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 continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

term for a playhouse for

children A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

, 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). Fu ...

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 ...

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succ ...

'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 li ...

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

Neverland Neverland is a fictional island featured in the works of J. M. Barrie and those based on them. It is an imaginary faraway place where Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, the Lost Boys, and some other imaginary beings and creatures live. Altho ...

, so

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...

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 mecha ...

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 typic ...

and a

slipper Slippers are light footwear that are easy to put on and off and are intended to be worn indoors, particularly at home. They provide comfort and protection for the feet when walking indoors. History The recorded history of slippers can be traced ...

was used as a

door knocker A door knocker is an item of door furniture that allows people outside a house or other dwelling or building to alert those inside to their presence. A door knocker has a part fixed to the door, and a part (usually metal) which is attached to th ...

. 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 both ...

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 A tent () is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over, attached to a frame of poles or a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using gu ...

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