Around twelve years ago I saw a t-shirt for sale online with a picture of a doll's face on it and the name 'Blythe'. I had no idea who 'Blythe' was, or why I was so drawn to her image. After a bit more research I found that this wasn't just a t-shirt design, it was a picture of a genuine and frankly, cult-status doll. I learned about Gina Garan, her history with Blythe and how much she's dedicated her life and career to these wonderful dolls, but I still didn't have any idea how vast the global community of Blythe lovers is, the different versions of the doll or how far people will go to customise their own dolls. I was just never able to justify spending money on my very own doll.
Then, on Christmas day 2010, my wonderful boyfriend presented me with my own doll. A gorgeous Simply Chocolate Blythe. I've named her Kitty and I'm already completely in love with her.
In order to find her, my boyfriend had done weeks of research and as we talked, I realised how much more he knew about Blythe dolls than I did and knew that would never do. Since Christmas, I've spent hours online reading about the history of Kenner and 1972, the first year Blythe dolls were introduced, right through to the modifications that can be made such as sanding the face to achieve the matt finish and changing the eye chips. Incidentally, this is not something I have attempted or intend to attempt any time soon but I find it amazing.
I've now realised that this is a true obsession. I sometimes wonder what I'm doing, a 32 year old woman, living a busy life in London, yet I'm 'playing' with dolls. My friends don't understand at all. When they discovered my boyfriend bought me a 'doll' for Christmas, they were baffled. I've tried to explain but I guess when it comes to Blythe, you either get it or you don't. Perhaps that's why I decided to start this blog. I needed to document my new found passion and hopefully, in time, connect with other Blythe fans. For now though, this will just be a place for me to document my thoughts, purchases and photos.
Simply Chocolate before she left her box.
Kitty in her original 60's inspired dress with heart-detail flat pumps (not seen) and funky earrings. She also comes with orange tights but I chose not to put them on. I put her hair up for this picture but she has a mid-length, layered cut.
I love this close up of her. The blue eye colour is gorgeous; she also has green, orange and pink eye chips.
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