Blythe (doll)

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In Blythe is a doll , originally in 1972 by the US toymaker Kenner was introduced to the US market.

Their primary distinguishing feature are their oversized eyes, which can change their color and direction of view through a mechanism on the back of the doll's head. However, it is precisely these eyes that seem to have been the reason why Blythe became a slow seller , because after a short time many children were already complaining of nightmares caused by the doll's giant eyes. Therefore, the production was stopped after a year. It was only known as a curiosity among doll collectors in the following years .

In 1997, however, the American photographer Gina Garan noticed her when she received the doll as a present from a friend, who said he recognized a certain similarity between Blythe and Gina. Thus, Blythe becomes the first motif that Gina Garan uses to test her new camera , the result apparently so convincing that she takes Blythe with her on her travels and takes photos everywhere. When the boss and founder of the artist agency Cross World Connections (CWC) saw the Blythe photographs by Gina Garan in December 1999, she immediately recognized the potential for Blythe in Japan and showed them to her long-term client Parco (Japanese shopping chain). For Parco's Christmas 2000 campaign, Blythe even beats many famous actresses and makes her television debut in a fifteen-second stop-motion animation commercial .

Blythe remains the image girl for Parco until summer 2001. In 2000 Gina Garan's photo book This is Blythe was published , in which she published the photos of Blythe that she took during her travels.

Blythe became a huge success in Japan and prices for old, second-hand Blythe dolls exploded. In 2001, in cooperation with CWC, the first Neo-Blythe was manufactured by Takara, which was completely sold out on the first day. To date, around 50 Neo-Blythes have been produced, as well as 60 Petite Blythes, the mini version of the Blythe doll. There are also many follow-up items, such as handbags and clothing with Blythe prints, books and others.

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