Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

You have to understand what you're purchasing when you make the decision to buy Barbie's latest Dream House. You're buying THE DREAM - the idea that through all of her struggles, through all the obstacles in her life, the ups...the downs...the constant upheavals of moving from job to job and house to house...Barbie has managed to succeed in life. She has finally MADE IT! This is Barbie living LARGE. The Dream House is the full realization of Barbie's highest aspiration - to live in sparkly pink suburban splendor. With this house, all of Barbie's needs have been met (except for the need to take a bath, since there's only a shower stall and one bathroom - which seems a bit unrealistic given the size of the home...but I digress...) Barbie will be happy. Your wide-eyed daughter, niece or granddaughter will also be happy because, and I can't say this enough, the DREAM has been REALIZED. However, if you waited until Christmas morning to take this thing out of the box and put it together, your dreams of having a relaxing and joyous Christmas morning will not, in fact, have been realized. That's because the instructions are in some ancient form of Sanskrit and are nearly impossible to decipher. Thankfully Mattel put up a video (on YouTube) on how to assemble this thing, but even that seems to be missing some steps. Also, BE WARNED, once you snap the pillars in place, they are impossible to remove. This is important when you realize that an operational elevator is dependent on placement of said pillars - one of which is now affixed to the floor of my daughter's dream house via the liberal use of scotch tape. You'll need perseverance because, after getting this thing mostly assembled, you will realize (with a sinking heart) that not only is it poorly designed, but it is pretty much a big pile of plastic crap. At this point you'll probably glance worriedly at your significant other and say something like, "Do you think it's too late to return it and get the newer XBox instead?" He (or she) will likely shake their head and say, "But the pillars, my god, the pillars can't be removed..." And even if, by some herculean effort, you manage to dismantle the thing and get it back in the box (a box whose cover images are SO FILLED WITH PROMISE), you'll have to face the child - her eyes, brimming with disappointment, her hands clutching two shiny new Barbies, her dreams...dashed. That's when you'll finally understand the harsh truth - you're stuck with this thing. Did I mention it's three and half feet tall? So, think HARD before you buy this because once it's out of the box, it's yours...forever. And, remember, as financially savvy as Barbie has shown herself to be, she is as susceptible as the rest of us are at biting off more mortgage debt than she can chew. Would not recommend this product to a friend (or enemy).