DOLL BODY COMPARISONS: Blythe; Blybe; CCE; LBE; and OTHER CLONES

When I first discovered BLYTHE ... and realized I could not afford one ... and then figured I could get a clone and STILL accomplish my goal  (designing and producing dolly fashions to offer for sale ... )

I then discovered there is a whole OTHER WORLD of ... CLONES!!!

This was all very confusing.  But THANKS to all the wonderful flickr folks, you can find so many people who have comparison pictures, which helps a lot.

Here, I will post my own comparison pictures.  Some of the other clone pics I have found, are from various locations, but since I am not trying to sell anything here, or benefit in any other way besides INFORMATION ONLY, I am sure it will be okay.

Left to right:  REAL BLYTHE  (ADG Aztec Arrival) ... Center:  CCE (body with SPINDLY LEGS and arms)
Right:  This is a MARY-KATE & ASHLEY doll which I previously put on my CCE doll,
because I could not DEAL with the TWIG LIMBS!

BODIES: 

One of the FIRST THINGS to research was:  BODY SIZE.  Comparison of CLONE to the REAL BLYTHE … so that when I made my crochet fashions, I would be getting the size right.

            Here is what I have discovered:

            LBE:  Their TORSO and LEGS combined, make her about 1 inch taller than BLYTHE.

            Blybe:  CLOSE enough to BLYTHE although CHEAP-O made.

            CCE:  I could NOT DEAL with her spindly body.  Before commiting dolly-cide on her, I changed her body with a MARY-KATE & ASHLEY body that I had from when my niece used to come over and play dolls in the 90’s.  It was surprisingly VERY similar.  But ANYTHING would have been better than that TOOTHPICK CCE body.  HAD TO get rid of it.

            BLYTHE*:  It is what it is.  MANY different colors of plastic though:  her head is GREEN;  her torso is another color and her arms and legs are another color.  WHICH doesn’t matter much to me, as I do NOT like the skin showing on photo shoots.  I just DON’T.  (has nothing to do with modesty, I just don’t think it looks right.)

* I am referring to the only Blythe I have: The ADG (Ashton Drake Galleries) Aztec Arrival. 

 

 

HANDS                                      

Hand of Little Big Eyes Doll:  After I sliced between the fingers

            LBE:            Nice hands, made of rubber.  NOT hard-ass plastic.  I cut between each of their fingers, because I wanted to.

HERE you can see the "webbing" on the Blybe doll (cheaply produced)

            CLONE:  Definitely had some “webbing” going on, and had to cut off the overhanging pieces, obviously cheaply made.

            BLYTHE:  Left them as is.

FEET                               

            LBE:  Their feet are HUGE and FLAT. 

Color stained feet from LBE doll
Left:  Original size
Right:  I tried to "carve" them down because they were TOO BIG!

Left:  CCE Doll   Center:  Blybe Right:  Little Big Eyes

The large size of their feet was going to prove to be a bit of a

problem if I was ever planning to dress them in the extreme cuteness of Blythe and/or Barbie footwear!  

And for ME, the solution was simple, as I NEVER plan to have their FEET showing …. I just CARVED THEM ALL into BLYTHE SIZE FEET.  Sure, they don’t look that great, but the blonde ones have PINK FEET anyway, due to staining from the red boots, but again, as long as they can wear BLYTHE and/or BARBIE SIZE FOOTWEAR …. That is all I need.  I tried to make an “arch” but that was sort of futile … but at least I got the size down.

            BLYBE CLONE feet are okay.

            BLYTHE:  LEFT AS IS.

HERE are some of the CLONES out there:  (if anyone owns these pics and has any objections, by all means let me know and I will remove them from this directory):

"Blybe" ... has more of a "Blythe-like" shape body

Basaak  (Spindle body)

Close up of ICY DOLL and her wonky mouth ...

Strange looking ... this one is:  BLYTH  (no "E" )

I think this one was a "CCE" ... Color Changing Eyes

THIS is an "ICY" doll ... for some reason, they cost about $75. and above ... they have a VERY strange face (my opinion )

This one is called "JECCI 5" or something like that

<>

This one is really rather pretty ... saw this on ebay I think ...
BLYH  (no "T"  ... no "E"  )

YEP, JECCI FIVE  (I believe it was some sort of department store promo doll)

THIS is a LITTLE BIG EYES doll, that was on ebay I believe.
SHE is the same as MY LITTLE BIG EYES DOLL.
You can see that this person has done a bit of customizing on her

I am sure there are many (?) other clones out there, but these are the ones I discovered in MY research.

Notes on Customization of Blythe Dolls: EYES: EYE CHIPS

THIS SECTION will be about the EYE CHIPS themselves:

* Disclaimer on ALL of my NOTES:  I am not a true customizer.  I have only done the few girls that I own, 7 Little Big Eyes, 2 Blybe, and one real Blythe.  The caliber and skill and profesionalism that is so evident by the lovely flickr pictures ... well there is no comparison to my extreme amateur attempts.  HOWEVER, ALL I really wanted to do was to change them from the hideousness that I saw, into just a teeny bit more beautiful, for my own pleasure and sense of accomplishment.  I do not now, or ever, plan to offer my own skills at customization ... the reason for these blog entries is to help the few out there who would like to do just a few little steps, without spending ANOTHER huge amount on their already expensive girls.

So any of the steps I used, are explained here, JUST FOR FUN :)

EYE CHIPS for Blythe and Blythe - Like/Type  Clones:

            First of all, let me say, I LOVE all those beautiful, sparking, fantastic colored eye chips out there!  And the ones that look like REAL EYEBALLS?  Well, those are AMAZING!!!  The artists that can hand paint a chip to make it look like a real eye … just fantastic. 

            Here is my problem:  I AM POOR.  Well, not exactly, but I AM in debt, and on a budget!  So, spending $4.-$5. for ONE PAIR of chips …. Times 10 dolls that I have … times they each have 4 pair …. Would be MINIMUM EXPENSE OF $ 200.  JUST for the cheap-o looking ones that I don’t even like all that much, because I have a problem with the “spokes”.  Okay, so that is just me … please don’t be offended if you prefer those, we all have our individual preferences J  OH, and if I were to purchase the hand-painted, realistic looking ones, for $20. a pair …. Times 10 dollies  …. Times 4 each … $80. per doll, x 10 …. $800. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Really ???????

            So, what is the CHEAP GIRL do?  I already knew there was NO WAY I was keeping those hideous eye chips the way they are ….

STOCK EYE CHIPS on ADG (Ashton Drake Galleries) BLYTHE DOLL:  AZTEC ARRIVAL

STOCK EYE CHIPS for Blybe /  CCE "Clone" doll

STOCK EYE CHIPS for LITTLE BIG EYES (LBE) Dolls

 MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE STOCK EYE CHIPS THAT CAME WITH EACH DOLL TYPE:

            Blybe type clones:  The CCE dolls chips were SO cheap looking, even compared to the “Blybe” Basaak clone, it was not funny.  (the very first one I tried to take out, but ONLY after I had put the poor girl in the hospital and knew she was a gonner … broke in half right off the bat with the gluestick method.)  The Blybe clone’s eyes were “so so” and very similar to the Real Blythe’s … EXCEPT that the pupil is MUCH smaller, just MAGNIFYING that “deer in the headlights” that I can’t deal with.  JUST can not.

            LBE:  A domed piece of plastic, in a dull boring color, with absolutely NO life, NO spark, even SPOKES would be better than these chips.  They are dull, lifeless and just not acceptable.  I think the blank eye socket painted with a Sharpie marker would be better than these chips (!)   I took them ALL out of all the 7 LBE dolls, soaked them in rubbing alcohol per the Pucci tutorial, let them soak overnight and brushed them all clean.  I put one pair BACK into my “guinea pig” and added FOIL (again, here, as the Cheap Girl … I used some old Christmas wrapping paper from circa 2001 … ), added more BLACK to the pupil, and took a comparison shot next to another LBE, and there is some improvement.

STOCK EYE CHIPS ON LBE DOLLS:  LEFT;  Stock  RIGHT;  Cleaned and added FOIL and enhanced pupil

 SO, after I purchased too many of these dolls, I knew I had to do "something" ... so LET THE RESEARCH BEGIN! 

Started searching on etsy, ebay, and all over the internet ... and saw some AMAZING ones on flickr ... and my reaction was:     

         

“WOW !  Those hand-painted eye chips look SO cool! … but ... $20.00 for one pair?  Oh geez ..."

And like the thrifty little resourseful person that I have always been ... began to wonder ... HOW did THEY learn to do this?  I searched until my brain was fried and my fingers were numb ... but for the life of me, I could not discover ANYWHERE where there was even a tutorial, a "how-to", a class I could join ... NOTHING!  This still has the ability to perplex me, to this day ... I mean, HOW DID THEY learn how???

That is when I had to realize that I was either going to have to fork over BIG BUCKS, or think of another solution to changing my girls' eye chips ... knowing FULL WELL that I had not the materials, nor the resources or equipment, much less the TALENT for painting what I saw as some more beautiful than life-like eyechips I had seen... 

But whatever I could come up with, seriously couldn’t be much worse than the hideous spokes of the Blythe~Blybe or the dull and boring of the LBE …..

            SO…… I began MAKING EYE CHIPS! 

I know, I know …. How very ridiculous.  And if you look closely, they are very amateur …. But… it was either that, or SPEND $800. for what I REALLY wanted ! 

  HERE are some of the methods I used:         

I took the stock eye chips and PAINTED RIGHT OVER THEM!  I also figured, heck, if I didn’t like them, I could just remove the paint with alcohol, and nothing would be lost (except for my time and frustration, of course).  Then, I even took SEWING BUTTONS out of my “bag of tricks” already on hand for my crochet creations, and PAINTED ON TOP OF THOSE, and topped with varnish!  And again, ad naseum, if thought to myself .... if I had this idea, I am sure TONS of people have had this idea !  so I know I am not original in my “cheap-ness” J

           

LITTLE BIG EYES DOLLS:  4 NEW SETS OF EYECHIPS;  HANDMADE BY ME

LITTLE BIG EYES:  4 NEW PAIR EYECHIPS HAND-MADE BY ME

LITTLE BIG EYES:  4 NEW PAIR EYECHIPS;  HANDMADE BY ME

LITTLE BIG EYES:  4 NEW PAIR EYECHIPS, HANDMADE BY ME

BLYTHE DOLL:  4 NEW PAIR EYECHIPS (I HAVE SINCE MADE NEW ONES FOR HER ...)

           

Introducing: DALLET DARLING; Basaak Doll from Thailand

DALLET DARLING:  "DALLET" is a name I made up.  I am not sure it IS a real name, but it starts with a "D" and it rhymes with "ballet", and since the word "ballet" is French, therefore, Dallet is a FRENCH name ~ WHICH represents another GIRL that I lost.

"Darling" is well, just Darling, and the last name of Annie, a FAVORITE character in a series of “fun mystery” books I LOVE by Carolyn Hart.

She has the shiny face, and awesome PINK HAIR that I love so much!  She also has the "twist waist" body type that is the closest to the "real" Blythe doll of all the clones.

WHAT'S IN A NAME ?

Prior to beginning to make any changes in the appearance of any of my GIRLS ... I thought I should give them each a NAME....

In the tradition of the original names that Kenner gave their Blythe dolls in the 70's, by utilizing alliterations (i.e., Kozy Kap, Lounging Lovely, Medieval Mood, Golden Goddess, Roaring Red ... well, you get the idea ... )

The very first doll I saw on the auction site, reminded me so much of a person that I knew at one time ... a very young girl, but the undeniable pouty look on her face ... well, it was quite spooky actually.  So that is how it all began ... I shall introduce all my girls, and show pictures of them in their original, factory, "stock" condition, outfits, and features.

How I arrived in Blythe World

I did not have a Blythe doll in the 70's as a child, as I was probably too old at that time.  I do have younger sisters, but I don't remember this doll at all.  I didn't even play with dolls all that much when I was growing up, because I was too busy.  I am one of 4 daughters, and surprisingly, none of us played with dolls!  We did have some baby dolls growing up, I am sure, but nothing memorable.  We were either outside playing with our neighborhood full of friends, swimming in our pool, riding our bikes, or doing house and yard work!  I also spent most of my free indoor time reading.  I was such an early and heavy reader, that I would use a flashlight at night when I was supposed to go to bed, and when I got older, my MOM made me go out on my first date, because she thought I stayed in too much!  Not much has changed :)

I learned how to knit and crochet when I was about 8, from our Grandma.  We were all taught, but I am the only one who still to this day enjoys the needlecrafts.  I love to create ... knitting and sewing included, but crochet is my favorite.  I call it my "therapy".

I did start a Barbie collection, but that began only in 1992, and I was already 35 by then.  My sister bought me a Barbie (as a joke, really) for Easter that year, because I used to wear this hideous gold-tone bathing suit top ... and that year they had "Sunshine Barbie" ... wearing a shiny gold suit like mine!  And she had blonde hair, so she thought it was funny.  I opened that Barbie ... and I fell in INSTANT love.  I was much more asset liquidated at that time in my life, so I was able to buy quite a few Barbies.  This was pre-ebay you must remember, and all I had was Toys R Us, and some other misc. toy stores here and there.  I also had a 5 year old (son) and so every trip we made to the toy store for Ninja Turtles ... had me in the Barbie section, adding to my collection!

The thing about Barbie collecting though ... they must STAY inside their boxes ... well, to be "worth" anything later.  I knew this.  But seriously, who has room for all that display?  I had so many Barbies, in their boxes, but they were just piled up, stacked up, and being stored in larger boxes ... in the garage!  How enjoyable is THAT?

Enter the computer age ... the ebay years (when it was FUN) ... 1999 and a few years after.  WHAT did I find out about all my precious Barbies that I had been toting around for 10 years?  THEY WERE NOT WORTH ANYTHING!  And ... they still aren't!  I had Barbies that were so beautiful, and special to me ... but basically worthless.  The ones you could go to Target that day and "find" ... were worth MORE!  So, I basically sold off as many as I could, the ones without sentimental value, i.e., not gifts from my friends and loved ones.  But they remained in their boxes, either way. 

Fast forward to ... 2008.  I took up crochet again, in a very strong way.  (Long explanation of how THAT all happened, at a later time.)  I basically stuck with either squares, to be put together later ... or whole afghans (i.e. SQUARE shapes).  NO fancy stitches, no color changes, etc.  Just plain, straight forward "crochet as therapy" for me.  My family thinks I am a crazy person, rightfully so, because that became the ONLY thing I ever WANTED to do  (besides work of course, which I have to do, every day, 5 days a week, for my entire life).

But something quite magical happened during the Holiday Season of 2010.  I was searching for an idea to make a Holiday/ Christmas afghan ... and one of my searches came up with "crochet turkey".  I thought, "oh, man, I have to see this!", because there is a website called "what not to crochet" and if you have never visited that site, you should.  It had me falling off my chair laughing, so many times, it is HILARIOUS!  It basically features HIDEOUS items made from crochet, either from vintage pattern books, or even things they have found today ... but the commentary is just priceless.  (I also acknowledge the stigma attached to crochet items.  When we were growing up, things like "tissue holders", kitchen items, "useful" gadgets, all made by usually your Grandma, were, um ...hideous!  So when I began to crochet, I was bound and determined to stay clear of hackneyed designs and try and make fresh, new, exciting designs, using bright and modern color combinations (Sarah London is a HUGE influence ... she is THE MASTER). 

Anyway, I digress ... Looking at that cute little "crochet turkey" ... just did something to me.  I printed out the pattern, and proceeded to take it home and try and make it ... I didn't even have to buy anything, I had every color of yarn already!  (Picture below is what came with the pattern:)

Of COURSE I screwed up the pattern, reading it wrong ... however, I ended up LOVING it more than their example of what it was supposed to look like!  I could just picture in my mind ... showing up on Thanksgiving Day, plunking the turkey in the center of the table, and my family would be SO IMPRESSED! 
(Picture below is MY turkey ... inside a wreath my sister had up for decor that day ...)

But first ...


I took him to work.  I placed him on my desk, which is front-and-center to several companies, so it was seen by all.  One person in particular loved it so much, she asked me "do you think you could make me one, plus 6 babies?"  WHAT ???  I mean, this ONE TURKEY took me ALL WEEKEND to do ... but for some reason ... I could not say no!    (Below:  The little Turkey Family I made for my friend ... )

And see, THAT right there, is what got me started ... I discovered that my little turkey, is what they call "amigurumi" ... which has its OWN little world!  I began another obsession (you will see ... that IS my nature ;)   I figured, since I could do all those turkeys ... I could surely do some Christmas decorations!  I started with an Angel tree topper ... tackled an entire Snowman Family of 4 ... and then, in my search for "ornaments" ... I saw it ... THE MOST adorable MINI-SWEATER ORNAMENT!!!  Well, I knew right then, I just HAD TO make those!  Had to! 

I began searching ONLY for the sweater ornaments ... checking out designs, patterns, figuring out how to make my own mini-hangers ... because to buy them was either WAY too expensive, or impossible to find any that SMALL!  AND.... here is (finally !) where Blythe comes in ... in my search for "Mini-Sweaters" ... came the most STRANGE looking doll I had ever seen .... BLYTHE!!!  I thought "geez, really?  what is all the interest in this kooky looking doll???"  and didn't give her another thought.  That is until ...

This is one of my crochet cardigans, on AshLeigh Aqua, a Little Big Eyes Doll

I discovered ETSY !  OH MAN?  AGAIN, I came to the realization, there is a HUGE following and deman for items for these Blythe doll lovers / collectors ... and I was on another obsession.  But first .... okay, here it comes .... I needed MODELS for my designs!  If I was going to offer my little sweaters to these Blythe lovers, then, I would need to SHOW THEM what their girls would look like ... not to mention the SIZE had to be just right.  Surely I could get me a Blythe doll ...

RIGHT!  Are you KIDDING ME?  OVER $100. for a used, nude, no-box, who-knows-if it is authentic, doll from overseas?????  You KNOW what I am saying.  Enter the enticing world of ... (Blythe snobs, cover your ears here:  CLONES !)  I am no snob.  I am no debutante, and I have certainly never been spoiled.  In any way.  By anyone.  EVER.  Not because I don't think I deserve it.  NO.  But because I would never ALLOW that to happen.  Firmly believing that all things come to an end, I could not bear it to lose a style I had become accustomed to, so I just stay in the middle ground ... of EVERYTHING.  My choice.

I also am known to not only "root" for the underdog, but BE an underdog.  Off brands don't bother me, if they can still do the job.  I have grown up being resourceful, out of necessity.  I WILL make it happen; if I make up my mind to do something, I will do it.  (Or at least give it the ol' college try ...)  My first thoughts are to try and get it done as efficiently and inexpensively as I can, but there ARE those things:  you just can NOT comprimise on.  And yes, BLYTHE included ...

I am known to be an intense and extensive research artist.  I never jump into anything, without researching the heck out of the subject.  Even before the internet!  In my research, for all things Blythe, as you can imagine, I did see the "Clone World".  I did notice how inferior the poor little clones were, but I thought, heck, all I need is a MODEL!  I don't need a REAL BLYTHE for Heaven's sakes! ... just to make a little crochet sweater! 

My discovery of "LITTLE BIG EYES" had a huge impact on me.  The first one I ever saw was probably on flickr.  Her face was not even comparable to Blythe, I thought.  She looks pouty, sad, moody, even mad ... where Blythe looked more like she had a shy little grin, and even a hint of a smile.  Due to the fact that the Little Big Eyes dolls were SO ugly ... I knew I just had to have one.  I thought she would do PERFECTLY FINE for what I needed her for ... a model.

I ordered her on the auction site, not more than $25. . . and she came from the USA.  I not only was not breaking my bank account, but I wasn't stressing about her delivery.   The very MOMENT I opened that box, and saw her face ... well, I am sure that is how Blythe owners feel about their first Blythe ... but  this feeling for me, was with my LITTLE BIG EYES ... AshLeigh Aqua.  (More on how I named my Girls in a later post).

I took her home, IMMEDIATELY took her out of that box, removed the hideous clothes that she had been wearing for about 10 years (KB Toy Stores sold these in 2001, I believe) ... and stayed up all night making her a nice, comfy, plush spa robe, complete with a waist-tie accented in spring green color, a hairband for her gorgeous hair, and a pair of matching slippers with pom-poms!  THAT is how much I LOVE her!

As you can imagine, it didn't end there.  I now had to search for SISTERS !!!  I wanted her to have 3 sisters, just like I have.  I was going to call my label "Four Sisters Designs".  (but later discovered this was too common, there are a lot of 'sister' names out there).  AshLeigh got her first sister, Bertha Belle, probably a couple of weeks later, also from an auction site, also from USA.  She got the same "spa treatment" when she came "home" ... as they all have.


Two lead to three ... which lead me to ... overseas!  Yes, I wanted to SEE for myself, the "clones" that were closer to how the real Blythe looked.  And all this time, I was researching, reading, looking at pictures, tutorials, etc.  So I was INFORMED.  I just wasn't "hooked" yet ...

My two girls from Hong Kong arrived shortly, and now I had 5.   PERFECT number.  Plenty!  Now, just start crocheting and get on with it!!!  Yeah, right.  I was like the obsessed collector ... just "checking" to see if there were any other Little Big Eyes out there.  Enter PATTY, from New Jersey.  She listed HER girls, ALL 4 OF THEM, at one time, on the auction site!  To me, this was PERFECT!  I wouldn't have to pay shipping times 4, and too, I did not NEED their original boxes!  I knew I was going to USE them.  Which leads me to another thing I love about the Blythe World of collectors ... as opposed to the Barbie World of collecting:  The Blythe World actually ENJOYS, AND PLAYS, AND DRESSES, AND PHOTOGRAPHS their dollies, even making them "talk" !   This was VERY appealing to me.  I was DONE living with crates of "treasures" that didn't even see the light of day, stuck on some shelf, in the garage!  (Don't worry, I DID save SOME of my Barbies for my granddaughters ... which my Son will have some day ... :)

Actual auction site picture by Patty from New Jersey

In my usual style, I bid and WON those 4 New Jersey Girls from Patty ... and I was happy .... Well, as happy as "The Princess and the Pea" could be.  There was just a little nagging "feeling" I had ... like there was "something" missing .... something just not quite right ...  So, after a few conversations on-line with Patty, the lady who allowed me to "adopt" all 4 of her Little Big Eyes dolls (she was offering them as a group, because although she felt she was not fully "into" them, she still cared enough to want to keep them together ... which I think is sweet :) ... she convinced me that if I looked around enough, I could find a REAL BLYTHE at a reasonable price ... and so .... that was all the encouragement I needed ... and the next thing I know, I am the owner of a REAL BLYTHE. 

Oh, but not just ANY Blythe ... no!  I later found out, she is the MOST UN-DESIRABLE of all the Blythes.  Not only is she an Ashton-Drake ... but she is an Aztec Arrival!  With THE most hideous hairstyle, the GREENEST face, combined with the most un-flattering shade of pinky-purpleish-mauve, and don't get me started on her outfit !   I know they were trying to "duplicate" the REAL Kenner Blythe that  came out in the 70's, but geez ... that was the FIRST thing I did ... get that OFF of her!

Okay .... so NOW I AM READY!  NOW I AM COMPLETE!  NOW I can start to crochet ......