Creation of the Palace Park Hotel Dollhouse | Pottery Barn Kids

pottery barn kids behind the scenes: The Palace Park Dollhouse
I'm Bill,
I'm one of the designers here at Pottery Barn Kids, and I get to design toys for a living.
Thinking about our holiday toy assortment, we wanted to come up with something
that was extraordinary, something
that would wow people, and something that kids would really look forward to.
In creating the fantasy and what if you and your friends lived in a luxury hotel and that was your playground.
In designing a toy there's four steps. Step one,
is you have to start with a great idea. So step one is the time you really get to fantasize and dream
and dream big, think outside the box and really ask what if
What if we lived in a luxury hotel and we would have somebody open the door for us,
people bring food to our room, drivers come and pick us up,
now that sounds like fun.
Step two, is you have to design all the pieces and parts.
This is where one of our designers Mimi started to create the dolls,
and really make sure they have the right uptown style.
I came in to work on developing the dolls.
We hire a fashion designer in new York to come up with all the original concept sketches
and I took the sketches and
modified them so they looked good on the doll which was a very different aesthetic, really very cute, has long
legs, but thin with this exaggerated head
and big eyes. We came up with the little accessories, the dog carrier, and so forth. Step three,
technical drawings.
so this is when we get really technical and we make sure that every material every joint,
every surface, every button, every piece of fabric,
is carefully chosen, and that it is durable and safe.
Everything is measured out and every detail is called out specifically.
Step four, this is when
the production samples come in and we review them for design,
material,
construction,
color and finish.
we just go back and forth until we get it right and sometimes some modifications are made and
I'm very happy the fact that the dolls are jointed. A lot of times you'll see a place that the dolls are very
stiff, and yet we didn't want to do them with wire, so it all worked out really well.
And then we perform a series of tests, to make sure that every aspect, every material, every part of the construction
is completely safe and passes all safety requirements.
and then we do a series of users test and guess who gets to test them?
lots of kids. So once everything is approved, we start production.
And then we take photos of it to put in the catalog and on the internet. And then we ship it to the stores to sell for the holiday.
You are going to be so excited to see this dollhouse. It is over the top.
Imagine this. you're in front of this grand hotel,
with great detailing, and spindled balconies.
As you walk through the front doors,
the doorman opens the door for you
and you check in at the reception desk,
and as they take you up to your room
at the penthouse on the top floor, you turn your
chandelier on,
empty your luggage and your clothes into your armoire.
and take a bath from a long flight from overseas.
Welcome to your hotel.
The Palace Park Hotel every little girl's fantasy.
The doors open this holiday