.5 year old daughter received this wonderful dollhouse for Christmas from Santa. I was up til the early morning hours placing the 100+ stickers on it, but it was well worth it. I was so excited! When she walked out of her bedroom and saw her new house, she ran to it and said "Oh, look what Santa brought me!" It is amazing to watch her interact with these dolls and role play. I was going to wait to give this to her until next Christmas, but she is advanced for her age and has always played well with her toys. She had been asking constantly for a car for Christmas, so that night she opened the (Loving Family) red convertible from Mommy & Daddy to go with her new house. She loves to drive the mom & dad, kids, and pets around in it, all at the same time! The sounds from the house are clear, not too loud, and def. not annoying. The radio plays when you set it on one the permanent chairs, and she makes the dolls dance to it. The dolls are great too, with their "real" hair and moveable arms and legs. This dollhouse would make a great gift for any little girl! Looking foward to many years of play with it!!

Christmas morning,when my almost three year old daughter opened up her dollhouse, her older sister, said wow, this is sooo awesome! My older daughter has a playskool dollhouse that her little sister always plays with so I thought it would be a good idea to get her her own, this dollhouse is soo neat!! We found with our older daughter that you can have too many accessories which take up too much room, make it harder to play with, etc. so we just got the basics to start,( the bathroom, bedrooms, living room, the van-a must if you are going to go anywhere!) this seems to be more than plenty right now and we plan on adding extras on birthdays, etc. all of our children (10,8,6,alm almost 3) got involved playing this one day over break and they loved it. I do plan on adding a brother and a grandma, grandmas are soo important to our family. great toy, uses the imagination that so many toys lack, the sounds are great but not used alot, this toy seems very durable and will be something she can keep for her kids oneday!