Dollhouse Toys

Granted most dollhouse aficionados are female, some boys do like to play with them too, and there's nothing to be worried about in that. Boys may grow up to be fathers, after all, and they will be part of a household just as much as girls will. My daughter's small friends enjoyed playing with her dollhouse as much as she did, including some of the boys - here at a birthday party, hence the spiffy red tie and sweater vest!

An empty dollhouse is pretty sad. It needs furniture, and accessories, and most of all, people.

The people don't need to be human. I've seen dollhouses inhabited by trolls and dinosaurs and they both seemed to work just fine! As long as your kids can invest the characters with personality, they will be happy with them.

Dollhouse characters and people available to buy run the gamut from realistic people, through cartoonish people, to animals. People from other toy series like Playmobil or LEGO can also be used. If your child loves a specific set of stories, books or TV shows, and the characters from that are available, they may make great "people" for the dollhouse. Kids don't care if the people are not in exact scale with the dollhouse!

I used to make my own dollhouse furniture - to fit the trolls living in the house - out of balsa sheet and model airplane glue. In fact I made so much of it that the trolls had to open a furniture store! It did break pretty easily, though, so we used it all up in the end and went back to the much better furniture that my Dad made for us - mine in light oak, my sister's in mahogany.

You may want to make or buy furniture for your child's dollhouse. Most important for very young children is sturdiness - no spindly chair legs! It's also important that the people in the house, fit in the furniture. Most kids won't care if they are not to the same scale, but if the furniture and accessories don't do what they are supposed to, frustration will result.

How to find the best Christmas gift ideas? Shop online to make Christmas shopping quick and easy

Best Christmas gift for young artists - Melissa and Doug Deluxe Standing Easel
The Melissa and Doug deluxe standing easel is an evergreen gift and will be a favorite toy for years to come. This kids easel is sturdily made, double sided, comes with blackboard and dry erase surfaces and a paper roll holder for paper, folds for storage, and will keep your young artist(s) happy for hours.
http://www.deluxestandingeasel.com

Razor Pocket Mod Miniature Euro Electric Scooter
Make your child the coolest - and the happiest - in the neighborhood when you give them this Razor electric scooter for Christmas. Reliable, quiet electric motor, choice of cool colors, and classic scooter styling in miniature makes this a bestselling item.
http://www.kids-electric-scooters.com

LEGO Mindstorms NXT - the next generation in robot kits
NXT is the new generation of LEGO Mindstorms robot kits, a great Xmas gift for the "builders" on your list. Works with existing LEGO Technic pieces too! Build whatever your imagination can come up with, then program it yourself to make it come to "life".
http://www.lionsgatemodels.com/lego-mindstorms-nxt.htm

LEGO Advent Calendar 2011 provides 24 days of family fun.
With a tiny set or a minifigure behind every window from Dec 1st to Dec 24th, the LEGO Advent calendar is fun for the whole family, and after the holidays your kids can add the pieces and figures to their existing LEGO for even more long-lasting play value. This year there's a selection of different LEGO Advent Calendars!
http://www.lionsgatemodels.com/lego-advent-calendar.htm

LEGO Republic Gunship
The LEGO Republic Gunship is a great LEGO Star Wars model with lots of playability and interesting construction for hours of fun.
http://www.lionsgatemodels.com/lego-republic-gunship.htm

LEGO Death Star - huge Star Wars model kit
Who doesn't remember the Death Star? Here it is in all its huge (over 3400 pieces) looming glory, with super laser and enough weapons and defences to make any Star Wars fan happy.
http://www.lionsgatemodels.com/lego-death-star.htm