I’m not in the market to buy a new doll (I’m not). But I do still look from time to time at what princesses need ‘rescuing’ over at Blythe Kingdom because it is still a great way to keep my eyes on what customizers are out there and to see if there’s anything interesting out there. I’ve noticed a lot of listings where they list one price crossed out followed by a lower price. And then that price is crossed out and followed by an even lower price.

With the economy being difficult, I know that a lot of people have had financial issues (either with loss of employment, loss of hours or other financial emergencies). And with that, non-necessities are sacrificed for things that need to be purchased. While the prices of some dolls have been going down and down and sitting for ages for sale, some customized dolls have been going for skyrocket prices.

What makes for the price discrepancy?

I think it’s a balance between the fact that people are being smarter with their money. Stock dolls seem to sit longer, unless priced low, because there’s (generally) more where that doll came from (unless it’s a doll that never comes up for sale often; then she might get snapped up). But with custom work, especially if you’re a fan of a particular customizer, you really do need to jump on it when it becomes available because they may not come up often or you may never get a chance at that doll again. Some dolls get absorbed into doll families and they never get sold afterwards. Other dolls end up in families for a bit and then come out again after there’s no bonding between the doll and the human. But you never know if that custom you’ve got your eye on will end up for adoption again, you just never know. It’s one of the risks you take by not jumping at a chance at a doll that you really love.

I do think that it’s still a buyer’s market, for the most part. Many customizers are asking for offers on their work, in order to earn top dollar. But not everyone sells dolls that go for a thousand-plus on a regular basis. I think it’s great that people are being smart with their money, and it’s a great way (buy making offers) to see if you can get that dream girl for a price you can afford.

I put out an open request on Twitter for people to tell me what about Blythe makes them happy and it’s amazing the kind of responses that I got. I’ve included below every single tweet that I got  (if I didn’t include yours, it may be because your Twitter account is private and I was unable to read it). I also received some responses via Flickr, so those are linked to the Flickr accounts instead, and some are also linked to blog links as well.

Add your own comment about what about Blythe makes you happy below. ♥

The memories I’ve associated with each doll. Either from when I got it, or had taken a doll with me for an important event. – natsukigirl

Blythe inspires us to try new things! And to make more time for crafting. – TheAnneArchy

Blythe makes me happy because she doesn’t ask for juice every 5 seconds, doesn’t sweat or need a daily bath, she doesn’t ask me to borrow the car, always makes curfew, isn’t passive aggressive, is house broken…um…keeps laundry to a minimum, never cries or whines (audibly..) keeps her promises, doesn’t hold a grudge for anymore than a reasonable amount of time, doesn’t jump n the bed or sit too close to the tv, doesn’t gamble, generally likes what I like LOL. – Dolls Crystals n Positively Stoned

There isn’t one way that Blythe doesn’t [make me happy]! They make me smile daily! 🙂 – Rosiee Gelutie

The girls connect me to my favorite people on the planet, they make the planet a lot smaller, they make me a lot braver, they heal my childhood, they make me smile, and they represent unsermountable kindness, joy and love. – SparkleFriday

Everything from the aesthetics of Blythe (their big eyes and hair and how unique each girl, even of the same model, can look) to her clothing to the photography and other myriad creative aspects of being a fan/collector of Blythe truly makes me happy! The scope for imagination and creativity is endless! – Jane

She makes me happy because I love her! Blythe’s are different, she’s my muse and inspiration and she brought me many many friends when I just moved to a new country, and I love her big heads and eyes 😉 She brings out the brave in me to go out and take dolly photos, not caring for any strange looks or remarks ^^ – puppy52

Blythe has made me fearless! I bring her everywhere and do everything with her! She is the perfect companion when I am happy, sad, lonely, hungry, bored…

She has brought me friends that I never would have met otherwise. I have become more social because of her and I now have girlfriends. She breaks down borders and stereotypes and she is never critical or judgmental. Each girl I have gives me something different and I love her unconditionally! – mydollies4

I guess I like Blythe because I’ve always liked miniatures. Seeing the cute little outfits that people dress her in makes me drool with envy. I like the way people are so creative with needle and thread, needle and yarn and enjoy doing the same.
I also enjoy the social gatherings in the name of Blythe! I look forward to the meet-ups, but wish there were more people in my age group attending!!! – Joliechic1

Blythe has been extremely therapeutic for me. Maybe it wasn’t a coincidence that she came in to my life in the aftermath of a falling out with my long-time, and only, girl-friend. I haven’t been close to anyone like that since, but blythe has helped fill in that gap, in a very unique way.

Blythe shares my love of vintage fashion, crafts, mischief… I know that she is only a doll, but she is far from “inanimate”. She makes me happy when I’m sad, inspired when I’m low, giddy like a child when I’m faced with “adult decisions”. Thats all that I could ever ask from our relationship, and I’m grateful to have her in my life! – Dusty.feathers

Blythe for me is a creative muse! I can make her anything I want her to be! I love making her clothes and even the joy of creating her from scratch by customing.I too love sharing this lovely doll with other collectors and making other fun creative friends! – lace52000

Blythe makes me happy because she let’s me be creative and allows a reprieve from a sometimes-too-serious life. – liveloveyarn

You would think that I would have been immune to this after getting my redhead, Emmalynn, but no such luck! I’m sure a lot of you have heard about some crazy lucky Blythe fan finding seven Kenners in a local shop just over a week ago… This is a very, very true story (you can read about it on Flickr). So Kenners! My local Blythe group had a fantastic meet this past Sunday where there was a fantastic number of Kenners around (twelve!).

I mean, I love Kenners, I really do. Most of my collection are the modern Takaras, of course, but Kenners are awesome. So I went to the meet with my one Kenner (Emmalynn – she’s second from the right in the back row) and left with three Kenners. Not even joking.

I will be posting the progress of the restoration of the two as I go along, they currently have no names (but plenty of nicknames, ahem), but these are my new additions:

It was definitely not a “Blythe On A Budget” kind of week…

I love Blythe, I really do. Sometimes I look over at their shiny faces and think that I’m incredibly lucky to have them. Sometimes I look over at their shiny faces and wonder when I got so many of them!

As of right now, I have 9. 9 shiny, happy, sometimes annoyed looking faces. I say ‘annoyed’ because I can name about 5 right now who haven’t had a wardrobe change since the previous year. And while it doesn’t seem like it’s been so long since the new year, we are in the second half of February now. So yes, I have accusatory faces looking at me with their orange and pink chips (I clearly need to learn to change them to side-facing before putting them back on their stands). As I’m on the verge of adopting a couple more lovelies into the doll family, I think I’m reaching my “limit” soon. I always told myself “Just 10!”. One of each mold, at least. But as I started getting closer and closer to 10, I started giving myself loopholes. Like “It’s okay to go over 10 as long as it’s Kenners”. Because, really, vintage doll goodness? I can’t pass that up!

Besides spending a less on doll ‘stuff’ this year, I think I’ll be spending more time with each doll. Give them each some individual pampering time throughout the year. I was looking at my Flickr sets the other day and noticed how little photos some of my dolls have while some that had been around for less time had a couple times more photos in total. I need to remedy that and just take more photos in general. I used to take more, back when I was doing 365. I opted not to do it this year, but I’ve begun to think that I may change that.

Some people have fifty-plus and don’t feel overwhelmed at all, lucky butts that they are. Some have a couple hundred. I really do wish I had the money and space for that many. But, unfortunately, I don’t. I’m incredibly happy with the doll family that I do have (and will have, after a few additions). I think that we’re all lucky to have Blythe in our lives. After all, without here we might not be doll collectors, and there certainly wouldn’t be this blog! I’m really grateful for Blythe for having brought me such great fun and lots of new friends and it’s a fantastic thing to have such a joyful hobby.

Have you ever felt ‘overwhelmed’ with the number of Blythes (or other dolls) that you have? What did you do to deal with it?

I’ve been doing a little survey (primarily on Twitter, somewhat on Flickr) and I was hoping to get some more responses so I’m blogging the question now as well!

What about Blythe makes you happy?

If you leave either your blog, Flickr photostream or Twitter link down below with your answer to the above question, I will link to it. All answers will be compiled together and published at a future date.