Blythe was designed, rediscovered and relaunched by women. Here are their stories.
Quick answer
The women behind Blythe are designer Allison Katzman, who created her in 1972, and photographer Gina Garan, whose photos and book brought Blythe back to life and started the modern collector world. Their story is a lovely way to celebrate International Women’s Day.
The women behind Blythe are a perfect reason to celebrate International Women’s Day. Blythe was designed by a woman, rediscovered through a woman’s photographs and relaunched by a company led by a woman. Here are their stories.
Allison Katzman designed Blythe at the Chicago firm Marvin Glass and Associates, and Kenner released her in 1972. According to her family’s published obituary, she spent more than 50 years designing toys and held more than 30 design patents. Read more in who created Blythe and our tribute to women inventors.
In the late 1990s, New York photographer Gina Garan began photographing her vintage Blythe in all kinds of settings. Her photographs, and her book This Is Blythe in 2000, helped bring the forgotten doll back into the spotlight. See Blythe doll books.
Junko Wong, the CEO of the Tokyo company CWC, came across photographs of Blythe in 1999. CWC went on to relaunch her, with the first Neo Blythe arriving in June 2001.
Design a doll for someone special in our build-your-own Blythe studio, or read the full Blythe doll timeline.
With love, This Is Blythe Team
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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