Blythe can be, at times, a difficult doll to find things to scale for. This is because her head and her body are not proportionate at all. Her body is similar in size to a Skipper doll, and her head is similar in size to an American Girl (18″) doll. This is an issue because they are different scales.

Skipper (and Barbie) are 1/6th sized dolls. This is also referred to as 1:6 or “playscale”. American Girl, and other 18″ dolls, are 1/3rd or 1:3 scale. Those are drastically different numbers. And not all 1:3 items for American Girl will work for Blythe’s big noggin just due to the general sizing differences.

I tend to consider things to be “to scale” depending on what part of the Blythe it goes with. If it is furniture, I look for items that are 1:6 because it needs to be in proportion to the doll’s body. 1:6 means that if a doll item at 1″ was a human-sized item, it would be 6″. The IKEA HUSET is actually approximately 1:8 scale, but the sizing doesn’t seem to be too off, this is likely due to the fact that Blythe’s body isn’t as tall as Barbie’s body (who is 1:6 scale).

If you want to replicate something for your dolls, measure it and divide the numbers by 6 if you want it to scale to the doll, in general, or to the body of Blythe. If you want it in scale to the head, divide it by 3.

For example, a standard DVD case is: 7.5″ (L) x 5.5″ (W) x 0.5″ (H).

In playscale, or 1:6 scale, those measurements would be: 1.25″ (L) x 0.92″ (W) x 0.08″ (H).

“This DVD case is too big for my paws to open!”

Having something “to scale” makes items more realistic and not look over (or under!) sized for your Blythes. There will be some things that won’t matter when it comes to getting it to “to scale”. For instance, if you were to give your dolls a stuffed animal, chances are that the size won’t matter too much (unless it’s much too big), because there are such a huge variance in stuffed animal sizes. However, if you were to put your dolls next to a toy mail box, size will matter because if it’s too high or too short, it looks ‘off’ from the size of your Blythe (and the letter that’s being sent).

A Beginner’s Guide is a feature on BlytheLife.com that is all about going back to the basics of collecting Blythe, and being a reference tool for new and experienced collectors alike. If you have any suggestions for what you would like to see in A Beginner’s Guide, send me your suggestions!

I can remember back in the day when I was new to Blythe and the different faces were just confusing (and yes, I realize that I am now dating myself when it comes to how long I’ve been in this hobby). For those playing along at home, there are many different types of legitimate Blythe dolls, and then some not-so-legitimate Blythe dolls. This post will be addressing full-sized Blythe dolls which will include: Kenners, BL, EBL, SBL, RBL, FBL, RBL+, and ADG – for the legitimate dolls. And then a short blurb on “factory”, TBLs and fakes.

All Blythe dolls are the same height (11.5″) and have a similar body shape. With the exception of BLs on Licca bodies, all other Takara Blythe and ADG Blythe dolls are on bodies that are very similar to the bodies that Kenners were on (arms sticking out, knees that ‘click’ to bend). Additionally, all Blythe dolls have an eye mechanism where they have four sets of eyes chips (two facing forward, one facing left, and one facing right).

Kenner Blythe Dolls – 1972

Kenners are the vintage, and original, Blythe dolls. They were designed by Allison Katzman in the 70s and produced by the toy company Kenner (hence their name). The dolls are often referred to as “KBs” by collectors, for Kenner Blythe. The dolls will have 6 or 7 lines of text on the back of the doll’s body, unlike modern Blythe dolls they did not come with text on the back of their heads. Kenners come in four stock hair colours: blonde (sidepart only), red, brunette and raven (a darker brown). For all of the hair colours, aside from blonde, the hair styles came in wispy bangs, chunky bangs, centre part and sidepart. Some hair styles are more rare and elusive than others.

All 1972 Kenner Blythe dolls, in various types of conditions.

The sound of pulling a Kenner’s pullstring is actually a lot softer than with a modern Blythe doll – collectors refer to this as the “Kenner pip” due it being so soft in nature. Kenners can be found in all sorts of conditions these days, the best way to purchase one is to either buy online (from another collector) or via online websites like eBay. Click to read more of this entry.

I occasionally take for granted the fact that not everyone who reads BlytheLife is a seasoned dolly enthusiast, but no longer! For those new to Blythe, this is for you – as well as future “Beginner’s Guide” posts.

Blythe dolls come in various sizes, and also from various manufacturers. The three official manufacturers of Blythe include: Kenner (1972), Ashton-Drake Galleries (2005-2008), Hasbro (2010-Present) and Takara (2001-Present). The only companies still making Blythe dolls are Hasbro and Takara, but if you are shopping online, you can find the dolls produced by other companies. Hasbro and Takara also make drastically different types of Blythe dolls.

Full-Sized: KBs, ADGs and Neo’s

Full-sized Blythes have been produced by Kenner, Ashton-Drake Galleries and Takara.

Blythes produced by Kenner are often referred to as “Kenner” or “Kenner Blythe” – they are the original Blythe doll, otherwise known as ‘vintage Blythe’, and can be difficult to find in mint condition. The prices can vary quite a bit depending on the condition of the doll, if anything is missing (e.g. a limb, hair, clothes), and what damage has been done to the doll. Even partially limbless with missing hair, Kenner Blythe still goes for a few hundred dollars in online auctions. Mint-condition, or even Kenners never removed from the box, can pop up online at times, but the prices may be set at unattainable prices.

From upper left, clockwise, Primrose (Kenner), Eden Mouse (Punkaholic People, RBL),
Emmalynn (Kenner), and Sophie (Cappuccino Chat, RBL).

Ashton-Drake Galleries’ Blythes were produced to be reproductions of the original 1972 Kenner Blythes, down to the style of the box, hair, and clothing. Ashton-Drake Galleries Blythes (or ADG, as they are referred to by hobbyists) were often overlooked by collectors due to the ‘greenish’ tinge that the plastic had in earlier productions. The later produced dolls by ADG lost this tinge, but they never gained much popularity with collectors. There are some people who do collect the ADG Blythe fashions though, as they are very close reproductions of the vintage clothing (which typically costs a lot more).

Takara is often considered the reason why the new wave of Blythe took off. Partnered with Cross-World Connections, the Blythes that they produce are often seen being referred to as Neo Blythe, as they are the ‘new Blythe’ around. They are very reminiscent of the vintage dolls that came before them. Since 2001, there have been a number of mold changes, and the dolls are often sold and listed with a reference to the type of mold that they are from. These molds are: BL, EBL, SBL, RBL, FBL, and RBL+. As BL is often seen as referring to ‘Blythe’, the E, S, R, and F refer to: Excellence, Superior, Radiance, and Fairest. Currently, the only mold-types still being produced are RBL, FBL, and RBL+ (called Radiance +).

Middies

Kitty Brighton, a Jackie Ramone Middie.

Middie-sized Blythes have only been produced by Takara. Like Skipper was to Barbie, Middie is the ‘middle’ sister (hence her very creative name!). In existence since 2010, Middie has only one set of eyes that only moves side-to-side. Luckily for her, she has a head that also moves around to create adorable and cute looks. Sized considerably different from her older sister counterpart, Middie often doesn’t share many clothing or shoes with her big sister. Notably, some boots will fit both Middie and Neo, and some Neo-sized tops work as tunics or dresses for Middie.

Petites

Shrimp, an LPS Petite.

Petite-sized Blythes have been produced by Hasbro and Takara. Takara has been making Petites since 2002. The Takara-made Petites have ‘sleep eyes’ in the traditional sense that dolls have sleep eyes (lay the doll down, eyes close; sit/stand the doll up, eyes open). Hasbro has made a facsimile of the Takara Petite since 2010, with eyes that remain static, but recently changed the look of their Petite to better match the appearance of Blythe Baxter, the human character from the television show, Littlest Pet Shop. Hasbro-made Petites are often referred to as LPS Petites (LPS for Littlest Pet Shop).

A Beginner’s Guide is a feature on BlytheLife.com that is all about going back to the basics of collecting Blythe, and being a reference tool for new and experienced collectors alike. If you have any suggestions for what you would like to see in A Beginner’s Guide, send me your suggestions!