how do you pronounce ‘Blythe’?
bl-eye-th (does that make sense?)
Kenner Blythe
Blythe was manufactured in 1972 and marketed for one year only by the now-defunct U.S. toy company Kenner.
Blythe was designed at Marvin Glass & Associates, famous toy design studios, by three artists. Rouben Terzian firstly designed the eyes for use in a toy dog but was persuaded by Gordon Barlow that they would work better in a doll. The eyes were used in blythe. Alison Katzman was responsible for the face plate design which was reportedly inspired by drawings from Margaret Keane, an American painter and illustrator famous for her “Big Eye” artwork.
On an interesting side note, for many years it was not Margaret Keane herself but her former husband who took the credit for painting these inspirational “Big Eye” arkworks. She ended up painting before a Federal Judge and jury to prove she was the original artist!!!
When blythe was first launched in 1972, the most unique and notable feature of the doll were large blinkable eyes that changed color with the pull of a string attached to the back of her head. When she was originally designed, the body was to be proportional to the head but due to packaging restrictions when she finally launched, the body size was reduced and her head was disproportionally large when compared with the body.
With hindsight, blythe’s design was ahead of time but in 1972 children just found this big head, big eye doll strange. Vintage blythe fell a long way short of her sales expectations and was taken off the market by the end of year.
When the Toy Industry Hall of Fame was established in 1984, Marvin Glass was in the first group inducted, ten years after his death. Kenner was then bought out by Tonka Toys, which in turn was bought out by Hasbro in the mid-1980s. Hasbro continue to hold ultimate ownership over all blythe property but they have allowed production rights to companies such as CWC & ADG (discussed below)
Gina Garan
In 1997 Gina Garan, a video and TV producer, was introduced to blythe by a friend who gave Gina a gift of a vintage Kenner blythe thinking that she looked like the doll. Gina began using the doll to take practice shots with her old camera so blythe became her model too! Gina started carrying at least one of her blythes wherever she went, taking photos of them, on her travels all around the world.
Body Type Sheet
BL: June 2001-March 2002. Licca body is used, eyes glance further to the side, matte face for some models. Some also have boggled eyes so the upper lid does not show on their eyes. Hair is also generally thinner.
EBL (Excellent): June 2002-October 2003. New body is introduced. Unlike the earlier Licca body, EBL bodies do not have bendable arms, though their legs have three “clicks” at the knee. Faces are shinier.
SBL (Superior): February 2004-present. New face mould and new sparkly eye chips. The new head of the doll is fashioned from a complete piece of plastic.
RBL (Radiance): December 2006-present. New face mould to look more Kenner-like, including slightly wider eyes.
Junie Moon is the fabulous shopping desination for girls in Daikanyama. You can find Blythe dolls, clothes, hair accessories, stationary, materials for making your own Blythe accessories, unusual toys and items from overseas.
Junko Wong is president of Cross World Connections, a Tokyo-based agency that has been pivotal in returning Blythe to the spotlight she deserves.
Blythe™ Style
Photographs by Gina Garan
Introduction by Junko Wong
Blythe™ Style — International superstar and high fashion model Blythe has never let the fact that she is literally a doll slow her down. Rescued from toy box obscurity with the publication of Garan’s first book, This Is Blythe (50,000 copies sold), the 12-inch tall diva has been celebrated in the front windows of Bloomingdales; on the cover of Women’s Wear Daily; on VH1′s “I Love the ’70s”; in People, the New York Times, and ad campaigns for Nordstrom, Sony, and trendy Japanese department stores. In Blythe Style, she shows off 100 to-die-for outfits created for her by top designers from around the world and photographed with colorful invention by Garan, including Gucci, Prada, Versace, Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, John Galliano, Paul Smith, Issey Miyake, Vivienne Westwood, and dozens more, all for the sake of charity. Très chic!
