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A Beginner’s Guide: Comparison of Takara Blythes

Written on September 14, 2016 at 12:00 pm by Michelle
Filed under: Article with tags: , ,

Takara Blythes are also referred to as Neo Blythes, and they are the full-sized Blythes. The molds that make up the Neo Blythes are: BL, EBL (Excellence), SBL (Superior), RBL (Radiance), FBL (Fairest), and RBL+ (Radiance Plus). Here is a group photo of a stock doll of each Takara mold type:

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From left to right, there is: Mondrian (BL), Love Mission (EBL), Velvet Minuet (SBL), Monique Magnifique (RBL), Simply Sparkly Spark (FBL), and Hi-Ho! Marine (RBL+).

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Some BLs, such as Mondrian, came “boggled”. None of the the eyelids show in some of the dolls.

Most EBLs came with thinner, wispy eyelashes. Both BL and EBL had the same shade of pink eye chips. They were changed for SBLs.

Velvet Minuet is one of the earlier SBLs, she had the natural downward gaze, “yellowed” eyeballs, and the upward smirk that some people didn’t like in the earlier SBL Blythe dolls.

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For reference, here is the text that is present on the back of their heads. The copyright date refers to the year that the mold was created, not the year that the specific release was manufactured. Often times, people think that a doll sold in 2016 should read 2016 on the doll, which is not the case. The copyright date is for the copyright of the design of the base doll.

BL (Back of Head)
Blythe TM / © 2001 Hasbro, Inc. / © CWC

EBL (Back of Head)
Blythe TM / © 2001 Hasbro, Inc. / © CWC

SBL (Back of Head)
Blythe TM / © 2003 Hasbro, Inc. / © CWC / TAKARA / CHINA

RBL (Back of Head)
Blythe TM / © 2006 Hasbro, Inc. / © CWC / TOMY / CHINA

FBL (Back of Head)
Blythe TM / © 2008 Hasbro, Inc. / © 2008 CWC Ltd. / TOMY / MADE IN CHINA

RBL+ (Back of Head)
Blythe TM / © 2013 Hasbro / TOMY / CHINA

Hasbro is mentioned on the back of the dolls’ heads as they own the Blythe trademark/brand. Hasbro had bought the rights to Kenner trademarks. CWC pays to license the name, and thus Hasbro must be mentioned on the products.

QOTW: Balancing that Work-Doll-Life Life?

Written on September 12, 2016 at 2:00 pm by Michelle
Filed under: Question of the Week

I have been out of school for well over a year now, and working for almost a year (it will be a year in the latter half of October), and I am still struggling to find a balance between working, socializing (with non-doll people), and doll (socializing with doll people). My dolls are (still) frequently ignored as they stand on the shelf, patiently waiting for the times when I can notice them, give them an outfit change. As it is, many of them don’t get any attention unless it is time to attend a doll meet.

20160912Let us not dwell on how long Minnow has been wearing this outfit for…

It’d be different if my work was related to dolls, then it’d be more of a work/doll-life balance. Such as it is, my work keeps me pretty busy with regular 12 hour shifts that occasionally cause me to be M.I.A. to my family and friends on the weekends. On my days off, I wind up doing laundry, cooking and cleaning, and then some dolly fun from time to time. I try my best to attend local Blythe meet-ups as well as just keeping in touch with my local doll and non-doll friends. It’s a struggle now that I’ve moved further from the bulk of my friends – this reminds me of a song I used to sing in Girl Guides.

Make new friends, but keep the old
One is silver, the other is gold
A circle is round, it has no end
That’s how long I will be your friend.

How do you balance your work-doll-life life?

Why Do You Love Blythe?

Written on September 7, 2016 at 12:00 pm by Michelle
Filed under: Musings

I write about Blythe a lot, it’s a bit of a known hazard when it comes to running a Blythe-centric website. For me, Blythe came into my life in an opportune time. It was the summer between my first and second year of post secondary, pretty much all of my high school friends opted to attend a different post secondary (and trust me, I do not make friends that easily), and I found myself floundering a little bit because I knew what I wanted to be when I “grew up” (a registered nurse) but I was struggling to find a clear path from points A to B. In a way, Blythe came to me when I needed something to ground me a bit more and somehow she helped. Of course, it was at that time that I swore up and down that I would only ever need just the one – and we all know how well that works out.

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And now? Blythe is something beautiful in my life that has introduced me to some fantastic people. I’ve made lifelong friends and have met so many wonderful and talented people in the community. Blythe has helped me to form so many connections, it’s a wonderful hobby to be part of. After all, given the diversity in the community, I might not have met such great people otherwise.

Why do you love Blythe? Share in the comments below.

Middie Monday #15

Written on September 5, 2016 at 1:00 pm by Michelle
Filed under: Musings with tags:

Happy September! I recently was asked about the difference between Middies and Blythes, because a new member of the Blythe hobby was confused about the difference between the full-sized and Middie-sized Blythes – so here’s a little run down about the differences:

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Neo Blythe – Same size as Kenner and Ashton-Drake Galleries Blythes

  • Four sets of eye chips (rotated through with a pull string)
  • Eyelids show when pull string is pulled
  • Head can only move left and right
  • Knees bend
  • 28.5cm tall

Middie Blythe

  • One set of eye chips (eyes can move from side-to-side)
  • Eye lids do not show
  • Head can move head up and down, left and right
  • Knees do not bend
  • 20cm tall

I’ve noticed that in general that Middies are less customized or sought after compared to Neo-sized Blythe, but I do believe this is because they’re less coveted despite the adorableness. Middie are definitely more pocket and purse-friendly (although not as pocket-friendly as Petite Blythe!), I find that they are less expensive compared to Neo-sized Blythe. There are more clothing patterns for Neo-sized Blythe, so there is a market for anyone who wants to design or create clothing for Middies.

Lydia Melbourne’s wearing: dress/Endangered Sissy.
Cameo’s wearing: helmet/Cakewalk Queen, dress/Plastic Fashion, leggings/Endangered Sissy.

Tiny Shoe Love #14

Written on September 2, 2016 at 1:00 pm by Michelle
Filed under: Article with tags:

It’s been a while since I’ve gushed about tiny shoes here on BlytheLife, so I wanted to draw some attention to these lovelies:

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I picked these up at a local Blythe meet up when a friend was destashing shoes and they just called to me. They’re a nice camel colour (or beige, or tan, if you’d rather make them sound less sophisticated…), with a mold stitch and lace-up design. There’s even line details for where the heel meets the sole, along with a partial slit up the back of the boots to allow for ease of putting them on and taking them off. I really wish I could tell you where to buy these, because I wish I could get them in more colours. Alas, there are no markings on these boots, so my dreams of owning these in dark brown, black, and perhaps even a cream are gone.

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Do you have tiny shoes in your collection that you’re unsure of the origins of as well? It’s an unfortunate thing to not know where to get more of the same design! I know I definitely have multiple pairs that I could not, for the life of me, tell you where they came from. On the other hand, if I did know where I could get more, this would probably be bad information for my wallet…

Tiny Shoe Love is a feature on BlytheLife.com to showcase and share doll shoes that grace Michelle’s picky dolls’ feet. We love tiny shoes in this house, and we hope you do too!

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