The Barbie DreamHouse was turning 60, and lucky us, we were called upon as a freelance team to think up an activation to help keep momentum going for this kid favorite turned cultural icon. Having each owned a Dream House in our younger years (me, the Townhouse, and my partner, Trish, the Country Cottage), we tapped into some serious nostalgia as we we let the ideas flow. Here is one of our faves:
THE IDEA
We’ll bring in HGTV’s biggest house-flipping stars to work with kids to revamp old Dreamhouses from the past 60 years. Each transformation will be a fun, mini HGTV episode, following the same format of that particular show. The only difference is that the houses they are flipping happen to be 2 to 3 feet tall.
EPISODE 1
Fixer Upper’s Chip and Joanna Gaines add their
trademark designer flair to give a modern update to an old Barbie Dreamhouse Victorian Mansion from 1995.
Fixer Upper’s Chip and Joanna Gaines add their
trademark designer flair to give a modern update to an old Barbie Dreamhouse Victorian Mansion from 1995.
EPISODE 2
Flip or Flop’s Tarek and Christina completely
redesign an old 1979 A-frame Dreamhouse.
Flip or Flop’s Tarek and Christina completely
redesign an old 1979 A-frame Dreamhouse.
EPISODE 3
The Property Brothers take on a Barbie Townhouse from 2013.
The Property Brothers take on a Barbie Townhouse from 2013.
Finally, we’ll list all of our “flipped” Dreamhouses on Zillow, where fans can virtually tour and bid on each one. All of the proceeds will go to help build real homes for families in need via Habitat for Humanity, an organization that's near and dear to the Barbie family.