I honestly struggled with myself about whether or not to write about this. I regularly get emails or messages regarding Blythe dolls because of BlytheLife.com. It is a bit of an occupational hazard as a blogger that readers will attempt to contact you to ask questions. Generally, they’re easy to answer questions like “Where can I buy a Blythe doll?” or “Does (insert name of online retailer) sell fakes?”, but sometimes it gets a little bit… condescending and insulting.

I was recently engaged via email by a person I’d never interacted with before, let’s call her Eggplant (because I don’t like the taste of eggplant, and she left a bad taste in my mouth). Eggplant was new to the Blythe hobby, she found photos of the dolls on Etsy or Artfire or something, and then found BlytheLife via a Google search. She emailed me to thank me for providing great information to newbies (Awesome! I love it when I get positive feedback!), and then it got a little weird. I had exchanged maybe 15 or so emails with her, she asked easy-to-answer questions about the dolls, and then came this:

“I know from reading your blog that you have a lot of dolls and you got some as gifts. Could you please give me one?”

Whoa, whoa, whoa. What?!

First of all, we had established a bit of rapport with each other, which is all fine and dandy. She had asked me where to buy the dolls and I referred her to a few choice online shops (and then thanked me for the information), which resulted in her stating that the dolls are just too much money and how she would never be able to afford one and then she dropped the above into the email.

Yes, I have many dolls – probably more than the average collector. I have also received a few as gifts (from my parents, as birthday and Christmas gifts). Sure, Eggplant seemed nice and all (at first), but in no uncertain terms did I offer to give her a doll or offer to subsidize her entrance into the Blythe hobby – because frankly, no. I love my dolls, they’re mine for a reason. I found it incredibly ballsy to be asked to give her one of my dolls. I wrote a polite (but somewhat more cold) email in return to basically state that my dolls are mine and at the current time, I am not interested in parting with any of them. What did I get as a reply? Well, along with some choice colourful words, came this gem:

“You’re so selfish, I thought you were nice.”

If it’s selfish to want to keep parts of my collection as mine, then I don’t want to be selfless. Nice has nothing to do with not giving away something that I own. Sure, it doesn’t hurt to ask someone for something – because if you don’t ask, you never know what the answer will be. At least that’s what I’ve always been told. But what it will hurt is the relationship/friendship that you’re trying to establish – because I’m now always going to see Eggplant as the person who just chatted me up to get something for free, and then called me rude things because I politely said no to giving her a doll.

Yes, I have dolls. Yes, dolls are expensive and they are essentially a luxury hobby. That doesn’t mean that someone who has dolls than someone else is required to give them up or “share the wealth”, as it were. You’re not going to hit up a local charity because you desperately need a doll – because it’s not necessary for survival. I frequently make donations to charities that I care about – from animal welfare groups, to providing food for children who live below the poverty line in my own province, to organizations who are struggling to get clean drinking water to people in Canada. But the beauty is the ability to who to donate to – and someone who feels entitled to a doll (and then lashes out when they don’t get their way), is not a behaviour or person that I want to encourage.

(In short, the answer to the question in the title is: no. Unless someone is asking you what you want as a gift, and they give you a budget that could encompass the purchase of a doll, the answer is no.)

I write about Blythe a lot, it’s a bit of a known hazard when it comes to running a Blythe-centric website. For me, Blythe came into my life in an opportune time. It was the summer between my first and second year of post secondary, pretty much all of my high school friends opted to attend a different post secondary (and trust me, I do not make friends that easily), and I found myself floundering a little bit because I knew what I wanted to be when I “grew up” (a registered nurse) but I was struggling to find a clear path from points A to B. In a way, Blythe came to me when I needed something to ground me a bit more and somehow she helped. Of course, it was at that time that I swore up and down that I would only ever need just the one – and we all know how well that works out.

And now? Blythe is something beautiful in my life that has introduced me to some fantastic people. I’ve made lifelong friends and have met so many wonderful and talented people in the community. Blythe has helped me to form so many connections, it’s a wonderful hobby to be part of. After all, given the diversity in the community, I might not have met such great people otherwise.

Why do you love Blythe? Share in the comments below.

Happy September! I recently was asked about the difference between Middies and Blythes, because a new member of the Blythe hobby was confused about the difference between the full-sized and Middie-sized Blythes – so here’s a little run down about the differences:

Neo Blythe – Same size as Kenner and Ashton-Drake Galleries Blythes

• Four sets of eye chips (rotated through with a pull string)
• Eyelids show when pull string is pulled
• Head can only move left and right
• Knees bend
• 28.5cm tall

Middie Blythe

• One set of eye chips (eyes can move from side-to-side)
• Eye lids do not show
• Head can move head up and down, left and right
• Knees do not bend
• 20cm tall

I’ve noticed that in general that Middies are less customized or sought after compared to Neo-sized Blythe, but I do believe this is because they’re less coveted despite the adorableness. Middie are definitely more pocket and purse-friendly (although not as pocket-friendly as Petite Blythe!), I find that they are less expensive compared to Neo-sized Blythe. There are more clothing patterns for Neo-sized Blythe, so there is a market for anyone who wants to design or create clothing for Middies.

Lydia Melbourne’s wearing: dress/Endangered Sissy.
Cameo’s wearing: helmet/Cakewalk Queen, dress/Plastic Fashion, leggings/Endangered Sissy.

Preordering a Blythe through a reputable Blythe retailer is one of the best ways to get a new release doll at (or close to) the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, MSRP. The unfortunate thing with preordering a Blythe doll is that it usually has to be done based off of the concept illustration and not off of the product promotional images. This is one of the reasons why I’ve never gone through with a preorder based off of an illustration prior to this new Devi Delacour (is it October yet?!).

In a way, it is a smart marketing tactic because it helps the manufacturer determine the potential popularity of a new doll and they can figure out how many to order from the factory. On the other hand, given that the dolls are not inexpensive, it could make it more difficult to bring in new buyers based off of illustrations, or buyers in the community who have been burned before from an impulse purchase.

The best impulse Middie purchase ever.

I’m in the category of where I generally like to know what something looks like before I buy it (this mentality does not transfer over to blind bag purchases – of which I love doing because who doesn’t love surprises?). I’ve never preordered from an illustration prior to Devi Delacour because I like knowing what I’m getting, and I generally like seeing photos taken by fellow hobbyists over the promotional photography because it’s nice to see the doll outside of their stock clothes. This also did not apply when Jackie Ramone’s promotional photographs were made public because as soon as I saw her, I had to have her (and then promptly went and bought her – I think I may have a problem with impulse buying dolls on occasion…).

What are your thoughts on preordering a Blythe doll? Have you ever preordered a doll based on an illustration? How about the promotional photos? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Customs have always been something that I admire from afar. This is primarily because my dolly budget was not one for custom work when I first collecting, and later because it just seemed really expensive. My one year anniversary of starting my career is coming up (in October) and one of the things I decided that I would love to treat myself to is a custom doll by the end of the year. I have a customizer in mind, and I have a ‘vision’ in mind.

A tan Blythe with a pastel mohair reroot, a mix of Cool Cat or Brainworm chips and at least one set of handpainted chips. Not terribly extensive carving, and some painted eyelids. I have this vision in my head about what this doll will look like and I’m so excited about it. I’ve already been in contact with the customizer, just to get an idea of costs. Getting a commission done is not for the weak of heart, but I am determined to see this vision come true! One of my plans is to start actively saving and putting money aside for this dream custom of mine, because it’s something that I’m making a priority.

“I really don’t think you need another mohair custom… Aren’t I perfect enough?”

I feel like she’d wind up fitting in really well with my existing doll family, and will look fantastic next to Halo (my Friends With Blythe mohair custom). Step one (contacting the customizer) has already been ticked off, and I’m onto step two (saving up!).

What are some of your custom day dreams? Do you know who you’d want to get a custom done by? Share your custom visions below!