Blythe (doll)
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Blythe (pronounced [blaɪθ]) is a doll created in 1972 by designer Allison Katzman with the now-defunct U.S. toy company Kenner. Reportedly, she was modelled after drawings by Margaret Keane, similarly to many other dolls of the '60s and '70s. Her most distinctive and notable feature were eyes that changed color with the pull of a string attached to the back of her head. Due to a lack of interest, Blythe dolls were only sold for one year in the U.S. (produced in Hong Kong), during 1972.
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[edit] History
Blythe was created in 1972 by designer Allison Katzman and marketed for one year in the USA by toy company Kenner. The doll would only become popular some 30 years later.
In 1997, New York TV and video producer Gina Garan was given a 1972 Kenner Blythe by a friend and began using it to practice her photographic skills. She began taking her Blythe everywhere with her and took hundreds of photos. Then, in 1999, a chance encounter with CWC's Junko Wong brought Blythe to the attention of Parco and toy executives. In 2002, Gina published her first book of Blythe photography with Chronicle Books, This is Blythe. Later that year, Hasbro (the Trademark and License owner) gave Takara of Japan a license to produce the New Edition of Blythe (NEO Blythe). Blythe was used in a television advertising campaign by the Parco department store in Japan and was an instant hit. Success in Japan led Hasbro to issue a license to Ashton Drake Galleries (ADG)to produce Blythe exclusively in the U.S., where the doll become a niche product in a marginal market, selling largely to adults.
In 2003 Blythe was the subject in a segment on the popular VH1 special, I Love the 70s, where she was said to look like either "Barbie with elephantiasis" or "Christina Ricci" among other things.
In 2004, the Ashton-Drake Galleries began to produce their own Blythe replica dolls in the United States.
A vibrant Blythe subculture flourishes on the Internet, predominantly in forums and user groups. There is a large network of hobbyists who customise the doll for resale, people who create unique clothing and shoes, as well as accessories specifically for Blythe.
[edit] Dolls
There are two types of Blythe dolls: the 28cm (1/6th scale) "NEO" and the 11.2 cm "Petit Blythe." Only NEO Blythes have colour-changing eyes, which include the colours blue, green, orange, and pink (except for cases with limited-edition dolls). Newer releases of the Petit Blythe dolls have moveable eyelids and bendable bodies.
A smaller Kubrick version of Blythe also exists.
The measurements of Blythe: 4.17-2.76-3.89 (in inches) or 106-70-99 (in mm). The measurements of Petit Blythe: 1.77-1.18-16.5 (in inches) or 45-30-42 (in mm).
Blythe dolls range in price (at release date) from USD$60 (ADG versions) upwards of USD$300 (limited edition NEOs). Older dolls are sought after in the collectors market, and can sell for as high as several thousand dollars for a Kenner to a thousand dollars or more for the first edition NEO.
[edit] Blythe bodies (neo)
The bodies of Blythe varies depending on the time of the release. Earlier releases uses the BL (basic Licca) body, which has some disadvantages. For example, the legs do not bend as well as the later releases.
BL: June 2001-March 2002. Licca body is used, eyes glance further to the side, matte face for some models. Some also have boggled eyes so the upper lid does not show on their eyes. Hair is also generally thinner.
EBL (Excellent): June 2002-October 2003. New body is introduced. Unlike the earlier Licca body, EBL bodies do not have bendable arms, though their legs have three "clicks" at the knee. Faces are shinier.
SBL (Superior): February 2004-2006. New face mould and new sparkly eye chips. The new head of the doll is fashioned from a complete piece of plastic which does not allow access to the eye mechanism.
RBL (Radiance): December 2006-Present. New face mould to look more Kenner-like, including a slightly wider left eye.
Ashton Drake Galleries also produced a replica of the 4 originals Kenners, with similar boxes and the same outfits and hair colours. They tried to make the face mould more similar to the original Kenner. Noticeable differences are the skin-tone has a slight green tint, eye holes are wider, and the colours of the make-up quite vibrant.
[edit] Blythe designs
Takara frequently releases new versions of Blythe. They are usually first shown by a vector-styled design with variations before it is confirmed.
[edit] Neo Takara Blythe releases
All Takara Blythes (neo size) released until now:
1) BL-0 Parco Limited (Parco) - June 2001
2) BL-1 Mondrian (YSL) - June 2001
3) BL-2 Hollywood (HW) - October 2001
4) BL-3 Rosie Red (RR) - October 2001
5) BL-4 All Gold In One (Goldie) - January 2002
6) BL-5 Kozy Kape Inspired (Kozy) - January 2002
7) BL-6 Aztec Arrival Inspired (Aztec) - February 2002
8) BL-7 Sunday Best (SB) - April 2002
9) TRU-EX1 Dottie Dot (DD) - April 2002
10) BA-1 Miss Anniversary Limited (Miss A) - June 2002
11) EBL-1 Bohemian Beat (BB) - July 2002
12) EBL-2 Asian Butterfly (AB) - September 2002
13) EBL-3 Piccadilly Dolly Limited (Picca) - September 2002
14) EBL-4 Skate Date (SD) - November 2002
15) EBL-5 Rouge Noir (RN) - 31st December 2002
16) EBL-6 Excellent Hollywood (HW) - March 2003
17) TRU-EX2 Cherry Berry (CB) - 28th February 2003
18) EBL-7 Cinnamon Girl (CG) - 28th February 2003
19) EBL-8 Tea for Two (T42) - 31st March 2003
20) EBL-9 Disco Boogie (DB) - April 2003
21) EBL-10 Love Mission (LM) - July 2003
22) EBL-11 Bohemian Beats Again (BBA) - March 2003
23) Courtney Tez by Nike 2nd Anniversary Limited (Nike) - June 2003
24) TRU-EX3 Fancy Pansy (FP) - 19th July 2003
25) EBL-12 Fruit Punch (FP) - September 2003
26) TRU-EX4 Very Cherry Berry (VCB) - October 2003
27) SBL-1 Superior Skate Date (SSD) - December 2003
28) SBL-2 Pow Wow Poncho Inspired (PWP) - December 2003
29) ROK-EX Velvet Minuet (VM) - January 2004
30) SBL-3 Silver Snow (SS) - February 2004
31) SBL-4 I Love You It's True (ILYIT) - March 2004
32) SBL-5 Sunday Very Best (SVB) - March 2004
33) OTS-EX Over the Stripes (OTS) - April 2004
34) SBL-6 Lounging Lovely (LL) - June 2004
35) SBL-7 French Trench (FT) - June 2004
36) Art Attack 3rd Anniversary Limited (AA) - June 2004
37) MCC-EX Paradis by Mono Comme Ca (MCC) - July 2004
38) TRU-EX6 Birdie Blue (BB) - August 2004
39) SBL-8 Mademoiselle Rose Bud (MRB) - August 2004
40) EBL-13 Samedi Marche (SM) - September 2004
41) SBL-9 Groovy Groove (GG) - October 2004
42) Mitten-EX Mitten by Blythe (Mitten) - November 2004
43) MLK-EX Lil' Heart Blythe by Milk (Milk) - December 2004
44) TRU-EX7 Tweedly Do (TD) - February 2005
45) SBL-10 Inspired by Pinafore Purple (PP) - February 2005
46) MMC-EX Margaret Meets Ladybug (MML) - March 2005
47) SBL-11 V-Smash (VS) - March 2005
48) SBL-12 Candy Carnival (CC) - May 2005
49) ROXY-EX - Roxy Baby by Quiksilver (Rozy) - July 2005
50) SBL- Good Neighbor Cafe (GNC) - August 2005
51) SBL- Cinema Princess 4th Anniversary Limited (CP) - June 2005
52) Tommy-EX - Tommy February 6 Blythe (TF6) - October 2005
53) SBL- Asian Butterfly Encore (ABe) - October 2005
54) SBL- Samedi Marche Encore (SMe) - October 2005
55) SBL- Narumiya-EX - Rendezvous Chou Chou (RCC) - December 2005
56) SBL- White Magic Morning (WMM) - January 2006
57) SBL- White Magic Afternoon (WMA) - January 2006
58) SBL- White Magic Night (WMN) - January 2006
59) SBL- Merry Skier (MS) - 24th January 2006
60) TRU-EX8 Cute and Curious (CuCu) - February 2006
61) SBL- Blackberry Bush (BBB) - March 2006
62) SBL- Tea for Two Encore (T42e) - April 2006
63) SBL- Rosie Red Encore (RRe) - May 2006
64) SBL- Strawberry Millefeuille (SMF) - May 2006
65) SBL- Night Flower (NF) - June 2006
66) RBL- Darling Diva 5th Anniversary Limited (Diva) - June 2006
67) SBL- Honey Bunny Once More (HBOM) - July 2006
68) SBL- Prima Dolly 1 Ashlette (PD1A) - August 2006
69) SBL- Prima Dolly 1 Ginger (PD1G) - August 2006
70) SBL- Prima Dolly 1 Violet (PD1V) - August 2006
71) SBL- Piccadilly Dolly Encore (PiccaE) - September 2006
72) RBL- Last Kiss (LK) - October 2006
73) RBL- Star Dancer (StarD) - November 2006
74) RBL- Ichigo Heaven (IH) - December 2006
75) RBL- Yuki no Namida Hime (YNH) - December 2006
76) RBL- Prima Dolly Melon (PDM) - January 2007
77) SBL- Feel the Sky (FTS) - January 2007
78) RBL- Prima Dolly 2 Aubrey (PD2A) - February 2007
79) RBL- Prima Dolly 2 Saffy (PD2S) - February 2007
80) RBL- Prima Dolly 2 Ebony (PD2E) - February 2007
81) RBL- Ultimate Tour (UT) - March 2007
82) RBL- Tailor Gibson (TG) - March 2007
83) SBL- Rainy Day Parade (RDP) - April 2007
84) RBL- Gentle River (GR) - May 2007
85) SBL- My Best Friend (MBF) - June 2007
86) RBL- Prima Dolly Peach (PDP) (CWC Limited Edition)
87) RBL- Prima Dolly Cassis (PDC) (CWC Limited Edition)
88) SBL- Save the Animals (STA) - 27th July 2007
89) RBL- Princess A la mode 6th Anniversary Limited (PAM) - 23rd June 2007
90) RBL- Hello Harvest (HH) - 25 August 2007
91) RBL- Dainty Biscuit (DaBi) - September 2007
92) SBL- Cloud 9 Bowl (C9B) (Toys R Us Limited) - 22 September 2007
93) RBL- Mrs.Retro Mama (MRM) - October 2007
94) SBL- Enchanted Petal (EP) - 2 November 2007
95) RBL- Angelica Eve (AE) - 22 November 2007
96) SBL- Odekake Kimono Musume (OKM) - (CWC Limited Edition) December 2007
97) SBL- Mod Molly (MM) - 14 December 2007
98) RBL- Welcome Winter (WW) - 8 January 2008
99) RBL- Happy Harbor (HaHa) - February 2008
100) SBL- Natasha Moore (NM) - March 2008
101) RBL- Heart of Montmartre (HoM) - (CWC Limited Edition) March 2008
102) SBL- Precocious Candy's Mushroom () - (CWC Limited Edition) 2008
103) SBL- Can Can Cat (CCC) - May 2008
[edit] Petite Takara Blythe releases
- PBL01 Kozy Cape
- PBL02 Hollywood
- PBL03 Rosie
- PBL04 Mondrian
- PBL05 Cosmo Afternoon
- PBL06 Sunday Besy
- PBL07&8 Bohemian Beat
- PBL09 Paisley Star
- PBL10 Asian Butterfly
- PBL11 Rouge Noir
- PBL12 Snow Wonder
- PBL13 Pajama Party
- PBL14 Weekend Artist
- PBL15 All Gold
- PBL16 Hollywood
- PBL17 Aloha Spirit
- PBL18 Cinnamon Girl
- PBL19 Sewing My Way - pink
- PBL20 Sewing My Way - blue
- PBL21 Aztec Arrival Inspired
- PBL22 Totally Tartan
- PBL23 Pinky Doodle Poodle
- PBL24 Midnight Hour
- PBL25 Skate Date
- PBL26 Pow Wow Poncho
- PBL27 Kitchen Queen
- PBL28 Tea for Two
- PBL29 Plum Blossom
- PBL30 Romantic Western
- PBL31 Rainy Day
- PBL32 Sailing Sailing
- PBL33 Something Blue
- PBL34 Caribbean Jewel
- PBL35 Sunset Surfer
- PBL36 Mademoiselle Rosebud
- PBL37 Classy Classmate
- PBL38 Orange Munchin
- PBL39 Cutie March
- PBL40 Spirit and Spice
- PBL-41 I Love You It's True
- PBL-42 First Plum
- PBL-43 Groovy Groove
- PBL-44 Cassandra Black
- PBL-46 Please Plie
- PBL-45 Forest Clover
- PBL-47 Kingyo Bijin
- PBL-48 Butter Cake Afternoon
- PBL-49 Mamalade Heart
- PBL-50 Tokyo Toddler
- PBL-51 Spanky Punky (Devil Robots collaboration)
- PBL TRU EX 01 Dottie Dot
- PBL TRU EX 02 Cherry Berry
- PBL TRU EX 03 Fancy Pancy
- PBL TRU EX Birdie Blue
- PBL TRU EX A Go Go
- 2nd anniversary Nike
- 3rd anniversary Art Attack
- 4th anniversary Princess Cinema
- CWC Limited Honey Bunny
- CWC Limited Piccadilly Dolly
- CWC Limited Fairy Girl
- CWC Limited Velvet Minuet
- CWC Limited Happy Everyday
- CWC Limited Bubbly Blue Bunny
- CWC Limited Hohoho
- CWC Limited Princess Tutuphant
- CWC Limited Milk
- CWC Limited Mitten
- CWC Limited Mono Comme Ca
- KPBL01 Feline Fancy
- KPBL02 Bear Hug
- KPBL03 Poseidon's Treasure
- KPBL05 Piyo Piyo Messenger
- KPBL06 Fluffy Cuddly Bed Time
- KPBL13 Tip Toe Itsy Bitsy Bug
- P-PBL 01 Hollywood (new eye and body)
- P-PBL 02 Rosie Red (new eye and body)
- P-PBL 03 Mondrian (new eye and body)
[edit] Blythe books
- This is Blythe
- Blythe Style
- Dear Blythe : Love, Gina
- Dear Blythe 2: Love, Gina
- Hello Blythe! Journal
- Hello Blythe! Addresses
- Blythe on Beauty
- Darling Blythe
- Blythe Moment
- Blythe Rhapsody
- Blythe Custom Basic Note (The Blythe Custom book)
- NA WAHINE AULII: a Story at Hawaii by Blythe
- Me & My Blythe: the Fans Collection
