Petites are genuinely not part of the Blythe hobby that caught my eye at first. When I first started collecting Blythe and being active in the community, my emphasis and eye was on the Neos. They were bigger than Petites, and had the pull string, and honestly I just didn’t think much of Petites at all. Sure, I got my hands on a couple of Hasbro LPS Petites, but then I never did much with them. Creating for them was a pain because they are just so small that I felt like I was going cross-eyed attempting to knit for them. Tiny arm holes are not my favourite thing to do.

It really wasn’t until Lark that I gave Petites a second look. Lark is different, of course, as she is customized. At the same time, I remembered that there was a nursing-themed Petite out there and couldn’t for the life of my remember what she was called. And I eventually tracked her down, and bought her – Intensive Care (a.k.a. Chickadee).

If I were to compare a stock LPS and a stock Takara Petite, I would say that they’re very, very similar.

Both are the same size, very much similar facial features, but I find that the Takara’s features are smaller than the LPS’s. Smaller head, smaller eyes, smaller nose and mouth, smaller ears, and smaller hands.

The LPS lacks some features that come standard with Takara – their eyes don’t move and their legs aren’t bendy, although I didn’t know the second feature was a feature with Takara until I got my own.

I think they both have their charms. LPS Petites are certainly more affordable, especially in the North American market, as they were mass produced and easily accessible in a large variety of stores that carried Littlest Pet Shop. Compared to Takara Petites, LPS are still more affordable (and you’re more likely to stumble on them in a thrift store than you are the Takara Petites). Takara Petites are often more expensive, and were much more limited in production so they’re just more costly. That isn’t to say that they’re not cute, because I do think that I would like another Takara Petite in the future. I’m quite fond of the fact that they have ‘sleep’ eyes and I find it makes them even more endearing.

Do you collect Petites? Do you prefer LPS or Takara Petites more?