- Jasmine Maestas' daughter wanted her own "
Encanto " casita, but Maestas couldn't find one online. - She decided to transform an old Barbie dollhouse into the magical Casa Madrigal.
Jasmine Maestas' daughter, Zariyah, has been watching Disney's "Encanto" every day since it premiered in 2021.
The 4-year-old loves the movie so much that she begged her mom to buy her a toy version of the magical Casa Madrigal, also known as Casita. After searching online, Maestas told Insider she decided to take matters into her own hands and transform Zariyah's old Barbie dollhouse.
"I couldn't find one that was interactive enough for her, so I decided to make one that was," she said.
The original dollhouse had four rooms, a primary bathroom, and a kitchen. To turn the dollhouse into the casita, Maestas took everything out and covered it in primer.
"I don't know how to draw. I've never painted a pretty picture in my life," she said. "I sat down and looked at pictures of Casita, watched the movie, and asked my daughter whose rooms she wanted to have."
Maestas and her daughter decided the dollhouse would have rooms for Mirabel, Isabela, Luisa, Antonio, and Bruno, and two small spaces for Dolores and Camilo.
Maestas said that after figuring out what characters would get a room, she started watching the movie repeatedly to make them as close to what she saw as possible.
On May 10, Maestas posted a TikTok video of the painted dollhouse. It had over 290,000 views as of Saturday.
"It took me about seven weeks, and I had no help," she said. "It turned into a bigger project than I originally intended, and I don't think I would've done as much had it not gone
@jasminmaes5 This project is bigger than I intended. However my daughter deserves just that ✨ #encanto #encantodisney #encantobarbiehouse #momsoftiktok #fyp ♬ The Family Madrigal - Stephanie Beatriz & Olga Merediz & Encanto - Cast
Maestas said she spent about $150 creating the new version of the dollhouse because of the interactive elements she added for Zariyah. Isabela's room, for example, had a bed that could float and a vine swing that went all the way down the side of the house.
A follow-up TikTok video Maestas posted of her process for creating Isabela's room also went viral. It had 3.7 million views as of Saturday.
@jasminmaes5 this is 100% harder than it looks but also so much fun ✨✨✨✨ #encanto #encantobarbiehouse ♬ What Else Can I Do? - Diane Guerrero & Stephanie Beatriz
In Bruno's room, Maestas made a kinetic sand bin from an old Barbie pool. She also built a hammock for Luisa's room and added weights for her daughter to play with.
"My daughter loved all of it," Maestas said. "She played with the dollhouse throughout the entire renovation process. I never kept it away from her since it was her project from the beginning."
Maestas said that since she finished the dollhouse, Zariyah has been playing with it while watching "Encanto."
"It's so exciting to see her recognize that the dollhouse is now Casita, and she knows who each room belongs to," she said. "It makes me happy knowing that she was happy that I did it for her. She's so gentle with it too."