I had a discussion recently with a friend, who declined to be identified, in the doll hobby about how she often sold dolls to afford new ones. She called it “cycling” as in, one doll out, a new doll in. She has what she considers to be a “core group” and a “fluctuating group”, which I thought was interesting. Her core group consists of a Kenner, her first Blythe, and her first custom (that she did herself). Her fluctuating group is usually 3-4 dolls that changes every one to two years. She says its her way of not pouring even more money into the doll hobby, while always keeping her collection “fresh and exciting”. At one time, her fluctuating group was a group of one – she had a custom doll who was created by a sought after customizer at the time. Then she traded that doll for two dolls, and then she sold one of the customs and bought two other dolls with the proceeds. In her words, there are (surprisingly) more important things to spend money on than dolls, but she still wants to have the excitement of a new addition to her collection.

And then there’s me. I have only sold one doll before (a Fancy Pansy that never even made it out of her box – and to add insult to injury, I stripped her of her stock before shipping her off to her new home), the rest of my dolls enter into the family and here they will stay forever (barring unforeseen circumstances). And I know there are collectors out there like me – minimal selling, none of this “cycling” of money business, but I also know that this is not completely the norm. Some people sell, some people don’t – but it’s not a hard or fast rule that anyone should adhere too. What if I wake up one morning and decide that I need to sell a doll to afford something? Anyone who read this post would think that I’m a hypocrite and that’s okay – because presumably I’d either fallen out of love with a certain doll, or I really need the cash for something necessary in life – and that does not include doll clothes or shoes.

Do you “cycle” through dolls? Do you keep all your dolls? Or do you fall somewhere between the two extremes?

Photo by Meg/irulethegalaxy.

If money was not an obstacle and I had unlimited funds to spend on any one Blythe doll? I would get a Parco! Parco-Parco-Parco-Parco-Parco! Preferably one that came with her fantastic 90s-era cell phone. (I’ve become quite smitten with BLs, and while Sunday Best & Aztec Arrival are definitely on the ‘list’ of what I want – Parco will cost more pennies and is more out of my price range right now.)

If money wasn’t an issue, which Blythe doll would you buy right now?

Everyone has different goals for their Blythe collection. Some people want a Kenner with every possible hair style, others want one of every single BL ever produced (a lofty goal, to be sure), while others collect every single Middie release as they are produced. Me? I want to own one of every single mold type. That is, I want to own one each of a Kenner, ADG, BL, EBL, SBL, RBL, FBL, RBL+, Middie, Petite (LPS) and Petite (Takara).

With the addition of Lottie, I finally (!) have a BL to call my own – and isn’t she so cute? The only one that I have left to add to the family is an ADG (Ashton-Drake Galleries produced faithful reproductions to the original 1972 Kenners from 2005-2008, more information here). I do have plans to acquire one soon, and then I will have met my goal. And then perhaps I will need a new goal? Maybe? Maybe I’ll start by getting more shelf space for my dolls…

What are your collection goals?

I tend to shop from Blythe clothing sellers that I know – either in person or people that I’ve developed friendships with online. I like doing that because I end up supporting people that I know, and there’s something special about owning something and being able to say something who it’s from. It’s the bonus of being in a hobby community where so many people are talented and able to create things for the dolls that I love. On the flip side, I love browsing through Etsy and Artfire and finding new-to-me vendors because it lets me become introduced to some new faces in the doll community – and supporting that new talent is important as well!

Now if only shipping to Canada wasn’t that expensive…

Do you shop from sellers that you know, or give strangers a chance?

If Sophie was a child getting comments in her report card, it would read a little something like:

Sophie often disrupts the class and is bossy towards the other children. She is strong-willed and hard-headed and often possessive of the classroom toys.

Let’s face it: Sophie is kind of a brat at times (hey!) and is often demanding when it comes to getting new clothes. She likens herself to being a fashionista and enjoys getting new clothes all of the time. Sophie also likes making sure that all the other dolls know that they’re sharing her wardrobe and her shoe closet. And I’m sure you have a doll a bit like Sophie in your own family, so the question is…

Who is the “Sophie” in your doll family?

This post is not endorsed nor approved by Sophie.

Don’t forget! All posts that you make on BlytheLife.com count as one (1) entry towards a giveaway! Prize(s) and winner(s) to be announced in April after I verify all of the comments as being not spam. Good luck!