“I’ve reached my limit.” “I’d really like to downsize.” “One in, one out. I can’t go over 5.”

I’m sure these are all very familiar words that have been echoed through online forums and at doll meets. A lot of people have a maximum number of dolls that they’d like to stick to. I did too, once upon a time.

When I got my first Blythe, a Cappuccino Chat (Sophie), I told myself that I was only going to have one. Then a month later, my Love Mission (Belarus) arrived. That lasted long.

Then I told myself that I would only have five dolls. Then that became six. Then I bought my Kenner (Emmalynn), who is number seven.

Kenner #1, Emmalynn.

Of course the next logical ‘limit’ number was ten. So I told myself “Ten’s a nice round number. I’ll stop at ten.”

Blythe #15, a Friends With Blythe custom named “Cameo”.

That did not last long. How many dolls do I currently have? Well, I recently added #15. Well, #15 if you don’t include my Middie, Petites or other dolls. As it is, at 15 I still do not have a BL, which I would very much love to add to my doll family one day. Which would mean a minimum of 16 dolls. Is that too much? I know some people are probably reading this and thinking “15? That’s nothing! I have 2-5x more than you!” and I think that’s great! The more dolls the merrier, right? But then I’m sure there’s also some people reading and thinking “15?  I have 1. Clearly I have more self-control than you do if you couldn’t keep with your original self-imposed limit!” and if you managed to stay at one, I do applaud your self control because I would find it very hard to downsize, at this point, to one Blythe.

How many dolls is too many dolls?

The majority of Blythe releases are prefaced with an illustration, followed by promotional photos, and then the actual doll. Depending on the instant popularity of the doll based on the illustrations (or promotional photos), it could be very easy or very difficult to get your hands on a preorder for a particular doll. The most recent anniversary Blythe and Middie duo comes to mind with quite a few people upset over not being able to gain access to the website at all.

Kitty Brighton (Jackie Ramone Middie).

I have personally never preordered a Blythe (of any size) based purely on the illustration. I have, however, bought a doll based on the promotional photographs. I wasn’t won over by the illustrations, but Jackie Ramone (the Middie) won me over when CWC released the promotional photographs. I loved everything about her. From the shade of her hair, to the fact that she had brown eyes, and those boots! I’m sure you all know by now how much I love doll shoes… Jackie Ramone (renamed Kitty Brighton when she arrived) remains, to this day, the only doll that I have ever purchased prior to seeing out-of-box photos of her from other collectors. I have been tempted by other dolls, but I never pulled the figurative trigger on trying to get my paws on a preorder. So very tempted! But the price, and timing, at the time wasn’t right.

There are times when I have regretted not getting in on some dolls while I still could have, as some dolls are amazingly expensive due to popularity now. But, I digress, my Blythe life didn’t play out the way that I wanted it to – and that is okay! There are always other dolls. Nicer dolls. Better dolls.

At least that’s what I tell myself.

Have you ever preordered a Blythe based on an illustration alone?

With so many choices of bodies available, it’s no wonder that people like to have the option of swapping out the stock Blythe body for something that is a little bit more different. From Licca to Pure Neemo to Obitsu, there are so many options out there. My personal favourite is actually the stock Blythe body (Excellence). All of my dolls, except for my custom doll, are on the original stock bodies (or a hybrid – two of my Kenners have Kenner tops and Takara bottoms). My custom darling, Halo, came to me on a Licca body and it just seems to ‘fit’ for her, because she has been altered from her original state.

One thing I do love about Licca bodies, over stock bodies, is that they’re a lot better for holding things.

What is your favourite Blythe body type?

When you collect Blythe, you don’t just collect Blythe. There are the obvious other collections: dresses, shoes, stock items. And then come other little collections that seem to crop up when you don’t realize it. For instance, I have a growing collection of other dolls (Petites, a Middie, a Usaggie, a BJD, some Monster High dolls, and assorted mini Lalaloopsy dolls) that aren’t full-sized Blythe. But my favourite ‘side’ collection when it comes to Blythe collecting? The books. What books, you ask?

There’s the usually This is Blythe, and perhaps the Blythe Collection Guide Book. But then I also have Blythe Style, The Doll Scene, and a whole mess of pattern books. I own a few of the Doll Coordinate Recipe books, which I adore even though I don’t read Japanese at all, and I have couple ones on order (shh!). After taking part in a sewing demo and my interests in sewing have gotten a bit of a kick in the pants again so I’m interested in the process of creating more things for my dolls. Oh, and I’ve begun to own books on dollhouses and other such things (I know that 1/12th scale is not the same as play scale (1/6th) but it is still very educational and can be sort of extrapolated!).

What are your side collections that accompany your Blythe collection?

Deciding how to bring to BlytheCon is probably taking more mental energy that it really should. Back in 2011, I only had the 5 dolls to choose from so choosing two was not as difficult as it is right now. So what I did, this time, was to line up all my dolls and then muse about the pros and the cons of each one. For instance, Sophie was left home in 2011 because she has long, fine hair and I didn’t want to deal with flyaway and static-filled hair. This is still true, because there is no way that I’m cutting her hair, so she is still staying home.

I plan on bringing two Blythes with me to Seattle. I haven’t fully decided if anyone else will be coming with me (such as a Petite, or my Usaggie). That remains to be seen, but for now it will be a two-doll kind of attendance for me. Any more and that’s just too many for me to hold and cart around (I need hands for shopping!). Doll number one will be Eden Mouse, primarily because she is a favourite (shh, don’t tell Sophie!), and I have the perfect outfit picked out for her.

“I’m going to be at BlytheCon! Are you going to say hi to me??”
This is not what Eden will be wearing, but it will be a lot of pink. A. Lot. Of. Pink.

Who else should I bring though? There’s such an assortment for me to consider. Last time, I had gone down with Eden and Belarus (Love Mission). I’m thinking that someone else will go down this time instead of Belarus, but who? How do I make a choice between everyone? More importantly: who would you want to see down in Seattle? All I know is that whoever is going will wind up getting some pretty awesome swag while they’re at the convention. Accompanying me as its perks!

Who are you bringing to BlytheCon Seattle?