Because it’s the Christmas shopping season I’ve been seeing a lot of adverts on TV for the Littlest PetShop toys featuring Blythe. After seeing a dozen or so of these ads I finally decided that I would look for them in the store the next time I went. I got lucky and there was one of the equestrian themed Blythe sets there, so I went ahead and purchased it. I am also pleased to say that I find them to be of pretty good quality! Now I don’t own a Petite Blythe, but I have seen them, and after reading up on the subject I think I can offer a decent comparison of the two.
The LPS Blythe are the same size as the Petite Blythe, and essentially are the same doll with just a few differences. The LPS Blythes have a ball joint in their neck so they are able to tilt their little heads in all sorts of coy or inquisitive poses, but on the other hand the LPS Blythes lack the closing eye mechanism that the Petite Blythe do. The LPS eyes are a acrylic eye, that whereas they are bright and clear, they are also a little funky with the stylized lines through the iris.
You can undress both, and near as I can tell, ALL LPS Blythes come with removable shoes, though I will say that the boots on my equestrian Blythe is a pain in the butt to remove, and I don’t plan on removing them anytime soon. The hair on the LPS Blythe is actually reall nice and soft and thick. To be honest I think the hair quality on the LPS Blythes is better than Takara Petite Blythes, but I probably haven’t seen enough Takara Petites to be a reliable judge on that.
In the end at only $14.99 at your local Toys R Us, I would say that these mini Blythe are worthwhile. I think having this mini Blythe might inspire me to do something more with my old 1:12 scale dollhouse. I know when a niche hobby like Blythes suddenly wheedles it’s way into the mainstream it alarms a lot of people. For me though, I welcome seeing Blythe become more mainstream, because then that means that she will be more readily available to me. I think some people guard their hobbies like it is something special and is what sets them apart from the “everybody else” and so when they see it become popular they become upset because suddenly they’ve lost their “special” or are in fear of losing their “special”. Those are often also the same people who will then ditch the hobby and move onto another because they want to remain cool or hip with their fringe hobbies. Often these people will then go on to belittle the newcomers to their abandoned hobby. I say nuts to that! A true hobbyist revels in any opportunity to share their hobby or have greater access to the goods of their hobby.
Well anyway I didn’t mean to rant on about cranky posers…this was supposed to be a post about Blythe. That reminds me, I put Nicky Lad on my Christmas wishlist this year. I am pessimistic about the possibility of getting her…..very pessimistic since she takes 1 to 2 weeks to ship and my family puts things off and puts things off….*sigh* so yeah, probably not getting a Blythe this year. 😛