11 Best Wooden and Plastic Dollhouses for Kids

Hape's home is a modern wooden dollhouse with solar panels on the roof and a television. (The roof can reverse to show green in summertime or white in wintertime). We've had families attest to this being both easy to build and sturdy enough to withstand years of play. We've even spotted this in a pediatrician's waiting room, where it's really put through a lot of use and holds up.

It comes with furnishings for four of the six rooms, and other furniture is sold separately. Some reviewers share that their kids use LOL dolls in their houses, but Hape also sells a light-skinned family, a dark-skinned family and an Asian family made to fit perfectly. You can also buy a toy car to go with the set. Ages 3+

Dimensions: 23.6" x 11.8" x 29" | Furniture and figures: 30+ pieces to furnish an adult bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room. Dolls sold separately | Material: Wood

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If you're looking to spend under $50 and/or save a lot of space, this cute little dollhouse is a simple two-room cottage. It comes with the rabbit who lives there as well as basic furniture to get their imagination started.

If you're not familiar with the popular Calico Critters line, it's entirely populated by darling animals. You can buy separate families, like four Persian cats or a Toy Poodle fam. There's a much larger Red Roof Country Home for over $100 if your kid loves the brand and you want to go bigger. Ages 3+

Dimensions: 10" x 8" x 11" | Furniture and figures: 15 pieces of furniture and accessories plus a bunny doll | Material: Plastic

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For kids who watch Gabby's Dollhouse on streaming channels, this is a natural gift. But honestly, even those of us who don't watch the show are enchanted by the furniture in this set, like a cat-shaped toilet and sink full of bubbles.

We toy-tested this best-selling model recently, and kid testers loved unboxing the accessories. Other highlights: Gabby can ride in the Cat-A-Vator elevator, there's a hidden attic behind the big cat face and there's a chute on the outside where you can have Gabby's packages delivered. Push a button to hear ten phrases from the show.

You can even purchase extra room sets, all in the $10 to $15 range. Hook a balcony for Pandy Paws to the outside (Pandy included). Add a Bakey with Cakey kitchen that comes with a cat-shaped fridge or a Groovy Music Room with a piano. Note that three AAA batteries are required and not included. Ages 3+

Dimensions: 17" x 5.5" x 25" | Furniture and figures: 14 pieces of furniture and a Gabby doll | Material: Plastic

Often, 1- and 2-year-olds are ready for a dollhouse but can't safely use all the teeny choking-hazard-size pieces. This Little People house is chunky and safe for toddlers. The house has a furnished living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom for pretend-play with the three included figures, plus there's a swing and a pool outside.

Activation points in the house set off more than 80 songs, sounds or lights (the toilet flushes, the front door squeaks, a voice says "lights on" or "lights off"). Like many Fisher-Price toys, you can level up the activations so they start off basic and get more sophisticated as your toddler grows and knows more words. Three AA batteries are included. Ages 1-5

Dimensions: 21.5" x 10" x 13.3" | Furniture and figures: Most furniture is built in but it comes with a few movable pieces, plus three dolls | Material: Plastic

Yes, this dollhouse kit requires a couple of hours of assembly (and the brand suggests a team of two people), but many online reviewers agree that the work is worth it. This KidKraft classic wooden dollhouse is about 54 inches tall, a full four floors with eight rooms to set up and decorate.

This is sized for 11.5-inch fashion dolls — that means Barbie-sized. If the famous Dreamhouse (also on our list!) is too much plastic for your taste, this wooden dollhouse is a nice alternative. It comes with 34 pieces of furniture, but no dolls, so your kid will want to use their own. Some favorite touches are the garage with doors that swing open, a room decorated like a sun porch with pictures of plants plus the working elevator.

KidKraft makes smaller dollhouses, too, including the Chelsea Doll Cottage for 5-inch dolls (no dolls included there, either — just the house and furniture). Ages 3+

Dimensions: 52" x 14" x 54" | Furniture and figures: 34 pieces of furniture but no dolls included | Material: Wood

Melissa & Doug makes this nice option of wooden dollhouse that can fold up small for storage. There's even a handle on top that helps you move this from room to room.

Open it up and there are four wide rooms: living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. It comes with enough furniture and two dolls to get pretend-play started, but there aren't a lot of additional accessories you can buy from the brand.

The plain wooden walls lend themselves to DIY projects — some Amazon reviewers share that they painted the outside or wallpapered the inside. They also move in alternative families, like Calico Critters. Ages 3-6

Dimensions: 11" x 7" 13.5" folded | Furniture and accessories: 11 pieces of furniture and two dolls | Material: Wood

The Barbie Dreamhouse probably needs no introduction, but let's review the highlights: working elevator, three-story waterslide and adorable accessories including food, drink and a puppy. There's no Barbie, though, so you'll either want to buy one separately (Barbie with a kitty condo and five cats is a current bestseller) or buy this for a kid who is already a proven Barbie fan.

We've built this and it takes awhile — give yourself an hour and plenty of patience. Your kid will probably be good to set up all the furniture and take it from there! Ages 3-8

Dimensions: 62" x 27.5" x 45" | Furniture and figures: 75+ pieces of furniture and tiny accessories, but no Barbie included | Material: Plastic

Some kids like the dark humor of Monster High, a collection of 11.5-inch fashion dolls that are all demons, monsters or other misfits. Rather than having a dollhouse, they have their school with a bunk-filled dorm room and a slide down to the classroom. After hours, the entry can turn into a party room.

This comes with seven pieces of furniture, like desks and cafeteria seats, plus 37 little accessories, like straw cups and books. You'll need to buy dolls, like Cleo de Nile, separately. Each doll comes with a pet, and no pets are included with this playset. Ages 4+

Dimensions: 56.5" x 6" x 42" | Furniture and figures: 35+ pieces of furniture and tiny accessories, but no dolls included | Material: Plastic

LEGO makes things a little more obviously gender-neutral with sets like this three-level house, complete with modern features like an electric vehicle and solar panels.

There are a lot of laughs built in, too — the dog comes with a piece of dog poop and one of the kids wears a Ninjago shirt (wink wink). The four minifigures included can play street hockey, practice guitar, wash the pup, barbecue on the balcony and more.

The LEGO universe has a bunch of other options, like a Duplo Family House for ages 3 and up, LEGO Creator Cozy House for ages 8 and up and the Friends Castle Bed and Breakfast I just got my niece, for ages 12 and up. Ages 5+

Dimensions: 10" x 8" x 10" | Furniture and figures: 30+ pieces of furniture and tiny accessories, plus four minifigures | Material: Plastic

Not all kids are super careful with a dollhouse and its little pieces. I've long loved this Haba version with no roof for little kids or clumsy kids — they can really get in there and act out their stories without knocking furniture over in the process.

This house is all rooms and no house front, so there are two identical sides to it and eight rooms altogether. It comes with ten pieces of basic furniture — chairs, dining table, bed — and you can buy more, like a kitchen set, a bathroom set or a miniature nursery. Kids can use any small dolls inside, but the 4-inch posable Little Friends fit perfectly and you can buy them doll-by-doll if you just want a few. Ages 3-8

Dimensions: 20" x 16" x 16" | Furniture and figures: 10 pieces of furniture, but no dolls included | Material: Wood

This amazing, beautiful wooden dollhouse in 1:12 scale — meaning one miniature inch equals 12 real-world inches — is almost exactly what I had as a child. Putting it together requires the patience of an adult who can expertly wield an X-acto knife.

It arrives as a bunch of plain wooden pieces; you add the paint, the furniture and the dolls. It does include the siding, shingles and trim, and it is made in the USA. Assembly takes about 12 hours, per the brand.

DIY-ers willing to do this kind of work have other options that don't require the same number of man hours. Pottery Barn sells dollhouse kits with fewer parts, like the wooden Chelsea Dollhouse. It also does not include furniture or figures, but goes together in less than half the time. West Elm has the wooden Wonder & Wise Dollhouse that arrives nearly assembled. No age given, but I would estimate ages 7+ for playing, adult for building

Dimensions: 32" x 17" x 40"| Furniture and figures: none included | Material: Wood