Would you want to live in a pineapple under the sea? Believe it or not, there are a number of people who have made their childhood dreams come true by actually creating real-life homes out of their favorite cartoon character abodes. Let's take a look at 10 real houses inspired by cartoons.
Simpsons House
The home of Marge, Lisa, Homer, Bart, and Maggie at 742 Evergreen Terrace is Iconic. Back in 1997, the house was created for real by Fox, Pepsi-Cola, and Kaufman as a giveaway prize costing nearly $120,000. The replica is a 2,200-square-foot, 4-bedroom home in Henderson, Nevada.
The Architects purportedly watched over a hundred episodes of the Simpsons to gather enough info on the layout and design of the house, as well as all the artifacts inside of it. The detailing was pretty impressive as 1500 Simpsons-themed props were stuffed inside the house and it even included a replica of Bart's treehouse and a backyard barbecue.It was ultimately won by a retired factory worker from Kentucky who, rather than taking the house, chose a 75 thousand dollar payout. Guess she really wasn’t much of a Simpsons fan. The house was then remodeled and all the Simpsons theme stuff was removed and was sold in 2001.
Barbie Doll House
Many little girls dream of living out their girlish fantasies in a vivid pink beach house much like Barbie's Malibu residence. Well, now they can, at least for a day or so on their birthday, due to the so-called "Barbie The Dreamhouse Experience" which is a 10,000-square-foot pink plastic paradise in Sunrise Florida.
It's a life-size replica of Barbie's Malibu beach house and was a joint venture between Barbies manufacturer Mattel and EMS Entertainment. According to its real estate agent, the Dreamhouse took less than a year to build and took more than a hundred gallons of pink paint and 20 pounds of glitter.The installation includes the best of Barbie: 350 dolls and collector memorabilia, Barbie's friends, family, and naturally, the very man she’s been stalking for years, Ken. As part of the girlish adventure, parents can book the venue for birthday parties and pay for their children to strut down the Fashion Runway; of course, only after model training, make-up/hair styling, and the chance to choose an outfit.
But, if you actually want to live in a similar house then the closest you’ll get is the modern Barbie house created by interior decorator Jonathan Adler on the eve of Barbie’s 50th Birthday. He decked a 3,500 sq ft pad in March 2009 and it overlooks the Pacific Ocean to look like the famous doll’s home, located in Malibu, California.
Minnie Mouse House
The long-time girlfriend of Mickey Mouse is quite the homemaker. This adorable Minnie Mouse house can be found in two locations, at Mickey’s Toontown in Disneyland Florida, or at Mickey’s Toontown in California.
The cute pink and lavender exterior might be misleading but it's fully equipped on the inside. While you're there you can check the answering machine where you'll likely listen to messages from the squad, that is, goofy and Mickey. There will also be popcorn popping in the microwave and a cake baking in the oven.
UP House
The UP! House is the cute little colorful house that Carl and Ellie spent their lives living in together. While the movie was a hit, so was the house, as it was eventually built in 2011 as part of a little girl’s Make-A-Wish foundation wish. Built by Bangerter builders in Utah, this 1950s-style home was painstakingly designed.
It accounted for every detail, from the weather vane at the top of the house to the mailbox, all the way to the light switches and the floorboards. It costs $ 399,000 to build and even includes a basement, but not the balloons. Well, except on weekends, apparently, as the builder sometimes puts a few up for fun. Private buyers purchased the house in 2012 and have actually kept much of the decor the same as when the construction was completed.
Hobbit House
Homes are becoming extremely pricey these days so one man who was fed up with the high prices in the countryside decided to build his own eco-friendly hobbit house. The following amazing Hobbit House was built by Simon Dale, a freelance photographer, who, in spite of not being an architect or even a construction worker, could build this together with his father-in-law and the help of neighbors.
With little more than a hammer, a chisel, and a chainsaw it took them just 4 months to have it finished and it cost around 3,000 pounds. It was designed to be ecologically sustainable and uses a wood-burning stove for heat and solar panels to collect electricity. There's even a nearby spring to collect water and a composting toilet.Simon says this anyone can achieve this type of building, which will amaze most people, especially those who appreciate the houses from JRR Tolkien’s books, including The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. They’re not strictly cartoons, but this was just too cool not to mention here.
Hello Kitty House
This next cute pink-painted house was 100% inspired by the most famous cat in history. This Hello Kitty villa is located in Taipei, Taiwan but, the widespread obsession for Hello Kitty is more than you could imagine though, because this isn’t the only replica in the world.
There are other versions like a private residence in China that was built back in the 1990s by a man who had a few daughters who were obsessed with Hello Kitty.
But that’s not the only one in China either. Another version, this time
in Shanghai, can actually be rented. You can live in it as long as you want, but it is very expensive at about 2 and a half thousand Chinese Yuan a day on average, which equals about 400 American dollars a day. The only "kitty" the owner of the house is saying hello to is the one at his bank.
SpongeBob House
While it’s neither an actual pineapple nor on the ocean’s floor (mostly because that would drown the homeowner), this giant structure in Australia is just one of many famous “big things” that seem to cover the country of Australia like so many discarded Vegemite jars.
However, the pineapple structure above itself is more of a sculpture and less of a habitable pad. If that saddens you, then you’ll be glad to realize that there still is a real, habitable version out there. Look no further than the Real-Life Pineapple Hotel located in the Dominican Republic. This villa in particular was created by Nickelodeon and Nick Resort Punta Cana.
The interior furnishings are amazingly similar to those in the show but don’t get too excited, it's not exactly cheap to stay here. Only true Spongebob lovers who can spare around $3800 per night will be able to enjoy this 1,500 square foot of pure SpongeBob livin’ that would definitely make Squidward jealous.
The Jetsons House
This one is particularly intriguing because, in an odd twist of time, the Jetsons' futuristic apartment was actually inspired by the retro-futuristic architecture of the early 1960s. This architecture was itself trying to mimic what people thought houses would look like in the future. In particular, the Jetsons' apartment complex was inspired by Los Angeles' famous Chemosphere, a home that looks like a UFO with central heating.
Perched on a 30-foot-high pole with a giant concrete pedestal, despite what you may think, the home is well suited to survive earthquakes, torrential storms, and, possibly, an alien invasion. The Chemosphere also inspired another cartoon home even more directly, that of actor Troy McClure of The Simpsons.
Snow White Cottage
Just outside Seattle resides a stunning Snow-White-themed cottage. Apparently, the first part of this house was built in the early 1970s and the owners continued working on it because they were prompted to construct a home "more in tune with the natural world" as opposed to a common style of home.
This 2,800-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath storybook home has hand-built doors that have ornate hinges and latches, carved wooden beams, and walls that evoke a magical cave. It's fit for a Disney princess like Snow White, and maybe seven dwarfs too, and
in 2016 it was listed for sale at a cool $925,000.
Flintstones House
In 1976 architect William Nicholson designed a series of reddish bubbles in Hillsborough, California, as a sort of experiment of new building materials. The dome-shaped house, named after the famous cartoon because it resembles the 'Stone Age' home Fred and Wilma lived in, is made of Wire Mesh that was inflated by balloons and shot with shotcrete.
Originally off-white in color, it was repainted a deep orange in the early 2000s. The interior is all white, keeping the home cool in the California summers and it features three stunning bedrooms and two bathrooms.
If the $4 million sale price is a little too steep and you only want to live like a caveman for a day or so then try this cave hotel, which nestles into the rocks of South Africa's Cederberg Mountains. Rooms are actually set in 10 different mini caves with spectacular mountain views.
And if that's not enough, there is the Outcrop Open Air Room, where guests can sleep under the stars, enjoying the celestial show thanks to a lack of light pollution and surrounding civilization.
I hope you were amazed at these cartoon houses you won't believe exist in real life. Thanks for reading.