BlytheLife.com opened in July 2010 and is a blog and resource hub for all things Blythe!
A Beginner’s Guide: Different Molds
Written on August 13, 2014 at 12:00 pm by MichelleFiled under: Article with tags: beginner's guide
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.
The text on the back of a Kenner Blythe doll.
BL – 2001-2002
Produced from 2001-2002, BLs are the first modern Blythe dolls. Designed by Cross-World Connections (CWC) and manufactured by Takara, these dolls began with Parco and ended with Dottie Dot. All BL dolls came on a Licca body (the body of another doll produced by Takara. The majority of the dolls came with boggled eyes (no eyelids showing when the eyes were open), the ones that did not were Aztec Arrival Inspired, Sunday Best, and Dottie Dot (the last three BLs to be produced). All BLs came in the same body/face plastic colour. Generally well-sought after, BLs are some of the most beloved of the modern-day Blythe dolls for their quirky colouring and stock looks.
Left: Kozy Kape Inspired (BL). Right: Love Mission (EBL).
The list of BLs are: PARCO Limited, Mondrian, Hollywood, Rosie Red, All Gold In One, Kozy Kape Inspired, Aztec Arrival Inspired, Sunday Best, and Dottie Dot.
EBL “Excellence” – 2002-2005
EBLs were the second mold produced by Takara, beginning with the all too beautiful Miss Anniversary and ending with Margaret Meets Ladybug. Miss Anniversary also has the distinction of being the first Blythe to be produced with special eyechips, the only other EBL to share that pleasure is Margaret Meets Ladybug. EBLs are generally easy to identify with their wispy looking eyelashes coupled with their distinctive eyes. The eyes (which EBLs share with BLs) are due to the fact that the manufacturing process included painting black rings that would add some depth to the eyechips. All of the EBLs have the same plastic colour ‘skin’, aside from Cinnamon Girl who is slightly more tan in comparison. EBLs were also the first of the Takara-produced Blythes to come on a stock “Excellence” body, which is more reminiscent of the original Kenner body.
Disco Boogie (EBL).
For those that are customizers, BL and EBL open up the same way. The head is produced in 2 parts (a front and a back) and the doll’s scalp covers the top completely. In order to open up the head, the scalp must be lifted at least last the seam of where the two halves meet. EBLs also came with a clunkier stand, at least the earlier EBLs did. It came with a heavy base that extended away from the doll. Later EBLs came with what we now refer to as the clover stands.
SBL “Superior” – 2003-2008
SBLs came onto the scene in 2003 with Superior Skate Date (not to be confused with the early incarnation, the EBL Skate Date). Early SBLs have the misfortune of being known for having “yellowed” eyeballs, although if you look closely it is more to due with the plastic that was used rather than the actual colour itself (not being a bright white). The first four SBLs produced all have obviously downcasted eyes (Superior Skate Date, Very Inspired by Pow Wow Poncho, Velvet Minuet, and Silver Snow). The dolls that were made after Silver Snow look ‘up’ a bit more. Some of the later SBLs were made with a different lip shape that some collectors found to be much like a smirk, and were sometimes referred to being “joker” like.
For customizers, to make your dolls look up is called a ‘gaze lift’. This is done by trimming very small amounts of the t-bar in the eye mechanism until the gaze is to your liking. Never take off a large amount at a time – you can always take more off, but you can’t put more back!
Left: Cappuccino Chat (RBL). Right: Velvet Minuet (SBL).
RBL “Radiance” – 2006-2013
RBLs arrived in 2006 with Darling Diva (with those oh-so-wonderful rose cowgirl boots!). Blythe customization also took off with RBLs because they were so much easier to take apart – even I can do it! There has been such a huge variety of dolls produced with the RBLs – including several anniversary dolls! Darling Diva, Princess à la Mode, Eleanor the Forest Dancer (her sister, Christina the Bride, was an SBL), Fashion Obsession Jenna, Marabelle Melody, Ten Happy Memories, and Red Delicious. That’s a lot of anniversary dolls! RBLs were also the first time that ‘translucent’ description was used for the dolls, beginning with Mrs. Retro Mama (2007) and Miss Sally Rice (2008). The last RBL release, at the time of writing, was Penny Precious in July 2013. The RBL shape has been replaced with RBL+ (scroll down to read about them!).
Simply Peppermint (RBL).
RBLs are also the first Blythes that we the collectors noticed to be faked – most notoriously Simply Mango, Simply Guava, Urban Cowgirl, and Last Kiss.
Customizers – RBLs can be opened by removing all of the screws in the back, unhooking the spring and the squeezing the doll’s back plate by the ears. This releases the clips inside of her head, and you should be able to lift the back plate away from the rest of the head. Some recent releases have been found to have glue holding the pieces of the head together.
FBL “Fairest” – 2009-Present
FBLs burst out on the doll scene in 2009. It began with Bloomy Bloomsbury, a gorgeous but rather expensive doll. The first of the FBLs were all produced matte, which was quite nice to see. The ones that were matte included Bloomy Bloomsbury and the Prima Dolly trio of Tokyo, London and Paris. It was later announced that it was too costly to continue to produce matte Blythe dolls, just due to the nature of plastic and the mold. Subsequently produced FBLs were shiny-faced, much to some collectors’ chagrin. However, for those who like their dolls matte, this can be easily remedied with a little matte sealant spray (like with Mr. Super Clear).
Simply Sparkly Spark (FBL).
Left: Simply Peppermint (RBL). Right: Simply Sparkly Spark (FBL).
Left: Simply Sparkly Spark (FBL). Right: Hi-Ho! Marine (RBL+).
FBLs have the same head construction design are RBLs, making them ideal to use as customizing base. However, in comparison with the RBLs of days past, they are just not as popular with their facial features. They are, however, still in production, and there have been some fun hair colours coming out on FBL dolls (the Simply trio of Thumpty Thump, Bubble Boom, and Sparkly Spark – just for starters).
RBL+ “Radiance +” – 2013-Present
The Radiance + mold was produced as the original RBL mold was said to be damaged. Enter in Hi-Ho! Marine, the cheerful little sunshine yellow-haired waif, who was the first Radiance + doll produced. Since then, RBLs have died down in terms of the sheer number produced and RBL+ have taken over, with a smattering of FBLs between releases. RBL+ have essentially the same head construction as RBLs and FBLs, making them great for customization. There had been some issues with the dolls having excessive glue, in particular with Allie Gabrielle when new owners were attempting to open the heads. Since the start of RBL+ just last year, there have been two anniversary dolls produced with that mold: Allie Gabrielle and Regina Irwin.
Hi-Ho! Marine (RBL+).
Left: Simply Peppermint (RBL). Right: Hi-Ho! Marine (RBL+).
RBL+ are very closely related to the RBLs in terms of look. The big difference is that there is actually less plastic in the molds. This is important to note for customizing purposes because there is less plastic behind the nose area, which means that you can easily make a hole through the doll’s face without meaning to.
ADG – Ashton-Drake Galleries – 2005-2008
ADGs were faithful reproductions of the original Blythe dolls, right down to the fashions. Licensed by Hasbro to sell to the North American market, these dolls were considerably less expensive than their Asian counterparts. The first wave of ADGs to be produced had a green cast with the plastic, which did not make them popular with the collectors. Ashton-Drake Galleries reproduced every single original Blythe outfit design, along with the dolls, and the huge original doll box. ADGs only had the original four colour of eyechips (pink, blue, orange, and green), and stayed true to the original designs as much as possible.
Left: Pleasant Peasant (ADG). Right: Perfect Parfait (ADG). Photos by Juliet/mydollies4.
For those interested, ADGs are a great way to get your hands on reproduction Kenner outfits, since they are generally less expensive than the vintage originals.
Fakes, “Factory” or “TBL” Dolls
Fake Blythe dolls have been trolling the Blythe community since at least 2011. The problem was first noted when people were buying dolls, thinking that they were brand new stock dolls, and learning that they were fakes. The most copied dolls include Simply Mango, Simply Guava, Urban Cowgirl, and Last Kiss. These dolls are not only copied, but also have stock clothing (that is a little bit ‘off’ from the originals) and boxes that look like the original stock boxes. It can bey very, very, very tricky to tell apart a fake from a legitimate stock doll, especially when it is in the box.
Uncustomized TBL, photo by Meg/irulethegalaxy.
“Factory” dolls are described as being dolls that are made by rejected and/or stolen parts from the factories where the dolls are being made. Often they will have features that are identifiable from certain stock dolls. For instance, the hair colour and cut is from one doll, while the eye mechanism is from another, and the stock face-up is from yet another doll. These dolls, while they can be cute, are produced by stolen goods. Since the factories being used have changed, it is widely considered that all “factory” dolls that pop up are now “TBL” dolls instead (which are copies/fake Blythes).
TBLs, coined as such due to them being from Taobao (an online auction website, much like eBay), are notorious fakes. They come with some nice, and some odd, hair colours, as well as interesting combinations of eyechips. While they may look like Blythe dolls, they are not legitimate Blythe dolls. The prices are considerably lower (which also depends on where you look and the combinations of colours). If the auction listing is for a doll that is listed as being “factory” or “nude” without listing the actual stock doll’s name, it is most likely a fake. Any hair colour (or colours! there were some ‘rainbow’ scalps floating around), they are also fakes.
Looking to Buy a Real Blythe?
If you are looking for a real Blythe doll, I would highly recommend that you stick with known Blythe retailers (Junie Moon, CC Toys, Hobby Link Japan, just to name a few) or Blythe community selling areas (Blythe Kingdom, Dolly Adoption). As of the time of writing, the most commonly copied stock dolls (including clothing and boxes) are: Simply Mango, Simply Guava, Urban Cowgirl, and Last Kiss. There have been dolls copied, but without stock items as well, but the variations can often be very large so you should compare with the promotional photographs of the stock dolls if you can find them – a Google search of “(stock name) Blythe” should easily yield the images that you need to do your comparison.
If you ever have a doubt that the deal is “too good to be true”, especially when it comes to eBay, it probably is. If you are looking at a doll that another doll enthusiast is selling, never hesitate to ask what the original base doll was, or what the mold is. If they are selling a customized TBL, it should be disclosed as such. If the scalp being used came from a TBL, that should also be disclosed. If a TBL scalp is being used, and colour matching is important to you, ask to see a photograph of the doll, close up, of where the scalp meets the face plates. Often TBL scalps are a different shade and it may not match. Ask questions! You are your best advocate when it comes to protecting yourself online and from buying fakes when you’re looking for a real Blythe doll.
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!
Thanks for this post. I just bought my first Blythe and I found this blog very helpful!
Oh, who was your first Blythe?
I just bought Nicky Lad from Amazon.com. She hasn’t even arrived yet and I’m looking at more. I really like the customized ones but they’re quite out of my price range. I’d try myself, but I’m afraid I’d wreck her.
Super helpful and thorough!!
Thank you, Jane!!
Great article, thanks!
Thanks for the info. I’m sure I will refer back to this article many times!
A comprehensive and most interesting article, many thanks
I’m new to Blythe and I didn’t really understand the differences between RBL and FBL before. Thanks for sharing this! It really did help a lot.
This has helped me a lot, I have been loving Blythe photos and such from afar never letting it get into my head that i’d ever let myself get sucked in by her and yet the other day saw Tea for Two and just had to buy her, I did notice on my own that the picture didn’t match exactly the Tea for Two image so was freaking myself out thinking i’d been scammed but then realized it said Encore, so after reading about what that even meant realized everything was ok and i’m still super excited to be bringing her home, but it scared me so for now i’m glad to have found the CC Toys. I’d love to bring Milky way Sugar home next! I’m pretty obsessed which is where I didn’t want to be but she just makes me feel really happy, better than prozac.
Hi!
Please help!
I just got a Kenner Blythe that is in need of a new eye mechanism piece called the “u-joint” so was wondering if it would matter which style I get: EBL, RBL, ect.
Thanks!
I think you possibly mean the “arc”? (Is it white, almost completely round, with a square hole on one end? Where the spring attaches to the other end?) Most people in the doll community call it the arc. If that’s the piece you meet, I believe it has not changed through any of the molds – so go for whatever you can find that’s cheapest!
(I see that Cool Cat sells replacement parts. I have never used them before, but I know others probably have, I guess they are called u-joint by somebody else too!: http://us.sk-coolcat.com/front/bin/ptdetail.phtml?Part=b_acc02&Category=247573)
Is there a complete list of all the legit Blythe dolls out there? It would be nice to have in that there are so many and conceivably someone could produce a fake, give it a cute name and fool the likes of me! Thanks!
Blythopia (http://blythopia.com/) is a great reference resource for Blythe releases. However, there have been fake Blythes that look pretty identical to legitimate Blythes as they were styled the same, in very similar clothes, and in the same boxes.
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Hello. Thank you for this very interesting and helpful article. When I was a little girl, I was on a children’s television show (I don’t remember the name). I didn’t win, but all participants were given a prize. My prize was a Blythe doll. I never got rid of her; my mother told me to save it since she had never seen another one. I still have the Blythe doll with blonde hair; the eye mechanism works fine. However, she has lost some eyelashes. Where can I find someone who can replace the eyelashes? Or is it better to leave it alone since she is one of the vintage dolls? Thank you! Tyra
Hi Tyra,
What country are you in? I could possibly point you towards some Blythe restorers in your country/area. Some people will do replacement eyelashes. Feel free to email me: michelle@blythelife.com
Helpful article! Which I read it before I tried to pry open my Frosty Frock to give it a gaze correction. I had no idea that it was an SBL thus, very difficult to open. She now has small marks around her face where the two parts meet because of the flathead screwdriver I used 🙁
Wish*
I have an original Blythe 1972 6 line Kenner I bought myself brand new. She is the raven hair, reason I bought her. First doll I had seen with same color as mine, lol.
I have no daughters, just two sons, and they think she looks weird…lol. So I am selling my dolls I have had since childhood (even a Mrs Beasely if anyone is old enough to remember her)
Eyes work perfectly, no hair plugs missing, original outfit (except shoes) actually excellant condition except for her face.
Unfortunately she was left on a register when we were cleaning my mothers house out when she died. There are melted areas on her face.
I have seen the work of the “Blythe Doll Dr” on other dolls with the same problem. Excellant work. However I have also seen Blythe doll parts for sale, including heads. The melted areas are on the main face area. With a original Blythe head it could easily be switched.Not the entire head, just the face.
I do not use Ebay, and would like to sell her to someone who truly loves them, not just collects them for increasing value.
Do you, or anyone know of somewhere I can post her, pictures including melts, and also advise me on a reasonable price to ask for?
I have no clue on how much to ask, and I want to sell her “as is.” I also am not looking to get rich. I just want to do it asap.
thank you!
There are some Facebook groups where you can sell the doll, I may also know some collectors who would be interested in a private sale. Please email me if you’re interested in going that route, and include a photo or two (michelle@blythelife.com)
A note of affirmation: Congratulations! I know Mrs. Beasely and her soft little body. My baby sister had her. I relate to all you’ve shared. I haven’t purchased a Blythe doll. But I’ve recently sold off several things to get something I desperately want. So I know the feeling. I also am selling my home to do something I may not even be successful at, but I know I have to try because it’s so wonderfully worth the risk. I’m aiming to buy a hobby farm to open barn doors to volunteer them to children with disabilities-physical+emotional for animal therapy. It’s in my blood, my training, to help. Yet having been struck with my own limitations, I hope it to be the help I need …to help others. Yin-Yang, et al. Good for us to go after what our heads tell us our hearts need. I love being a woman. I don’t think older men do or act on healthy emotional self-evaluations anywhere near as often as women might. I wish they did, could. Maybe if parents let them play with family characters (i.e. ‘figurines’ aka dolls) they’d feel more connected to their feelings and sharing them? Boys still get the short end of the stick on learning emotions and their value. My own daughter won’t let my grandson have a boy doll or plushie like ‘Builder Dan’-even tho it’s medically proven to help boys talk about feelings with toys or from one to the other toy; males then have better relationships as adults and fathers. Crazy world needs more SILLINESS…like buying a Blythe doll by selling Mrs. Beasely 🙂
thank you for replying. i would prefer private. i will take pictures of her tomorrow. also checked knees and they work properly.
if you can access my email i get alerts, and i know i can download pics that way from cell.
both laptop and digital camera have issues, lol
hope to hear from you soon 🙂
Hi Michelle – thanks for the article it’s very helpful for a beginner like me… 🙂 I’m thinking of buying a Urban Cowgirl doll which is being sold as a fake and that’s fine with me (I was thinking of having a go at customizing her). My question is – you say that RBLs are easier to take apart for customization – does that apply to the fakes too??? Thank you. x
I have never personally taken apart any fakes, so I wouldn’t know! But since they are copies of RBLs, they’re likely okay to pull apart (although I don’t know if they use glue or anything) like that).
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Hello,
Very helpful article. I wanted to add a correction, MML is not the only EBL with special eye chips. Courtney Tez/Nike also has special eye chips.
Cheers,
M
[…] RBL+, and ADG that were produced in different years and by varied manufacturers. You can also read Beginner’s Guide to Blythe Head Molds for more details about different […]
[…] RBL+, and ADG that were produced in different years and by varied manufacturers. You can also read Beginner’s Guide to Blythe Head Molds for more details about different […]
Hi I am new to blythes / Blythe customizing and I have a liitle bit of trouble my doll is a Tbl and does not have a piece to screw in the wig and I cannot get the wig in with out the screw I am not quite sure what to do ? Any suggestions thanks !
Hi. To all of you, I’m old. In Christmas 1972, my 3 sisters and I all received our own Blythe doll. I don’t recall what I knew about her before that day. I only know that I was completely, utterly and irrevocably transfixed on MY doll. I didn’t care about my sisters dolls (for once). I had THE most beautiful doll. I studied her, i even know her smell. Her hair. Her plastic. The tiniest stitching on her clothes even perplexed me. But the MOST wonderful about my doll was that for the first time in my life, a doll that everyone wanted, that was not the ‘Midge” of the bunch.. but really stunning and fun and never dull… looked like me. The only popular redheads in a little girls world then were Pippi Longstocking (She was GREAT, but she was not popular because she was pretty. She was strangely wonderful), and Raggedy Ann. So you can imagine when a green-eyed red haired doll that was as much a lovely star as any other color mix of Blythes was in MY arms, I was in Christmas day heaven. When I played with all my big sisters, none of them bossed ‘her’ on how to play, once in a while they dared ask to swap for that hour of play (never happened before), and my other quite mean ginger sister played Blythe dolls with me, our ‘dolls’ got along…the 2 redheaded Blythes. The only other doll that came close was Crissy Doll with the long hair that grew in and out. She was fantastic. But she didn’t have HUGE SPARKLING CRYSTAL GREEN EYES. 🙂 I just wanted to share what a Blythe doll could mean to a child back in 1972. Especially a lil ginger head girl without many role models in tv or toys that would be fun to be told you look like them.
So you KNOW I love these dolls. Now I will share a thought I had in reading ALL about the fakes on your page today. I am a disabled older woman now. I can’t work. I’m on a fixed income from soc.sec. So I just want to say that if I had a fake that LOOKED like my old doll, I wouldn’t care. Because it would buy it to trigger all the good memories of playing with my sisters and different outfits we or my grandmother would make, or playing “Thanksgiving” with them and so much more. So when you think about the fakes, try not to be Too hard on the people that can enjoy them for the memories, and not spend a mortgage payment, or heating bill for ?? months on it. It’d be sort of like having a picture of the doll I had. It would matter who actually owned that doll, it’d be the recollections the child in me. Please don’t worry that I would buy stolen goods. Don’t worry for me. Don’t write to me about how wrong that thought is. No need to dull the glimmering reminiscing I’m sharing. Sometimes, it’s ok to just let a person be happy with an imperfect perfectly fine thought. I bet you’ve had one, or even two, yourself.
Best to all you Luckies enjoying these lovely creations.
They are stunning, all of them. I’m so glad they came back for SO many to discover and love, or daydream about-like so many did with that photography book that brought them back to life, to you.
I feel similar nostalgia about my Blythe doll I had as a little kid in the ’70s. I just loved to yank on that cord and change the eyes, and I am considering buying a pre-owned doll with no “papers” so I can do the same as an adult, just play with it and remember mine from way back when. I think that is a totally valid way to enjoy the dolls! It would not fly as a collectible doll, but it would be fine for the purpose of reminiscing and playing. As for buying stolen parts, if I buy someone’s used doll, I can’t be sure of the provenance of the parts.
Beautiful blog post. Custom Blythe dolls are now the lifestyle!