Contemplating the world from the Imagination House

This is my all time favorite dollhouse picture and it is by Superjunk on Flickr.

Imagination dollhouse by Marx

You have to admit this is a striking dollhouse.

                                And colorful.

If you look at doll house history, the 1960's  are a major time of change in dollhouse development. Hello plastic.

The figures evoke that mid century vibe. It is similar to the "Mad Men" look which is so popular now.

The idea was to offer rooms that could be arranged in any manner.

If tobacco were bad for children, the government wouldn't let them sell it.

Helen exhaled the cigarette smoke and smiled at her toddler at her knee.

The tobacco companies wouldn't sell it if it was harmful.

That would be like saying tapwater is unsafe, or you can't drink during pregnancy! Everyone laughed.

The eye of the artist

Colette enjoyed the Gallery

reproduction of Elvis by Andy Warhol from a night light, Bozart sculpture

antique dollhouse vase, Buddah from Texas Tiny, Bozart urn,
Original nude by Oese

Miniature balck and red canvas by me.

Stands made from childrens blocks.

(why did I forget the doorknob in the picture!)







What should she do? She looked for a curator but only saw interns scurrying about making the place run.

Original drawing by Oese

Marx chair

The Gallery opening

The name of the Gallery was the One Twelve, because the renovated building it was in was at 112 Bayview St.

As Colette walked up to the gallery she thought "Oh no. Is that Mr. Green-blue who was a friend of my ex? The one he bought that god awful nude statue from for my birthday? If that's the kind of art they have here... Forget it." She ducked her head so Mr. Green-blue wouldn't see her.



Oh and there were her old neighbors. Hitting the bar. She snuck by them.

The first gallery was incredible. Colette immediately spotted a large nude by a German impressionist.

Original drawing by Oese

She was intrigued.

On the next floor she saw a naturalist water color that made her think of the oceans, and vacations, and warm sunshine. She really liked it.

Water color by Oese

Other art Marx for Imagination House set.

She sat in the gallery and stared at the nude. She was transfixed. She couldn't move and I mean that literally.

Bar tray antique Schneegas.

Bench contemporary import

Korbi wicker set.

Antique glass bottles

Vintage American plastic glasses.

Rement nachos.

Imagination House

In 1965 the Marx Company made the Imagination House.


Notice the patio furniture with a brick bar b que and sun umbrella.

Diningroom. The art is the most colorful part of the set .

The Kitchen.

The Barstools are VERY cool.

It was startingly innovative. Think of the tin litho colonial houses of the time.





I agree with Pubdoll who says she finds them difficult to leave your stamp on. It is rather cold. The plastic has aged well and has not become brittle, but every time I touch it the whole thing wobbles and little lamps fall over.
How did all those kids do it on shag carpets?

It contained cutting edge design when it was made. It seems to be more for display than interaction.





If you played with this as a child please let me know what it was like.

In 1965 I was playing with my Barbie Playhouse. It was made out of cardboard. I remember being disappointed by the cardboard records that came with the "high fi". They said "The Lettermen". That was sooooooooooo passe! We loved the Beatles. I never mentioned it to anyone, but I hid the record in a cardboard drawer of the cardboard dresser. I do remember the legs on the Barbie cardboard furniture easily became worn out and wouldn't stand up well.



The dolls are really figures. The are monochramatic and very detailed. The best part is the women. The Mothers are smoking! AROUND
CHILDREN!



See how dollhouses encapusalize the social mores of a time?



Look! It's Dad the breadwinner returning home to his nuclear family.






Moms in the Livingroom.


Sis is on the upper level.

Why, if this family has enough money for a high design home, don't they have enough bedrooms? I feel the master bedroom should be bigger and more grand. Yes I know I can design anything but the lack of walls unnerves me to put a bedroom or bathroom out in the open. My figures just can't relax.

Do you know Super*junk's iconic picture on flickr of this house?

It shows a man sitting on the bed smoking a pipe staring out the window which frames a real palm tree. It's a great shot, but the man looks depressed. Empty. Perhaps he just read Sartre's, "Nausea"?

I like to have my man staring out at the view.

So I was considering the effect the Imagination house had on dollhouse production. I thought about the Kalidescope House by Bozart. Wasn't that made in 1997? 30 years later. Thanks Rebecca for helping me with the correct dates!

Then I walked into my daughter's house today and what was on the floor? A ZhuZhu pets Hamster House by Cepia. It is very cool and children LOVE it.

This is the legacy of the Imagination House to me. Too bad I'm at my daughter's... I'd like to place those Marx figuers in this. Perhaps stage an intervention to get the Marx Mom to stop smoking.

xoxo CM