Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse (2012–2015) User Reviews

An original and funny children's show.

[saxonsky000 · 9/10 · 11 February 2014]

I was letting my 3 yo cousin be in charge of the Netflix choices one evening and she was pulled, as if by some magnetic force, to "Barbie: LITDH". Believe you me; I tried everything in my power to get her to make another choice, but I eventually gave in and was very happy I did.

This show is very clever, they\ characters live their lives as dolls and it is hilarious to see them build their new sports cars fresh from the box and bake treats by jamming random ingredients into their toy oven. Barbie's house is so ridiculously over-the-top, it really is the 'Dream House' I would have created in my childhood. It is silly and playful, the characters are distinct and interesting (especially Ken, hubba hubba...).

Some people don't like the portrayal of Barbie on this show. I'll say this much: Barbie is perfection. She has everything you could possibly dream of, and yet she remains humble and generous throughout the series. The Barbie brand was always a form of escapism for me; I wouldn't expect her to be living through some real-world struggle, that's simply ridiculous.

Give this show a chance. Even if you're not a fan of Barbie movies, you might be pleasantly surprised!

A wonderfully hilarious take on the "Barbie" world

[FrumpyJones · 9/10 · 1 December 2013]

The previous reviewer of this series unfortunately totally missed the point of this show. It is MAKING FUN OF the "OLD" stereotype of Barbie. It is NOT trying to say it is the way things should be. I have two girls (aged 7 and 3), and BOTH of them understand the humor (in different developmental stages). The 3 year old just thinks they're funny. My 7 year old laughs and asks questions and understands how a doll's life is nothing like real life.

The original reviewer's issue, it seems, is that she does not understand that and wants Barbie to be the shining example of how a girl should be.

I agree that previous Barbie movies have tried to put Barbie in a better life and showing values, but she still has an endless supply of money and is basically NEVER struggling to get the thing she wants (Except for not being GOOD ENOUGH at it or overcome the evil-doer). My two little girls would LOVE to ride horses all the time. They can't. So Barbie is a horrible role model, and Mattel should be shamed! I'm joking of course.

I actually applaud Mattel for allowing this take on Barbie to be made. They're making fun of themselves, and wonderfully so.

Surprisingly good

[J-bot6 · 8/10 · 20 July 2018]

Having worked in the computer animation industry, I sometimes check out shows to see how good (or bad) their CGI is. And that's how I stumbled upon this show on Netflix. A lot of shows targeting younger audiences really cut corners, so it was a complete surprise when I checked this out and discovered that the computer animation is very well done, the editing is tight, audio mix is clear and clean, and the writing is brilliant.

Rounding this is off is an excellent set of pop-culture references, including Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Star Trek.

The characters are all unique from one-another and the writer clearly put a lot of effort in distributing lines to as many characters as possible (not an easy task). The comedic timing is spot on, with plenty of little details to the character's actions and facial expressions.

Now I'm curious to know more about the team that worked on this show.

Nicely done and hopefully something that will set the standard for other programming of this type to live up to.

Laugh Out Loud Funny

[allenfarm · 10/10 · 4 March 2015]

My 6 yr old started watching the show and it was just on in the background. I caught a snippet of one show and laughed at the jokes Barbie makes at her own expense. Soon I found myself paying more attention than my daughter. I was surprised to find myself laughing during every episode. From Ken's "Barbie Sense" (like Spidey sense, but specifically for Barbie) to the ongoing "Shlond Poofa" joke, this is not your standard kid-cartoon. Frequent jokes include Barbie's many, many career choices, and her seemingly weekly anniversaries with Ken. The series is stylized as a mock reality show featuring confessionals of the characters in between scenes.

I hate to admit this....

[mike_and_kathy_garcia · 9/10 · 23 January 2016]

I'm a 48-year old guy and this might be one of the funniest things I've seen. Completely exaggerated characterization of excess and materialism, evident in every single character on the show. My daughter was watching this and I started checking it out for a few minutes.... I recommend it. If you're a parent and are concerned that it might teach negative values to your child, don't worry - it's so over-the-top ridiculous that there's no way they'd miss the joke. Unless they're very young, in which case you might want to skip this. Young kids don't get jokes - they just absorb stuff. But any kid with a sense of humor who is old enough to catch the fact that it's a parody will enjoy this. And unlike many other "kids" shows on TV, there's no gross humor, bad language, etc. here. At least not that I've seen.

Sarcastic and Slapstick - Fun for kids and big kids too! :-)

[tasriel · 9/10 · 13 February 2014]

Although I had a couple Barbie dolls as a child, I was never a Barbie fan. However, as a mother of 2 girls (7 yo and 5 yo), the appeal of Barbie and the Barbie world drew me in as my girls enjoyed the dolls, movies, and books. But I never really enjoyed any of the story lines that featured Barbie; they were too cloyingly sweet, lacked imagination and originality, and just cranked out the same plot premise with a different name and different wardrobe.

But "Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse" proved to be completely different! My 5 yo selected this on Netflix and I also tried to persuade her to choose something else, but ended up really enjoying the show. The characters have a greater dimension than all the superficial "friends" on Barbie movies; in the show, they have preferences and personality. I love that Ken is a build-it-fixer-upper, that Skipper has teen angst, that Midge is old-fashioned, and that Raquelle wants to upstage Barbie but ends up feeling the brunt of bad karma. And the humor is in the snappy quips and comebacks and situations, like when Ken attempts to figure out what his job is but eventually discovers his job is to be Barbie's boyfriend; well, duh, all us girls know that! LOL The humor combines both slapstick and satire, making it a show that little kids and "grown up" kids can enjoy. Reminds me really of how Looney Toons were like, except the grown up sarcasm has become more contemporary. And it is apparent that this is a show that is poking fun of itself and not meant to be taken seriously. You have to realize that Barbie is fantasy and they are dolls that use life-size lip glosses and make up applicators. If anything, these episodes would be closer to the slapdash type of madhouse doll playing I did with my friends as a kid; nonsense and a lot of jokes. :-) My daughters get the humor, I found it incredibly funny, and even my husband was caught laughing at the jokes----which says A LOT since he can't stand two minutes of the regular Barbie movies. LOL I ended up recommending this show to my girlfriend who has a 1-yo daughter, and she is hooked now too. :-)

A cute show that's clearly a joke

[unaris26 · 7/10 · 7 January 2014]

Completely ignore the reviewers that give this show a one star. They apparently seem just as air-headed as the pretend dolls that they claim to be stupid.

This is a very cute show, and it clearly satirizes that stereotypes around Barbie. Even my children got the joke. This show is very humorous in an intelligent way and parodies unrealistic material values. I can think of a few examples. One of Barbie's friends says that Barbie is the only person in the world with an indoor dolphin aquarium when Barbie claims to not have enough nice things in her gigantic pink mansion. Another episode centers around Barbie and her friends literally walking around for hours in Barbie's closet looking for one item, and her closet seems to contain hundreds of shoes and accessories. Barbie even jokes in the episode that the size of the closet goes on for such a long way that it takes days of travel to find what you want, while her friends drag giant shopping bags clearly exhausted, huffing and puffing.

This is CLEARLY a joke and satirizes the stereotypes about Barbie. I and my kids AND their friends got the joke and thought it was hilarious, and realized just how unrealistic it is while enjoying the funny antics of Barbie and her friends.

Really, the joke is not hard to get and its very funny, while teaching a lesson to children about material values in an ironic way. If children can understand the irony then adults SHOULD be able to as well. Unfortunately, there are the 1% who have no sense of humor at all and take everything they watch seriously.

This is a cute show and I enjoyed it very much.

laugh out loud funny !

[zzzxtreme · 10/10 · 18 May 2016]

I agree with the other reviewers. Many of the jokes only adults will understand. Like that one Godfather scene. It's written way different from other barbie series. Life in the Dreamhouse is about plastic dolls living in a plastic world, the other series show Barbie as a human. What makes it unique is it makes fun of the idea of Barbie, and girls in general. Barbie's dog and horse adds so much hilarity ! In between scenes, the characters and even the animals, will talk to the camera like they are being interviewed in a reality TV lol

Think of this series as, mixed of Totally Spies, Spongebob, Toy Story, Madagascar and Open Season. Every episode is very well written and funny. Something kids will enjoy, and will make adults laugh.

This is what the live action movie should have been.

[VintageMovieGirl67 · 27 July 2023]

This show is funny & very clever. It appeals to young & old alike. We see Barbie deal with the real world like any 11" doll would do. Plus we get to meet new friends and learn more about her old ones. We even get to learn more about her pets and their thoughts and feelings about living with Barbie. We watch as Barbie over comes challenges, helps friends and even turns enemies into friends. It's the life you knew your own doll was living when you weren't around. And questions are answered. For instance: "How big is Barbie's closet?" "Where does Ken live?" "How does Barbie afford all these accessories."

The epitome of why people hate the Barbie doll

[weaversgrrrl · 1/10 · 11 October 2013]

I have always been a Barbie fan, practically from birth. Now, as a mother of 3 daughters who LOVE Barbie everything, and who has seen every single Barbie movie at least once with those girls, I am disgusted by this Barbie television show.

I sat through one episode with my daughters, and was appalled that every character was portrayed as a superficial caricature that perpetuates every reason why feminists hate Barbie. The characters are extremely shallow, and even though some of them are "smart" and can use scientific words in a vaguely applicable context, somehow the writers have made even "intelligent" characters seem like air-heads. Barbie and her multitude of friends and sisters are placed in plots completely focused on superficial things like fashion shows, being in the spotlight, looking pretty--even her male friends.

I am so disappointed that after I had a dialogue with my girls (ages 5, 7, and 9, the Mattel demographic) about why this version of Barbie doesn't send the right message or portray the values we hold dear for girls even they agreed that it's a stupid show. The Barbie movies (back when Kelly Sheridan voiced them, before the new, young, shallow Mattel makeover in 2011) used to portray a better image for Barbie--even if the movies themselves were a little cheesy. We enjoyed those movies, and purchased every one of them. But after the ridiculous Fashion Fairytale, we have rented and rejected every movie since. Judging what I have seen of these recent Mattel productions and especially since seeing two episodes of this awful show, I'm *this* close to jumping on the anti-Barbie bandwagon.

Surprisingly clever!

[oizuf_oiuxa · 10/10 · 8 May 2014]

Turned on this show for some mindless background noise but soon found myself actually paying attention- the jokes are surprisingly clever for a kids show! Most of the episodes kind of make fun of the Barbie doll stereotypes, so because of that I can see this show as something adults genuinely getting a kick out of it while watching it with their kids! It's not just another Barbie animation about "dreams and friendship and magical butterflies"- so if you're used to that being the general (and serious) theme of most Barbie movies, this show might catch you off guard at first (which I think has been the case with the negative reviewers on here.)

a series based on Barbie's negative influence on younger kids

[silversliced · 1/10 · 18 December 2013]

After watching a few episodes with my much younger sister, I was stunned. The script is oriented towards teenagers as opposed to young children! I think the attempt for this show to be a parody of the stereotypical Barbie is too extreme. For one the romanticism involving the characters leads to childish plots to win the other's affection. Apparently a makeover will lead a guy to like you...who knew? This is sending the message to younger girls that they should change themselves to look like an idealized character that does not exist! This version of Barbie portrays her in the most superficial context compared to her other movies. Barbie is idolized by her friends for having every material possession imaginable. This idea is evident through various episodes; the characters constantly desire more artificial items than they already have. Furthermore, their vocabulary is horrendous; the characters demonstrate the need to abbreviate every single word in the dictionary. I would suggest to stay away from this series to prevent from losing any IQ points.

Actually funny/enjoyable

[jfields1285 · 10/10 · 22 March 2019]

I was surprised to enjoy this show, and don't mind watching it with my daughter. Sorry to see there is only the one season. We watch this version much more often than the newer show released in 2018.

Entertaining

[Miguel177 · 10/10 · 15 July 2017]

As a relatively conservative father of two young girls, I am skeptical of any shows for kids. I'm typically bored to tears when having to watch animated kid shows (at my daughters' request), but I make an effort to appease them. To my surprise, this show had me laughing out loud several times. It is clever, funny and the animation is amusing. There is nothing in it that I would deem inappropriate for young kids. My girls are 4 and 2 and it is their favorite show. Compared to all the other mindless kids shows out there, this one stands alone. It made me laugh 10/10

Barbie clever cynical parody

[MegaSuperstar · 8/10 · 25 April 2019]

This is a highly enjoyable series that will keep you entertained as well as amused with witty dialogues and sarcastic plots. Here Barbie and friends are dolls and act like them, with lots of accessories that do not pretend to be real. A table tray turns around to show a chocolate cupcake or a giant tv sticker from where a tv is taken. Writers make fun of Barbie's world and character, showing her at the same time as a compulsive shopper or multi professional worker but also as a good loyal friend and bright to solve problems with love and care. Music and songs are nice too and secondary characters are great. Hilarious plots not for everyone this series will amuse both children and adults with enough judgment capacity to discern between clever jokes and mere exemplary childish plots.

BRILLIANT satirical masterpiece (this review is not a joke!)

[ksgladman · 10/10 · 4 July 2020]

It's 2020 and this show has been part of our lives for about 5 years. It's brilliant. The more you watch it, the more you realise how clever the writers, animators, editors and everyone involved are. Not to mention the actors, whose voices are so much fun. The satirical nature of the show is a delight. The writers are so cinematically literate; the show is full of hilarious references that film enthusiasts will love. My kids and I still watch the show all that time. We quote it. Even as a two year-old my daughter would pick up on funny things in the show (she would mimic Nikki saying that Teresa is "Snobby and obnoxious: she's, SNOBNOXIOUS!" - this is typical of the fun that the writers have with language, which I think teaches kids to be creative with language). As my kids have grown they've been able to identify some of the references in the show (the Mondo Barbie head is an Indiana Jones reference, for example). So have I, in fact. For instance, I did not realise that the format is (hilariously) inspired by Keeping Up With The Kardashians (and pokes fun at that format). The characters are all brilliantly written. Not a second of screen time is wasted. The problems they face are hilarious and poke fun at the stereotypes of Barbie and her perfect, plastic life (on one occasion Malibu runs out of glitter; on another, Barbie's walk-in closet turns evil - in each episode there are clever references to well known films). My kids put this show on if they think I'm a bit stressed or tired and I need a laugh. My only criticism is that Nikki's character is under-utilised: she's so hilarious (she has a lot of great lines) that she (and Teresa) should have more air time. A perfect excuse to make more episodes. The show is funny, beautiful to look at and makes me so happy. A fabulous masterpiece. Please make more!!!

Excellent show

[mayakat-98248 · 25 June 2021]

Honestly, I have nothing to say apart from the fact that it's amazing. If you haven't watched you NEED to do so.

Skip It

[blytheandferb-91172 · 1/10 · 2 July 2022]

If I can give one positive for the show, it's that at least they're short. It won't take you too long to get through the episodes to see how terrible they are. Yeah I don't like this show. I don't care if it's a self parody. All the characters are awful in one way or the other. They either act like jerks, idiots, or shallow people, with any niceness being superficial. Barbie is hit the worst, being someone who's so obnoxious and superficial and really stupid. I wouldn't mind this if it was funny, but it's not. Thank goodness no future Barbie media took inspiration from this show. Skip it.

Excellent, funny and entertaining

[kon-17 · 10/10 · 1 July 2015]

Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse is nothing less that a modern entertaining series for those who like "slap stick" humor and hidden hints from a lot of other high profiled Hollywood productions.

There are a lot of details in every episode containing hints to either the Barbie franchise, everyday situations, and certainly also the stereotype behavior of the characters.

They are all sweet, clumsy, silly, nice, in their own rights. The characters all have their own personality and sometimes they are having trouble doing things because their limited way of movement (as they are dolls in the series and therefore not pretending to be human). So warning against haircuts do have a point; the hair does not grow out again.. ;-)

This is combined with the silly oversize of driver license, spray bottles and other stuff that comes with a Barbie doll.

And if you watch it closely you can learn a lot of trivia about Barbie, as a lot of Barbie fact are present in some episodes.

This series is an absolute must for every Barbie fan.

What A Joke

[blytheandferb-10967 · 1/10 · 2 July 2022]

This show is bad. I mean it. It tries to be a self aware parody of Barbie, but it just makes the characters act like shallow caricatures, jerks, or idiots. Barbie gets hit the worse, acting like an idiot who can't do anything right, and her morals are all superficial. I could forgive this if it was funny or had something interesting to say, but it doesn't work. The only positive I can give is that at least the plots are short. Skip this one.

Such a fun show!

[cm-mas · 10/10 · 3 January 2019]

Hilarious! Such a fun show to watch. The characters and humor are amazing. The characters have so much personality that you can appreciate all of their screen time. I can't say how impressed I am by this show. Everything is amusing including the world they live in and the fact that they are dolls. Fun to rewatch too.

GREATEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME EVER

[colelander · 10/10 · 8 January 2018]

Not only is this movie better that Godfather Part 1, This is the ONLY movie you should ever watch. The characters are well written, the jokes land, and Barbie herself is an interesting character. The Barbie saga has been going strong since 2001. All of the movies in the series are incredibly emotional and intersting. The only gripe I have with it is that the CGI looks too real. They look too real to be in a kids show. Don't ever watch a Pixar film, because this is the definitive animated movie experience. Dare I say that it's almost as good as Motu Patlu, Which is also a great classic show.

Watch it with your kids. Don't miss the opportunity to laugh your adult head off!

[acmehome · 10/10 · 30 November 2019]

This is a good -> great show. Very tongue in cheek humor, doesn't take itself seriously, but the writing stays intelligent every episode. Highly recommend..

Please make more!

[autumnjbender · 10/10 · 6 July 2020]

I think the writers of this show literally play hours with Barbies to create the over-the-top storylines and exaggerate details of the scripts. It reminds me of the way I played as a kid. And it turns out hilarious. I have 5 daughters: ages 2-11 years old, and there's something for everyone. My younger kids will laugh at the slapstick pet-driving-cars humor, and my older girls will laugh at Raquel and her foiled evil plans. Even my husband will laugh at Ken, and his "job" as being Barbie's boyfriend. I think I can say this is our family's favorite show on Netflix. They're clean, silly and light hearted. Only problem is, we're all starting to memorize them! Please make more of these ridiculous and funny episodes.

Terrible Toxic Drivel

[sb_livingston · 1/10 · 31 July 2022]

I hate this cartoon. I thought maybe it was a spoof for adults it was so bad, but it's not. Toxic behavior, unkind characters, and just ridiculously bad plots. I have to tell to my daughter about all the things wrong with this show every time she puts it on.