With the Behind Blythe exhibition currently touring the United States, folks are beginning to take notice of this unique, wide-eyed doll. Some male collectors might consider them “girlie”, but there are plenty of collectors who really enjoy the Blythe look.
With the reintroduction of the Blythe line several years ago, fans of the 1970’s doll were able to purchase an updated figure to add to their collection. Now, those original dolls sell in the hundreds of dollars on ebay. For those of us in the United States, we are able to purchase the neo Blythe line straight from Hasbro’s online toy store for $89.99 each.
If you have not read our interview with Junko Wong (the President of
CWC – who is responsible for the reemergence of Blythe in Japan) you
will be able to find tons of details about this wonderful line. Blythe was originally created in 1972, but due to poor
sales, the line was canned. About 30 years later, photographer Gina
Garan’s work was noticed by Junko Wong and CWC was able to get the
Japanese license to recreate the Blythe line.
The main feature in this designer doll is the fact that with a pull of
a string, her eyes close – change colors and change positions. She
also comes with a number of outfit accessories, a display stand and an
information card.
The doll we received was Mademoiselle Rose Bud. She was released last
year, so you might have to do some searching for this exact doll. As
you can tell, Blythe dolls include a number of clothing accessories –
hat, jacket, gloves, shoes, etc. You can then choose to display her
with any of 4 different eye colors (blue, green, pink, yellow). And if
you’re very good…you can style her hair. I decided I was not going to
spend more time styling a doll’s hair than I do on my own. Plus, I
thought my wife might want me to go to counseling if she walked in and
saw me braiding a doll’s hair.
The packaging is about average. It’s a window box that is easily
displayable. There is not much reading for English collectors since it
is mainly in Japanese. But it shows off the product well and will work
for collectors who don’t like to remove their toys from the box.
Rose Bud is packaged wearing an off-white, flowered dress. Her hat and gloves are in a matching pattern, and her hair jives well with the entire outfit. She also is accessorized with a grey handbag, earrings and black high heels. And for those living in colder climates...you can choose to deck Rose Bud out in a grey jacket, scarf and stockings.
I must say that I am very impressed with this line. I know people
probably groan when they see a price tag just under $90, however, they
are imported and are of very high quality. The changing of the eyes is
what really sets Blythe apart from other “doll” lines and is probably
why there are so many fans worldwide. Be sure to look out for the
Behind Blythe traveling exhibition, which is currently in Portland
Oregon.
Overall Grade: 98%
