Barbie Life In The Dreamhouse, the Mattel animated show circa 2012, may have been created for children, but it is so much more than just a kids show. Five seasons of comedic genius, currently available to stream on Netflix, unfortunately ended with no warning, breaking the hearts of Barbie enthusiasts everywhere. 

Barbie Life In The Dreamhouse is unlike other Barbie media, as it actually had Barbie and her friends as actual dolls. On many occasions, sometimes multiple per episode, they allude to their doll-ness, such as talking about being “fully articulated,” or being made of plastic. This leads to many episodes focused around different gags about the characters being dolls and living in this plastic world, which is very entertaining for any older watchers who question the details of The Barbie Universe. 

On Google Reviews, Titania Tixie gave it five out of five stars. She said “I think it’s a refreshing look into Barbies life. It has quick humour, which you’d find funny if you didn’t think about it too much. The joke is around Barbie and everybody in the universe is fully aware that they are indeed plastic. Raquelle is my favourite character, I suppose I just like the diva attitude she got going on. Despite the barbie era that was full of magical fairytale and some mainstream European folklore. I think this is the best for of television and film entertainment Barbie has ever gotten.” 

The humor of this show, though created for children, has many references only older watchers would appreciate. And the overall mood of the show is refreshing compared to most children’s shows, as it does not have the dumbing down effect that kids’ shows tend to have. The show also has the almost-fourth-wall-breaking interview style that shows such as Modern Family (ABC) use, another call-out that goes right over the heads of younger watchers. The show even produced hilarious music videos starring our favorite animated dolls, the most iconic being the banger “Everybody Needs A Ken.” On IMDb, brookenichole-9805426 gave it 10 out of 10 stars, saying, “Loved it! Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse is amazing! It’s comical, fun, and sends great messages! The voice acting is perfect along with the stories. Even the theme song is great. One of the best Barbie shows!” 

Another mentionable aspect of this show is how the “episodes” are each only about three minutes long, sometimes a bit longer for certain “specials,” such as the 23 minute long Amaze Chase episode. The total runtime of the show in its entirety is about three hours and 40 minutes, give or take a few minutes. This makes the show very bingable, as you can watch the whole series in one sitting. Not to mention, the episodes have no clear intended watch order, except for the few two or three part episodes, making it even easier to start watching this show.

Barbie Life In The Dreamhouse has so many iconic, hilarious lines, along with its overall lovable characters. We get a great dynamic of the Roberts’ girls and Ken, as he is so brotherly to Barbie’s sisters. The casual rivalry between certain members of the Barbie friend group, such as Midge and Summer battling between caution and adventure. Not to mention the iconic Kim twins, who never fail to bring hilarity to every appearance they make, whether it be Raquelle attempting to sabotage Barbie, or Ryan and Ken becoming frenemies. 

This show was so popular, Mattel decided to try and remake it- but without the epic doll factor. Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures (2018) premiered on Netflix, and is an animated series that is designed to mimic a vlog, which the human teenager Barbie Roberts makes about her family and friend’s adventures. Some key differences between the shows are the fact that in the newer show everyone is human. Barbie is not famous and isn’t an adult. Ken and Barbie are just friends at this point. The Roberts’ parents, George and Margaret, are present. And the Kim twins are replaced with rude next door neighbors, the Readons. The new series also changes up the members of Barbie’s friend group, having new characters Daisy and Renee instead of classic friends Midge and Summer. A good change, though, was the increase in body types and diversity, possibly made easier by not having everyone be dolls. The new character, Daisy, is more curvy than previously seen in Barbie media. 

The attempt to remake Barbie Life In The Dreamhouse as a part of the new Barbie Entertainment Universe shows how utterly iconic this series is. Previously, the BCU had Barbie as an actress, and many of the movies were her acting in films, such as the Mermaid Tale films (2010, 2012), and a few were about her real life, such as Fashion Fairytale (2010) and Fairy Secret (2011). Then there was Barbie Life In The Dreamhouse, which was a completely separate universe all on its own. Now, they have started a new cinematic universe based around Dreamhouse Adventures and its spin off series and films, such as Barbie Princess Adventure (2020). Barbie Life In The Dreamhouse is so one of a kind and iconic that this singular show is its own cinematic universe. Barbie Life In The Dreamhouse stayed the only current Barbie universe for three years, until a partial remake of this very show started the next Barbie universe.