Barbie Dreamhouse Dollhouse, 2 Pools, 2 Slides, 2 Houses, Elevator & 65+ Accessories

My granddaughter just turned 5 and she spent the entire afternoon happily playing with it after school. I wish everything could be this easy to put together, with clear pictures guiding us—it's such a delight! 5 stars for this wonderful experience.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] The fun began as soon as we opened the box! My granddaughter is now seven and I had planned on building this house with her as a lesson in following written instructions. Within the first minute she took over and was able to build the complete structure by herself, sticker application included! The instruction booklet is completely visual with each step clearly pictured and it also includes a QR code that links to a simple assembly video that mirrors the steps in the booklet!She let out a squeal as she heard the loud snap as each piece was locked into place. No tools are needed for assembly except for a screwdriver to open the battery compartment for 3 AA batteries that provide sounds for the cooktop and toilet and pet alcove. She was very proud of herself as she pointed out that the box said “adult assembly required”! We liked that the house is actually two freestanding houses that can be pushed together for one large house or extended in width using the ramp/slide pieces into a full blown resort with guest house! When the ramp extends the two houses the open area underneath is spacious enough for the swimming pool or even to use as a garage for a standard Barbie car (not included). My granddaughter was most intrigued by the versatility of the hot tub in the upstairs of the smaller house. It can be flipped over to be flush with the floor for extra floor space, and if removed, it becomes a sunken conversation pit that spurred conversation with my granddaughter as I googled images to show her how popular they were in the 50's-70's! She also loved the included puppy and its special hideaway under the refrigerator in the kitchen. When you press the button on the floor it makes panting and barking sounds! The upstairs bedroom window can be flipped around to show scenes of either day or night and the twin bed has a trundle bed that pulls out from underneath and can also be moved to the smaller house and placed over the flipped hot tub. The blue hanging chair can be hung from the palm tree or downstairs in front of the fire place and tv in the smaller house. The ramp/slide pieces are genius! So many opportunities to be creative! It would have been nice if a few more accessories were included, most notably would be 2 additional dining chairs since the dining table has space for the included dinnerware for 4, and an additional blanket for the pullout trundle bed. I'll take it as an opportunity to buy some pink felt and show her how I used to make blankets and pillows for my own Barbie dolls long before houses like this existed! Overall, this has been one Barbie house that I think will hold the most memories for my granddaughter as she not only built it, but has so many ways to be creative with different configurations and filling the spaces.