There are refrigerators that tell you if they’re out of milk, thermostats that lower your drapes, apps that allow you to turn off your lights when you’re a thousand miles away. Yes, houses are getting smarter, it seems, including houses that are less than 3 feet tall and a serious shade of pink.
The new Barbie Dream House, unveiled at the International Toy Fair in New York City recently, connects to wifi and is (parents may be horrified to learn) fully voice activated. A child can shout at the house to turn on the toy oven, and the house will obey. Does Barbie want the lights on? A voice command will see that it’s done.
Barbie’s favorite forward-thinking abode still comes equipped with all the accoutrements discerning tweens have come to expect—elevators, plastic chandeliers and lots and lots of pink furniture—but while the Dream House won’t set parents back as much as a real house would, all this interconnectivity doesn’t come cheap: It’ll retail for about $299 (The Atlantic)