When the uninitiated are introduced to Blythe, I often get asked what’s so special about her? People automatically assume there has to be something special for an adult to be carrying around a doll. And there’s a lot to be said about those big-eyed beauties that have a place in our homes and in our hearts. I got my first Blythe when I was in an unhappy point in my life, so to me Blythe will always represent happiness. There’s just something joyful in their cute faces, stock or otherwise. And you cannot deny the magical pull that Blythe has on our heartstrings.

I talk about Blythe a lot to people who probably don’t really care too much about them. But my boyfriend listens (and I listen when he talks about cars) to me when I talk about Blythe. He knows there’s different molds (even if he can’t tell them apart). He knows my dolls’ names, he knows that Eden only wears pink and he always asks before pulling on the string of a doll with sleepy eyes that he’s pulling on the right one. He says that I always smile when I’m talking about Blythe, that something about those dolls just makes me light up. And he’s right, there is something wonderful about Blythe that just makes me happy.

But we all have our own reasons for falling in love with Blythe. Some can’t resist the urge to customize and make the dolls their own, others love them for the cute faces and fashions.

What are your reasons for loving Blythe? What makes them special to you?

Kenner, the name of a defunct toy company and the name we use to describe the Blythes of the year 1972. Now a show of hands, how many people want a Kenner? It’s probably many people in the Blythe community. Myself? Well, I didn’t really “get” it until I saw a Kenner in person and then heard that soft little pip that they have. Then I realized how badly screwed I was in terms of not getting a Kenner, it just turned into want mode.

Photo by me/chelleshocks, Kenners belong to Rebecca/Squirrel Junkie.

So I decided to start saving up for a Kenner. My Kenner funds come from tax credit cheques that I get from the Canadian federal government for a) not making a whole lot of money and b) being a poor student and also from all of the overtime that I’m earning from my full-time summer job. But that is just one method of saving for a pricey doll. I do it this way because I don’t budget for having overtime because I never know when there’s not going to be surplus of work available to me, and I don’t budget for my tax credit cheques because I don’t remember when they come (even though there is technically a schedule). So money that I don’t take into account when budgeting for school and other life’s expenses equals dolly funds.

Some other methods for saving up for a Kenner or another expensive Blythe or just something else that you want:

• Craft and then sell. Take a set amount of money to invest into supplies and then craft something to sell. Always invest some of the money you make into more craft supplies but then save a portion for your fund. Bonus points if you’re making something awesome for Blythe.
• Sell your old textbooks. My sister can’t be the only person who’s holding onto textbooks since she graduated from university 9 years ago! It was money spent and then just kind of stayed there. It’s like having cash hanging out on the shelf, just collecting dust. She recently sold many of her textbooks (all older editions, newer ones have since been published) and earned some money to put towards her furniture fund (she really needs to get a couch).
• Start couponing (just don’t go crazy) and whatever money you save and would have otherwise had spent gets saved. Please don’t go out and buy a bunch of things that you don’t need, you’re not saving money by doing that. But just go and use coupons on things that you would need and then set aside the money you’ve saved for that Kenner (or Darling Diva, or Art Attack, or Parco…)
• Closet clean out! Do your dolls never wear those dresses anymore? Maybe no one in your dolly family actually wears pants. And those shoes, does anyone wear those boots? If you have a lot of doll clothes that are still in good condition that you no longer want/need/use, it’d be a good idea to do a closet clean out. That way you’d be freeing up space (not necessarily for more doll clothes or shoes!) and getting some of the money that you’d already spent in the dolly community back for your next big purchase!

What are your favourite methods of saving for a new doll or more sundries? Please share below in the comments about how you save for a new doll!

I am very antsy when it comes to letting people handle my dolls. I’m reluctant to do so unless I trust that they understand that the dolls are both monetarily valuable as well as emotionally valuable. When my dad first handled one of my Blythes (despite knowing full well how much one costs), he put his fingers all over the face, over the blush and eyeshadow. I don’t think I ever snatched something back so quick before! Blythe isn’t the same as a basic Barbie that you can pick up at most department stores’ toy aisles. Blythe is special, beloved and expensive. I’m very bad about letting non-dolly people handle my dolls, but if it’s under my constant supervision I’m generally better about it. I even let some of my (nicer) coworkers handle my dolls and even pull the strings! So today’s question of the week is…

How often do you allow non-dolly people to handle your Blythes? More importantly, do you let people pull on the pull string?