There are some Blythes that I knew would be very much loved in my doll family before I even got them. But there were two that were a bit more unexpected and I hadn’t thought that they would become favourites too. That isn’t to say that I didn’t like them before I got them, but I hadn’t expected to like them as much as I do currently.

The one that some might be surprised at is Eden Mouse. I didn’t think I was going to getting Punkaholic People (she had been a gift from my parents) and while I had genuinely liked her, her personality didn’t come out really until I popped a pink mouse hat and started dressing her in pink all the time. And then it was like bam, her personality shone.

A little doll with a hair cut that was very similar to what I had as a child. She wears pink everything, has tea parties and a little dolly of her own. She even has a pink-pink-pink carry bag that only she uses. But Eden was still unexpected. As a gift, I’m inclined to never sell her, but it was a pleasant surprise to find that I really do love her. She has a big personality that took some coaxing out. Turns out all I had to do was dress her all in pink and her voice comes out.

The second that came to a bit of a surprise was Primrose, who was featured earlier this year when I posted about her restoration story. Primrose was one of the Vancouver Seven Kenners who had been ‘rescued’ from a secondhand toy shop in the Metro Vancouver area. She had no legs, a cracked pelvis and the frizziest hair that I had ever seen (in person and in photos) of a Kenner. I thought she was lovely (and cute!) in photos before I got her, and I said a dibs on her so I could have first crack at purchasing her. Then the moment I saw her? I was fully taken in by her. It was a mix between the wonky eyelashes that she had, pretty pink lips, actual original blush (!) and her head of frizzy hair. Princess Prim went straight into my heart and took residence there and popped a crown onto her own head and proclaimed herself majesty of the realm around here.

Which of your dolls (if any) surprised you by how much you’d like them?

I’m sure you’ve all noticed by now that sundries, unless desirable, have been sitting on the forums getting discounted and further discounted and priced next to free. I noticed the same thing too when I was trying to clear out some things that I no longer wanted, didn’t necessarily fit Blythe particularly well (some Barbie and Ken fashions that I had thrifted in bags of dolly clothes). I couldn’t find buyers after a few weeks so what did I do? I spread the dolly love to others.

More specifically, I knew that some of my coworkers have young children (ages 3, 4 and 7). So I bagged up the clothes (shirts in one bag, dresses in another, all Ken stuff in one) and brought them into work. The girls’ dads were very thankful – they said that their kids were going to love new-to-them doll clothes for their Barbies.

They weren’t wrong – I got thank you cards done up in crayons with the ‘e’s in my name mirrored (and not mirrored! in the same card) and drawn images of little girls playing with dolls the same size as them. Not only did they draw what they looked like, I also got invited (not entirely seriously, I believe) to play dollies with them one day.

It’s nice to be able to do something nice for someone else, and it’s also nice to be able to spread some dolly love once in a while.

And when I really think about it, being able to share the love of dolls with others was a lot better than selling them.

I’ve been asked on several occasions how might a Blythe collector be able to get their hands on a vintage Kenner at non-eBay buy it now prices, and it’s very difficult for me to give an actual answer to that. Kenners are a bit like a different animal when compared to Takara or ADG Blythes – it’s a lot easier to price a stock doll (or even a customized modern Blythe) than it is a Kenner at times.

Kenners are all different from each other. In box or out of box; original hair or cut hair; blonde, brunette, red or raven; side parts, centre parts, wispy or chunky bangs; are there cracks, and where are they?; holding clicks in the knees; limbs there or missing; blush or no blush; eyelashes present, missing or wonky. There are so many factors that can make or break the cost of a Kenner being ‘affordable’ to you. Affordability also means different things to different people. To some, it’s in the hundreds while others are willing to pay thousands for a super blushy, non-yellowed, NRFB with original plastic on the box.

I am, however, able to provide some minor tips that may help you find your very own Kenner at a hopefully decent price!

• Do your research! I would definitely recommend ‘watching’ auctions on eBay for Kenners of various types of conditions and see how much the bidding ends at. You’ll want to note down things like hair colour, cracks, any other damage, if any original clothing or accessories come with the doll. The least expensive Kenners will be those with matted/cut/missing hair, cracks, possibly missing or chewed limbs, no original clothing/accessories and possibly missing a pull string, has clouded chips and yellowing. Also watch for listings with poor, small or blurry photos, the Kenners tend to go for less in these auctions.

• Take advantage of forums like TIB and BK – post ‘looking for’ threads to see what pops up! When I did this, I had several people offer up Kenners that they were looking to sell. Also look at the selling boards regularly to see if anyone is trying to sell a Kenner. The great thing about buying from a collector is that they’re more likely to disclose flaws, take better photos and also know more of the history of the doll (any repairs, if the scalp is original). eBay sellers are less likely to know about potential flaws as they aren’t collectors/enthusiasts.

• Check out thrift stores and second hand stores! I’m sure we all still remember that blonde Kenner that was rescued from a thrift store a while back for a grand total of $1.99. Yes, thrift store Kenners do exist! All you need to do is actually look for them. This is more helpful, of course, if you live in a country where Kenners were originally sold.

• If you do happen to live in a country where Kenner originally carried Blythe, I also recommend checking out garage sales, online listings (eg. craigslist) and local flea markets. You never know if you might come up lucky or not! And it would be fantastic if there were more Kenners in the hands of collectors!

Good luck finding your inexpensive Kenner!

How much are you willing to spend on a Kenner?

I got asked a while back what the difference was between ‘grail dolls’ from the different types of molds of Blythe. I think part of the confusion is that people refer to certain Blythes as being ‘grail dolls’ but they are not a different type mold.

Type of Blythe molds that (currently) exist:

• Kenners – 1972 – no longer being produced
• BL – no longer being produced
• EBL – ‘Excellent’ – no longer being produced
• SBL – ‘Superior’ – no longer being produced
• RBL – ‘Radiance’
• FBL – ‘Fairest’

Calling a doll a ‘grail doll’ is just another way of referring to a ‘wish list’ or ‘dream doll’. Any doll that you really want can be called a grail doll. In my experiences as a Blythe enthusiast, I’ve referred to several of my dolls as ‘grail’ or ‘dream’ dolls (Love Mission, Margaret Meets Ladybug and a red headed Kenner).

Going through the dolly wardrobe is a very bad thing sometimes. It gives me the opportunity to consider what I have more of and what I have less of and this is not a good thing because then I see that my dolls have a lot of shoes (which I already knew) and a good amount of dresses… And then I see that they need more tops, in particular non-knitted things (I knit a lot!). And then my dolls also have a severe lack in pants, shorts and skirts.

I did recently acquire another pair of pants for the girls, so that’s something. But I’m also in the mindset that I need to downsize because I just feel like it’s a lot of stuff. Yet, at the same time, it’s really hard to downsize unless you’re really looking at everything with an incredibly critical eye because there’s just so much stuff there that I begin to lose sight of what’s important with my hobby. And what’s important is that it makes me happy. Anxiety over having stuff doesn’t make me happy. The feeling of being overwhelmed doesn’t make me happy either because that’s just not good for me.

It really did take a moment for me to realize that I just need to spend more time with my Blythes. For the most part, despite the internet interactions, it can be a really solo hobby. I spent my first two years in the Blythe hobby only interacting with fellow enthusiasts online. And then Portland happened and now I’ve got a pretty solid group of people to spend time with and talk about dolls with. It’s amazing and very awesome. What I really need to do, and that I’ve kind of forgotten, is that I just need to spend time with the dolls. I got incredibly burned out after doing 365 and while I’d love to do it again, I don’t think school is going to allow for that in the future. I got caught up with the stuff that I lost sight of what was the important part of the hobby for me, and that was the dolls and just the comfort that they bring.

My Blythes need more of me.