I was watching Friends the other night and “The One With the Dollhouse” came on. You know the episode: Monica inherits a gorgeous Victorian-style dollhouse from her late Aunt Sylvia, but is very particular about how people are allowed to play with it. She doesn’t like the kooky items that Phoebe brings over, like an oversized dog and a ghost for the attic, so Phoebe decides to build her own dollhouse. The result is so incredibly Phoebe: creative, wacky, and mismatched in the most perfect ways possible.
I’ve seen the episode dozens of times, but when Phoebe shows off her dollhouse, my eyes always go to the same places: the fireplace, the metallic slide, the fun bubbles coming out of the chimney. But there’s so much more to notice! If you stop and look around the rooms, you’ll discover other fun items that are just as weird and wonderful as Phoebe. Here are some of our favorites—let’s go room by room.
The Exterior
First thing’s first: the house itself. The building is constructed out of shoe boxes, and in particular, we spy boxes from Keds, Nine West, and UGG Australia. The brand names are all partially covered with stickers, but if you’re looking, you’ll spot them right away. The roof is made of shoe box lids, natch, and a toilet paper roll serves as the chimney.
On the second floor, just above the front door, there’s a little starfish. Maybe this dollhouse is a beach home. Or maybe it foreshadows meeting Phoebe’s birth mom at the beach in Montauk a few episodes later. Yeah, we like that theory!
The house isn’t very big, but it has plenty of windows. Phoebe did more than just cut holes into the walls. Instead, she created window treatments out of colorful construction paper and Popsicle sticks. Would you expect anything less? Finally, flanking the front door are two nice-sized trees. Her crafting skills are on point.
Photo: Courtesy of NBC/Netflix.
The First Floor
“Santa Claus and a cow walk into a dollhouse” sounds like the start of a great joke, but it’s actually what the first floor of the house looks like. There’s a cow and a Santa Claus, just hanging out. The floor is covered with Easter basket grass, and the walls are decorated with a vibrant flowery print.
The cow is sitting on what looks like the edge of a bed (complete with a cotton-ball pillow), so we’re guessing this is the first-floor master bedroom. In the corner is a stack of matchboxes that appears to function as a chest of drawers. The room also features a mini Etch A Sketch, which we’re taking to be a TV.
Photo: Courtesy of NBC/Netflix.
The Aroma Room
As you know, the dollhouse suffers a fire later in the episode, and this is where all of Phoebe’s troubles start. But before the fire, we took a good look around the aroma room, and we really dig its vibe! There are hanging beads on the wall, some funky gold fringe along the ceiling, and a groovy blue flower mirror on the wall. But what really brings the room together is the suction-cup ball hanging from the ceiling. It gives off a very disco-chic vibe, don’t you think?
Photo: Courtesy of NBC/Netflix.
The Second Floor
The Licorice Room is the part of the house that we know the most about. Phoebe demonstrates how the slide works, and tells us that all of the furniture is edible. “When guests come over, they can stay on the Tootsie Roll–away bed!” she announces excitedly. But there’s so much more going on in here.
The room appears to have a Halloween theme. Maybe that’s why there’s so much candy — because it’s Halloween candy. The wallpaper is made of red licorice, and there’s a black chair made of black licorice. In keeping with the theme, the orange curtains feature spooky things like Frankenstein’s monster and a black cat. We would stay in this room in a heartbeat!
Photo: Courtesy of NBC/Netflix.
The Attic
What’s that sound? Oh, nothing, just the monkey who lives in the attic. But this isn’t just any monkey — it’s one from the Barrel of Monkeys game. Primate aside, the attic looks like an ideal place to get some work done. The accommodations are perfect. There’s a nice gold-footed table with a vase of flowers, and some stools made out of smooth stones. Very zen indeed.
If you’re looking to relax, there’s also a couch that appears to be made out of Circus Peanuts, which a little chick finds very comfortable. If that wasn’t enough, there’s what appears to be a kitchenette in the corner. And, could it be? Is Smelly Cat framed in a photo on the wall? We like to think so.
Photo: Courtesy of NBC/Netflix.
The Backyard
There’s one more stop on our dollhouse tour: the backyard. This house has an in-ground pool! It even has a little chick going for a dip. (The other chick stayed upstairs in the attic. She was snacking in The Licorice Room, and has to wait 20 minutes before swimming.)
There you have it — a private tour of Phoebe’s dollhouse. We’re pretty sure this is what the inside of her imagination looks like. If only this place was on Airbnb!
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