What does it take to design a dollhouse? I am seeing a lot of energy on the new Facebook page “New Design Suggestions for RGT”, with enthusiasm and great ideas for new dollhouses. You might find it interesting how one of our new designs, the Bungalow, came around.
We discovered a type of folk art very similar to our beloved American minis on a recent trip to the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador. “Retablos” are colorful vignettes of festivals and everyday life made from a plaster and mashed potato mixture. Originally dating back to 1532, retablos were first crafted as miniature religious shrines. Over the years they almost disappeared, but regained popularity in the 1940’s when country artisans began to depict scenes such as fiestas, markets, workshops and home life. Today there are countless different styles and sizes. Most retablos are positioned inside brightly painted wooden boxes, but you may find others done in egg shells or even small chewing gum boxes. (Remember “Chiclets”?) Others still are made with as many as five floors, all with different scenes, taking many months of work to complete. All the wonderful retablos we saw were full of activity and vibrant color… it was easy to appreciate the fun and enthusiasm in each and every one!
To see more retablos photos visit us on Facebook.
the RGT Customer Service Team: Gary, Jim, Chris, Jen, Sue, Jodi & Santa
Everyone at Real Good Toys takes great pride in crafting the finest quality dollhouses and doll house kits available. Throughout the whole year customer service is a priority and your satisfaction is important to us. We hope your enthusiasm for miniatures is shared by those you love and your dollhouses have brought you, your family and friends many hours of rewarding time. Amid the hustle and bustle of the holidays we want to take a moment to say how grateful we are to all of you who have contributed to our success.
Thank-you and we hope Peace and Joy fill your entire Holiday Season.
“Building friendships – it happens every day at the help desk. Cheers to all of our building friends this holiday season.” ~ Gary
“Please know that we value our relationships and appreciate your business. Thank you for choosing Real Good Toys dollhouses. Warm Wishes for a joyous season and a bright new year.” ~ Jim
“May your dollhouses sparkle with Christmas magic every day of the year!” ~ Chris
“Wishing all my mini friends the happiest of holidays. May 2010 bring us together again thru our love of all things mini!” ~ Jennifer
“Merry and happy everything to everybody – no exceptions.” ~ Sue
“It has been our sincere pleasure to help each and every one of our customers with their dollhouse projects. We look forward to making all of your dollhouse dreams come true in the coming year!” ~ Jodi
“HO! HO! HO!” ~ Santa
Santa visits the "Princess Anne" dollhouse.
Real Good Toys is having a raffle! To be entered, just post a picture to our Facebook wall of your dollhouse or room box decorated for the Holidays and you will be entered in a drawing to win a $50 RGT Gift Certificate. All entries must be posted by December 12th, 2009. The winner will be announced on our Facebook page December 14th. Share the holiday spirit & email this news to your friends! It will be fun to see all the mini decorations and doll houses decked out for the season.
Our local senior crafters have once again brought joy to a special group of children. The resident girls age 7-9 at the Kurn Hattin Home* in Westminster, VT, previously made a dollhouse out of a cardboard box. They had fun, but wished for the “real” thing.
Mr. & Mrs. McIntyre, of Westview Meadows, heard about the girls’ dream and contacted Real Good Toys to ask if we could help. A dollhouse kit was chosen and delivered to the Westview Meadows Senior Crafters who have built and finished more then 100 dollhouses for charities throughout the state. Having plenty of experience, they got right to work. In just a few weeks they arranged to surprise the girls with the beautiful finished dollhouse.
Finished dollhouse delivery.
We wish the children at Kurn Hattin many happy hours of play and once again thank the seniors at Westview Meadows for generously giving their time to a worthy cause.
Doll house dreams come true!
If you or your organization would like to do a good deed and donate a Real Good Toys dollhouse to one of your favorite charities please visit your local dollhouse retailer and discuss their donation policy or go to “Dollhouses for a Cause” on our web site.
*Since 1894, Kurn Hattin has helped thousands of at-risk children by providing a safe home and a quality education in a caring nurturing environment.
The Vermont Welcome Center at Guilford VT is on route 91 in southern VT near Brattleboro. It’s a lovely facility, a post-and-beam barn with displays of Vermont history, activities, and things of interest. Real Good Toys was invited to display some of our dollhouses there to show Vermont craftsmanship.Roadtrip! I packed the van with two tables and four houses (a puzzle all by itself) and headed out with my daughter Charlotte for Guilford. It was a beautiful late summer day, hardly a cloud in the sky and no traffic heading South. In a couple of hours, we arrived and we made connections with the Visitor Center Staff (we had to go into Massachusetts and turn around to get to the Welcome Center from the North-bound lane). (more…)
I’ve been visiting John and Julio for several weeks, helping them with their wiring and with bits-and-pieces of the dollhouse building and decorating process. Some of the things we do when I’m there are things I’m good at, some of the things are brand new for me (last night I hooked-up the ’glowing embers’ circuitry for a fireplace).
One of the things that really impresses me whenever I visit is how many of the folks that live there drop by for a moment of admiration or a conversation about the progress and process of this dollhouse build. Each new step in the assembly brings a fresh review of where we are and where we’re going, and there is a background humm of activity and interest that circles around this project. (more…)
The Victorian Manor dollhouse kit was produced around 1978, the build has just been finished
Yesterday was a clear, sunshiny day; a good day to open the windows and sweep out the closets. Spring cleaning time at the Real Good Toys help desk always gets me to dive into the box of old files for anything that can help a builder who has found a treasure from the dim recesses of Dollhouse History (more…)
Being in the dollhouse business, it should not surprise anyone that when our grandson was barely 2 years old we brought home an Adirondack Cabin, a sturdy set of log furniture and a family of wooden dollhouse dolls. He had gotten over the “put everything in your mouth” stage quite a while ago, but I didn’t expect him to be old enough to take a keen interest in miniatures… boy, was I wrong! He jumped right in and immediately began to engage in his first “independent” play.
Now, whenever he visits, dolls are fed crunchy cereal and put to bed… they go “in & out” the front door and “up & down” the stairs… they get into lots of trouble and regularly have “time-outs” while he counts to ten (often missing a few numbers). Miniature farm animals are allowed to meander inside the dollhouse whenever they want to and sometimes have sleepovers in the living room.
The dollhouse is always the first toy he goes to after saying “hello”and watching him role play and stretch his imagination is especially rewarding. I know every child is different and that our dollhouses are mostly recommended for adult collectors… however, so far so good, he hasn’t broken a shingle or porch post. But, I still keep an eye on him while he’s playing with small objects… just because I should.
Have a good day. ~ Chris
