BlytheLife.com opened in July 2010 and is a blog and resource hub for all things Blythe!
Thoughts on… Blythe Stands
Written on July 10, 2015 at 6:00 pm by MichelleFiled under: Musings
Without fail, one of the things that I’m almost always forget to bring to a Blythe meet is a doll stand. I say almost always because I have remembered exactly twice in all the Blythe meets I’ve attended from 2011 to now. Twice. I don’t exactly have the best track record, but I own Blythe stands and, on occasion, consider them to be a good thing to use.
The number of stands I own is dwarfed by the number of dolls that have. If we go by stock dolls only, , I technically have enough stands for my Neos and Middies. But then I also have 2 custom Blythes and 3 Kenners that do not have stands. Luckily, that’s why I also own some doll-sized furniture that I use for display purposes. I used to have Bennett, my Margaret Meets Ladybug, on a stand but she would continually try to push her sisters over because of her weight (she has a lot of hair).
Overall, I really like the clover stands. My personal favourite moment was when I bought a pink stand for Eden (I believe she came with a black one) to really drive home the fact that everything she touches is pink. The unfortunate thing about the stands is that they are not sturdy enough to hold up a girl with a lot of hair well (e.g. Margaret Meets Ladybug, or Monique Magnifique). They pull apart easily enough for storage if you’re going somewhere. Depending on the doll, I occasionally run into problems with not being able to put their arms down unless they’re also wearing boots or shoes that elevate their height just a smidgen.
For Middies, I don’t usually use their stands, but they’re a bit more user friendly because I haven’t had issues with them yet. This may also be due to the fact that that both of my Middies aren’t particularly top heavy.
Other stands that Blythe has come with include the Licca stand (clear plastic that clamps the legs in place, I can see them working well for Liccas because of the small head but not well for Blythe who has a giant noggin), the EBL stand (very heavy, very useful if you’re taking photos in a windy area, plus these were also clear in colour and did I mention heavy?), the white Kenner Blythe stand, and then there was the standing ovation stand. Fairly rare and the standing ovation stands don’t come up for sale often, but they were designed to make photography easier because it would be easier to hide the stand due to it’s flexibility. Of the four additional stands mentioned, I own the EBL stand but I don’t use them. I tend to use stands for display purposes at home only (because I almost always forget to bring a stand!), and the clover stands take up less room overall, which is what makes the more attractive to me.
Do you use stands for your dolls? Which one is your favourite to use & why?
I have more stands than girls but some I have gotten that were previously loved didn’t have any so I bought some just in case. I always pack them in my carriers for trips and meets.
I use stands mainly for display purposes. The ones I own are the ones that come with the dolls. As I have a variety of dolls, I can see the differences in the design and quality of the stands between the brands. Blythe stands are okay, but yes, they are not sturdy enough. Pullip stands are a nightmare, I don’t like them at all. One stand that I use a lot, specially when taking pics of my girls modelling outfits, is the one that came with my J-Doll. It has a wide base and I can adjust its height.
I like the clover stands but the ones I’ve had to buy that weren’t part of the doll’s stock seem to come apart easier and aren’t as sturdy. But I’m working on getting some furniture so I won’t always need some of the replacement stands.
I really like the clover stands for my girls, maybe moreso because they seem iconic to blythes. ^^ I actually just purchased one off ebay for my custom girl.
I have the same problem of having the Blythe/stand ratio being a little bit Blythe heavy. My collection has three second-hand dolls, a TBL and a custom, all which didn’t come with stands! I had them sitting at the end of the shelf or leaning against the wall. Lucky two of my girls moved on, so it cleared up some stand space!