So your dollhouse is ‘finished’ (is it ever?) and now is the time to get your miniature dollhouse accessories in order. Meaning: are you choosing to buy or make ‘real’ (human-like) dolls or would you prefer animals?
I am going to try and answer those questions for you and describe the reasons why people prefer one miniature figurine over the other.
But first: what kind of miniature dollhouse accessories regarding figurines are out there?
Whatever type of human or animal you can imagine, they are out there for you in miniature form as miniature dollhouse accessories. I will show you some fantastic examples of animal figurines from Etsy sellers.
Miniature mice.
Miniature mice are abundant on Etsy or elsewhere. Made from clay/ crocheted/ wood, any materials actually. They are widely used as a replacement for dolls, especially in the Netherlands.
A few shops selling these are ‘Weaverbirdstore‘, ‘Ginko305‘ or if you want a mouse, of course, that can sit on a chair, for example, you are probably better of with a crochet one like in the store called ‘Tivsani‘.
Cats and dogs.
Now, cats and dogs don’t necessarily have to sit on a chair, so the materials in which these are made of can be a number of things, like the custom-made dogs and cats from ‘Rubysstore‘.
The great thing about this store is that she makes customized cats and dolls, which means that you can have it look exactly like your own cat or dog! Wouldn’t that look nice in your dollhouse?
Or you can just order a set of 12 cats and dogs by ‘PrettyPetalsminis’ so that you can have several pets at once or why not make/have a (large)dog kennel and buy a LOT of them through ‘Happytreasuretoys‘?
Bears and rabbits.
Frankly, if you would like a miniature that is ‘human-like’, but you really don’t want a regular doll, then mice are probably the best option because lots of them are made especially for that and to ‘humanize’ them.
I have looked, but miniature rabbits, well they look like bunnies, not humans haha. I especially love the ones from ‘Fairyminiatures‘, the ‘rabbit on a swing’ is cuuuute!
And what about ‘KousoulasKreations‘ and their adorable ‘bunny trio in a basket’?
The miniature bears on Etsy don’t look very ‘human-like’ either, although I found this wonderful exception from ‘Myfairygardenshop’, where a bear made from resin is playing the cello, well done!
Also, what about this tiny little bear from ‘Obscurely small‘? I think that it would be a great idea to put this in a children’s room..
Miniature trolls.
This category I wanted to mention this separately because I am highly interested in them myself.
As I have no clue how to make these myself (I don’t think that I am any good with sculpting figurines, I could try in another lifetime lol), I am looking on Etsy again for these mystical creatures that I adore.
You wouldn’t call them cute or adorable, but I find them at the least ‘interesting’, do you?
Now, looking for nice ones that would fit into my treehouse, is another thing. A lot of them that I like, like in this shop from ‘Fairyhomesandgardens‘, are very nice and very well-made ( what craftsmanship!), but I wouldn’t put them in my indoor dollhouse.
Maybe these from ‘Zonacraftcollections‘ would suit my treehouse? I just don’t know, will decide later when the interior is finished.
Ok, I am babbling too much now, let’s move on to the next figurines 😉
Gnomes.
Well, we all know about gnomes, do we? I don’t think that much explanation is needed in this case.
Gnomes are mostly suited for outdoors and fairy gardens, in my opinion.
I could go on and on about all the possible miniature dollhouse accessories and figurines that you can get or make to fit into your dollhouse or garden, but I think that by now that you get the picture..
People tend to collect anything basically. Pigs, dinosaurs, hedgehogs, and even fish! Wouldn’t tiny fish look adorable in a tiny aquarium? Even that exists in the mini-world! And they are all made from resin epoxy.
There are multiple reasons why people prefer one thing over another.
What doesn’t work for you, might be fantastic for other people so let’s try and find out why people choose what they choose.
I did some research on this topic, but also popped the question on Facebook groups (this is mine, you are more than welcome to join). Plus I am posting my own thoughts about why as well.
Dolls.
Reasons people DO like dolls are:
– 1: Some people didn’t like dolls for dollhouses until they met creators like Heidi Ott. Video-time!
– 2: Some people just like realistic ‘dolls’ and not fantasy creatures or animals acting like humans, and that’s fine!
Reasons people DON’T like dolls are:
1- I quote: ‘ because dollhouse dolls look like stiff, dead people when they sit or stand in the house, staring into space’. Ha! 🙂 And added quote: ‘ Plus it is more likely that a small animal is going to have this kind of tiny home than a human being going to have to need it’.
People who own/make dollhouses and miniatures have such a vivid imagination, right? LOL!
2- I quote: ‘dolls creep me out and are rarely cute’
3- Dollhouse dolls can get expensive
4- Dolls do not always fit in a (homemade) dollhouse.
– 1: Lots of people want to make their miniatures/figurines themselves and making the face of a human being is very hard to do, it is an art in itself and not everyone is capable of crafting it. Also, they just love to make character mini critters.
– 2: Now, this reason is cute: they are a fan of Beatrix Potter, an author of children’s literature. She wrote stories where mice and bunnies were involved, how cute! Or, what about ‘Stuart Little’, the animation movie?
Or Brambly Hedge, I must say, these bring out the kid in me haha. I advise you to take a look at the pictures on the main site because I am almost sure that they are copyrighted.
– 3: Cause they are cute! As simple as that 😉 And they look less creepy than dolls.
– 4: I quote: Mice have anthropomorphic qualities like tiny, clever hands and the ability to stand upright. Their heads and eyes are comparatively large, with a similar ratio to that of a human toddler. These qualities engender a nurturing response and human-like reliability.
This makes them suitable candidates to populate our tiny worlds.
– 5: Someone even mentioned the movie ‘Dinner for Schmucks’ where this guy uses dead mice to make miniature scenes. Deu?! Also, another person said something similar, that she has seen some really cute taxidermy mice that were dressed up and posed.
The movie ‘Dinner for Schmucks’, is to be seen on Netflix.
– 8: I Quote: ‘it is a nostalgia-thing’. Or also: ‘some people collect horses, elephants, cows, etc. Mice is just my ‘thing’ since I was a young girl.
– 9: Because they are the right scale! And they need to fit into a dollhouse that has limited space.
This is also mentioned by Eleni, a big fan of my website and Facebook group, thank you for sharing your pictures and story, Eleni!
– 10: Inspiration from other (miniature) bloggers or Youtube, like the critters and gnomes from Sharon Ojala
– 11: Someone blames Disney, haha!
– 12: Mice can be a cheaper way to bring some life into your dollhouse than expensive dolls.
Reasons people DON’T like mice miniatures:
-1: I quote: ‘ Since I had to have an exterminator come and rid the house of mice that were chewing through my walls and rafters, I just don’t do mice people’
-2: Well, that is pretty obvious why! Don’t laugh at people’s phobia! (sorry if I did laugh lol)
And this one made me laugh hard as well, why people like dinosaurs.
‘Well just cause, you know, they’re dinosaurs LOL!’
Finally, have a look at this Youtube video, where they have made a mouse mansion, isn’t that fantastic? (made by Karina Schaapman)
Final Conclusion.
Now, some people do not even want dolls or animals in their dollhouse, because they are just interested in the design aspect rather than the functionality aspect, and that is fine, of course!
I was in doubt before myself about what I was going to put in my treehouse later. It could have been nothing, as there will not be much room left in it after I furnished it. Although trolls don’t live in a house, my search for some cute mini ones on Etsy will go on!
Do you have any questions, observations, corrections on this topic about miniature dollhouse accessories, or do you just want to say something? Then please leave a comment below in the comment section or join me on my Facebook-group!
2 thoughts on “Miniature Dollhouse Accessories – Dolls, Mice Or Other Figurines?”
Hello there! Wow these miniature dolls look amazing. I personally really like the aquarium ones. I didn’t see any dinosaur miniature doll pictures, but I think those would be great too. I imagine that they would make a room look very nice and artsy and stimulate a calm, peaceful environment. Thanks for this post!
Hello there! Wow these miniature dolls look amazing. I personally really like the aquarium ones. I didn’t see any dinosaur miniature doll pictures, but I think those would be great too. I imagine that they would make a room look very nice and artsy and stimulate a calm, peaceful environment. Thanks for this post!
Hi Mike,
Thank you for your comment and I wish you happy crafting/collecting!
Best regards,
Lizzy