December 20, 2010

Show & Tell: Our Playmobil Victorian dollhouse, a Christmas tradition.




















I have mentioned before that I never really outgrew toys, right? Well, here's even more proof of it! Yes, this beautiful Playmobil Victorian dollhouse has graced our home for the holidays, proudly displayed by, or near, the Christmas tree for almost 18 years. And it is certainly one of my favorite Christmas traditions!

When it isn't out at Christmastime, it's tucked away up in a closet the entire rest of the year, so you can imagine how dusty it gets. I actually kind of enjoy the whole process of taking it down, meticulously cleaning it (inside and out), and then, the BEST part of all... placing the furniture and people inside!!

The following photos are a somewhat goofy gallery of interior shots (plus a few exterior) just to give you a closer look. Btw, for some reason, I had a devil of a time getting the lighting just right. So if they seem a bit funky, that's why. Enjoy!






Here is the back side of the house, with
"handy" access to all rooms and floors.
 























These lovely ladies are relaxing in the living room and
enjoying a command performance by the pianist
on the left (you'll see his piano in the next shot).

























Here is the artist at work, on a piano that really plays!
(Well, technically, it's just an electronic tune when
you press down on the keys...)

























One of many maids, Sophie arranges place
settings at the formal dining room table.
























Meanwhile, out in the nearby moonlit forest, a small
family of deer is seen grazing along the barren, icy floor.
























Jane, the kitchen maid.























Jacques, the house chef.























Maxwell, the family dog.























Grampa enjoys his newspaper next to a toasty fire.























Unbeknownst to Grampa, a fiendish
imposter lurks in the shadows nearby...
























Look out, Grampa... She's right behind you!























Between the den and the veranda lies one of the
bedrooms simply referred to as the Flower Room.
(Notice the detail of the chamber pot sitting on
the floor, next to the bed. Sign o' the times!)


























Out on the veranda, a professional photographer
takes a lovely holiday portrait of a fine couple.
























Here we see the other bedroom, aka the Red Room,
and it looks as though we've caught a young couple
just settling in for a nice, long Winter's nap... 

























Yet another maid, Louise, ensures that sanitary
standards are upheld at all times in
the house's one and only bathroom.
(It ain't a fun gig.)


























As we progress up the stairs to
the attic nursery, we can see both
kitties AND kiddies.
(Har, har! Get it?)































Like typical children, this close to
Christmas it's real hard to go to sleep!
























Well, folks, that concludes our tour of the Playmobil Victorian dollhouse. Sure hope you liked it! Until next time, I wish everyone a very merry Happy Holiday and a shiny New Year!!


~ All photos property of Anthony See. ~

24 comments:

  1. That is just about the most adorable thing I have ever seen! I LOVE it all so much! Thanks so much for the wonderful pictures - and here's wishing you and Tommy the most fabulous and merry Christmas!
    Love, Heidi

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Heidi!
    I know you were looking forward to this post, ever since I first mentioned to you that I owned the dollhouse. I'm glad you enjoyed the funky tour AND my photos!

    Happy Holidays to you and yours! :)

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  3. OH MY GOD I love this. your photographs are perfect! This would make a very evocative picture book.
    But I am concerned about Grandpa's safety.
    Jules

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you, Julienonymous!
    I DID have a lot of fun taking those photos; It's nice hearing how much you like them!

    Oh, and don't worry TOO much about Grampa's safety... We're keeping a real close eye on that scary nun! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am utterly coveting your dollhouse! How did I miss getting one of these?! What an amazing toy/fetish object! Thanks for sharing it (it's soooo steampunk, too!) Really, don't you agree that I *need* one of these? Hmm?

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  6. "Winona," you totally need a Playmobil Victorian Steampunk dollhouse! Anthony- this post is SOOO much fun! I agree with Julie that it looks like an awesome picture book unfolding. I love all the names and details you've added to their lives. Very busy household.

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  7. Hey I commented on this yesterday (came back for a second look). Silly disappearing blogger comments.
    Long story short - never realised playmobil made stuff like this. It is fantastic!
    Did you buy it 18 years ago or was it given to you?

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  8. Oh man that nun really creeped me out :-D
    Grampa has a stalker!

    Fantastic - although I never really liked those Lego-looking toys. The real-looking ones are more aesthetical to me.

    The picture with the deer is magnificent!

    -The Finn

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  9. Winona, isn't there some commandment about NOT coveting thy neighbor's toys? Or was that "wife"? Oh, well. Same thing, right? Heh, heh! ;)

    Sorry about that. I don't know what came over me! Pure silliness, that's all...

    Thanks for stopping by and checking out my circus! :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks, Tommy!
    I know you love that dollhouse just as much as I do. Oh, and thanks again for helping me with the lighting during that tricky photo shoot! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hey, MoonDoggie!
    Yes, Tommy and I bought the dollhouse ourselves about 18 years ago. I was working in a toy shop (no big surprise) during the Holiday season, and I used my employee discount. The discount really helped, especially since we bought EVERYTHING all at once - house, ALL the furniture, and a small army of people to take up residence. Needless to say, this took place back in our "young & foolish" days! But it WAS our Christmas gift to each other that year... :)

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  12. Well, hello there, Finn!
    It's always nice to "see" you around here!

    I'm glad the nun creeped you out; that's exactly what I was going for! And thanks for the compliment on the deer pic! :)

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  13. Fun.
    I did not think one was ever too old for toys??
    I love the old tin toys and there are some good repos out there that look good too.
    Reminds me of weebles wobble.....
    FP was king of toyland.
    Happy Holidays.
    L.

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  14. Heh, you're lucky coveting is all I'm doing my friend! Better people than I would resort to...nefarious measures... when presented with a dollhouse of such obvious magnificence - MWAHAHAHAHA!!! I love that you guys bought for each other as an xmas present - PLUS all the accessories! Two in a million, you guys are!

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  15. Also? Grandpa has a FEZ!!! How awesome is THAT?

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  16. I think I can play for hours...
    would you let me??
    Happy Holidays darling!!

    xo*

    ReplyDelete
  17. Of course, Lenore, I'd let you play for however long you wanted! BUT just remember... you MUST play by MY rules. Only kidding! ;)

    I hope you're enjoying the Holidays, and that you have FANTASTICALLY FABULOUS plans for ringing in the New Year (dripping with style, of course)!

    ReplyDelete
  18. love the doll house !!

    ☆¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆ ★ ☆¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆
    ╔╗╔╦══╦═╦═╦╗╔╗ ★ ★ ★
    ║╚╝║══║═║═║╚╝║ ☆¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆
    ║╔╗║╔╗║╔╣╔╩╗╔╝ ★ NEW YEAR ☆ 2011
    ╚╝╚╩╝╚╩╝╚╝═╚╝ ♥☆★☆★☆♥ ★☆

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm so happy you two have this tradition - it's such a fun one! I can't believe how the house has grown over the years. There's a mini-city living in that mansion! I love your photos, they are very atmospheric. I'm hoping to set up my dollhouses soon, and you've given me a bit of extra inspiration.

    Let me know if it's not okay...I just grabbed the adorable picture of the Gay Marriage = Happy Marriage girl to replace the old button I had on my blog. Yours is soooo much cooler. I also updated my link, as it was expired and I want people to end up in the right place.

    Your new header - the elephant on the ball - is my favorite yet! Can you make it into a button so I can add that to my blog, too? Pretty please??

    You and Tommy might want to be keeping an eye on the mail in the next couple of days...just saying :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thank you, Wreath Witch!
    And thanks for the neat New Year's message! :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Tikimama, of course it's okay for you to use the Gay Marriage = Happy Marriage girl! I "borrowed" it from somewhere else, too, so it's not like I can claim ownership. But even if I could, I'd let you use it anyway...

    I'll see what I can do about making my header into a button for you (and any others who'd like it). I'm sure it must be a fairly simple endeavor, I just need to take the time to figure it out.

    And, as you already know, Tommy and I both LOVED our gifts that came in the mail!! Thanks, again! :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Ok, I know this is an old post and it's about your dollhouse, but I couldn't help notice the Mister Monster vinyl toy on the shelf behind the dollhouse...I was a partner in the company that made that. So cool to see one "in the wild"!

    Lou (the same Lou who just sent an e-mail to you)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Lou, I totally LOVE my Mister Monster guy! SO cute! How cool that you were a partner in the company that made it!

    You know, if I'm not mistaken, I believe I got him at the San Diego Comic Con a few years ago. Such a GREAT place to find toys... Both vintage AND new.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Well, then we probably met, as I was at Comic-Con the year we sold him. Funny. We had two or three variants of him. I think I have a couple of them around here somewhere.

    I'm so glad you like him!

    I think that was also the year we sold the Alias action fictures and had J.J. Abrams, Ron Rifkin and Greg Grunberg in our booth to help promote them. And it was the same year they previewed 'Lost' before the first season aired.

    Time sure does fly.

    ReplyDelete

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