Neo Blythe Dolls By Takara Tomy – And A Complete List

What are Neo-Blythe dolls?

The popularity of Neo-Blythe dolls are one of the most unlikely stories in doll history. Neo-Blythe dolls are produced in Japan by Tomy Takara, licensed by Hasbro, and distributed by Cross World Connections. How she got to Japan and became a cultural icon there, and eventually all over the world, is largely the effort of 2 women, Gina Garan, and Junko Wong, who joined together to create Blythe collector fever.

Gina Garan is a doll collector who photographed her vintage 1972 Kenner Blythe dolls on her travels all over the world. And Junko Wong is Japanese exhibition organizer who convinced a department store to use Blythe dolls in their advertisements.

That was in 2000, and now Blythe dolls are adored by collectors all over the world. There are Blythe-Con conventions in several countries, and some have made entire businesses customizing and making clothes for Blythe. Blythe's ascent from mid- seventies toy flop to beloved dolly royalty is a fascinating read. Here is some history of Blythe's humble beginnings.

Gina Garan & Junko Wong Join Together To Create A New Blythe Era

There was an error connecting to the Amazon web service, or no results were found for your query.

In the 1997 Gina Garan, a doll collector and journalist living in New York City, was given an original Kenner Blythe doll by a friend. At the time Gina was a video producer and photographer for a TV station. Her job took her all over the world and she brought along her Blythe doll and took hundreds of pictures of her in different settings. In 2000 Gina published a book with some of the photos she had taken of her Blythe doll. The book “This is Blythe” created new interest in the 1972 Kenner dolls.

Blythe Goes To Japan And Becomes A Fashion Phenomenon

There was an error connecting to the Amazon web service, or no results were found for your query.

In 2000 Gina met Junko Wong at a business event. Junko was a freelance organizer of exhibitions and a creative agent for Japanese artists. Her company was called Cross World Connections, or CWC. She was influential in merging the gap between international artists and she had an immediate interest in Gina’s book and her Blythe doll. Junko took the Blythe doll to a Japanese client, Parco Department Stores and they used Blythe in their innovative store advertisements. She was an instant hit, and in 2001 the Hasbro toy company, who had bought out Kenner, gave CWC and Takara toys license to produce the first group of Neo-Blythe dolls. They sold out instantly, and afterwards CWC held a series of events in Tokyo, including a charity fashion show where Blythe modeled fashions from some of Japan’s most famous designers.

Neo-Blythe Dolls Produced From 2001 to Now

Since the first release of Neo Blythe dolls in 2001, there have been hundreds of Blythe model dolls released. There's been a Blythe Doll epidemic in Japan and all over the world. Blythe Mania, some call it. Typically Takara releases one every month, but there are special editions, anniversary dolls, and dolls created for certain stores.

2001 Blythe Doll Picture Groups

Parco - June

Mondrian - June

Hollywood -October

Rosey Red -October

All Gold In One -December

Kozy Kape Inspired -December

2002 Blythe Doll Picture Groups

Aztec Arrival Inspired - February
Sunday Best - March
Dottie Dot - March
Miss Anniversary - June
Bohemian Beat - July
Piccadilly Dolly - September
Asian Butterfly - September
Skate Date - November
Rouge Noir - December

2003 Blythe Doll Picture Groups

Cinnamon Girl - February
Cherry Berry - February
Excellent Hollywood - February
Tea for Two - March
Disco Boogie - April
Bohemian Beats Again - June
Courtney Tez by Nike - July
Love Mission - July
Fancy Pansy - July
Fruit Punch - September
Very Cherry Berry - October
Superior Skate Date - December
Very Inspired by Pow Wow Poncho - December

Neo-Blythe Changes Through The Years

Neo Blythe dolls have evolved since they were first introduced in 2001. They've gone through several body types and face molds. The following is a basic list of the differences. You can find a full report on the Puchicollective site.

• Licca Body Blythe - 2001 - 2002 - Takara used the body of the fashion doll they already had on the market at the time. She had legs and arms that would bend. Her eyes turned far to each side and some had eyelids that didn't show. Some releases had matte finished faces and some were shiny.
• Excellent EBL Blythe - 2002 - 2004 - Their legs would bend in a 3 click movement, very similar to the original Kenner Blythe body, and their arms would not bend at all. EBL Blythe's eyes didn't look so far to the side and more or her eyelids showed.
• Superior SBL Blythe - 2004 - 2006 - The face was redesigned to look more like the 1972 Kenner Blythe. Their eyes were sparklier. They were harder to customize though because the head was very difficult to open. Takara began making "Mods" of the Superior Blythe releases with different color eye chips, colored eyelids, custom pull rings, different lip styles, and other variations.
• Radiance RBL Blythe - 2006 - 2009 - The face was redesigned again to look more child-like and in 2008 the body was changed so the legs were more durable and bendable. Also her head is easy to open so customization artists were happy.
• Fairest Blythe - 2009 - Present - The face is more like the Excellent Blythe but with chubbier cheeks, smaller eyeholes, bigger pupils in her eyes, and semi matte skin.

2004 Blythe Doll Picture Groups

Velvet Minuet - January
Silver Snow - February
Sunday Very Best - March
I Love You It's True - March
Over The Stripes - April
Lounging Lovely - May
French Trench - June
Paradis by Momo Comme Ca - June
Birdie Blue - July
Art Attack - July
Mademoiselle Rosebud - August
Samedi Marche - September
Groovy Groove - October
Mitten by Blythe - November
Lil' Heart Blythe - December

2005 Blythe Doll Picture Groups

Tweedly Do - January
Inspired by Pinafore Purple - February
Margaret Meets Ladybug - March
V Smash - March
Candy Carnival - May
Roxy Baby by Quiksilver - July
Good Neighbor Cafe - August
Cinema Princess - September
Tommy February 6 - October
Samedi Marche Encore - October
Asian Butterfly Encore - October
Rendezvous Chou Chou - December
White Magic Morning - December
White Magic Afternoon - December
White Magic Night - December

2006 Blythe Doll Picture Groups

Merry Skier - January
Cute and Curious - February
BlackBerry Bush - March
Tea For Two Encore - April
Rosie Red Encore - May
Strawberry Mille-feuille - June
Night Flower - June
Honey Bunny Once More - July
Prima Dolly Ashlet - August
Prima Dolly Ginger - August
Prima Dolly Violet - August
Darling Diva - September
Piccadilly Dolly Encore - September
Last Kiss - October
Star Dancer - November
Yukinonamidahime - December
Ichigo Heaven - December

Watch Blythe Customized Into Nicki Minaj

eBay is a Great Place To Buy Customized Blythe Dolls And Accessories

Watch out for Blythe dolls that are called "factory" dolls. They are Blythe dolls that are assembled from Blythe parts and their body parts may not be the exact same color. They are much less expensive though and are perfect for trying out your customizing skills.

Ebay has returned a malformed xml response. This could be due to testing or a bug in the RSS2 Generator. Please check the support forums to see if there are any posts regarding recent RSS2 Generator bugs. No items matching the keyword phrase "custom blythe doll" were found. This could be due to the keyword phrase used, or could mean your server is unable to communicate with Ebays RSS2 Server. CURL error code = 6. (Could not resolve host: rest.ebay.com)

 2007 Blythe Doll Picture Groups

Prima Dolly Melon - January
Feel The Sky - January
Prima Dolly Aubrey - February
Prima Dolly Saffy - February
Prima Dolly Ebony - February
Ultimate Tour - March
Tailor Gibson - March
Rainy Day Parade - April
Gentle River - May
My Best Friend - June
Prima Dolly Peach - July
Save The Animals - July
Princess A La Mode - August
Hello Harvest - August
Prima Dolly Cassis - September
Cloud 9 Bowl - September
Dainty Biscuit - September
Mrs Retro Mama - October
Enchanted Petal - November
Angelica Eve - November
Odekake Kimono Musume - December
Mod Molly - December

2008 Blythe Doll Picture Groups

Welcome Winter - January
Prima Dolly Encore Ashlette - January
Prima Dolly Encore Saffy - January
Prima Dolly Encore Aubrey - January
Happy Harbor - February
Natasha Moore - March
Heart of Montmartre - April
Can Can Cat - May
Precious Candy's Mushroom - May
Prima Dolly Peony - June
Denizens of the Lake Christina the Bride - July
Denizens of the Lake Eleanor the Forest Dancer - July
Milky Way Sugar - July
Miss Sally Rice - August
Bow Wow Trad - August
Cousin Olivia - September
Prima Dolly Amaryllis - September
Veronica Lace - October
Frosty Frock - November
Prima Dolly Violetina - December
Prima Dolly Ashletina - December
Prima Dolly Aubrena - December
Prima Dolly Marigold - December
Matryoshka Maiden - December

2009 Blythe Doll Picture Groups

Princess Milk BisQuit de Q-pot - January
Cappuccino Chat - January
Friendly Freckles - February
My Little Candy - February
Doronjo x Blythe - February
Bloomy Bloomsbury - March
Prima Dolly Adorable Aubrey - March
Prima Dolly Winsome Willow - March
Prima Dolly Heather Sky - March
Sunshine Holiday - April
Le Jardin de Maman - May
Casual Affair - June
Fashion Obsession Jenna - June
Prima Dolly Tokyo - June
Punkaholic People - August
Baby's Breath - August
Prima Dolly London - September
Simply Peppermint - September
Simply Lilac - September
Beatrice Vest - October
Prima Dolly Paris - November
Urban Cowgirl - November
Stella Savannah - December
Ribonetta Wish - December
Ice Rune - December

There was an error connecting to the Amazon web service, or no results were found for your query.

There was an error connecting to the Amazon web service, or no results were found for your query.

2010 Blythe Doll Picture Groups

Cassiopeia Spice - January
Tarts & Tea - February
Nostalgic Pop - February
Simply Mango - April
Simply Guava - April
Dear LeLe Girl - May
Love Me More - May
Kiss Me True - May
Ahcahcum Zukin - June
Simply Bubble Boom - June
Nicky Lad - July
Bohemian Peace - July
Simply Thumpty Thump - August
Very Vicky - August
Marabelle Melody - September
Manuheali'i Paradise Girl - September
Simply Vanilla - October
Simply Chocolate - October
Midnight Spell - October
Simply Sparkly Spark - October
Vinter Arden - November
Prairie Posie - December

2011 Blythe Doll Picture Groups

Raspberry Sorbet - February
Snowflake Sonata -  February
Strawberries & Cream Cute - March
Phoebe Maybe - May
Ten Happy Memories - June
Petit Dejeuner Champs Elysees - July
Border Spirit - September
Hoshinonamida Hime - September
B2 HOLic - October
Meowsy Wowsy - December

2012 Blythe Doll Picture Groups

Rachels Ribbon - February
Margo Unique Girl - March
Alexis Emerald - May
Coco Collette - July
Pickle Winkle - September
Red Delicious - September
Slow Nimes – October
University of Love – November
Simply Delight – November
Simply Love Me – December
Rei Ayanami White Light – December

 Neo Blythe Country Summer DollCheck Availability Neo Blythe Mandy Cotton Candy DollCheck Availability Neo Blythe Wendy Weekender DollCheck Availability

2013 Blythe Doll Picture Groups

Lavender Hug – January
Orange and Spice – February
Ambrosial – March
Monique Magnifique – April
Sadie Sprinkle – May
Wendy Weekender – June
Allie Gabrielle – July Anniversary Doll
Penny Precious – July
Hi-Ho Marine – August
Zinochika- September
Misha Tebya Lyublyu - September
Royal Solioquy - October
Leopard Sass - November
Goody Girl Go Go - December

 

 Links To The Best Blythe Websites

Blythedoll.com - Blythe's official website.
This Is Blythe - Gina Garan's Blythe Website
Do you speak Blythe? - Blythe terminology by Mademoiselle Blythe
Juniemoon International Online Shop - Junie Moon Shop In Tokyo's Online Shop
Junko Wongs Blythe Blog - Junko Wong, Blythe Creative Director and CEO of the CWC Group

Blythe Loves Comments And Feedback

Let Us Know You Were Here

Tags: Blythe, Neo Blythe, Takara Tomy Blythe

Category: Blythe