Customer Reviews

Magic Doorbell Playhouse

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this house for my kids for Christmas and they LOVE it. My 2 year old loves to read her books in there since we put a little chair inside and my 10 month old loves to use it to practice cruising around the house inside and out. It is just the right size, not too big and not too small. We put this in the corner of our living room where it's out of the way but we can still keep an eye on them. We also put it near a window so when our window blinds are open they can look outside while playing in the house and also let the sun shine in. I have only a slight complaint and that is, although it was very easy to assemble, there were no places to screw in the screws. We had to make the holes for the screws to go in. ( maybe it was a defect in just the one we purchased but we thought that was weird...screws but no holes. Nevertheless we got it together in no time and actually some of the screws are useless because you really dont need them to hold the roof in place because it just snaps together. I guess if you were to put this house outside you would probably want to screw the roof down in case it got real windy or something but we didn't bother. Anyway, this was a very good and durable purchase we made and not bad or the price. Thanks Little Tikes!

My original review for this house was on Dec. 23, 2002. It's still in our living room and our almost 4 1/2 and 3 1/2 boys still love playing with it. Probably this Summer we'll finally put it outside! Anyway, I'm writting to let folks know that there ISN'T susposed to be any pre-drilled holes for the screws. The idea is for the insertion of the screws to bore their own "hole" into the plastic. This makes the installation more tight and secure. Yes, of course you're going to need an electric screwdriver! It really isn't that difficult to get the screws in with the electric screwdriver. Drilling holes first to enable "easier" screw insertion may very well leave you with a loose and wobbly house once together if you make the holes even a bit too large. Hope this is helpful for you.

My parents bought this for our 1 year old daughter, and 3 year old son. They just got it last weekend, and so far it is a hit. We decided to keep this at their house, so they would have something to play in while we are all out on the deck. What a great idea. We always were chasing after them, but so far this has kept their attention, they don't even want to leave!!! It's just the right size for both of them, and even a couple more kids could fit. I would definitely recommend this product, for the price, and the priceless look on your kids faces when there playing in it!!!

My daughter received this house for her first birthday in April. Since it was still too chilly to play outside everyday, we assembled it inside. She played with it so much that we left it inside in the play room. Six months later she still plays in it every day. Every time we host playgroup,the house is where all the kids want to play. This is a great size house for indoors.

My sons (ages 1 & 3) just received this playhouse as an early Christmas gift, and they love it! Both of our boys are big, with our three year old being particularly tall for his age, but they still have no trouble getting in and out of The Magic Doorbell Playhouse. Also, they are both able to play in this playhouse together with no difficulty. This was very easy to put together -- my husband went from playhouse in the box to completely put together in less than 30 minutes.

I think this house is particularly great because there really aren't a lot of sounds to it. It makes several sounds, but all are activated by the doorbell (which sometimes barks, and I can't say that I understand that one). This way, the kids must use their own imagination, rather than having every sound and action done for them. Also, I like that this house is big enough for both of my kids (plus two little plastic chairs), but it's not too big -- we have it in our living room!

Great playhouse -- I'm glad it's the one that we went with!

Any parent who does their research on playhouses knows that they cost an arm and leg. We hunted everywhere for a decent sized house that wouldn't be outgrown in one year, and one that didn't require a small loan to afford! This Little Tikes Magic Doorbell house came close to our requirements.
I give it just an "OK" rating because compared to others we looked at, the walls of this house are very flimsy. In fact, while we were assembling it, I could literally have bent in the sides of it if I pushed slightly harder than my toddler would have done. I didn't return it for this reason since once they laid eyes on it, it was love at first sight.
Here is our rundown of the features:
1. The colors are gender-neutral so boys and girls alike will be drawn to it;
2. The play phone, microwave and stove are cute, the stickers are realistic, but if you plan to keep the structure outdoors, don't be surprised if the stickers dry up and peel off within a few months of exposure to rain and sun;
3. We have ours on concrete in the yard and placed colorful foam playmats under the whole house to provide the kids with padded footing. If you put it on a lawn, it will most likely be messy for them to play inside without some kind of protection under their feet. Most home stores will sell you a weather proof padding.
3. The dutch door opens OUTWARD so for those reviewers who mentioned it falling out, if you remind your kids not to push it in, you might not have this problem.
4. Another mention that the assembly is quick IF you remember that Little Tikes does not pre-drill holes for the screws. Your electric screw driver will do the trick very easily, just pay attention to the angle you are drilling when attaching the roof so you don't accidently hit the side of the house where the screw will puncture right through.
5. This house is a HIT with our 2 little girls and since the height is generous, I don't see them outgrowing it anytime soon. The roof is very wide so forget about bringing it indoors unless you have double doors. There is NO WAY to get this through a standard sized doorway. If you build it oudoors, keep it there till you're ready to unscrew the roof and bring it inside (for winter time play).
6. I think the price was a bit steep. Though this doorbell version has a cordless phone and the buzzer makes a few different sounds, I don't think this justified the extra cost. Had they excluded the doorbell and just put in a few other built in extras like a fold down table or molded in seats, this would have made the house just perfect. Plus seats and a table are more functional than a doorbell.
7. The molded in fireplace is all but un-noticeable since there is no color to it whatsoever. There's also a molded in houseplant inside, a wall clock and a mail slot in the dutch door.
All in all this is a decent playhouse, but I think if you have the extra bucks to spend, invest in one that is slightly more expensive and get a sturdier structure with more useful extras.

We got this for our daughter when she was 16 months. I purchased it on sale at the store and saved $50. It stayed in our living room for two weeks as she loved it so much! My husband put it together and really the only difficulty he had with putting the screws in was that you need to get inside the house to do it and it's a wierd angle. Even with that it still took less than a half hour to put together. If you are putting it together inside make sure you have a door wide enough for it to fit through. We assumed it would fit through our slider and when we moved it out it was just a hair to wide with the roof on. So we had to take the screws back out. Still not really a problem and more our fault than anything. My nephews (3 and 6) have come over to play and also had a ball with the house. I'm glad we purchased it when she was small so that she'll get several years of use from it. It is very sturdy so I have no worries that it won't last for her and any other children we may have. It has a cute little kitchen inside and the doorbell makes quite a few different sounds. I see no reason to spend $300 or more on a house when this one is just as fun and durable and as I said you can get it for $99 on sale at the store. I only gave it four stars for educational because for older kids it probably isn't but the little ones can practice opening and closing the door and shutters and pushing the doorbell. It really isn't the type of toy you'd purchase for educational purposes. Overall it's a great product. One of the few toys we have that I don't feel was a waste of money.

I just purchased this for my children. My 2 year old daughter just loves every aspect of this house. She especially loves the shutters on the windows. My 1 year old son loves the door most. He just opens and closes it all day long. The phone is also a favorite of both of them. I have one suggestion to the parent putting it together though...use an electric screwdriver!!! The screws are so long--it takes forever with a manual screwdriver. Otherwise worth every penny!! Great addition to our backyard play area

This play house is the absolute best! My son received it for his first birhtday, and hasn't left it since. The only draw back is how you get it home! Make sure you find that long lost friend or (brother in law) in our case, to transport this purchase. The door bell has, I think 6 different sounds that make him laugh and keep him coming back for more. He loves opening & closing the doors & the shutters! It is extremely roomy, both in height & width. We have placed the Little Tykes mini kitchen in there with all of the pots & pans and he thinks it is great!

This play house has everything the the more expensive models have-why pay more? We highly reccomend this product!

Our house recently flooded and we lost alot, including our 20 month old's toys. When it came time to replace things, I wanted to try and get him as much new and different things as possible. We had looked for a playhouse over the last few weeks and finally caught this one on sale. It was so easy to put together! My husband and I didn't fight over that task! Anyway, Logan(20 mo old) and our cat (Chewy-Logan's best friend) love it! He runs each day after arriving home and grabs the cat and goes to his house. We placed his tool bench and a few other toys in there and he plays forever! This house is not as fancy as the pricier models, but well worth the money!