I can be pretty terrible about the holidays and keeping track of them for BlytheLife. Halloween is in just a few days and I honestly have zero new costume plans for my dolls. Why? Because my local Blythe group isn’t having a Halloween meet until the following weekend. Which means I have a whole extra 5 days to come up with an amazing costume idea, create it, and pop it on a doll.

What this really means that I’ll be showing off an unseasonably ghoulish or scary (scary-cute?) Halloween costume sometime after the local doll meet – because spoilers aren’t fun! That said, I’m really looking forward to Halloween! I actually work on Halloween this year, and there are some restrictions to what I can or cannot wear at work. This is pretty much due to fun things like “infection control” and maintaining some sense of decorum and professionalism. One of my coworkers will be scooping up a bunch of fun Halloween-themed headbands and just dropping them off at in the staff room for everyone to pick and choose from. There will be kitty ears, witches hats, and little devil horns. I’m going to opt for the kitty ears because meow.

In the past, I’ve come up with some delightfully fun Halloween outfits for my dolls. For instance, the first Halloween meet we did as a group, Belarus went as a squid. Because why not? I actually quite love this costume and still pull it out from time to time because I had such fun making it! And then one year, I brought all three of my Kenners in costume.

I have zero idea what I’m going to do for this year, but I still have a little over a week to flesh out an idea and execute it. Chances are I’ll be bringing my new Devi Delacour – and she’s already in a Halloween-appropriate outfit – so what I really need to do is just come up with another outfit for one of my other dolls. Hopefully I can think of something soon!

Bonus to having a post-Halloween Halloween meet is that it makes decorations and little fun knick knacks just that much more affordable! I had made the suggestion that everyone attending in my local doll group bring a little treat so everyone could go home with a loot bag – just as if we had gone trick-or-treating. I plan on getting a bunch of cute little things, along with mini chocolate bars and some other fun things – photos after because spoilers aren’t any fun.

Are you going to be attending a Halloween-themed doll meet? (Or have you already attended one?) And curious minds what to know: what fun costume ideas did you come up with this year?

You are all going to think that this is the world’s biggest First World Problem, mostly because I think it’s a FWP.

I picked up my Devi Delacour from the post office yesterday and she is still in her box, under the thick plastic covering. She is out of her shipper carton, but that is about it. And I’m sure you’re asking “But Michelle, you’ve been waiting very impatiently for her, why haven’t you ripped her out of her box yet?” and that is an excellent question. Unless you’re me and you have been somehow added to about two dozen Blythe-related Facebook groups. My news feed is littered with photos of dolls all the time.

Proper photos of my still-nameless Devi Delacour soon!
Bonus shot of Sailor Mars (last Funko Pop I wanted from the Sailor Moon collection!).

And with the arrival of Devi Delacour at many people’s doorsteps, this means that I’ve been seeing a lot of photos of people with their Devi Delacour and all the flaws that they have been finding. Now, I am no stranger to stock dolls that have issues. Eden Mouse (Punkaholic People) had a horribly uneven hair cut when she arrived – that I remedied with a pink mouse hat that is semi-permanently affixed to her head. But with Devi Delacour still under the thick plastic and safely inside of her box, I can believe that she is perfect until proven otherwise. For a few days, she’ll remain in her box, safely protecting the illusion that my first preorder Blythe doll is in immaculate condition and has zero flaws.

In part, this may seem like I am lying to myself (and I suppose that I am), but Devi Delacour is also supposed to be a birthday present to myself and it’s not even the right month yet… Which probably means that I should wait a little bit longer. At least until November hits and I can pull her out of the box!

However… If I pull her out in October, does that mean I need to buy myself another doll for my birthday in November?

Now, let me preface this by saying that this is not a stock vs. customized doll debate – nope, not at all! I’m just wanting to know how much of your collection is skewed towards stock or custom dolls. For the sake of argument here, lightly custom dolls (e.g. only gaze lifting, Licca bodies, eye chip changes) will count as “stock” as much of that is reversible. So non-reversible changes will make the doll count as custom (e.g. carving, change in make-up, and the like).

For me, the custom count is 2 dolls – or 13.3% of my collection (soon to be 12.5% of my collection once a certain little devil arrives…). Or actually, currently 12% if we count my Middies as part of my overall Blythe collection. So my doll family is quite heavily skewed towards the stock dolls. Think I should change that?

Is your doll family more stock or custom?

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Think you’re a fan of Kenners? Here are 10 fun facts about Kenners that you may not already know:

1. Kenner Blythe dolls were only produced for one year, 1972.
2. There were 12 original outfits produced for Blythe.
3. For Blythe’s accessories, Kenner produced 4 wigs and 4 pairs of glasses, and an orange carry case.
4. Kenner Blythe has holes on the back of her ears that the original glasses were able to sit into (so they stay on!).
5. Four hair colours were made with different hair styles (chunky bangs, wispy bangs, side part, centre part) – blondes only came with a side part.
6. The Kenner Blythe dolls featured in the advertisements were prototypes and not the dolls sold.
7. Original retail price for Kenner Blythe was less than $6 USD. With inflation, that is about $35 USD in 2016. For comparison, the average minimum hourly wage was ~$1.60 USD in 1972 vs. $8.60 USD in 2012.
8. Kenner Blythe’s hair came in a braid to keep it together in the box.
9. Prior to the release of This is Blythe by Gina Garan and the Neo releases by Takara, Kenner Blythe dolls were sold on eBay for ~$30 USD.
10. In the original television commercial, the colours of Blythe’s eyes were referred to as: bouncy brown [orange], green eyes and groovy, purple pretty as you please [pink], and beautiful blue.

Kenners are pretty amazing as they have survived through years of being unloved – hidden away in attics and buried in gardens. They’ve survived a lot! And many of them haven’t made it through the years unscathed, what with the melt marks, cracks in the bodies, and being chewed on by children and animals.

What’s a fun fact that you know about Kenner Blythe dolls? Share below in the comments!