Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse is a web series of CGI-animated shorts produced by Arc Productions and Mattel. The series was released on YouTube and the official Barbie website from January 20, 2012, to November 27, 2015.
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. Nickelodeon aired two "continuity" specials on September 1, 2013. The series later spawned a continuation, titled Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures, released from May 3, 2018, to April 12, 2020, on Netflix.
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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. He is often the antagonist and believes to have a father/son relationship with his creator, Ken. 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.TitleOriginal air date1Closet PrincessMay 11, 20122Happy Birthday ChelseaMay 11, 20123Pet PeeveMay 18, 20124Rhapsody in ButtercreamMay 18, 20125Ken-tastic, Hair-tasticMay 25, 20126Party FoulMay 25, 20127Day at the BeachJune 1, 20128Sticker it UpJune 8, 20129Oh How CampyJune 15, 201210Bad Hair DayJune 22, 201211Licensed to DriveJune 29, 201212I Want My BTVJuly 6, 201213Gifts, Goofs, GaloreJuly 13, 201214The Barbie BoutiqueJuly 20, 201215Sand AwaySeptember 19, 201216Barbie Technical InstituteSeptember 21, 201217Ken and RobotSeptember 21, 201218Fan MailOctober 10, 2012
Season 2 (2012-2013) +No.TitleOriginal air date15The Reunion ShowOctober 12, 201216Closet Princess 2.0October 19, 201217Sisters AhoyOctober 26, 201218The ShrinkeratorNovember 1, 201219Plethora of PuppiesNovember 8, 201220Closet Clothes OutNovember 15, 201221Accidentally on PorpoiseNovember 22, 201222Gone Glitter Gone - Part 1November 29, 201223Gone Glitter Gone - Part 2December 5, 201224Ryan's Greatest HitsDecember 19, 201225Everybody Needs a KenJanuary 17, 2013
Season 3 (2013) +No.TitleOriginal air date24Playing Heart to GetFebruary 6, 201325Catty on the CatwalkFebruary 13, 201326Help WantedFebruary 20, 201327Spooky SleepoverFebruary 27, 201328A Smidge of MidgeMarch 6, 201329Occupational HazardsMarch 13, 201330Ooh How Campy, TooMarch 20, 201331Let's Make a DollMarch 26, 2013
Season 4 (2013) +No.TitleOriginal air date32Endless SummerJune 26, 201333Sour LoserJuly 3, 201334Another Day at the BeachJuly 10, 201335Happy Bathday to YouJuly 17, 201336Cringing in the RainJuly 24, 201337The Ken DenJuly 31, 201338Primp My RideAugust 7, 201339Mall MayhemAugust 14, 201340The UpgradeningAugust 21, 2013
Season 5 (2013) +No.TitleOriginal air date41Doctor BarbieOctober 2, 201342Stuck With YouOctober 9, 201343The Only Way to FlyOctober 16, 201344Perf Pool PartyOctober 23, 201345Trapped in the DreamhouseOctober 30, 2013
Season 6 (2014-2015) +No.TitleOriginal air date46Style Super Squad - Part 1February 5, 201447Style Super Squad - Part 2February 19, 201448Little Bad DressMarch 19, 201449Going to the DogsApril 2, 201450Dream a Little DreamhouseApril 16, 201451Mayor of MalibuApril 30, 201452Bizzaro BarbieMay 28, 201453Doll vs. DessertJune 11, 201454Going ViralJuly 9, 201455Girls Day OutJuly 23, 201456Business is BarkingSeptember 4, 201457When the Cat's AwaySeptember 17, 201458Ice Ice, Barbie - Part 1October 16, 201459Ice Ice, Barbie - Part 2October 29, 201460The Amaze ChaseNovember 12, 201461New Girl in TownMarch 4, 201562Malibu's Empirical EmporiumApril 18, 2015
Season 7 (2015) +No.TitleOriginal air date63Red Carpet CaperApril 24, 201564Mission ImpawsibleMay 1, 201565The TelethonMay 8, 201566Don't Bet On ItMay 15, 201567Dissin' CousinsMay 22, 201568Alone in the DreamhouseMay 29, 201569Mooning Over YouJune 26, 201570Sidewalk ShowdownJuly 30, 201571Sisters' Fun DayAugust 1, 201572Send in the Clones - Part 1August 27, 201573Send in the Clones - Part 2September 11, 201574Send in the Clones - Part 3September 18, 201575The Fantasticest JourneySeptember 25, 201576Attention Shoppers (Unreleased) September 30, 201577You Go 'Gurt! (Unreleased) October 1, 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. The title of episode 36 in season 4 is a parody of Singin' in the Rain. The title of episode 64 in season 7 is a wordplay on the 1996 film Mission: Impossible. Episode 71 in season 7 features Fifth Harmony. Two unreleased episodes have not been fully released, Attention Shoppers and You Go' Gurt.
See also Barbie (media franchise) Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures Barbie Dreamtopia Barbie: It Takes Two
References
External links The show's official website (Archived)