Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse Review

Buy the Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse

Pros of the Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse

It isn't easy to find ways to pass important life lessons along to small children. For them, life can often be all about what toy they can buy next. Also, being a mom of three kids who love to fight over their toys, I jumped at the chance to provide a toy that would encourage them to share.

The thing I like most about this toy is the tie-in to Goodwill, and to me this makes the Mrs. Goodbee stand out from all other competing dollhouses. The tie-in happens in a couple ways. First of all, the dollhouse comes in a rather large box with a carrying handle. (As a side note, this was one of the largest toys I've opened in a while and yet it had, by far, the least annoying packaging yet! Not a huge deal, but certainly a plus on Christmas morning and better for the planet). 

It's designed for children to remove the dollhouse, and then fill the box with toys and clothing items they will donate. If you've ever tried to get a small child to part ways with even the least interesting toy, you know that it's nice to have a gimmick to make this more enticing for children.

The dollhouse itself is also embedded with interactivity. It's built into the dollhouse, as well as extra room kits that are sold separately. The dining room table sold separately, for example, allows kids to clear the table. When they press on the salt or paper shaker, they hear "please" or "thank you." It's quite darling.

Hands-On with the Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse

As much as we parents want our kids to care and share, though, a toy does little good if it sits on a shelf gathering dust. This one was extremely popular with both my toddlers (almost 3, but just know that it isn't recommended for children under 3) and our 5-year-old. My youngest daughter repeatedly exclaimed, "I like it!" when the doll house came out. And this isn't her first exposure to a doll house.

They played nicely for quite a long period of time, and even played nicely together (almost unheard of). Part of that is thanks to the fact that the dollhouse expands into three sections on two sides. There is a lot of room for twins or multiple children to play together.

In the end, to be honest, playtime with the dollhouse ended in meltdowns as the kids began to fight over the little pieces. Beforehand, there was a lengthy stretch of pleasant playtime. And who knows? After learning more about caring and sharing, this could improve.

Cons of the Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse

This really is a high-quality toy, and most of my complaints would be minor. They are, however, worth noting. One complaint would be that the dollhouse comes standard with no parents. You can buy a dad with a room set such as the family night accessory pack or a mom with the helping with groceries set.

If you have a small play space for your children, this is somewhat large. It folds down to a surprisingly small footprint, but it's still something to consider. 

Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse in Summary

Sometimes it is tough as parents. Our children want things, we want to give them to them, but we also want to teach them life lessons. We don't want to raise small uber consumers. It is a tough balance. This dollhouse is a nice way to attempt to balance those two oftentimes conflicting interests. My kids truly enjoyed playing with it, and I enjoy the idea that it's teaching them to donate, share and care about others.