Blythe 102 is part 2 of a 5 part series directed towards people who are new to Blythe. In part 2, commonly used abbreviations and words in the Blythe community will be explained.

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ADG – Ashton-Drake Galleries, the reproduction Blythe dolls produced from 2005-2008. They were reproductions of the original Kenners with similar style dresses, hair and boxes.

BK – Blythe Kingdom, a popular English-language forum for Blythe collectors.

BL – The original dolls produced by Takara (starting with Parco) from 2001-2002. Some were produced with matte faces and boggled eyes. BL dolls came on Licca bodies.

Boggled – Blythes with ‘boggled’ eyes have wide eyes (no eyelid showing). Can be either stock (see: BL) or a custom feature with altering the eye mechanism.

Boil Perm – Use of hot water to ‘set’ the hair of Blythe.

Chunky Bangs – Commonly used term in reference to Kenner Blythes that have bangs (or fringe) that span the entire forehead.

Custom – A Blythe doll that has been altered so that it is no longer in its original stock/retail condition.

CWC – Cross-World Connections, the company that licensed the rights to use the Blythe trademark in Asia.

Dome – Plastic piece that provides structural support to the scalp.

EBL – ‘Excellent’ Blythe, produced from 2002-2005. EBLs came on the ‘Excellent’ body (rigid arms, legs that bend at the knees). Also came with the ‘Clover’ stands that are now standard with all new Blythe releases. EBLs came with wispy eyelashes and black rings painted underneath the eyechips to add depth to the colour.

Eyechips – Small pieces of plastic that are fitted into the doll’s eyeballs. Each Blythe has four sets. You can purchase

FBL – “Fairest” Blythe mold, produced from 2009 to present. The first FBLs produced had matte faces, this was later changed to shiny due to manufacturing problems with the matte finish.

Flange – Flange is the “lip” of the scalp that is hidden when the scalp is properly in place on the head. It’s thinner than most of the scalp material and can tear when being removed (this is especially true for BL and EBL dolls). Flange is important because it enables the scalp to stay on the doll’s head without the use of glue or other adhesives.

Gaze Correction – Also called “gaze lifting”, a custom feature that involves shortening of the t-bar to “lift” the gaze of the doll so that she doesn’t look down all the time.

KB – Kenner Blythes, the original Blythe dolls that were produced in 1972 by the toy company Kenner.

Kenner – The toy company that produced the original Blythe doll in 1972. It is no longer existing, having been sold to Hasbro.

LPS – Littlest Pet Shop, generally refers to the LPS Petite dolls that have been produced since 2010. Some LPS Petites come with the pets, some are sold by themselves.

Matte – Refers to the face of the Blythe doll not being shiny. Dolls can come matte (some BLs and FBLs were produced with matte faces) but can also be customized to be matte – either with sanding (‘sand matte’) or with a matte spray/sealer.

Middie – Middies have been produced by Takara since 2010. Middies are in between Neo and Petite sizes. They lack the same eye mechanism as Neo, but have a dial at the back of their head to move their eyes from side to side. Middies also have the ability to tilt their head.

Neo – Refers to the modern Blythe dolls produced by Takara. They have been in production since 2001.

Petite – Petite can refer to either the Petite Blythes by Takara or LPS Petites. Both are similar in size and can wear each others clothing and shoes. Takara Petites have ‘sleep eyes’; eyes that close when the doll is laying down and open when the doll is standing up. LPS Petites do not have eyes that are able to move or close.

RBL – “Radiance” Blythe, produced from 2006 to 2013. RBLs have the distinct feature of being the first Blythe produced by Takara that is easy to open. RBLs are also the most abundant when it comes to number of dolls released. The RBL mold was discontinued following damage due to long-term use, the RBL+ mold was created to replace it.

RBL+ – “Radiance Plus” (or Radiance +) Blythe, produced from 2013 to present. RBL+ is very similar in appearance to the RBLs – from look to the method of assembly. Some RBL+ releases have been found to have an excessive amount of glue which makes basic customization attempts difficult.

Reroot – A custom feature when you remove the hair that the doll comes with and replace it with something else.

SBL – “Superior” Blythe, produced from 2003-2008. The first SBL dolls had a severe downward gaze. Later SBL releases are said to have a “joker” smile that some also say looks like a smirk. SBLs also had some of the best variety of hair colour and stock items that came standard with the dolls.

Sleep Eyes – A custom feature that adds another string to the doll. It replaces the function of the spring that enables you to leave the eyes closed after changing the eye colour.

Stock – A Blythe that has not been altered from her original state (from box).

Takara – The toy company that is currently responsible for producing Neo Blythe, Middie and Petites.

T-bar – A small plastic piece (in the shape of a T) that is inside of the head, it controls how high (or low) the doll looks.

TIB – This is Blythe, a English-language forum. Also can refer to the This is Blythe book by Gina Garan, published in 2000.

Wispy Bangs – Commonly used in reference to Kenner Blythes. Some dolls had thin bangs that were centred in the forehead, most had a curl to the ends.

WPWD – We Play With Dolls is an English-language forum with primarily Australian Blythe collectors, but they also welcome hobbyists from other countries.

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Want to learn more?

• Blythe 101: A Guide for Newbies
• Blythe 102: Commonly Used Abbreviations and Words – You’re reading this!