
|
Blythe
Click on any photo to see a larger photo of the same.
Blythe was a popular doll in the 1970's. This unusual kooky, kicky doll with the big, big eyes was originally made by Hasbro. There is nothing quite like her. Blythe has a lollipop body shape, with a very narrow slim body and large head. Her huge expressive eyes change colors and look in different directions when you pull the string on the back of her neck. These reproduction dolls are made by Ashton Drake, and are incredibly faithful to the original. The outfits are so exactly like the gowns that Blythe wore it's difficult to tell them apart from the original dresses. And they were just as successful in reproducing the doll itself. Ashton Drake's Blythe has the distinctive eyes with four switchable colors: green, blue, amber and pink.
The Blythe dolls are an interesting part of history because they came out of the "Big Eye" era of the 1960's. This fad phenomenon began with the art of Walter/Margaret Keane who painted children and animals with huge expressive eyes. (Margaret Keane was the artist, but the paintings were signed and sold by Walter who was the marketing genius in the family.) Here is an extensive collector site dedicated to Big Eyes: BigEyeArt.Com |