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?

These are a pair of the tiniest shoes that I own, the tiniest of the tiny because they are sized for Petites! If you’ve never seen a Petite before, their feet are super small – just 10mm in length and 4mm in width, talk about small! I have zero clue which doll these shoes were originally released with (potentially with an LPS?) as I received Lark fully customized and dressed.

Lark is an I.G. Sirenita custom Petite that my sister won at BlytheCon Vancouver 2015 (and later gave to me). I included a pair of Neo-sized purple boots for size comparison between the sizes – it’s crazy!

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!

Who Lives Here is a little feature on BlytheLife to shine the spotlight on the dolls that live with me! Here’s to you, and me, getting to know my dolls a little bit better.

This is Emmalynn. She was Blythe #7 and Kenner #1 – she was also the first Blythe I won via auction on eBay. She’s not the most perfect Kenner, but who is really? I find Kenners are interesting in that they all have their own quirks. Emmalynn came to me with a pelvis crack (so both of her legs were able to pop out at will), messy hair, and general dishevelment.

But she was all mine. I had a summer job the year that I got Emmalynn, and I worked a lot of overtime. I fell in love with Kenners after attending BlytheCon Portland in 2011 because I got to see Kenners in person for the first time ever. So that summer after the convention, I worked (a lot) and saved all of my OT pay towards a Kenner. It worked out well, because that was “extra” money that I wasn’t setting aside for school expenses. It was, in a sense, fun money. And what better fun than a new-to-me Kenner?

I actually did all of the restoration on Emmalynn myself. I detailed her arrival and restoration on BlytheLife over a series of posts: 1, 2, 3, 4.

Emmalynn is my only Kenner that is 100% Kenner – Primrose and Lily both have Takara Blythe pelvises and legs due to them only having one leg between the two of them when I got them. She has all of her eye lashes, and a sparkling personality that I love. She’s one of my favourites for a very good reason. She does have some flaws still, but there are things that I don’t focus on because of her delightful presence in my life. I really enjoy my Kenners, and Emmalynn is no exception!

On occasion, I get emails from people who are new the Blythe hobby and are wanting to purchase their first doll. While some people are a bit confused as to why they can’t buy one of my dolls (mine, all mine!), I do try to direct them to the proper channels (this list of legitimate online Blythe retailers). There comes a time when those online retailers don’t fit the bill, for instance if someone is trying to find a release that isn’t that recent or a Kenner. Here are my tips for finding a genuine Blythe doll via one of the largest online auction sites: eBay.

The first thing that you need to consider is your search terms. Using the full name of the doll’s stock release name can be most helpful in your efforts of finding that doll. For example, you want to look for a Simply Peppermint Blythe doll. It stands to reason that you would input “Simply Peppermint Blythe”. If you don’t get a lot of results, you might want to drop the “peppermint” and see what other Blythes pop up. If you just look up “Blythe doll” or “Blythe”, you’ll get a lot of auction listings for doll clothes, shoes, accessories so it does help to include the full name. Keep in mind that there are handful of Blythes that have been notoriously faked: Simply Mango, Simply Guava, Urban Cowgirl, and Last Kiss are the big ones. To the untrained eye, well-done fake might look like the real thing so those are some stock dolls to avoid unless you feel comfortable attempting to identify the doll as real.

Avoid any listing that lists the doll as being “factory”. These dolls are often sold nude, and have a combination of hair (colour, cut, style), eye chips, eye lids, and skin tone that is often a combination that has not been produced by Takara. These dolls make claims of being factory seconds or being produced from factory reject parts. These are fakes/counterfeits. If you’re looking for a genuine Blythe doll, the best advice I can give you is to avoid any listing that claims that it is a “factory” Blythe doll (these are listed as being real Blythe dolls on eBay as eBay doesn’t allow items to be listed as counterfeit/fake). Most of these listings are based out of China, which isn’t to say that all Blythe dolls coming out of China are fake (but the majority of the “factory” dolls are from China).

Take a look at the seller’s feedback that they have received from buyers and also what else they are selling. Often times the sellers who are selling fakes will have more than one doll listing (or even dozens!) and they will have the dolls listed for low prices. A genuine in box Blythe doll can cost $100 USD or more (this is not a cheap hobby), often the fake dolls are being listed anywhere from $45-80 USD. If the price tag seems too good to be true, there may be a reason for it. (Please note, there are still sometimes good deals to be found for legitimate Blythe dolls. If you’re unsure, I would recommend asking someone that has been in the doll hobby a little bit longer for their opinion on a listing.)

The fake Blythes are not limited to Neo/full-sized Bythes – there are also fake Middies on the market (the same tips above also apply to the Middies, so watch out).

Lastly, you have to use your judgement. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Hello fashionistas! It’s Sophie here!

I don’t know what it’s like where you are right now, but the weather’s been warming up just a smidgen here in Canada – no piles of snow or igloos where I live! And I’m very much looking forward to spring. As the days go by, I need to constantly poke Michelle to remind her that I need an outfit change at least once a day. If she gets to change her clothes daily, why can’t I? She doesn’t seem to understand my credibility as a dolly fashion blogger is seriously impeded by her not buying me the latest fashions or helping me out by taking photographs of me on a daily basis.

She’s horrible and won’t let me succeed in life.

A sampling of pink from Rosiee Gelutie, Endangered Sissy, and Button Arcade.

But besides that, I guess she’s okay. My goal for spring is to wear more florals – anything light and airy is a major plus because they evoke a more spring-like quality. And I think pink will be very in this season (please do not tell Eden that). That and wearing more cute shoes, but I need new ones. Nothing say spring like a good hair of new shoes (take note, Michelle!). It’s not cheap being a dolly fashion blogger, and is certainly not for the faint of heart. I recently got a hold of Michelle’s credit card and did some shopping – like any good fashionista would do. I’m still waiting for things to arrive in the mail, but they will soon enough.

A frock a day keeps the Sophie happy!

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.