They’re cute, they’re portable and they’re tiny.

Extra bonus points for being readily available in North America.

I am, of course, referring to the Littlest Pet Shop Blythes, otherwise referred to LPS Blythe or LPS Petites.

I think that they’re cute! They’re also quite affordable. In Canada, they go on sale at approximately $8, non-sale price is around $11-13 for just the doll without a pet or other additional accessories. They seem to be doing quite well under Hasbro’s advertising campaigns (I may still occasionally watch shows that are geared towards children and thus I occasionally see LPS Blythe adverts). On the other hand (just to play devil’s advocate), they’re still the petite version of Blythe. If you want a Blythe (pullring, 4 sets of eyechips and all that), having the cheaper version of the little sister is just not going to cut it (and if you have a collection of 12+ LPS Blythes, you’ve probably spent the equivalent amount of money as a regular release Simply Neo Blythe costs) – so keep that in mind if you think buying LPS Blythes (no matter how cute they are!) is going to stop you from getting a full-size Neo.

There’s a lot of pros and cons to LPS Blythe (and for those who think that they’re identical to the Takara Petite Blythes, please keep in mind that the Takara Petites can ‘sleep’ when you lay them down – the LPS Blythes do not close their eyes at all and I’ve been told that the LPS heads are a smidge larger than the Takara Petites), all of which just boils down to your own personal preferences.

Do you like the Littlest Pet Shop Blythes?

There’s just one short week before the scariest day of the year when all the cute little ghouls, goblins and witches come out to play and knock on doors. While you’re probably busy with figuring out costume ideas for yourself or for your children, keep in mind that Blythe wants to dress-up too!

You could go traditional with a witch or ghost costume, or you could go elaborate with one of the largest stock Blythe dresses ever created… I’m sure there’s some very creative Blythe hobbyists out there that can also sew (or pretend to sew!). I haven’t fully decided on what my dolls will be wearing for Halloween (it’s a Monday/school day, so it might not be anything special at all!), but that doesn’t mean that your dolls can’t have some fun!

What are your Blythes dressing up as for Halloween?

Some people find Blythes in thrift stores for a few bucks. Others got their first Blythes back in 1972. And then there are some who pay retail (or above retail!) prices for Takara or Ashton-Drake Galleries Blythes. However you got your first doll, it all varies from person to person.

My first Blythe was Cappuccino Chat. At the time I didn’t really frequent the buy-sell-trade forums enough but I did know about eBay! I first called up a local (sort of) store that I knew carried Blythe and I wrote down which ones they had, and at what prices, and then I looked them up online. At the time $1 Canadian was < $1 American, and their Prima Dolly selection was much too overpriced. It was down to between Cappuccino Chat and Sunshine Holiday at the time. But the cost of Sunshine Holiday was (in Canadian) higher than what the doll was going for on eBay (in USD). But Cappuccino Chat? She was lower in CAD than what she was going for on eBay in USD (shipping not included yet). I figured with taxes, that’d be about the same as tacking on shipping – so when my family decided to drive out in that direction, I went straight to the store, told the sales associate what I wanted and soon I was handing over my credit card and getting my very first Blythe doll in my hands. She was $200 CAD + 12% tax. Cappuccino Chat can be found stock (and nude) for a little bit less now, but I love her all the same.

What did you pay for your first Blythe doll?

I’ll be the first to admit that my girls rarely wear shoes. This comes from the fact that I get a little lazy when dressing my dolls – if they’re wearing newly changed dress, that’s fantastic! Considering one of my dolls has been wearing the same dress for the last 6+ months…

But when my dolls do wear shoes, they will even occasionally wear socks or tights. And have I mentioned that I loathe the idea of dragging tights up doll legs? But there are a lot of resources out on the internet with tips and tricks for pulling leggings/socks/tights up your dolls legs. My favourite is the one about baby powder and putting some on your doll’s legs. Why? Because even if your hands end up smelling like a baby afterwards, it works and socks and tights slide up like a dream.

(Please ignore the fact that when you’re buying a bunch of stuff at the store and have a lone container of baby powder, people look at you funny. Oh, and that the last time that you went to the store to do so, the old man standing behind you, noticing the fact that you’re buying baby powder and a bunch of tiny hair clips, asks if you have a baby girl.)

The fantastic thing about having something lightly coloured on your doll’s legs is that it helps prevent (supposedly, there’s no scientific research done yet) stains from darkly coloured clothing.

Do your girls wearing socks/tights/leggings? (What kind of tips and tricks do you have for getting them on?)

Some people go everywhere with a Blythe. To the grocery store, to the movies, to school, to work. You name the place, and a Blythe follows them around. Perhaps they’re not always out and about, but there’s a Blythe there.

Unfortunately, I’m still fairly shy when it comes to taking my dolls out for photos in public. That changed a bit when BlytheCon in Portland happened, and then with my monthly dolly meet-ups with a great group of local collectors. I’m a lot more ‘free’ with dolly photography when I’m in a group of like-minded people. After all, then I’m not the only one with a big-headed doll in her hands. It definitely changes the dynamics to have other people having dolls out too.

When I was working during the summer, I frequently had a doll with me. I usually had a Blythe sitting at my desk and looking incredibly board while I ignored the big eyes trying to tell me to buy them new dresses. If I didn’t have a doll out, she was probably in my purse wrapped up safely. Now that I’m back at school, I don’t bring dolls around with me all the time. This is mostly because it’s school and I’m usually too busy (sorry!) to pull a doll out for photos. There’s people around all the time. And despite the fact that I really don’t know most of the people in my 150+ classes, I still kind of care about not getting teased for having a doll at the age of 21. This is one of the reasons why I love having a local doll group – I can act as silly and as doll crazy as I’d like and it’s okay (because there’s others acting silly and crazy too!).

How often is there a Blythe with you?