The very first original Blythe doll was created by designer Allison Katzman in 1972. Back then, Blythes were only sold by the toy company called Kenner LLC. However, her oversized head and eyes that changed colors with the use of a pull string did not go over well with children, and the four original dolls were only sold for a year.ย
Allison Katzman did design the Blythe doll to compete with Barbie!
But when her dollย rolled out in 1972, Blythe failed to unseat the high princess of plastic and more or less landed on the Island of Misfit Toys. โShe was a good doll,โ Mrs. Katzman once told the Chicago Sun-Times. โThe world just didnโt know it.โ Click here to read more.
In 1997, a NY, United States based photographer Gina Garan received an original Kenner Blythe as a gift and began using the doll to practice her photography skills. After taking thousands of photos of the doll, Garanโs work was spotted by a toy producer in New York. Together, they realized that this eccentric doll would be popular in Japan and started to seek out the right to reproduce Blythe Dolls again.
In 2000, the toy company decided to produce a TV commercial featuring a new and improved Blythe doll for a department store called Parco. These newly improved dolls became an enormous hit in Japan and surrounding areas and more than 1000 dolls were produced to meet customer demand. The United States company, Ashton Drake Gallery, also began producing dolls for the United States market, however, they were not as favored as their Japanese counterparts. While Takaraโs Neo Blythes were based loosely on the 1972 originals, Ashton Drake attempted to produce exact replicas.
Nowadays, This Is Blythe proudly provides every single kind of Blythe doll product and services to all customers and people around the world including the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Spain, New Zealand, and the UAE. Our Collectible Premium Custom Neo Blythes, which were redeveloped in 2021, are much more admired and their prices can range from around $50 to $250 (United States Dollars) for limited edition premium releases. Buy your 2021ย Premium Blythe Dollย now.ย
Thank you so much Allison Katzman! RIP beautiful soul.
Say hello to Jenna Anderson — our Customer Happiness Director and resident Blythe doll devotee. Affectionately known around the studio as the “Blythe Whisperer,” Jenna spends her days helping collectors find the doll that feels unmistakably theirs, and her evenings writing the stories you read here. Her warmth, eye for detail, and genuine love of these big-eyed characters make her the heart of the This Is Blythe community.
When she steps away from the inbox, you'll find her sewing tiny doll-sized accessories, behind a camera, or lost in some new arts-and-crafts project — the same curiosity and care she pours into every doll. Read more about Jenna's journey into the world of Blythe here.
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