Approx. 26 × 33 × 14½ inches high when fully opened.
What a wonderful opportunity!
When I learned that a local dollhouse collector named Sally owned an original Tammy’s Ideal House, I asked if she would be willing to meet at a local library so I could see it in person.
To my delight, she said yes!
Sally and her daughter were so kind to bring this wonderful vintage dollhouse to the library and carefully set it up for me. I honestly couldn’t thank them enough for giving me the opportunity to see and photograph it up close.
A real little time capsule!
A Little History
Tammy’s Ideal House was produced by the Ideal Toy Corporation in 1963, during the early years of the teenage fashion-doll craze. Tammy was Ideal’s teenage fashion doll and a competitor to Barbie. In 1963, Ideal produced two related house playsets: a larger Ideal house that was advertised for Tammy or Barbie, and this wonderful playset made especially for Tammy.
Despite being called a “house,” Tammy’s version is really more like the ultimate 1960s teenage recreation room and patio. Another collector has described it the same way—a playroom rather than a conventional dollhouse.
And just look at what Tammy had!
There was a soda fountain, jukebox, ping-pong table, shuffleboard, built-in desk, television, colorful Mid-Century furniture and an outdoor patio area with a fireplace/barbecue.
In other words, this wasn’t Mom and Dad’s house.
This was Tammy’s space.
That is one of the things I find so charming about it. Instead of miniature kitchens and formal living rooms, Ideal created a fantasy hangout for a teenage girl in 1963. The jukebox and soda fountain recall the teenage culture of the era, while the bold pinks, greens, stripes, woodgrain and geometric furniture capture that wonderful Mid-Century look.
There’s even a tiny color television! Interestingly, the larger 1963 Ideal house had a black-and-white television, while Tammy’s own playhouse was given a color TV—a particularly fun little detail for the early 1960s.
Amazingly, Sally’s Tammy’s Ideal House still has its original assembly instruction booklet! Considering this playset is more than 60 years old, it’s remarkable that the paper instructions survived along with so many of the original pieces.
Made to Fold Away
Another clever feature is its construction. Rather than being a heavy wooden dollhouse, Tammy’s house was made largely from printed board. The house could fold up, with its furniture and accessories stored inside, making it much easier for a child to put away after playtime.
Tammy’s T.M.
IDEAL HOUSE
IDEAL Toy Corporation, Hollis, N.Y.
Made in U.S.A.
No. 9702-2
Seeing that original label still attached more than sixty years later made the experience even more special.
A Real 1963 Christmas Wish
One of my favorite historical tidbits came from an actual newspaper published on December 23, 1963.
Among the children’s letters to Santa was a little girl asking Santa for a Chatty Cathy, a baton, Tammy’s family, her dream house, her car and a transistor radio.
It puts this dollhouse back into its original world. In 1963, Tammy’s Dream House wasn’t an antique or a collectible sitting carefully on a table.
It was something a little girl hoped Santa would bring her for Christmas.
More than sixty years later, Sally and her daughter brought one to a local library so another dollhouse lover—me!—could finally see one in person.
I couldn’t thank them enough for this wonderful opportunity.
Sometimes the best part of collecting and researching miniatures isn’t simply discovering the dollhouse.
It’s discovering the people, memories and stories that have kept these little houses alive.
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