Everyday Collector is a feature I first wrote about in March 2016. It’s a feature to showcase the collectors in the Blythe community. If you are interested in being featured, please click here for more information.

Coco.

Tell us about yourself.
I’m Christopher, I’m a cosmetology student in Portland and I’ve been a freelance makeup artist for years. A recovering club kid at the age of 40, I live a more sedate life with my Shih-Tzu, Lily. I love fashion,
old black and white movies, flappers, crochet, makeup artistry, glitter and of course, Blythe.

How did you discover Blythe?
I was living in San Francisco and online at the library catching up on blogs on a lovely summer day. There was a blogger I used to read, and she had this mini Blythe, and the doll tattooed on her arm. It was awesome! I asked her about the doll and she said the really cool Blythe dolls had pull strings. Their eyes moved…she sounded creepy and I forgot bout her.

Flash forward a few years, I was visiting my best friend out in the Oregon coastal mountains. A quilter and toy collector/eBay seller and in her insanely packed sewing room, amidst all the Heather Ross fabric, was a Good Neighbor Cafe in a box and I squealed with delight. She showed me her Ashton Drake redheaded beauty and a couple other ones who escape me. I was hooked and had to get my own.

My best friend handed me Gina’s books and was so excited that I was so enthusiastic and delighted with the dolls. I of course had tons of questions and she told me about reputable sellers and your first doll will speak to you to buy.

Coco, Greta, and Betty Blue.

Tell us about your Blythe family.
My first doll was Simply Chocolate. I loved her little sixties coif and fashion and promptly name her Coco after model Coco Rocha. Simply Love me (renamed Greta) and Monique Magnifique (renamed Clotilde, currently undergoing a transformation) joined the household a few years later. I admired the sellers on Etsy, eBay and Ravelry with their custom girls and a few that were darker skinned and many other dolls with brightly coloured hair. So I researched for a “factory” seller who was able to quench my desire for a blue long haired girl (named Betty Blue) and a beautiful darker skinned (and obvious fake…I know, but stock dollies like her didn’t exist) girl I named Dovima, after the legendary 50’s Vogue model.

What is your favourite thing about Blythe?
Oh goodness! Where do I begin? Her eyes do it and her little body. How her personality not only changes when you change her eyes, but also in how you style her hair and dress her. I’m fondest of her original face, just because it is what I saw that made me fall in love. She’s a great way to pass time and take pictures of and being a guy I love seeing people react to my having her with me. She’s inspiring to make me want to be more crafty and I started crocheting because of her! I love seeing the new releases and how she has such a worldwide following. She’s kind of like an old Hollywood story. She was released from her contract after lackluster success, and then relaunched herself as muse and model in a comeback Joan Crawford would be seething about. She is charming and my current boyfriend I knew was a keeper on our third date, when he met the girls and fell in love. He always wants to play with them!

Dovima

What is your favourite aspect of the Blythe community?
I love the inspiration she gives to all the people who have been bitten by the bug. In some ways it’s like a hilarious playground of make believe: the diehard Kenner only peeps, the customizers, the Takara collectors, and the collectors who buy the stock dolls along with the factory babes. It is amusing and amazing how a plastic doll has such a following of people from all walks of life the world over. All united behind a set of changing eyes. It is so much fun that just when I’m thinking that I have a weird obsession as a 40 year old man for a doll. Then I go on Instagram and online and find other people who make me feel so happy that I’m not alone and understand when I have the need for a new doll. They won’t tell me I’m stupid, they tell me to go for it!

Christopher can be found on Instagram.

Everyday Collector is a feature I first wrote about in March 2016. It’s a feature to showcase the collectors in the Blythe community. If you are interested in being featured, please click here for more information.

Tell us about yourself.
Hi, I’m Ollie, a Melbourne born and bred teenage photographer, crafter, tea drinker, clothes-wearer and collector of small things. Oh, and an absolute addict to Blythe!

How did you discover Blythe?
In 2009, my cousin came back from Japan with this doll. She had these big, round eyes which magically changed with the pull of a string. I was in love, and I knew I just had to get my hands on one of my own! After discovering that the doll was a Blythe, I scoured the internet for days trying to find the perfect one. Then I saw the price tag. Whoa. Maybe I was just too used to $19 Barbies but $140 just seemed crazy for one doll! So I put my dolly dreams on hold for a while. But there was just something about Blythe that I just *needed* to have. So me and my wallet winced and hit the ‘Submit Order’ button on a Bohemian Peace. Nowadays I laugh at my old non-Blythe-educated self whilst I pay for $350 second-hand custom : )

Tell us about your Blythe family.
My Blythe family is forever changing and swapping. I go through phases of wanting ALL THE NEW RELEASES to eyeing off fancy customs. At the moment I’m pretty happy with my bundle (herd? flock? What’s the proper term?) of dollies. Sitting on the shelf I have Ellie, a Mondie, Chloe, a Yumiko Dolls Custom University of Love, Alex, a Royal Soliloquy, Mable, a Chu Things X MayYeo custom Simply Lilac, Nina, a Nenya Dolls custom FBL, and Audrey, a Strawberryland Dolls custom.

What is your favourite thing about Blythe?
My favourite thing about Blythe would be the creativity surrounding the dolls. There are just so many amazing people creating everything from tiny leather boots to carefully carved mouths. It still astonishes me how tiny stitches can get! Blythe wouldn’t be where she is today without folk like this.

What is your favourite aspect of the Blythe community?
My favourite aspect of the Blythe community is how inviting and lovely everyone is. I went to Blythe Fest last year and there wasn’t a single person in the room that I couldn’t chat to!  I also love how diverse the community is. Blythe seems to share the love with everyone, whether you’re brand new or have been collecting since ’72.

Ollie can be found on Flickr.

Everyday Collector is a feature I first wrote about in March 2016. It’s a feature to showcase the collectors in the Blythe community. If you are interested in being featured, please click here for more information.

Tell us about yourself.
I’m Rinntara. I’m 33, female, and live in New Zealand. Blythes are very uncommon here.

How did you discover Blythe?
I’ve been collecting dolls for about 3 years. From almost nothing, I suddenly decided to go in for dolls with enthusiasm. I had an injury and I needed something to focus on. I started with Barbies, and in the course of internet research I saw photos of Blythes and Pullips. I couldn’t tell them apart.

January: I said ‘Ech! They’re ugly!’

June: I decided I liked the Pullip’s articulation and her face grew on me. Then I said ‘I want a Pullip. I still hate Blythes, though!’ In trying to decide which Pullip I saw a LOT of photos of Blythes. I said, ‘I wish people would tag their photos properly so Blythes don’t come up when I search for Pullips. Who likes them anyway? Well, that one’s quite cute.’

September: I bought a Pullip. Expensive, for me! Shipping also expensive to NZ. Sewing for my Pullip: ‘Why are the cutest clothes on Blythes?? I don’t hate them so much now.’

November: ‘No, Blythes are not cuter than Pullips. Well, maybe that one, but that’s a custom so it doesn’t count.’

December: ‘Ok, I like Blythes. But I’m never buying one. They’re too expensive and even if they are cuter than Pullips I’m not buying another expensive doll.’

Later in December: ‘Oh my goodness I have to have a Blythe! Ahhh how do I afford one I need one NOW!’

Tell us about your Blythe family.
I have two, both randomly chosen by the lottery of being second-hand in New Zealand. Seriously, people here fight each other to buy the very few that ever appear on our local auction website Trade Me.

First was Friendly Freckles ( I fell for her hair immediately). She is fully but lightly customised, carving and all. Uh, not her scalp. I like her hair as-is. It was scary but wonderful customising her. Her name is Apricot.

Next was Love Mission. I bought a mixed group of dolls that included 3 Blythes. One I sold on immediately to offset the price of purchase as she was in the best condition (Primadolly Ginger). The other two were in bad condition. One I fully customised and sold as a custom. The other I gave a haircut and fell in love with her, hard. That’s Bee. Apart from the modifications of her previous owner and replacing missing eye chips, and a minor haircut to fix her awful hair, she is as-is and I love her like that! Flaws and all she is my favourite, I’m not ashamed to say it. Her name is Bee and she features heavily on my Instagram because I dote on her.

What is your favourite thing about Blythe?
I love the way Blythe inspires creativity in people, both sewing and photography. It was photography that drew me at first, but my sewing has vastly improved! I love sewing now. When non-Blythe people say she’s ugly or weird, I have a warm feeling saying I love her just how she is. I’ve learned there’s no one path of adorableness.

What is your favourite aspect of the Blythe community?
The willingness to share ideas and creativeness. The shameless devotion to the adorable. I have learned to SQUEE and it’s so much fun. Some people’s ideas are just so CUTE.

Rinntara can be found on Instagram.

I love meeting new people and showcasing the wonderful people in the Blythe community. Generally, the interviews that I do are focused on people who create things for sale (custom dolls, clothes, miniatures/furniture, etc.) but what about the rest of the Blythe enthusiast population? After all, there are many people who don’t customize dolls or sew or knit – they just love Blythe and they are no less or more important than other people in the doll community. These are the people who make it possible for the creators to have clients and they probably out number the creators.

This new feature I’m bringing to BlytheLife.com is called Everyday Collector. It’s about shining the spotlight on a Blythe collector, just because. (Please note, if you do happen to customize dolls or create miniatures or clothing, you can still be featured!)

You can fill out the questions for the Everyday Collector feature here.