Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse is a web series of CGI-animated shorts produced by Arc Productions and Mattel.[1] The series was released on YouTube and the official Barbie website from January 20, 2012, to November 27, 2015.[2]
The series is currently available on Netflix, though Netflix streams the series only as specialized bundles of episodes instead of in the original chronological order.[3]Nickelodeon aired two "continuity" specials on September 1, 2013.[4] The series later spawned a continuation, titled Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures, released from May 3, 2018, to April 12, 2020, on Netflix.[5]
Setting
The series is set in a fictional version of Malibu, California, where all of its inhabitants are dolls. The dolls behave like humans, though a number of the show's gags rely on their doll-like nature. The series centers on the life of Barbie, her friends, her siblings, her boyfriend Ken, and a number of pets. The series is stylized as a mock reality show featuring confessionals of the characters in between scenes. The show heavily relies on slapstick humor, and makes a lot of satirical and self-parody references to the Barbie doll line.
Characters
Barbara Millicent "Barbie" Roberts is the lead character of the show. She lives in a large pink mansion called the "Dreamhouse" along with her younger sisters Skipper, Stacie, Chelsea and their pets. Barbie is a fashion icon and has had over 135 careers and over and over again; though a celebrity in Malibu, she is friendly, humble and good-natured. Voiced by Kate Higgins.
Kenneth "Ken" Carson is Barbie's long-time boyfriend. Ken strives to be the perfect boyfriend for Barbie and is always there when Barbie needs him. He is an inventor who makes high-end machines and gadgets for Barbie to use, though they usually end up malfunctioning. Voiced by Sean Hankinson.
Skipper Roberts is Barbie's teenage sister who enjoys technology and DJing. Voiced by Paula Rhodes.
Stacie Roberts is Barbie's tomboy tween sister who loves sports and organization. Voiced by Paula Rhodes.
Chelsea Roberts is Barbie's youngest sister who is mostly interested in collecting and playing with stuffed animals (including her eye-catching favorite Unicorn Plushie of the Month or simply Plushie). Voiced by Laura Gerow.
Teresa is Barbie's extremely chatty but ditzy best friend who lives near the Dreamhouse and often makes silly, half-witted remarks. Voiced by Katie Crown.
Nikki: Barbie's principal Black American best friend who is also close friends with Teresa. She manages a fashion blog and loves taking pictures as a hobby.[6] She is creative, smart, sassy, outspoken, and very protective of her friends. Voiced by Nakia Burrise.
Raquelle is Barbie's frenemy and rival for Ken's affections. She lives a very posh lifestyle in an attempt to outshine Barbie. She is portrayed as vain and arrogant and is not above deceit to attain what she wants. She is also clumsy, and her plans to sabotage Barbie often backfire. Voiced by Haviland Stillwell.
Ryan is Raquelle's twin brother and struggling musician.[7] He is in love with Barbie and often writes songs about her to impress her. He is a frenemy of Ken and will often brawl with him to win Barbie's affections. Like his sister, Ryan is also very vain and is often seen carrying around large cardboard standups of himself. Voiced by Charlie Bodin.
Midge Hadley is Barbie's childhood best friend from Barbie's hometown of Willows, Wisconsin.[8] She and Barbie lost touch when Barbie's family moved to Malibu. Prior to her makeover, she appears in black-and-white dressed in vintage fashion and speaks in the 1960s slang.[9] She is also quirky, smart, and is fond of arts and crafts (particularly macramé). She moves to Malibu and develops a crush on Ryan, who does likewise after her makeover. Voiced by Ashlyn Selich.
Summer is Barbie's fun and energetic best friend who loves sports and games. She is competitive, and her hyperactive nature is sometimes too much to handle.[10] Voiced by Tara Sands.
Grace is Barbie's new best friend and a new resident in Malibu. She is very smart and interested in science. Voiced by Lillian Sofia.
Closet is a robot who lives in and manages Barbie's closet. Closet speaks in monotone and has an evil side. Voiced by Todd Resnick.
Background Clones are different versions of the main characters. Voiced by Sean Hankinson, Nakia Burrise, Paula Rhodes, Laura Gerow, Tara Sands, and Haviland Stillwell.
Episode list
Season 1 (2012)
No.
Title
Original air date
1
Closet Princess
May 11, 2012
2
Happy Birthday Chelsea
May 11, 2012
3
Pet Peeve
May 18, 2012
4
Rhapsody in Buttercream
May 18, 2012
5
Ken-tastic, Hair-tastic
May 25, 2012
6
Party Foul
May 25, 2012
7
Day at the Beach
June 1, 2012
8
Sticker it Up
June 8, 2012
9
Oh How Campy
June 15, 2012
10
Bad Hair Day
June 22, 2012
11
Licensed to Drive
June 29, 2012
12
I Want My BTV
July 6, 2012
13
Gifts, Goofs, Galore
July 13, 2012
14
The Barbie Boutique
July 20, 2012
15
Sand Away
September 19, 2012
16
Barbie Technical Institute
September 21, 2012
17
Ken and Robot
September 21, 2012
18
Fan Mail
October 10, 2012
Season 2 (2012-2013)
No.
Title
Original air date
15
The Reunion Show
October 12, 2012
16
Closet Princess 2.0
October 18, 2012
17
Sisters Ahoy
October 25, 2012
18
The Shrinkerator
November 1, 2012
19
Plethora of Puppies
November 8, 2012
20
Closet Clothes Out
November 15, 2012
21
Accidentally on Porpoise
November 22, 2012
22
Gone Glitter Gone - Part 1
November 29, 2012
23
Gone Glitter Gone - Part 2
December 6, 2012
24
Ryan's Greatest Hits
December 19, 2012
25
Everybody Needs a Ken
January 17, 2013
Season 3 (2013)
No.
Title
Original air date
24
Playing Heart to Get
February 6, 2013
25
Catty on the Catwalk
February 13, 2013
26
Help Wanted
February 20, 2013
27
Spooky Sleepover
February 27, 2013
28
A Smidge of Midge
March 6, 2013
29
Occupational Hazards
March 13, 2013
30
Ooh How Campy, Too
March 20, 2013
31
Let's Make a Doll
March 27, 2013
Season 4 (2013)
No.
Title
Original air date
32
Endless Summer
June 26, 2013
33
Sour Loser
July 3, 2013
34
Another Day at the Beach
July 10, 2013
35
Happy Bathday to You
July 17, 2013
36
Cringing in the Rain
July 24, 2013
37
The Ken Den
July 31, 2013
38
Primp My Ride
August 7, 2013
39
Mall Mayhem
August 14, 2013
40
The Upgradening
August 21, 2013
Season 5 (2013)
No.
Title
Original air date
41
Doctor Barbie
October 2, 2013
42
Stuck With You
October 9, 2013
43
The Only Way to Fly
October 16, 2013
44
Perf Pool Party
October 23, 2013
45
Trapped in the Dreamhouse
October 30, 2013
Season 6 (2014-2015)
No.
Title
Original air date
46
Style Super Squad - Part 1
February 5, 2014
47
Style Super Squad - Part 2
February 19, 2014
48
Little Bad Dress
March 19, 2014
49
Going to the Dogs
April 2, 2014
50
Dream a Little Dreamhouse
April 17, 2014
51
Mayor of Malibu
April 30, 2014
52
Bizzaro Barbie
May 28, 2014
53
Doll vs. Dessert
June 11, 2014
54
Going Viral
July 9, 2014
55
Girls Day Out
July 23, 2014
56
Business is Barking
September 4, 2014
57
When the Cat's Away
September 17, 2014
58
Ice Ice, Barbie - Part 1
October 16, 2014
59
Ice Ice, Barbie - Part 2
October 29, 2014
60
The Amaze Chase
November 12, 2014
61
New Girl in Town
March 5, 2015
62
Malibu's Empirical Emporium
April 18, 2015
Season 7 (2015)
No.
Title
Original air date
63
Red Carpet Caper
April 24, 2015
64
Mission Impawsible
May 1, 2015
65
The Telethon
May 8, 2015
66
Don't Bet On It
May 15, 2015
67
Dissin' Cousins
May 22, 2015
68
Alone in the Dreamhouse
May 29, 2015
69
Mooning Over You
June 26, 2015
70
Sidewalk Showdown
July 30, 2015
71
Sisters' Fun Day
August 1, 2015
72
Send in the Clones - Part 1
August 27, 2015
73
Send in the Clones - Part 2
September 11, 2015
74
Send in the Clones - Part 3
September 18, 2015
75
The Fantasticest Journey
September 25, 2015
76
Attention Shoppers (Unreleased)
September 29, 2015
77
You Go 'Gurt! (Unreleased)
October 2, 2015
Notes
Episodes 15-16 in season 1 and episodes 24 and 25 in season 2 are the bonus episodes in those seasons.
The Reunion Show comes before Closet Princess 2.0 despite it having a clip of Ken and Ryan's fight in that episode.
