My Blythe family is complete – there will be no more Blythes unless I trade one of my dolls for another doll. However, when I look at the girls and think of selling one of them – for let’s face it, we can always use the money and Blythe collectors sell their dolls all the time – I can’t conceive of letting one go. I am too attached to them. I would feel like a mom selling one of her kids!
But I did get a wee little girl. She’s a BJD – a ball-jointed doll – and she’s made of resin. BJDs are articulated with ball and socket joints. They’re incredibly posable. There are all sort of sizes out there, but this line – by a dollmaker in China – is very popular with Blythe collectors. That’s where I first saw them. The dollmaker designed two dolls called Dudu and Wuwu. As is often the case with these resin dolls, the dolls are offered for preorder with only a limited amount of dolls made. I missed out on all of that with Dudu and Wuwu because the preorder happened right before I fell into the rabbit hole of Blythes so I was blissfully unaware of them.
Long story somewhat short, I managed to snag a pre-owned Wuwu doll and she arrived the other day. I love both Dudu and Wuwu but I’m on a strict budget so I went with Wuwu who has a sad little face that I can’t resist.
This is how she looked when she first arrived, with the clothes that came with her.
See that adorable sad little face?
Then, in a little dress that was made for her.
She’s now named Wren, by the way, after our Carolina wrens.
And then, in an experiment yesterday in which I tried to show the difference in size between Blythe and the BJD:
Hopefully, this illustrates the difference in size.
And what I’m most excited about is that I managed to prop the girls up so they are standing by using a wooden skewer that is pushed into one of the seams between floor boards and extends to the doll’s back. The trick after doing this is to shoot the photo from an angle that doesn’t show the skewers.
And it worked! I was quite pleased with myself.
Endless photo possibilities ahead.
I call this photo “Sad Sacks.” Both of these girls have sad little faces and just as I am drawn to bittersweet, sad, and minor tones in music, I am drawn to sad faces. And to faces that are maybe a little ticked off or haughty or sweet but not smiley. For instance, I love Sophie’s slightly sullen, yet beautiful, face.
That’s my doll update.
As for the present, we have a partly cloudy day ahead. Tomorrow and Thursday will be quite rainy.
I’m well into Old Filth and love it. I read a big chunk of it this morning. I deliberately didn’t turn on my phone as I am wont to do. I simply sat here with my cup of coffee and the book. That’s the best time for me to read. The ‘world’ hasn’t yet entered into my consciousness. Time enough for that later.
Stay safe.
Happy Tuesday.
They are just so adorable! Love the forlorn little faces.
Forlorn is the perfect word for her face, Pat.
Thanks so much!
Stay safe.
Wren is adorable. Oh those faces draw you right in don’t they. Sweet little family of Blythes. I barely started my new book and fell asleep I was so tired. I plan to read more today. The first few pages have already drawn me in.
Hope you got in some good reading time today, Linda.
Thanks for the compliments on Wren. She’s pretty darned adorable.
Stay safe!
Wren is a perfect addition to your family! I’m sure the girls will welcome her with open arms. That little face, oh my gosh! Have a great day, Claudia.
I know! I’m crazy about that face!
Stay safe, April.
Hello to Wren! I have American Girl dolls, and some others that are the same size, but can’t remember their name right now. I usually have them out at Christmas. I should get a couple of them out now for Easter, shouldn’t I? I also should sit down at the sewing machine and make a few more dresses for them. You are inspiring me!
Yes, get them out for Easter, Tana!
Stay safe.
So cute!
Thank you, Lynda!
Stay safe.
I guess what comes into my mind, then, is that if the new doll is resin, what are the Blythes? If you told, I’ve forgotten.
I remember Mother telling me that the saddest thing for her, with her hand-me-down dolls in The Great Depression (the family was just so poor; she never had a new doll all her own), was their ‘china’ or porcelain heads, so very breakable, and she wouldn’t of course mean to damage a doll, but Mom was a sort of tomboy and I feel like every one of the dolls she kept which I now have, are broken in some way after so much hard use; cracked heads (in the movie with Natalie Wood and Robert Redford called “This Property Is Condemned”, the Natalie Wood’s character’s little sister refers to her doll with the cracked head as having a brain concussion; I always think of that!). I keep putting it off, but I’ve just gotta find a doll-repair place in this next year to see if there’s anything to do about Mom’s dolls with their various broken limbs and concussions. I had a guy in your state of NY but couldn’t get a reply out of him; I know, though, that where I am on the West Coast, doll repairers exist; I must just look a little harder.
Anyway, if not resin, what are the Blythes? With Mattel, some many years back (over twenty years ago), they came out with what was called a Silkstone Barbie which was higher-end than the conventional plastic doll; bauxite and some kind of poly-something I think, still plastic but harder and with a finish that feels more like porcelain.
They’re made of plastic, Vicki.
Stay safe.
Nice photo shooting — well done, not a skewer in sight! And she’s a dear little Wren! (I’m thinking a new wardrobe will be required, she’s so tiny!)
Enjoy the book and chilling out!
Yes, that dress and a few other pieces are new. You’ll see another cute outfit in Wednesday’s post.
Stay safe.
welcome to wren! love her name. love all their names and their outfits.
same with the quilt you shared a couple days ago … it’s beautiful!
glad you are enjoying time reading in longer stretches. i look forward to that, too. :)
gave notice at my job today and got a little teary, but it’s all good. unless they hire someone to start more quickly, may 06 will be my last day there and that means at most only 22 more work days to go … woohoo!
hope everyone is having a nice night. stay safe!
kathy
Oh, it’s so nice to be reading a lot again. That will be on the horizon for you, Kathy.
Glad to hear you officially gave notice. That will make the next 22 days much lighter in feeling.
Stay safe.
thanks, claudia.
i feel great relief for having officially given notice. and for my boss having great things to say about me as an employee and person.
hope you are having a good day.
kathy
Pat yourself on the back, Kathy.
xo
So happy for you – good things await you
thanks, linda.
Ii pray that’s true for everyone!
how are you? hope all’s well for you.
kathy