As Blythe’s sisters go, they’re not as exciting as Blythe is. Neither Middies or Petites have a pull string, they don’t have four sets of eye chips, but they do have some features that stock Blythe does not have. Middie is able to look side to side (or front-facing) with the same set of chips, plus she can tilt her head from side to side. Petite is able to tilt her head from side to side, and if you have a Takara-produced, she has stock ‘sleep’ eyes that is more reminiscent of the baby dolls that some of us may have grown up with. Petites have been changed with Hasbro’s Littlest Pet Shop relaunch, so the new ‘Blythe’ dolls in Hasbro’s LPS line are more similar to the Mattel’s Polly Pocket (with the rubber clothing).

Petites and Middies continue to catch the eye of many Blythe collectors. New Middie releases come out in tandem with a ‘related’ Neo Blythe, or they come out with a similar theme as a Neo that did well. Themes that worked well for Neos also tend to do pretty okay with the Middies. And while Petites aren’t as plentiful in their releases as Middies are today, they are still quite beloved and very pocket friendly. A Petite fits into pretty much any pants pocket that I have – and if you’re familiar with fashion these days, you know that most pants pockets don’t fit much at all.

At this time in my doll collecting days, I would probably favour Middies over Petites. I enjoy the larger size, and the dial on the back of their heads means that I can eek out just a smidgen more personality out of the chubby little faces.

Do you prefer Middies or Petites?

Most days, I wish I had a cat or a dog. And then I think about the need for lint rollers, or having wet noses in my face, or tripping over furry mammals in my living room and I do really reconsider it. The thoughts of having my tiny precious doll shoes being chewed up or having dolls knock off of shelves really makes me cringe – although I suppose they do make doors for shelves these days. I do have pets, but they’re of the non-mammalian variety and live in a tank so the amount of interaction with my dolls incredibly minimal unless I force it.

I love photos of Blythe with dogs, cats, and other animals. Mostly because they’re super adorable. But I don’t have a dog, or a cat, or some kind of mammalian pet so…

Do you allow your pets to interact with Blythe?

Blythe came into my life in 2004, but didn’t really make herself at home until 2009 when I got my first Blythe – a Cappuccino Chat known as Sophie. Since that summer, Blythe has made herself an important part of my life. Maybe it was the feelings of the unknown that came with adulthood, or maybe I just really needed a hobby and Blythe filled that need quite nicely. Through Blythe I made friends that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. I have dolls that I enjoy, I have friends in various parts of several countries that I otherwise wouldn’t have connected with, and a hobby that’s fascinating and fun.

Blythe has taken over… space in my life. Not only in terms of physical space (lots and lots of physical space) but also a bit of emotional space as well, seeing as how I quite love the dolls. Chubby cheeks on Kenners, the sound of changing the eyes, the tiny shoes. Blythe has a hold on my life with her tiny, tiny plastic hands. And that is quite the cheerful thought!

Has Blythe taken over your life? Share below how she has!

I love learning how people organize their doll things because sometimes I pick up tips to better organize my doll things. I have two sets of plastic drawers, like so:

On the left, from top to bottom, there are hats, hair accessories and socks/tights, followed by dresses, and the bottom drawer contains miniatures and assorted items (including some extra stands). On the right, from top to bottom, there are shirts (along with Halo and Primrose), then pants (along with Lillian Rose and Emmalynn), and finally stock clothing (in bags) and Blythe carriers. I tend to group items by the same designer together in zipped baggies to make it more organized, at least in the dress drawer.

The majority of my doll shoes live in plastic organizer boxes. The rest of my dolls are on display (either on stands or on couches/chairs), and then I have some other boxes with customizing goodies (trust me, there’s not a whole lot) and random miniatures in another box.

How do you organize your doll things? (Share below any tips you have!)

Like most Blythe enthusiasts, I keep up with the news of new releases. Who’s limited, who’s an RBL+ or an FBL, who has fantastic stock that I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on? And occasionally, these dolls catch my eye in an “Ohh, I wouldn’t mind adding you to the family at all!” but sometimes those feelings are rare. Sometimes it seems that the same old dolls are being released – similar hair colours, similar clothing. And then I end up looking at the older releases, to consider what I had missed.

Older releases are great in that they had some wonderful colour combinations and some wacky outfits (do you all remember Goldie’s jumpsuit with the green accessories) and they just came with more stuff. Belarus (Love Mission) came with two full outfits – including shoes! Bennett (Margaret Meets Ladybug) came in a box shaped like a house and came with a full picnic set with some amazing details.

My wishlist hasn’t changed too much. I’m still wanting to add a BL to the family (Mondrian, Sunday Best, Aztec Arrival), perhaps a few EBLs or SBLs. Of the newer releases, the one that most recently caught my eye was Scotty Mum (for the doll) and Bling Bling Party Fur (for the clothes).

Who is on your wishlist?