Yellowing is a common problem with the vintage Blythes and other vintage toys. However, the Blythes manufactured in 1972 are not the only Blythes that are at risk for yellowing. Why does plastic yellow over time? It’s a good question because it’s an issue that affects anyone who collects toys or anything plastic.

Yellowing (or discolouration) of plastic is the result of exposure to sun/ultraviolet, extreme changes in temperature, as well as just plain old time.

Yellowed vs. not yellowed – blonde 1972 Kenner Blythe dolls. Photo by Jen of Blythe Spa Time.

The thing to remember that plastic is made up of many components that gives it structure, colour, rigidity and its overall make-up. Over time, the components of the plastic can degrade. The process of degrading can result in changes in structure (like the melting that occurs with Kenners) and changes in colour. While plastic degradation is not the same as food decomposition (you are not going to wake up one day and find a pile of plastic pellets in the place where your doll once stood), it is still a process that cannot be stopped. However, the process of plastic degradation can be slowed down. Decreased exposure to sunlight helps, as well as keeping your dolls in a place where the temperatures do not vary (heat will speed up the degradation process). Many homes nowadays come with windows with ultraviolet coating, but I still wouldn’t keep your dolls sitting on your window sill if you hope to prevent the plastic from becoming discoloured earlier.

How can you help protect your dolls from yellowing? Don’t leave them in direct sunlight for long periods of time and don’t leave them in places with high heat!

The issue with time is that over time, oxidation can occur. Exposure of oxygen can cause degradation in some types of plastics. This is unfortunate for the most part because it is, without doubt, one of the issues that we cannot control – save for sending Blythe out into space in a box so light doesn’t cause her any damage. Oxidation takes a long time to occur, which is a great thing because it’ll be many (many!) years before we see oxidation effects on the plastic of our Neo Blythes.

Discolouration of plastic can be uniform or in patches. This is because sun/UV exposure may be only on one side, and it also has to do with the quality of the plastic. If the components are not evenly mixed throughout during the manufacturing process, then the plastic will discolour (or degrade) in patches because not all areas of the plastic are equal in their components. This can be especially true for more vintage toys because of the standards in quality and the science that was used to produce polymers at the time.

I love doll shoes, this much is obvious from the fact that the Tiny Shoe Love column exists! In particular, I love shoes that go up the ankle a bit because they stay on that much better.

Minnow is wearing Plastic Fashion (don’t tell Eden Mouse that she’s wearing this dress!).

I wanted to draw everyone’s attention to these lovely granny boots that are Velvet Minuet stock. Where did the term ‘granny boot’ come from? Granny boots are women’s boots that lace up the front and are reminiscent of high-top boots from the 19th century. The more you know! I find that they, while being official Blythe stock, do fit a wee bit loose. You can see how it gapes just a little bit around the ankles and it does make it easier for them to fall off. Case in point, I held up Minnow (my Hi-Ho! Marine that is modeling these lovely boots) and shook her around and they came flying off. Don’t worry, no dolls were harmed in this process because I held onto the pull ring. I think with normal holding and no shaking, they’ll stay on pretty well though.

Overall my verdict is that they are super cute, probably aren’t the best if you’re going to be outside and not paying attention if the shoes fall off, but they are super cute, and lend a bit of sophisticated air to a doll’s outfit of the day.

Tiny Shoe Love is a feature on BlytheLife.com to showcase and share doll shoes that grace Michelle’s picky dolls’ feet. We love tiny shoes in this house, and we hope you do too!

Any time of year is a time when scammers come out to play. A good rule of thumb is that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. This includes, but is not limited to, dolls that are listed at abnormally low prices. Another good rule of thumb is to ask for additional photos of the doll (or dolly items), and to see what kind of feedback the seller has.

I suppose if I had a million dollars, I could afford to gamble a bit on potentially sour deals…

If they’re on eBay or Etsy, it’s a little easier to see if they have good feedback as a buyer or a seller as it’ll be right there on their profile. If it’s a person on Facebook or Blythe Kingdom, it’s a little bit more difficult as the feedback pages don’t come with alerts to let you know that you can leave feedback for someone, and it’s strictly on a voluntary basis at this time. Make a note of their feedback (positive? neutral? negative?) and read it. Take note of when their account opened. An account opened a week ago with 100% feedback as a buyer and doesn’t respond to messages may not be as reliable as an account that’s been open for a few years, has 100% feedback as a buyer and a seller, and is communicative about any questions you have.

Tips for Buyers:

• If something seems off or you get a vibe about the transaction, don’t go through with it. If it seems off, that’s because it is off. Listen to your gut feeling, why put yourself in the position to potentially lose your hard earned money if you don’t have to?
• Never pay as “gift” for something over PayPal. Not only does it go against the Terms and Conditions of using PayPal, but you will also lose your ability to file a claim as the payment was a “gift”.
• Avoid doing direct deposit or another form of payment that is not PayPal (or Google Wallet – I’ve heard this is fairly reliable as well).
• Avoid paying in installments if possible. Unfortunately, PayPal’s buyer protection does little to offer protection for those who opt to pay in installments. Make one-lump-sum payments whenever possible.
• Consider paying with a credit card through PayPal. This way you can get both buyer protection from PayPal and the option of filing a complaint through your credit card (and doing a chargeback to get your money back). This is an additional option that you don’t have when you pay with funds that are already existing in your PayPal account.

What are your tips for potential Blythe buyers?

One of the struggles that I have when it comes to getting a new doll is the process of naming the doll. I find that it’s hard for me to develop a personality for them (which comes in handy for photo stories) without a name. As the number of dolls gets higher in my doll family, the harder it is for me to find names that I haven’t already used and like.

Prim and Lily are both wearing dresses by Plastic Fashion.

Here are some of the wonderful resources that I’ve found helpful for naming new Blythes (and other dolls):

• BabyNames.com – very useful as you can search by gender, alphabetically, or by typing in a few letters that you’d like the name to start with.
• USA Social Security – Popular Baby Names By Decade – a great website if you’re into ‘older’ names and want to see what was popular by the decade! This website goes back to the 1880s.
• Baby Center – another good naming resource as you can search by origin too, which is nice if you are looking for names with a specific background. Baby Center also has a UK-centric list as well, organized by year.
• Today’s Parent has a list of the Top 100 Baby Names for Canada in 2014 – a nice list, especially if the other lists aren’t sparking any inspiration in you. I especially like it when the lists include the variations in spelling (e.g. Lea/Leah).
• The Bump has lists of what they call “Unique Baby Names“. I don’t know how unique they are after being published as being unique, but that is another resource for you to consider.

Whatever you do decide to name your dolls, it’s always a good idea to make sure that you’re not doubling up on names (e.g. calling two dolls by the same name). I sort of made that mistake when I decided to name one Kenner “Primrose” and the other “Lillian (Lily) Rose”. However, I did get both of them together and they are true sisters in that they came from the same collection, so I’ve justified the similar naming to myself, especially since they both have flower names anyways.

If you have any fantastic name resources, please share below in the comments!

One thing that I get asked occasionally is “How do I find local Blythe people?” and that can be a tricky answer. If you do what I did, it’s an expensive adventure.

I attended BlytheCon Portland in 2011 not knowing a single soul in the Blythe community (besides friends made online) and I lucked out. I found people who are local to me and it’s been an amazing ride so far with my local Blythe group. We have meets, we have swaps, we have an annual Christmas party. It is an amazing group of people and I couldn’t be happier to be organizing Canada’s first BlytheCon with a trio of awesome people (BlytheCon Vancouver! Yay!).

For those who aren’t about to attend a BlytheCon or an event of equal proportions, I highly recommend going onto forums (Blythe Kingdom) or Facebook groups (e.g. Blythe World). If you are serious about wanting to find someone locally to you, remember to keep yourself safe when interacting with people that you meet online:

• Ask if someone is a Blythe fan in a major metropolitan centre close to you, or in the general around around you, rather than stating your own town/city if it isn’t a big area.
• If meeting up with someone, meet in a public place that is well-lit where people will be (e.g. mall, public library).
• Safety in numbers! Bring a friend (or someone you know) with you. Two birds with one stone – meeting new people and introducing people to Blythe all at the same time.

Always remember that your personal safety is number one. As lovely as people can appear online, someone could state that they are a young teenaged doll hobbyist and really be a middle-aged man with ill intentions. Keep yourself safe and have fun! There are many wonderful people in the Blythe community and if you’re lucky, you’ll find someone nearby to hang out with and have some meets with.