TOY BUILDING STRUCTURE

Abstract

A toy building structure is disclosed. The toy building structure comprises a set of panels that engage each other in a tongue and groove manner to permit quick and easy assembly. The panels also include one or more magnetic elements therein to allow for selective engagement of decorative magnetic panels.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/259,902 filed Nov. 10, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure generally relates to toy building structures, such as a dollhouse, that may be selectively assembled and disassembled.

BACKGROUND

While it is known to provide toy building structures, such as dollhouses, for example, in a disassembled configuration as part of kit, such structures are often complicated and require adult assembly. As children often like to do things by themselves, there exists a need for a simplified toy building structure that permits children to easily and quickly assemble the toy building structure. For repeat play activity and/or storage reason, there also exists a need for toy building structure that may be easily disassembled.

Another concern with known toy building structures is that such structures do not allow for selective customization. More specifically, while different free-standing components are typically available for use with the toy building structure (i.e., furniture, vehicles, action figures), the decor of these structures is not selectively customizable. For example, these structures are often mass-produced with permanent wall, floor, or fixture decor that does not permit selective modification. Accordingly, there also exists a need for a toy building structure that allows for children to selectively customize decor elements of the structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now by described by way of example in greater detail with reference to the attached figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary arrangement of an assembled toy building structure constructed in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a partial exploded view of the exemplary toy building structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a second partial exploded view of a portion of the exemplary toy building structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a third partial exploded view of another portion of the exemplary toy building structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a base panel of the exemplary toy building structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the base panel of the exemplary toy building structure of FIG. 5 with various panels attached thereto;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a second floor panel of the exemplary toy building structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the second floor panel of the exemplary toy building structure of FIG. 7 with various panels attached thereto;

FIG. 9A is an elevational view of an exemplary interior side of a first side panel;

FIG. 9B is an elevational view of an exemplary exterior side of the first side panel;

FIG. 10A is an elevational view of an exemplary interior side of a second side panel;

FIG. 10B is an elevational view of an exemplary exterior side of the second side panel;

FIG. 11A is an elevational view of an exemplary first side of a first interior panel;

FIG. 11B is an elevational view of an exemplary second side of a second interior panel;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a third floor panel of the exemplary toy building structure of FIG. 1 as viewed from a top surface thereof;

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the third floor panel of FIG. 12 as viewed from a bottom surface thereof;

FIG. 14A is an elevational view of an exemplary first exterior side of a front panel;

FIG. 14B is an elevational view of an exemplary second interior side of the front panel;

FIG. 15A is an elevational view of an exemplary first side of a third interior panel;

FIG. 15A is an elevational view of an exemplary second side of the third interior panel;

FIG. 16A is an elevational view of an exemplary first side of a fourth interior panel;

FIG. 16B is an elevational view of an exemplary second side of the fourth interior panel;

FIG. 17A is an elevational view of an exemplary first side of a fifth interior panel;

FIG. 17B is an elevational view of an exemplary second side of the fifth interior panel;

FIG. 18A is an elevational view of an exemplary exterior side of a roof panel;

FIG. 18B is an elevational view of an exemplary interior side of a roof panel;

FIG. 19 is a side elevational view of the exemplary building structure of FIG. 1 with a dormer attached;

FIG. 20 is a plan view of exemplary main roof back panels;

FIGS. 21A and 21B are side elevational views of exemplary dormer wall panels;

FIG. 22 is a front elevational view of an exemplary dormer wall panel;

FIG. 23 is a side view of the dormer wall panel of FIG. 22; and

FIG. 23A is an enlarged view of encircled area A from FIG. 23.

FIGS. 24-57 are plan views of magnetic panels for use with the toy building structure of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the discussion that follows and also to the drawings, illustrative approaches to the disclosed systems and methods are shown in detail. Although the drawings represent some possible approaches, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated, removed, or partially sectioned to better illustrate and explain the present disclosure. Further, the descriptions set forth herein are not intended to be exhaustive or otherwise limit or restrict the claims to the precise forms and configurations shown in the drawings and disclosed in the following detailed description.

Described herein is an exemplary toy building structure that may be utilized by children and adults alike. In one exemplary configuration, the toy building structure of the present disclosure provides the ability to easily and quickly assembly a toy building structure without tools. Indeed, in some exemplary configurations, the toy building structure may be assembled without adult supervision. The toy building structure may also be configured to permit selective modification of the decor. For example, the interior walls and floor may be selectively modified, easily and quickly.

Referring to the drawings, an exemplary arrangement of a toy building structure 10 is shown. While the toy building structure 10 is shown as a dollhouse having a specific number of levels, windows and doors, it is understood that the disclosure of the present disclosure is not limited to the specific building structure depicted in the drawings. Indeed, a variety of other types of building structures, such as fire houses and post offices, for example, are contemplated as being within the scope of this disclosure. Other toy building structure configurations are also contemplated. For example, toy building structures having more or less than three levels are also contemplated by this disclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary assembled toy building structure 10 in accordance with the disclosure. As may be seen, toy building structure 10 includes a base panel member 12, at least two side wall panels 13A, 13B, a front wall panel 15, a roof panel 17 and side roof panels 19A, 19B. When in the assembled configuration, these components cooperate together to form a complete toy building structure 10. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 2-3, toy building structure 10 may further include interior panels to create distinct rooms within toy building structure 10. The interior panels will be discussed below in further detail.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a plan view of base panel member 12 is shown, prior to installation of any side wall panel members 13A, 13B, front wall panel 15, a roof panel 17, side roof panels 19A, 19B, and interior wall panels. FIG. 6, which will be discussed later, illustrates a plan view of base panel member 12 with the various panel members (13A, 13B, 15, 17, 19A, 19B, etc.) installed.

Base panel member 12 is defined by a peripheral edge 20. In one exemplary arrangement, base panel member 12 is configured with first recesses 14. First recesses 14 are configured to selectively receive side wall panels 13A, 13B. More specifically, recesses 14, each are defined by two ends, a first end 21A and a second end 21B. The first end 21A of each of the recesses 14 extends to a peripheral edge 20 of the base panel member 12. Second ends 21B are configured to intersect with a second recess 16 that is configured to receive front wall panel 15.

Second recess 16 is also defined by first and second ends 23A and 23B, respectively. First end 23A of second recess 16 is configured to intersect with one of the first recesses 14. Second end 23B of second recess 16 extends to peripheral edge 20 such that a portion of second recess 16 extends laterally beyond one of first recesses 14.

Base panel 12 may also be configured with one or more interior wall recesses 18 configured to receive interior panels 25, as will be explained in further detail below. In one exemplary configuration, each interior wall recess 18 is also defined by a first end 27A and a second end 27B. First end 27A of interior wall recess 18 is configured to extend to peripheral edge 20 of base panel member 12. In one exemplary configuration, second end 27B is spaced away from second recess 16 such that interior wall recess 18 does not intersect with second recess 16. However, it is understood that second end 27B may be configured to terminate or even intersect with second recess 16 without departing from the present disclosure.

In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, base panel 12 may be configured with a plurality of recesses 29 into which a magnet element 31 is received. The magnet element 31 is configured to cooperate with a magnetic panel to easily and non-destructively permit selective interchanging of the decor of the toy building structure 10. For example, for magnet elements 31 imbedded in recesses 29 that are positioned inwardly of first and second recesses, toward a center section of base panel 12, corresponding magnetic panels (not shown) having various floor designs may be placed thereon. For example, magnetic panels illustrating a wood grain flooring pattern or a distinctive tile design, may be provided. In one specific exemplary configuration, the magnetic panels are configured with a predetermined size and shape that corresponds to a specific section of base panel 12. More specifically, magnetic panels may be provided that are sized to correspond to an area 33 bordered by first recess 14A, second recess 16 and interior wall recess 18. In yet another exemplary configuration, area 33 may be configured to have the same dimensions at area 35 allowing further interchangeability of various magnetic panels.

Magnets 29 exert a sufficient retaining force to retain the magnetic panels on various components of structure 10, but still permits a child to easily remove and/or replace the magnetic panels, if desired. Further, because only small magnets 29 are utilized, the structure may be cost-effectively manufactured. In one arrangement, relatively small magnets 29 are used, such that the panels are relatively lightweight that that a child can easily manipulate. While only a single magnet 29 is depicted in area 33 (and in area 35), it is understood that a plurality of magnets may be provided. Further, while recesses are configured as having a circular shape (and magnets have a corresponding shape), it is understood that alternative shapes of the recesses and corresponding magnets are also contemplated by the current disclosure.

In one exemplary configuration, base panel 12 is configured such that an apron 37 extends around the outermost recesses 14 and 16. Apron 37 may also be provided with one or more recesses 39 that are configured to receive magnet elements 41 therein. In one exemplary configuration, magnetic panels that correspond to landscape configurations may be used on apron 37. For example, magnet panels depicting grass, or snow may be employed. In another exemplary configuration, three dimensional objects having a magnetic element embedded therein, may be employed. For example, shrubs, mailboxes, snowmen, flowers, and tree elements may be provided that selective secure to apron 37 to vary the landscape.

As discussed above, toy building structure 10 may be configured with more than one level. For example, turning to FIGS. 7 and 8, an exemplary second floor panel 43 is shown. Second floor panel 43 is configured with one or more slots 22 that are configured to receive interior wall panels. Slots 22 are formed through the thickness of second floor panel 43. Slots 22 are defined by a first end 45A and a second end 45B. First end 45 is configured to extend to a peripheral edge 47 of second floor panel 43. Second end 45 extends inwardly from peripheral edge 47 by a predetermined length.

Similar to base panel 12 described above, second floor panel 43 may also be configured with one or more recesses 39 into which magnet elements 41 are disposed therein. More specifically, a bottom surface 50 (represented in phantom) of second floor panel 43, which would ultimately be a ceiling once assembled, may be provided with one or more recesses 39′that open toward the bottom surface 50. Magnet elements 41′ are positioned therein. Magnet element 41′ may be configured to hold magnetic panels adjacent bottom surface 50 so as to selectively modify the decor thereof. In an alternative arrangement, three dimensional decor items, such as light fixtures (not shown) may be provided with magnet elements that mate with magnet element 41 to allow a user to quickly and easily interchange light fixtures.

A top surface 51 of second floor panel 43 may also be configured with one or more recesses 39 that are configured to receive magnet elements 41 therein. As discussed above in connection with base panel 12, magnet elements 41 are configured to cooperate with decorative magnetic panels (not shown) to allow a user to selectively modify the flooring of second floor panel 43. As discussed above, the decorative magnetic panels may have predetermined sizes and shapes that correspond to different shaped sections of second floor panel 43. For example, looking at FIG. 8 which is a plan view of second floor panel 43 after second floor panel 43 has been assembled to front wall panel member 16, side wall panel members 13A, 13B and internal wall panels, looking down on a top surface 51 thereof, different areas 53, 55 are created. Each area 53, 55 may be provided with at least one recess 39 and corresponding magnet element 41 therein and magnet panels having a size and shape that generally corresponds to the size and shape of each area 53 may be provided. In one exemplary configuration, areas 53 and 55 are configured with a generally identical size and shape such that decorative magnetic panels may be used interchangeably with each area 53 and 55. In one specific exemplary arrangement, areas 53 and 55 may also correspond with areas 33 and 35 for base panel 12.

Referring to FIGS. 9A, 9B, 10A, 10B, first and second side wall panels 13A and 13B will now be discussed. As may be seen, each side wall panel 13A, 13B may further include one or more windows 60. Each side wall panel 13A, 13B is defined by an interior surface 62 and an exterior surface 64. Interior surface 62 of first and second side wall panels 13A and 13B are shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B. A generally horizontal mounting groove 63 is formed in each interior surface 62. Mounting grooves 63 are configured to receive second floor panel 43 so as to retain second floor panel 43 in a fixed height configuration from base panel member 12, as well as securing second floor panel 43 to each side wall panel 13A and 13B. Exterior surface 64 of first and second side wall panels 13A and 13B are shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B. When assembled to base panel member 12, exterior surface 64 is configured to face outwardly.

Like base panel 10 and the second floor panel 43, the interior surfaces 62 of each side wall panel 13A and 13B may also include one or more recesses 39 that are configured to receive magnet elements 41 therein. As also discussed above, in one exemplary configuration, the magnet elements are configured to cooperate with magnet panels to allow for selective change of wall decor. In one exemplary arrangement, each side panel 13A, 13B is configured with at least one recess 39 and magnet element 41 therein above mounting groove 63 and at least one recess 39 and magnet element 41 therein below mounting groove 63. With this configuration, wall decor between the first and second floors may be independently changed by applying different magnet panels above and below second floor panel 63.

Referring to FIGS. 11A, 11B, 17A, 17B, first and second interior panels 65A and 65B will now be discussed. First and second interior panels 65 may be configured with an open area 67 that extends from a bottom edge 69 that cooperates with a top surface of base panel 12 to form a doorway. An additional opening 70 may be formed in a top portion of interior panels 65. Opening 70 is used to create a doorway when interior panels 65A, 65B are assembled to second floor panel 43 such that a bottom edge of opening 70 may be generally vertically aligned with a top surface of second floor panel 43. Each interior panel 65A, 65B is also configured with a transverse slot 24 that extends from a first edge 72 of interior panel 65A, 65B a predetermined distance toward an opposite edge 74.

Bottom edge 69 is configured to be received within internal wall recesses 18 formed in base panel 12. Each slot 24 is configured to engage with a corresponding slot 22 formed in second floor panel 43, thereby also securing interior panels 65 to second floor panel 43.

Interior panels 65A, 65B are each defined by first and second surfaces 73 and 75. First and second surfaces 73 and 75 may each be configured with one or more recesses 39 that are configured to receive magnet elements 41 therein. As discussed above, in one exemplary configuration, the magnet elements 41 are configured to cooperate with magnet panels to allow for selective change of wall decor. The magnet panels may be provided in predetermined shape and size to accommodate the open area 67 and opening 70 formed in interior panels 65A, 65B. In one exemplary arrangement, each interior panel 65A, 65B is configured with at least one recess 39 and magnet element 41 therein above slot 24 and at least one recess 39 and magnet element 41 therein below mountings slot 24. With this configuration, wall decor between the first and second floors may be independently changed by applying different magnet panels above and below second floor panel 43.

In the exemplary configuration depicted, toy building structure 10 is also provided with an attic panel 80. FIGS. 12 and 13 depict the configuration of attic panel 80. More specifically, FIG. 12 is a top plan view of attic panel 80. A top surface 82 of attic panel 80 includes open retaining slots 26 disposed adjacent each sides of attic panel 80. Slots 26 are configured to receive a gable wall section 84 of side wall panels 13A, 13B therethrough. While not shown, top surface of attic panel 80 may also include recesses 39 that are configured to receive recesses therein such that the decor of top surface 82 may be selectively modified as previously described.

FIG. 13 illustrates attic panel 80 as viewed from below (i.e., the bottom surface 84). Attic panel 80 includes a recess 28 for receiving a top portion of an interior wall panel 86. Attic panel 80 also includes a series of recesses 29 for receiving a top portion of front wall panel 15. As shown, bottom surface 84 of attic panel 80 may also include magnets 41 recessed within recess to allow for three-dimensional decor elements, such as light fixtures, to be selectively attached.

FIGS. 14A-14B illustrates the exterior and interior of front wall panel 15, respectively. As may be seen, front wall panel 15 may include a doorway 87 and one or more windows 85. In one exemplary configuration, doorway 87 is fitted with a selectively moveable door. A top portion 30 of front wall panel 15 includes a series of tabs 32 that correspond to recesses 29 of attic panel 80.

As best seen in FIG. 14B, an interior surface 88 of front wall panel 15 includes longitudinally oriented interior recesses 89 to receive a portion of interior wall panels 65A, 65B and a transversely oriented recess 90 to receive second floor panel 43. As shown, front wall panel 15 may also include a plurality of recesses 39 that are configured to receive magnet elements 41 that cooperate with magnet panels to allow for interchangeable decor, as discussed above. The decor may be sized in a manner that generally corresponds wall sections defined by the intersection of recesses 89 and 90. The magnetic panels may also be configured with cut-outs that correspond to the doorway 87 and windows 85.

FIGS. 15-16 are both interior doorway panels 92 and 93. Each doorway panel 92, 93 is configured with a bottom portion that is sized to fit within corresponding sized recesses. For example, doorway panel 92 is sized to be received within recesses 94 formed in bottom panel 12. Similarly, a bottom portion of doorway panel 93 is sized to be received within recesses 96 formed in second floor panel 43. Both sides of each doorway panel 92, 93 may be configured with recesses 39 and magnet elements 41 positioned therein such that predetermined sized magnet panels may be selectively adhered to doorway panels 92, 93 to permit selective decor by a user.

FIGS. 18A-18B illustrate the interior and exterior surfaces of a roof panel 100. As may be seen, roof panel 100 includes one or more openings 102 for dormer windows 103. Along the interior of roof panel 100, openings 102 include notches 104 to accept a base 106 of a dormer window 103. Another recess 110 is positioned along the side surface of each window 103 to accept a tab 112 from a dormer side wall 113. The exterior surface of roof panel 100 includes recesses 114 that receive tabs 116 from gable wall section 84. FIG. 19 illustrates how a dormer window 118 is attached.

FIG. 20 illustrates the configuration of the main roof back panels 120 that are positioned on either side of roof panel 100. Each main roof back panel 120 is configured with a receiving recess 122 that is configured to receive and retain an edge of gable wall section 84.

FIGS. 21A-21B illustrate dormer side walls 113. Each dormer side wall 113 includes a stepped top 126 that is configured to receive dormer roof panels 128. Tab member 112 is also provided along a bottom edge 132. Tab member 122 is configured to be received in a corresponding notch 104 formed in roof panel 100.

FIGS. 22 and 23 illustrates dormer window 103. As may be seen, dormer window 103 includes a panel member 130 that is configured with a recess 132 to receive roof panel 100. As seen in FIG. 23A roof panel 100 also includes a notch 134 to receive a portion of panel member 130 of dormer window 103.

Referring back to FIGS. 2-4, an exemplary method of assembly of the toy building structure 10 will be described. First, base panel 12 is positioned such that recesses 14, 16, and 18 are facing up. Next, front panel 15 is slid into recess 16, with its exterior surface facing outwardly. A bottom portion of a first side panel 13B is then slid into one of the recesses 14. A lateral edge of first side panel 13B is then engaged with a lateral recess 86 formed on an interior surface of front panel 15, thereby securing first side panel 13B to both base panel 12 and front panel 15.

Next, a bottom portion of a second side panel 13A is then slid into the remaining recess 14, such that a lateral edge of second side panel 13A is engaged with a corresponding lateral recess 86 formed on an interior surface of front panel 15. A bottom potion of doorway panel 92 is then inserted into recesses 94 that formed on the base panel 12, adjacent to recesses 18. A bottom surface of two interior panels 65A, 65B are inserted into recesses 18. A lateral recess 95 formed in facing surfaces of interior panels 65A, 65B receive lateral edges of doorway panel 92.

Next, second floor panel 43 is slid onto the structure 10. More specifically, side edges of second floor panel 43 engages with recesses 63 formed in the interior side of side walls 13A, 13B. Slots 22 of second floor panel 43 engage with slots 24 formed in the interior panels 65A, 65B, with a portion of interior panels 65A. 65B received within slots 22 of second floor panel 43. Next, an interior doorway panel 93 is connected to second floor panel 43. More specifically, a bottom portion of interior doorway panel 93 is received within recesses 96. Side edges of doorway panel 93 are disposed in lateral recesses 95 formed in facing surfaces of interior panels 65A, 65B.

Next, the dormer windows 103 are constructed. First, dormer sidewalls 113 are inserted into roof panel 100. The front panel 130 of dormer window 103 is then inserted into roof panel 100. Finally, the dormer roof panels are laid onto dormer side walls 113. Roof panel 100 is then engaged with attic floor panel 80. Attic floor panel 80 is slid over side wall panels 13A, 13B such that a portion of side wall panels 13A, 13B are received within slots 26 formed therein. Finally, roof back panels 120 are connected to portions of side wall panels 13A, 13B.

Once assembled, toy building structure may be selectively modified by applying decorative panels to the various interior surfaces of toy building structure 10. Examples of suitable decorative magnetic panels are illustrated in FIGS. 24-57. As may be seen, these decorative panels may have a variety of shapes that generally correspond to the interior surface to be decorated. In one exemplary arrangement, one of the surfaces is provided with magnetic elements that will be attracted to magnet elements 47 positioned in the various panels described above. In another exemplary arrangement, the magnet panels are provided with a number of magnet elements that correspond to magnet elements formed in a particular panel such that the magnet elements of each piece match up together.

It will be appreciated that the devices and methods described herein have broad applications. The foregoing embodiments were chosen and described in order to illustrate principles of the methods and apparatuses as well as some practical applications. The preceding description enables others skilled in the art to utilize methods and apparatuses in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the principles and modes of operation of this invention have been explained and illustrated in exemplary embodiments.

It is intended that the scope of the present methods and apparatuses be defined by the following claims. However, it must be understood that this invention may be practiced otherwise than is specifically explained and illustrated without departing from its spirit or scope. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various alternatives to the embodiments described herein may be employed in practicing the claims without departing from the spirit and scope as defined in the following claims. The scope of the invention should be determined, not with reference to the above description, but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is anticipated and intended that future developments will occur in the arts discussed herein, and that the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future examples. Furthermore, all terms used in the claims are intended to be given their broadest reasonable constructions and their ordinary meanings as understood by those skilled in the art unless an explicit indication to the contrary is made herein. In particular, use of the singular articles such as “a,” “the,” “said,” etc. should be read to recite one or more of the indicated elements unless a claim recites an explicit limitation to the contrary. It is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that the method and apparatus within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby. In sum, it should be understood that the invention is capable of modification and variation and is limited only by the following claims.

Claims

1. A toy building structure that may be selectively assembled and disassembled, comprising:

a base panel having a plurality of recesses therein;

a pair of opposing side wall panels;

a front wall panel having a plurality of recesses formed therein, wherein at least a portion of the recesses are configured to receiving a side edge of the side wall panels in mating engagement; and

an attic floor panel configured to engage with the side walls panels;

wherein the toy building structure further includes a plurality of magnet elements recessed in one or more of the base, side wall and front panels, the magnet elements configured to cooperate with and attract a decorative magnetic panel in a non-permanent manner to permit selective decoration of the structure.

2. The toy building structure of claim 1, further comprising:

a second floor panel having first lateral edges configured to be received within recesses formed in the side wall panels, a second forward edge configured to be received within a corresponding recess formed in the front panel.

3. The toy building structure of claim 2, further comprising:

at least one interior wall panel, the interior wall panel having a bottom edge that is received within a recess formed on the base panel and a lateral edge that is received within a corresponding recess formed on the front wall panel.

4. The toy building structure of claim 3, wherein each of the interior wall panels further comprises a transverse slot member and wherein the second floor panel further comprises at least one slot member that is configured to engage with the transverse slot member of the interior wall panel.

5. The toy building structure of claim 4, further comprising a first doorway panel, the doorway panel having bottom edges that engage with doorway panel recesses formed on the base panel and at least one side edge that is configured to be received within a first doorway panel recess formed in the interior wall panel.

6. The toy building structure of claim 5, further comprising a second doorway panel, the second doorway panel having bottom edges that engage with doorway panel recesses from on the second floor panel and at least one side edge that is configured to be received within a second doorway panel recess formed in the interior wall panel.

7. The toy building structure of claim 1, wherein the attic floor panel includes open slots that are configured to received portions of the side wall panels therethrough to engage the side wall panels to the attic floor panel.

8. The toy building structure of claim 1, wherein the recesses magnetic elements are mounted such that a top surface of the magnetic elements are flush with a surface of the panel into which the magnetic element is mounted.

9. The toy building structure of claim 1, further comprising a roof panel that is detachable secured to the attic panel.

10. The toy building structure of claim 9, wherein the roof panel is configured to selectively receive a dormer window sub-assembly.

11. The toy building structure of claim 1, further comprising roof base panels that operatively connect to a portion of the side wall panels and the roof panel.

12. A toy building structure kit, comprising:

a base panel having a plurality of recesses therein;

a pair of opposing side wall panels, each having a recess extending transversely therein;

a front wall panel having a plurality of recesses formed therein, a portion of the recesses configured for receiving a side edge of the side wall panels;

at least one interior wall panel having a slot, the interior wall panel having a bottom edge that is received within a recess formed on the base panel;

a second floor panel having edges configured to be received in the recesses formed in the side wall panels and having at least one slot for engaging the interior wall panel;

an attic floor panel configured to engage with the side wall panels and having spaced apart recesses configured for receiving tabs of a roof panel; and

a plurality of decorative magnetic panels;

wherein a plurality of magnetic elements are recessed in one or more the base, side wall, second floor, interior wall, and attic floor panels, the magnetic elements configured to cooperate with the magnetic panels to permit selective decoration of the structure.