Could you really get rid of me? Or my sisters?

While I was on vacation, I was travelling with just one doll. I started getting comfortable with not having a choice in dolls, in having a single doll to take around with me everywhere. These thoughts led to the beginning of me thinking of what it would be like if I had less choices, less dolls, just less. One doll for all those clothes, shoes, hats and accessories? It may be a bit overwhelming though. This thought is hard, of course, because I have so many Blythes. I even added to my doll family after wandering around doll shops in Hong Kong. So how could I even think about downsizing? It was a fleeting thought. I thought about it primarily when I was in China, because it was a possibility. But then who would I sell? How would I downsize? And clearly (as evidenced above), I can’t even take care of the one doll that I do take on vacation… Please don’t ask what was going on with her bangs – I really don’t know, and her hair is a mess after being in a carrying bag.

The mere thought of listing dolls, figuring out pricing, not having them anymore is a level of stress that I didn’t need while I was on vacation (or now!). While it may have been nice to just have one doll to dress and tote around in my bag, I eventually (and lets not get into how long it took me…) started to miss my other dolls. I found myself unable to actually commit to the idea of downsizing, or selling anyone, because it was just that hard. I’ve grown attached to my dolls, as silly as that may sound to a non-dolly person, but I intend to keep them just where they are for the foreseeable future.

Did you downsize from a large doll family to a smaller one? Was it stressful? Did you do it for a reason other than just wanting a smaller family? Inquiring minds (or just mine!) want to know.

I recently took a break from Real Life by running away to the other side of the world (quite literally), and having a wonderful time with exploring Asia and shopping! Now that I’m back (and very, very jet lagged…), I’m refreshed and ready to come up with some new material for the blog. I had the opportunity to shop for dolls and doll things in Hong Kong, which was quite fun! It’s amazing to get to go into a shop and see it full of Blythe dolls, all in their boxes and waiting for someone to unbox them. So in the coming weeks, things that will be popping up will be:

• Several interesting articles (at least I think they’re interesting!)
• A couple of posts about my trip (and dolls!)
• Giveaways – yes, plural
• Just a lot of fun things that I’m looking forward to share with all of you

And until those posts come up, here’s a little snippet from my trip:

I see the word “bonding” used a lot when it comes to Blythe. People say that they haven’t bonded with a new doll that has arrived, or they’re unable to bond with a stock doll but they can bond with a customized Blythe. To me, bonding means that people become attached to a doll, or have grown to like (or love) a particular Blythe. I can understand why some people don’t bond with stock dolls – they have big shiny foreheads, they can look a little vacant at times. I like doing minor changes to my dolls – eye chip changes, gaze lifting. But some dolls are perfect (to me) as completely stock (Margaret Meets Ladybug, I mean you!). But I “bond” easily with stock dolls, compared to other people. I think there’s a pretty even split in the community – where probably about half of people enjoy customs whereas the other half love their stock dolls. Whatever bonding means to me, I think it’s always a great thing to love the dolls that you have. They’re not inexpensive dolls, it’s important to love what you spend your money on.

What does “bonding” mean to you?

I’ve posted a lot about Kenners on this blog already – I’ve talked about buying Kenners, some restoration tips that I come across when wanting to restore my own dolls, and just in general the wonderfulness that are the 1972 vintage beauties.

I was previously of the opinion that Neos were just as good (or better!) than the Kenners that I saw. I mean, why would I want to spend hundreds of dollars on an old doll when I could get a few brand new dolls for the same amount of money? It did take me a while to ‘see the light’, as they say, but see the light I did. And now I’m all “Kenners are Awesome!”, but I know a lot of people aren’t.

Let’s consider the history of Blythe. It’s 1972 and a big-headed doll comes onto the scene. With a pull string and mod 70’s outfits, she sat on the shelves waiting to be bought. And waited, and waited, and waited. That doll’s original 1972 price? About $5-6 USD. And she sat on the shelf. What I wouldn’t give for a time machine to snatch up some Blythes at the 70’s pricing! Now that she’s worth well over 100x that original amount, why are people still buying her? Why are people paying hundreds to a thousand-plus dollars for her?

Because Kenners have a certain charm. She oozes it – not to be confused with scalp ooze that sometimes happens with the older girls. There’s just something special about a doll that’s older than I am, with personality to spare.

I’ve read posts online about how some people don’t think that Kenners are worth the price tag. That’s fair enough. I’m sure there’s people who don’t think that Neo Blythe dolls are worth the price tag either. Same goes for Middies or even Petites. Worth is a relative term. What a Kenner is worth to one person isn’t the same worth to another person.

For me, personally, my Kenners have been worth the amount I paid for them. They still cost me many pretty pennies, and I’m not a fan of overspending, but they have been worth it to me. But what I paid for a Kenner may not be how much you would pay for one. For instance, I would never pay the price for a NRFB Kenner… but I don’t have $1500-2000USD that I can afford to spend on Blythe dolls right now. Plus, the moment I unbox her (and I would…), her value would go down faster than a new car depreciates when you drive it off the lot. Kenners fluctuate in prices a lot. No two Kenners are exactly alike and they all have their own little quirks that need to be taken into consideration when trying to consider a value.

All original make-up, eyelashes, clear eyechips, original body with no cracks or tears, all plugs, thatching, a pull-string that works, knees that bend – all of these add to a Kenner’s value. Missing legs, frizzy hair and an obviously replaced string? Definitely takes its toll on the value of the doll. Just buying a head? I hope you’re paying less than the price of a full doll with a full head of hair. Because the value is less.

Let’s put it into perspective. You can buy a single Kenner Blythe leg, depending on which side and if the knee still holds position, from $50-100. A Kenner hardcap can run for about $50. A Kenner pelvis, I’ve seen them go for about $30-75, depending on if there is one crack, two or none. A pristine Kenner scalp (with no tears, with hair) could run upwards of $250 – depending on what the rooting pattern is and the colour of hair. Heads alone (with an eye mechanism, hopefully working) can run for $400-500, easy. By the time you start trying to find a torso with arms and without cracks, you’d be better off finding a Kenner with poor auction photos and ratty hair than to piece one together yourself. But you could be ambitious, or needing a part to ‘complete’ your doll. And that’s totally okay too.

I find joy in doll ownership. I would like to think that most Blythe collectors/hobbyists do. I find it fun to dress my dolls in new clothes, collect tiny shoes and attempt to sew (even though I often fail miserably). When this hobby stops being fun, I’ll know that I’ve overstayed my welcome. Until then, I find joy in the world of Blythe. And that includes the Kenners, because there wouldn’t even be Neo Blythes, Middies or Petites today if it weren’t for Kenners.

I definitely think that Kenners are worth it, but like everything else in the world of dolls, you need to find the right one at the right price for you. I don’t think that people should dig themselves into debt over Blythe. I think that the responsible thing to do is to budget money for Blythe – Kenner or otherwise. It’s a hobby, not a necessity (as hard as that may be for some people).

For those in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s summertime! And yes, even those living up in Canada get to explore the wonders of fun in the sun. Albeit it’s not as warm as other places may be, it’s still summer time. Which means it’s time to talk about what’s hot and what’s not when it comes to Blythe summer fashion! My summer 2013 favourites include:

1. Bathing suits that look cute. Now, you may not be able to swim without damaging your eyelashes or having an eyechip potentially fall out, but that is not an excuse not to look fantastic by the pool. My personal favourites include the bikini top from Sunshine Holiday, but the Prima Dolly bathing suits are super cute as well.

2. A fetching pair of sunglasses helps to protect all four sets of your eyechips from the harmful UV rays! Your human should remember to wear a pair of sunglasses as well. You should get those that actually say UVA/UVB protection on them. And be sure to get big ones, like all the big movie superstars.

3. Sandals. Just don’t wear socks with them, because that is a very big fashion faux pas. Nobody wants to be the uncool one at the beach, but it’s also a good idea to get sandals that look cute with whatever bathing suit that you’re wearing. Neutral colours look great, but bright colours are always better!

4. Pool toys are great accessories, even if you have no intentions of getting into the pool. Why not look fabulous while you’re lounging about waiting for someone to come with your drinks complete with a little umbrella? Nobody ever said that look fabulous wasn’t hard work!

Last, but certainly not least, is the towel. You may not realize it, but the beach towel is the perfect summer accessory. Not only is it useful and functional, they come in some great colours and designs! Might as well look fantastic while drying off, yes?

Sophie is a mostly stock Cappuccino Chat that came to live with me in June 2009. She loves shoes, new clothes, playing with her hair, fashion, magazines full of fluff and shopping. She aspires to be a model and would like to model for some of the ‘great’ dolly fashion houses one day.