BlytheLife.com opened in July 2010 and is a blog and resource hub for all things Blythe!
QOTW: How have your tastes in Blythe changed?
Written on November 17, 2014 at 12:00 pm by MichelleFiled under: Question of the Week
Way back when I was a newbie Blythe collector, I thought stock dolls were it for me. Not only stock doll, but Takara stock dolls. I didn’t have it in my head that Kenners were worth it (oh, how I shake my head at my old self now!) because I hadn’t had the opportunity to see a Kenner in person (or hold one, hear the Kenner pip, admire their pretty chubby cheeks…). At the beginning, I was definitely all “Yup, stock dolls are pretty rad.” I may have been slightly in denial because I always saw customs as being crazy expensive. When you consider that my first two dolls were stock, and cost about the same amount as a textbook for one of my university courses, and I thought that they were expensive as not incredibly limited dolls (Cappuccino Chat and Love Mission), customs were seen as being ridiculously expensive at $300 or higher. I think at that point, the highest price tag I saw attached to a custom was maybe around $500, maybe. That seemed like a lot of money to me back then. Especially since I saw that as being “Why would I buy one doll for $500 when I could get three to four dolls for the same amount of money?”
I clearly had no clue.
But as time went on, and I was exposed to more and more dolls and different photos of these beautiful custom dolls, I kind of knew that I would eventually succomb to getting custom doll. But, I would fall weak to Kenners first. I know that Kenners are the ‘grail’ doll for a lot of people (grail as in holy grail, for those new to Blythe-lingo), and for a long time they were for me too. Then I got a Kenner. And then I upped that amount to three. And then I added a custom, a handful of stock dolls, and then another custom. I’m on a roll. I like to think of it as my tastes in Blythes becoming more sophisticated with age. Like fine wine. Or something. All I know is that I haven gotten more pickier as time goes on because it’s almost like an internal struggle whenever I add a new doll to the family now. The curse of having too much in such a small space, I think. Maybe I just need more room.
So now I have stock dolls (mostly stock, they tend to have eyechip changes, maybe some charms, a gaze lift), custom dolls, and vintage Kenners. I am pretty much an equal opportunist when it comes to Blythe dolls and loving them, but I do have more (mostly) stock dolls than anything else. And that’s okay, because if I didn’t have stock dolls, I wouldn’t have some of the colourful characters that show up on BlytheLife from time to time. When I started this website in 2010, I only had 6 Blythes and now I have… well, now I have more. I don’t get the opportunity to take as many photos as I want to when I’m busy with school and school things (hello, papers-worth-a-ridiculous-percentage-of-my-final-grade!), but I do appreciate them because I have them set up in a way that I can see them every single day. And that’s what makes it worth it to me to experience them, even if I’m not experiencing them.
How have your tastes in Blythe changed since you started collecting?
I love my stock dolls and want them all…so greedy but I just love their shiny faces. Lately I am in love with all the Anniversary dolls and the newer matte skin.
I have a few face ups and reroots on special girls that I also adore.
I would love a red headed kenner and always hold out hope for a lotto or a thrift store find.
I’m always hoping for that thrift store find! 😉
I got at least a couple of my dolls thinking I would customize them, give them face-ups, which has proven to be TOTALLY WRONG. I do like customization, but I’m not sure I trust myself to do heavier stuff like carving. Phewf! I would say the main thing that’s changed is that I like FBLs more now than RBLs, but that’s been a slow change/discovery.
This is definitely me too. The idea of carving makes me nervous, I like to stick with the super simple things that are kinda idiot proof (since I can do it!) 😉
I’ve followed pretty much the same path as you, thinking along similar lines. I’ve got 2 Kenners now! I’m scrutinizing customs and thinking I may have one of my dolls customised. I do have a hybrid MSR with a PDAA scalp (lovely combo if I may say so – but I do find myself hunting for a stock MSR scalp). So I guess stock gals are my fave. Especially translucents, and I ADORE EBL’s, especially Mondies. Luurve my Mondie twins.
I love translucent Blythes! I actually don’t have any, although if I could choose any it would be Margo Unique Girl, and she’s just priced way too high.
Have you looked at Junie Moon Cutie? She’s really pretty and not too dissimilar to MUG – IMO she’s prettier, and of course way more affordable!