This page is stuffed with tips for rescuing Blythe dolls suffering from ailments such as the "no bath for 30 years syndrome", or "the dreaded case of the hair frizzles", to name but a few, as well as some tips for making accessories, other doll clothes that will fit Blythe, and a couple of tips for photographing your Blythes.
All details of Blythe doll releases have been moved to their own page: Blythe doll releases (It got a bit too big!)
Here is a page where you can see pics of upcoming and just released Blythes (promo pics and final version pics) Pics of new and not yet released Blythes!
I have moved the where you can buy Blythe dolls section to its own page: Where to buy Blythe dolls
Most of the tips are courtesy of the wonderful members of the BlytheKenner Yahoo Group and the This is Blythe Forum.
(If any members reading this would like to have their hints named individually or have their Blythe rescue tips removed, please mail me at: magicknightrhiannon@hotmail.com and I will be happy to oblige!
More tips, hints, etc here as I find them!
Blythe Rescue Tips!
HAIR...
First clean the body and the face with a baby lotion. Then put softener (a lot of softener) in cold water and put the hair in this mix (just the hair!!!). Then leave the hair for about one hour. After one hour, put the hair in water to take off the softener and dry the hair carefully in a towel. Then take a brush (a good brush for human hair) and comb the hair plug by plug... it's very long!!!
Put hot hot hot water in a large cup or a bowl with a bunch of fabric softener. Start with a large tooth-comb and comb it out from the ends first and then work your way up to the scalp. Once it's combed, comb it again with a finer tooth-comb. You can keep dipping it into the water to get it nice and slick. Then rinse out all of the softener with really hot water, and towel dry very gently. Comb it out again with the large tooth-comb, and let it dry.
Use fabric softener too BUT after leaving it in for about 40 mins, comb the hair through before rinsing the softener. It makes for a less harmful first de-tangling. And start with the tip working your way through to the top. HOWEVER, I had a epiphany last week as I was giving my Aztec her weekly hairwash; I had run out of softener and I used Timotei conditioner. It was a hundred million times better than softener! It's still totally easy to comb and it will not tangle as much as I give the hair a hard time. [we dance around very excitedly every so often!] Not the same with softener; it would get hard and sticky very quickly no matter how thoroughly I rinsed her hair from any residue.
For Barbie hair, you can use boiling water with the fabric softener to de-frizz it. I'm not sure how well Blythe's hair stands up to boiling hot water... maybe someone else knows.
Products to de-frizz Blythe Hair...
Jheri Redding's Spray on Shine
John Frieda Frizz ease
Garnier Conditioner
Fabric Softener
Timotei Conditioner
Matrix Biolage Shine Renewal - Spray a bit on your hand and smooth it over dry hair as you comb it. (discodollies)
Aussie 3 minute miracle conditioner
Or, if that doesn't work...
Hair available to buy for re-rooting...
- Dolly Hair.com - Cool hair colours for your Blythe here!
HAIR COLOURING...
RIT dyes work very well, and the dyeing process is very easy, although one member found that RIT didn't work on their Sunday Best. The website is: ritdye.com
HAIR STRAIGHTENING...
(Takaras only for safety - I would not recommend trying this on a Kenner!)
Wet the hair (do not get the eyelashes wet!), cover with a towel and iron. voila!
SCALP COLOURING...
Pnutt discovered this, I'm just posting it! If you get some fabric dye the same colour as the hair you are using, make up a small slightly dilute amount, and then masking tape off the bit of the scalp you don't want coloured. Get a soft paintbrush and brush the mixture onto the scalp. Leave to dry for about half an hour and wipe off any excess. Repeat if colour is not as deep as desired. When finished, you get a permanent coloured scalp, it won't flake off like acrylic paint.
LASHES...
I've never seen a Kenner in person up close, but looking at the Takaras, the lashes are set in a groove in the eyelid, rather than rooted. So I suspect it might not be too tough to insert new ones.... even super long luxurious ones! You may have to take her head apart to get to them easily.
If your Blythe's eyelashes get wet and fall out, don't despair!
The following tips should help out...
I had this happen to one of my Blythes once. Pull the rest of the lashes out with the tweezers. You may have to get the lashes a little wet again to do this because the glue hardens back when it's dry. You have a lot of options now about what kind of eyelashes you want for your girl, and that will change how you will want to put them in.
What I did was buy fake cosmetic lashes (the individual kind instead of the strips) and used eyelash glue to put the individual lashes in one at a time. Using tweezers to place the lashes in will help, as well as keeping her eyelids half closed and standing her up on her head while you're doing it.
From Keymistress:
You just need to trim them to the right length then push it into the slit where the original lashes were. you can use a fine needle and put some glue at the tip and then use the back of a fine pen knife to push it further in.
FROM B.C. HOLLY
Try just placing them on top of the existing lashes to see how they will look and then decide whether to remove and if you want to glue them or not.
If you want to keep the original Takara lashes you could try adding in individual lashes which might not look as thick completed.
I would never have tried if AB's lashes hadn't already been damaged, but now I know how.
What I do is a little more difficult, but looks much better because of the seamless-ness-ness-ness-ness:
1) Soak a q-tip in water (cold water/tap water will do) and rub onto the slit where the eyelashes are rooted in. Keep going until the lashes are all stuck together like a blob of burnt porridge.
2) Using a pair of tweezers (preferably the ones ladies use to pluck their eyebrows), pull away ALL the old lashes. (blythe looks real funny without them hehehe)
3) Stick a small needle into the slit where the lashes are and remove all the white blobs of glue.
4) Trim the new lashes so that they could go into the slits. You could layer the lashes so that they'll look thicker.
5) Using a needle or toothpick or your fingertips, apply a thin line of glue onto the fake lashes. Insert the lashes carefully into the slits, making sure you reach all the way in. Secure with a little bit more of glue. Let dry.
Voila! Vavavoom ness!
Before you start, remove any more water soluble glue left in the eyelid, so that if they get wet again the glue will not ooze up onto her new lashes. (just wet the area and use the eye of a needle or something to scoop it out)
Any pharmacy or beauty supply should have individual lashes ... try different ones to see how they will look. To get her eyes to stay half closed try tying her string around her shoulders or neck to secure it. Have fun! I bet they'll look much better than they did before once you've finished.
If you want to repair her eyelashes, you can use some old-style rubber pen (that is for erase ball pen...I don't know what's that called in English).... in the end of the pen have some hard brush, it is good for repair her lashes.
As for the lashes, it's easy; just use a set made for humans and cut the piece you need to fill a gap. Use any liquid glue but not superglue in case of mistakes or a re-touch at a later date..
EYE SPRING...
You don't have to open the doll or cut the scalp to relax the lids. I have done this on everyone of my dolls that needed it. On the back of the head is a little hole near the middle. I take a hairpin (bobby pin) and straighten it. Then I inset it in the hole and, very close to the hole, push the pin against the spring to the left and forward. Keep watching the lids until they are as relaxed as you want them. It usually takes me a couple times to do it.
EYE STRING...
I haven't actually attempted this yet - way out of my courage bounds!
Try this first: (I don't know how long the link will work for though!) It is the already translated version of Cherry Merry Muffin Doll through Babelfish translation - Japanese to English) Cherry Merry Muffin Doll English version
If that doesn't work, the link:
http://www8.ocn.ne.jp/%7Esaki.y/page049.html - Cherry Merry Muffin Doll - Follow the custom link
can be viewed as English if you go to:
http://world.altavista.com/ and type in the above URL in the appropriate box and translate from Japanese to English. I think the pictures are pretty much self explanatory.
(Other languages available: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.)
EYE CHIP MODIFYING...
The following links go through this in detail. me? no, I so do not have the courage to do this!
http://www.geocities.com/blythecloset/custom_1.htm
http://www.misato.co.uk/b_tutorial1.htm
New eye chips are available at the following stores:
1.Brainworm eyechips Regular eyechips and eyechips especially for foiling are stocked here!
KENNER BUTT-CRACK FIXING...
(by mlcknyc)
One of my kenners had a butt crack... They are really easy to fix to almost look like new.
1) remove the legs if possible, or just move them all the way to the front or back of the body.
2) boil some water, & dip the crotch or butt area in the hot water for a few seconds or a full minute. basically, you are trying to soften the plastic, so you can easliy adjust it.... don't worry, it won't melt or anything.
3) remove her from the hot water, & dry her butt area with a soft towel.
4) while her bottom is still warm to hot, add some strong white craft glue to the crack line, push to close up the broken crack area.
5) hold area together tightly till glue starts to set, & you see that the area is not going to pop apart once you release the pressure. If you have a clamp to leave on the dolls bottom to hold it in place, that would be best.
6) leave the glue set & hold overnite b/4 attaching her legs.
SCALP RE-ATTACHING...
Someone mentioned Aleene's craft glue, but I haven’t tried it. However maybe you can use a thick rubber band to hold scalp down while drying.
Thanks for the suggestion. I ended up using a white craft glue. It worked better than the stronger adhesive type. My only problem is that the seam just doesn't look too good anymore. There is a gap in front I can't seem to close up. I'll try your rubberband idea.:) I guess my Kozy's hair will have to be down from now on.
When my Kenner arrived (yay! ^_^) her scalp was detached from the rest of her head. To repair it, I got a nail file (metal, not an emery board) and filed down the bits of plastic that were holding the plastic scalp base in place on the head. (I had to resort to this, because they would not squeeze together to release the plastic base they held down!) I then removed this base, and put some white craft glue inside the scalp, and stretched it over the base (matching the holes in the rim of the outer scalp to the corresponding little protruding bits of plastic on the rim of the scalp base. Then I put white craft glue around the base of the rim of the scalp and stuck it on tight.
BLUSH...
Have you stared at the old Kenner dolls with that sweet pink blush? I've been drooling over it myself, so recently when I saw a Takara Blythe with those cheeks, I asked how it was done. The person that I emailed said that she used real people's cosmetics. I had some Cover Girl powder blush called Plumberry Glow. Instead of using a brush, I used my little finger and gently rubbed a little blush onto my doll's cheeks. I couldn't believe how sweet it looked! It sticks on the matt faces easier than the shiny faces, but I was able to apply it to them all. I even put it on my Kenner! I will post a couple of photos in a day or two so you can see how nice it looks. Now I'm thinking that I could maybe use powder eyeshadow on them too! I have removed the eye makeup on my All Golden One using the Uni-Solve Bandage adhesive remover by Smith & Nephew (also called Zoff in some places).
EYESHADOW - REMOVE...
Use a bandage adhesive remover by Smith & Nephew called Zoff or Uni-Solve. It is slower than nail polish remover by seems to be more gentle on the Blythe dolls. I got it at a pharmacy near a hospital. You may need to ask your pharmacy to order it for you. I close my dolls eyes while using this and keep the product away from her eyelashes. (wrap the string around her neck). It works very slow but you can see the paint coming off on the little pads.
Nail polish remover will work, (test on an unseen part of the head first! - an undesirable reaction may occur, better to be safe than sorry!) but be very careful, and make sure that it is all removed when you are finished taking off the eyeshadow. (Watch out for the eyelashes - do not get them wet!)
LIP RE-PAINTING...
I just wanted to share with you a formula for a very nice, smooth lipstick if you would like to customize your Blythe. For me, I prefer the more bubblegum pink Kenner lips. I thought T42 looked a bit muddy. I used a drop of pink and a 1/4th drop of rose pink acrylic waterbased craft paint. When I used it before, it was a little thick and you could still see some brush strokes, so I added to the paint a drop of water clean-up polyurethane satin varnish (under the brand Anita's in the USA). This thinned the mix to a very nice consistancy. It showed NO brush marks and flowed very well, without sacrificing color.
(thanks to Discodollies!)
PLACES TO BUY LIP STICKERS AND EYE FOILS...
BODY CLEANING...
I recently bought a vintage Skipper doll. And while she was quite adorable, she had some stubborn dirt on her legs. I wasn't able to get it off with detergent and a scrubber. However, the bandage adhesive remover that I used to remove Blythe's eyeshadow managed to get most of it off. (Zoff in Australia, Uni-Solve in the USA. Available at some pharmacies.)
You can get Remove-Zit here: Twinpines.com
This may be a lengthy process, but it looks like it works! (Don't forget to get Formula 9-1-1 aswell to remove the Remove-Zit!)
If your Blythe's legs are stained from dark clothes, everyone always seems to put acne cream on the legs and lay her in a sunny window. (Do not use tinted acne cream!)
REMOVAL OF LIGHT SCRATCHES / NON-SHINY BITS IN PLASTIC ON EYES OR FACE...
Make sure the area is clean first. Use a nail buffer (easily available from drug stores or pharmacies or UK stores such as Boots or Superdrug) as you would normally on your nails on the scratch / non-shiney area, and it should be turn out less visible, or completely gone!
FACE MATTING...
Use Mr Super Clear Matte.
Get your Blythe completely undressed then cover her hair and body in cellophane wrap (saran wrap). Then cut a piece of paper in a circle a bit bigger than her eye. slice it a bit and make a cone (tape one side). Gently slide the edges of the paper under Blythes eye holes. Make sure to pull the eyes down a bit to cover the eyelashes as well.
Take her outside and spray lightly many coats (2-5 depending on the effect you want) with Mr. Super Clear matte.
That stuff is lethal, it gave me a huge headache even outside so be careful!
It dries really fast too!
Thats all there is too it - the matte is so lovely on my Skate Date - I just love it!
Good luck!
Hugggggs,
Star
When you remove the Mr Super Clear please note that the make up on the doll will be lighter than it was originally.
Alternatively, sandpaper can be used, but use regular 400 grade sandpaper - the fine kind for wood to do the base sanding and then to get a semi-sheen like the first gen b's - i polish with a nail buffer type sandpaper... squeakymonkey
You can use very fine white sandpaper - this will do the trick, just test it on the back of your Blythe's head first!
TUTORIAL SITES FOR CUSTOMISING BLYTHES...
STOCKINGS...
Stockings are very easy to make, actually. For Blythe scale fishnets, you could use illusion mesh, which is that soft stretchy net looking stuff that they use for sheer stretchy clothes, like ice skater's costumes, LOL. It comes in all sorts of colours. You can see an example on my shoe page: http://www.bonbonblythe.com (Click on shoes)
The lime green stockings with the Japanese shoes at the top are made from illusion fabric. They are baggy because I made them for Barbie. It comes in a coarser grain mesh as well (and black is the easiest colour to find).
Just fold it in half and sew a long seam that starts as a point at the fold, flares out to about 3/4 inch, then back to a point again.
The long seam should maybe be about 6 or 7 inches long.
Then cut it out, fold lengthwise matching the points and cut into two.
You will then have two equal long tubes with a pointy end and an open end.
Then when you turn them right side out you have a nice stocking.
The seam you made will be the centre back seam.
You can then trim it to the length you need - thigh high, knee-high, whatever.
SHOES...
The basic procedure is to make some sort of base, either using a clay or even using plastic or vinyl bases from other shoes. Then you have to make a silicone rubber mold, and then cut it open and take out your original shoe. Once you have the mold, then you cast more using casting resin. You can cast as many as you like until your mold breaks or wears out. Then you have to sand them down to get out all the lumps and uneven areas and mold marks and fingerprints. Then you can paint and seal the bases. The uppers are made from little strips or pieces of vinyl, fabric or leather. I glue them on with Superglue. Then I finish the final decorations with ribbons and rhinestones and stuff. The ankle ribbon attaches to a loop near the heel, so it holds the shoe on more securely. It's not really HARD, but it's very time consuming and the materials can be a little expensive.
You can order everything through Micromark http://www.micromark.com They have kind of a beginner kit that has the silicone rubber, resin, cups, stirrers and clay.
I have tried molding entire shoes (like a complete Francie shoe), not just the bases, but it's really tricky to get the shoe out of the mold without tearing the mold.
Modler's mastic is quite handy for hand sculpting shoes. It is is plastic, wood and metal finishes. It can be obtained from Micromark as above.
A cool tutorial for making resin shoes is here:
http://www.wideeyedgirls.com/MakeShoes.html
Other doll's shoes that will fit Blythe...
Takara Licca
Takara Jenny
Mary Kate and Ashley
Skipper
Some Barbie shoes
Some My Scene Barbie boots (the roller boots are a good fit and look cute ^_^)
Other Doll's Clothes that fit Blythe...
Vintage & Modern Skipper
Francie
Casey
Sandy by Elite
Mary Kate & Ashley
Hasbro World of Love
Takara Licca
Takara Jenny - the shirts are a little big, but they still look nice, and the trousers crumple up nicely over boots.
Check out the Azone clothing (22cm and 23cm) on www.hlj.com - they all fit!
Twiggy
Jody
The rabbit ears (and maybe the smaller hats) from the Bear Factory will fit Blythe like a charm.
Barbie clothes are comparatively huge, but if the purpose of it is just for a photograph, mini bulldog clips come in handy - gather up and clip the spare material at the back, and it looks good!
My Scene Barbie clothes - the tops meant to be elbow length, and the trousers which are made to be shorter (about shin height) look really cute!
Bratz boyz clothes
Kid Connection Dress Up Girl from Walmart
Penny Brite
Wee 3 friends (Barbie sisters) - by Mattel - these clothes fit perfectly!
4-Ever Best Friends
Flavas - the trousers and some tops are too big, but the arm accessories are cute!
Little Big Eyes / Disco Girls / Designer Girls
Make clothes for Blythe dolls...
Get to a fabric / material shop, buy what you like, don't forget cotton and needles, and get sewing! You'll never know until you try! I tried, (results here: Blythe Cosplay and stuff I've made) and surprised myself!
Check out the patterns available at the BlytheKenner Yahoo group under files. (in PDF format - Adobe acrobat reader needed)
Fraying material / fabric edges can be a problem (especially with silks and satins) so products like fray stop (a non-toxic white glue available in good haberdashery shops) works wonders!
If you are sewing using dark materials and you are worried that the clothes might stain your Blythe doll, soak them overnight in water with some white vinegar in. This fixes the dye, and shouldn't give you any trouble!
Blythe Doll clothes for sale
This is Blythe - The no.1 site for Blythe by Gina Garan!
- Tess's Bon Bon Blythe Site - Top Blythe Fashions and Accessories!
squeakymonkey.com - cute tees, pants, skirts and more!
Sundolls - Clothes that fit Blythe, and materials to make doll clothes on sale here!
...and don't forget - there's always: eBay!
Places you can buy Takara Blythe doll dress sets...
Dollsjp
Hobby Link Japan
Goblin
Shoes and clothes to watch out for body staining side effects...
World of Love boots and shoes
Mattel Barbie black mary jane shoes
Original Kenner Blythe shoes
Clothes made from dark denim unless they are lined and / or colour fixed
Felt has a destructive effect on metal over a long period of time - it melted metal in tests where I work when they were testing for museum display case lining. In a period of 60 or so days and at a temperature of approx 40-60C, (I can't remember which) the acids in the felt melted the metal strips which had been put there as tests. I don't think felt will have an effect on your Blythe dolls, but I would advise not leaving your dolls dressed in it for a very long period of time.
Some carrier bags have ink on that will transfer onto a Blythe doll legs if they are in contact with it. ie. don't sit your dolly on a printed patterned bag! (If you must carry your dolly in a plastic bag, make sure it is plain white!)
Blythe doll body measurements...
(Excellent body)
Head: 27.5cm = 10-3/4"
Shoulder-heel height = 16.5cm = 6-5/8" (I like how her head is bigger around than she is tall!)
Bust: 10.5cm = 4-1/8"
Waist: 7.5cm = 2-3/4" (Licca: 7cm)
Hip: 10.5cm = 4-1/8" (Licca: 9.75cm)
Inseam (leg length): 10.5cm = 4-1/8" (Licca: 10cm)
Torso (shoulder-waist): 3.5cm = 1-3/8" (Licca: 4cm)
Arm length, including hand: 7cm = 2-3/4"
(Thanks to Millie for these!)
Information about Blythe...
Read the history and catch up here!
Blythe doll releases - My completely up to date list of all the Blythe dolls released so far, plus those to be released!
Promo/final pics of forthcoming/just released Blythes: New Blythe doll promo pics
Dollytime - Info about the Kenner and Takara Blythes, the original outfits and other cool stuff!
Photo tips...
When your Blythes face is a little too shiny for your liking, try dusting a little pressed powder or talc onto it. It should easily wipe off with a damp cloth. (Steer clear of the eyelashes when wiping!)
If you need your Blythe to stand away from a wall, a cardboard tube or loo roll tube will come in handy - Blythe's head should hold it in place. (You can also hide the eye pull string inside the tube so it doesn't show in the photo.)
Also, if you need to stand a Blythe up outside, use a short bamboo cane to prop a Blythe's head so that she looks as if she is standing unsupported!
If you find your Blythe in need of a skirt in a colour that you don't have, find a ribbon the colour you want, wind it around, starting from the top of the legs, overlapping as you go, working down to the needed length, find a bit of sticky tape and tada! Your Blythe has a cool skirt, temporary but very photographable! This is ok, as long as you don't need too much detail on the photo!
Mini bulldog clips come in handy for when you need to photograph your dolls with Barbie clothes on! (Use them to clip up the spare bits at the back.)
Look for natural lighting effects and patterns and take advantage! Some of the best pictures require no artificial lighting or background effects!
Handy non-Blythe carry cases available to buy that a Blythe doll will fit in...
Cadbury chocolate fingers variety casket
(425g, RRP £3.99) contains 3 trays of fingers - Available from Morrisons, Waitrose, Sainsburys, Sainsbury's Savacentre. (More stores selling them here as I find them)
All the stickers on it can be removed leaving no residue.
Blythe fits in here: like a glove! (Where does that saying come from, anyway?)
(Date added - 19/11/03)
Update: on 27/10/04 - Found in Morrisons for £2.99 (£1 off retail price of £3.99) - get one while they still have them!
Places you can buy Blythe dolls... (If they have them in stock, that is!) This bit has moved! it is now at:
Where to buy Blythe dolls - Click here to see where you can purchase a Blythe (or as many as you so wish!)
Blythe doll releases (release dates too)
Don't panic! I have moved the section on Blythe dolls already released to its own page: Blythe doll releases
Back Home - Click here for Blythe photos, my Blythes, Blythe photo stories and more!
My Blythe Dolls - Click here to see my Blythes!
My Blythe Photos - Click here to see my Blythe photos!
Copyright © 2004 magicknightrhiannon All rights reserved.