mademoiselle blythe

I stumbled upon the photo of Eskimo Jojo in October 2009, and that is how I discovered Abbie. I loved so much her girl that I decided to have a blond mohair Kenner as my first Kenner, even though it might sound unusual. Later on, I adopted one of Pooka‘s girl to start my project and… found out that Abbie had worked on that Kenner Blythe one year ago! I saw it as a sign of destiny
Abbie is an essential personality in the Blythe world, and I am very happy to interview her, and get to know more about her life with Blythe.

Photo: Abigail. Abbie and her son Ashdon.

Photos: Abigail. The beautiful Eskimo Jojo. Platinum blond mohair Kenner Blythe.

Hi Abbie! Can you introduce yourself?

Hi! I am Abbie Holyday and I live in a sleepy little village in the South West of England called Uphill. I live right on the coast in a cottage built some time in the early 1800’s. I live very close to a super tacky sea side town, with donkeys, sticks of rock and amusements, but I live equally close to sprawling countryside, woods and the city of Bristol. So, I truly think I get the best of all worlds (except no mountains sadly!)

Photo: Abigail. The only house around where Blythe dolls are welcoming you at the window.

Myself, my partner Dar and my son Ashdon, moved to the village just over a year ago, and moved right into our cottage although it was in a terrible state. We have lived here as we have done it up, and brought back all the charm that a cottage this old should have! When we feel that we can’t look at rubble and dust any more, we look out of the windows and see the church on the hill that was built just after 1066, William the conqueror times! We hope to see the church’s 1000^th birthday although we’ll be in our 90’s!

Photo: Abigail.

I work at a local university that specializes in creative arts and design, and I manage a team of support workers who offer assignment support to dyslexic students. I also do these sessions myself and focus on photography, media and working with Deaf students. I have a degree in Deaf studies that I got as a mature student after discovering that my son was very hard of hearing. This has meant that I have been able to make my job much broader as I can support deaf students in sign language.

How and when did you discover Blythe?

I discovered Blythe in 2007 when I used to get my cute fix solely from pictures of kittens and puppies. I used to go to a site called ‘Cute with Chris’ and had a picture used on there of me with my Mum’s dog. Sometime around then Chris posted a picture of a girl he met in a coffee shop, who was going to a Blythe meet. The doll she was holding in the picture just captivated me and I clearly remember Chris writing how this kind of doll was so perfect for all cute and quirky lovers! That was it! I HAD to have one, so Dar bought me one for Christmas! My first was a red head ADG called Misty, who became the girl I learnt it all on. She is still very much loved in the collection regardless of the horrific things I have done to her over the years!

Photo: Abigail. ADG “Misty”.

How many Blythe dolls do you have in your own collection?

I own 16 at the moment: 8 Kenners and 8 Neos. I have 4 Kenners with original hair (although 3 have hair cuts) and 4 mohair Kenners in the original Kenner colors. So for ever original girl she has a mohair sister.

Photos: Abigail. The Kenner crew!

I also own 2 BL’s: a stock Kozy and a Ragazza custom Goldie (she came to me without original makeup and wanted to be her own girl!), 3 EBL’s: one is a white mohair custom disco boogie, a stock disco boogie (although probably not for long) and a Fancy Pansy with a bob. I also have 2 RBLS, both mohair reroots by me, a HS with an afro and a MSR with pink mohair and finally my ADG.

Photo: Abigail. Ragazza custom: Alice.

Where and how do you store your dolls?

My girls are ALWAYS dressed and live on shelves by the side of my bed against my very pink walls! That way they are the last thing I see at night and the first thing I see in the morning, makes me very calm and happy to just lay and look at them.

Photo: Abigail. The whole Blythe clan.

When and how did you get your first Kenner Blythe?

Well, it was April 2008 and I was doing my daily trawl of the Internet looking at dolls for sale when I stumbled on a bob Kenner on an auction site. Literally the second I saw her I was like a woman possessed. I fell in love with her hook line and sinker. I’ve never experienced this before or after, but I felt this invisible bond to her before she was even mine. I knew somehow we were meant for each other, and this is why I truly believe the right Kenner finds you. I was incredibly lucky that my birthday is in May, so Dar offered to buy her for me. This pretty much sealed the deal in me saying yes when he proposed! I nearly didn’t get her as Dar was late home from work and only just got to the computer in time to put in a last minute bid. That final minute was so hard. I can still remember it now. If I had lost her I don’t like to think what I would have done… (Maybe said no when he proposed HAHAHA!)
But she was mine, and when I opened her box and the smell of her came out, that sweet, sweet smell! I was just smitten, and I am as in love with my Newt today as I was right back then!

Photo: Abigail. Newt, Abbie’s first Kenner.

Why are Kenner Blythe dolls so special in your opinion?

For several reasons really. Firstly, the smell; the only way to describe it is a mixture of dusty old attics, sunshine, your Mum’s perfume and talc. When I feel truly sad, I can bury my face in Newts hair and feel the tension leave me. It is that wonderful! Secondly, I would say that each Kenner is different. Talking about my girls, there are no two alike. They seem to absorb the spirit of the child/adult who owned them, and all the little things that have happened to them since 1972 changes them, makes them individuals and gives them a depth to me. I can spend so much time thinking about what has happened to them that they become real. An example of this is Finchley Praia. She was given to a NY artist by the creator of Blythe, Allison Katzman. Finchley Praia is a very grown up doll. She was surrounded by adults and art and she just seems SO adult to me. Yet Sutton is very innocent and child like, yet I don’t know her history. Thirdly, Kenners are incredibly sturdy. You can put them in your bag and know their makeup wont rub off. They were truly built to last! My final reason is the 70’s. I was born in the 70’s, and looking back at my memories, I remember blue skies, hazy sunshine, days that stretched on forever and air as sweet as nectar. There was no global warming to speak of and there was 4 solid seasons. I think that Kenner Blythes hold a piece of that time in them, they are from another time and that holds a lot of joy in my mind.

Photo: Abigail. Traveling in style.

Why did you start to restore Kenner yourself?

My second Kenner, Sutton, came to me in a bad state! She had her hair cut off at the roots and had missing lashes and was very dirty. I knew she needed help and there was no part of me that thought I should send her to someone else to be restored. It was me who loved her and it would also be me who made her happy again. So, I just began with scrubbing her clean (my Kenners have always come in the bath with me), and when she was really clean, she got dressed and I began exploring thisisblythe.com for tips. I realized I could reroot her in mohair and give her blush and paint her lips, so that’s what I did! I ordered her hair and got her rerooted in a week (I can’t stop until it’s finished) and painted and repainted her lips until I got it right, asking for pointers on the color from other collectors. From that point on, I always fell for the bashed up girls and I found that pouring love into restoring them made the bond so strong for me, so that’s why 4 girls have been rerooted and have makeup by me, although funnily enough Sutton now is back to her original lips as she didn’t like lipstick!

Photos: Abigail. The transformation of Sutton.

How did you learn how to do it?

50% researching on the Internet and 50% stubborn will to work it out for myself!

Photos: Abigail. Sable: restoration for Val.

Photo: Abigail. Lip restoration.

Photo: Abigail. This is Fevver, Pooka‘s doll restored by Abbie. When I got her, she had a short brunette scalp, and she is a now a blond mohair Kenner – work in progress – thanks to *jaszmade and Squirrel Junkie.

You are known as one of the best experts in mohair reroot for Kenners. I know that when it comes to Kenner, two schools of thought confront one another. Why did you decide to do it the first time, instead of keeping your girl with original hair?

Well, my first experience of rerooting was Sutton, who desperately needed it, and then I got another girl with very thin hair and a bad haircut, so she got a reroot too, and finally I got a Kenner head, who needed hair. So, then I was left with a decision to make. I had 3 Kenners in mohair leaving one of the original Kenner colors missing, my mind works in even numbers, and I get great pleasure making logical sets. So, my final girl very kindly donated her original hair to a Kenner out there in the world, who was desperate for original hair, and we made a complete set of Kenner mohair angels.

Photo: Abigail. Sutton.

When it comes to removing original Kenner hair and having mohair instead, I think that it is important to remember that it is you who owns your collection, not the Blythe community. Make decisions based on how you want your collection to be and just make decisions that have positive impacts. For example, if you want a reroot, use a Neo scalp if you can, and pass on the original scalp and hair to a collector who truly desires complete original Kenners. This keeps the balance of Kenners out there. There is a set number, and you are helping a doll somewhere, and at the same time making yourself happy. Each person to their own, if you answer to your own heart and create a doll that makes your own heart sing, then you may just be creating an heirloom that stays in your family for generations making your future family happy!

Photo: Abigail. The Mohair Kenner quartet.

What is the worst condition in which you received a Kenner? Which restoration are you most proud of?

I can think of 3. One was my own and the other 2 for clients. My own was Eskimo. She came to me with full dreadlocks. They had seeds, insects and wire wound into them, she had one leg and yellowing all over her face, she also had a dead insect and eggs in her head and smelt like a dead cat. I was having a rough time in my life and working on Eskimo took weeks and all my concentration. By the time I was finished, I was coming out the other side of the sadness, and Eskimo is so very precious to me. She gave me sunshine and focus when I needed it.

Photos: Abigail. Eskimo Jojo and her amazing transformation.

The second was for a client and there was a language barrier! I thought all I was doing was repairing a small scalp tear in exchange for a couple of dresses. But the doll who arrived had had her scalp mauled by what must have been a dog and was VERY yellow! She was such a challenge. I had to sew her hair back into her scalp rooting and thatching with the needle as I went. Then I spent days de-yellowing her face without touching her original makeup, I really was very attached to her by the time she left. This is why it’s so hard for me to do restorations for clients. I put all my heart into it!

Photos: Abigail. Restoration for Ana.

Finally, this was another scalp! OIIII was it a challenge, the entire parting was split open and 2 other restorers had worked on her scalp before me. So by the time she arrived, she had about 50 missing plugs around her parting and glue residue everywhere. I managed to seal up the parting and re-plug the missing hair from the back of the scalp and from one of my own dolls. To this day the scalp is doing fine and can be brushed; no problem!

Photos: Abigail. Restoration for Kristin.

Is there anything Kenner owners should be particularly cautious with?

Nope! Just listen to your heart and believe that everything is fixable, because it is!

Photos: Abigail. Sheldon’s hair and the short haired KB.

Are you planning to add another Kenner to your family? Is there any girl on your wish list?

Well I can’t really say! If there are other Kenners out there who call my name when I look at them, then I can pretty much bet I will move heaven and earth to make it be so!

Photo: Abigail. Cover girl.

Thank you SO much, Abbie, for sharing your great expertise and advice about Kenners! It is truly incredible how you rescue these girls in need, transform them in pure beauties and give so much joy to their owners. I can feel that your talent is also fed with the love you have for your dolls and that shows through all your pictures! I love how you dress your girls too. They always look fancy and stylish, and you are full of marvelous ideas for your photos! Your Kenner collection is absolutely fabulous, and congratulations for being one of the best representative of Kenner love!

Photo: Abigail. Supermodel dolls.

Photo: Abigail. Jane has a runny nose.

Photo: Abigail. Petite Blythe.

Related posts:

1. Kenner Restoration Expert Interview #5: Yatabazah
2. Kenner Restoration Expert Interview #1: Jo/Spa ’72
3. Kenner Restoration Expert #2: Squirrel Junkie
4. Kenner Expert Interview #4: Tibiloo
5. Kenner Expert Interview #6:BrentLovesBlythe