A Wendy house is a

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

term for a playhouse for children, which is large enough for one or more children to enter. Size and solidity can vary from a

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

kit to something resembling a real house in a child's size. Usually there is one room, a doorway with a window on either side, and little or no

furniture Furniture refers to movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., stools, chairs, and sofas), eating ( tables), storing items, eating and/or working with an item, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks) ...

other than that which the children improvise. The original was built for

Wendy Darling Wendy Moira Angela Darling is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of the 1904 play and 1911 novel ''Peter and Wendy'' by J. M. Barrie, as well as in most adaptations in other media. Her exact age is not specified in the origina ...

in J. M. Barrie's play, ''

Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up ''Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' or ''Peter and Wendy'', often known simply as ''Peter Pan'', is a work by J. M. Barrie, in the form of a 1904 play and a 1911 novel. Both versions tell the story of Peter Pan, a mischievous ...

''. Wendy was shot by the Lost Boy Tootles after arriving in Neverland, so

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

and the Lost Boys built a small house around her where she had fallen. It was inspired by the wash-house behind Barrie's childhood home in

Kirriemuir Kirriemuir, sometimes called Kirrie or the ''Wee Red Toon'' ( gd, An Ceathramh Mòr; IPA: nˈkʰʲɛɾəvmoːɾ, is a burgh in Angus, Scotland. It reaches back to earliest recorded times, when it is thought to have been a major ecclesiastical ...

and first appeared in story form in ''

The Little White Bird ''The Little White Bird'' is a novel by the Scottish writer J. M. Barrie, ranging in tone from fantasy and whimsy to social comedy with dark, aggressive undertones. It was published in November 1902, by Hodder & Stoughton in the UK and Scribn ...

'' in which fairies build a house around Mamie Mannering—the prototype for Wendy—so protecting her from the cold. A prop house was created by Barrie for the first stage production of the play in 1904. It was constructed like a tent so that it could be erected quickly during a song which Wendy starts with: John's

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mech ...

was used as a

chimney A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are t ...

and a slipper was used as a door knocker. Toy manufacturers soon created replicas of the stage Wendy house, which have become a standard toy found in British

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

s ever since.

South African usage

In South Africa, Wendy houses are a form of accommodation for live-in domestic workers and is a wooden structure on the employer's property. The structure is usually erected in someone's backyard. They feature basic amenities such as electricity and running water. The corrugated iron homes, known as "shacks", are not Wendy houses. The Wendy houses, in contrast, are a more pleasant sight. The term "wendy house" or "wendy" usually refers to the wooden temporary accommodation. Among the more affluent population, wendy houses are used as entertainment huts, children's playhouses, or for storage.

Playhouses for children around the world

Globally, the term ''playhouse'' is more generic and more common than the term Wendy house. A few online companies offer rustic, inflatable, or corrugated iron varieties. A playhouse may become a hide-away, fort, club house in a child's imagination or simply a place to "play house" in imitation of adult behavior. Treehouses or tents sometimes serve as a playhouse or secret vantage point for children. Modern-Cubby-House-Design

A Cubby House is another name for playhouses. There are both indoor and outdoor children's playhouses and manufactured kits for assembly by adults or children. A playhouse may become a hide-away or club house in a child's imagination. Treehouses built by or for adults are often appropriated by children as a secret vantage point and may become a safety concern.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wendy House Traditional toys House types Wendy's International

South African usage

Playhouses for children around the world

See also

Notes