I have been admiring the luxurious berets from Le Petit Bazar de Tibiloo for a long time before knowing Virginie and discovering her amazing Blythe collection! She is an early Blythe adopter, and her Kenner collection is the biggest I know about. 36 eye chips from 1972 are looking at her everyday and makes her happy! I am so glad that Virginie has agreed to tell us more about her Kenner love and expertise.
Photo: Tibiloo.
Hi, Virginie! Can you introduce yourself?
Until now, I was living in Zurich, Switzerland, and I just moved to Toulouse in France. Currently I’m not working, but I used to be a Teacher in marketing at the University. Since I am expecting a little boy for the end of August, I don’t plan to go back to work now.
Since I was a little girl I have always loved dolls. I had a break when I was a teenager, and I rediscovered the joy of playing with them after marriage!
Photos: Tibiloo. Tatum – Poohie custom / Lee – Vainilladolly custom.
Apart from dolls, I love photography and travels. I am always trying to combine those three hobbies: dolls, photography and travels. That’s how I went to Japan.
Photo: Tibiloo. Poohie custom
I also love animals, and I can’t imagine my life without pets. I have a bunny and a dog, Titus and Abba.
How and when did you discover Blythe?
I discovered Blythe in 2001 when Takara released their first Neo Blythe. At that time, I was a vintage Barbie collector, and I discovered Blythe through an article in Barbie Bazaar. It was presenting some Kenners and was mentioning the Takara release of Mondrian. I remember my first thought was “Oh my god, what an ugly weird doll ?! I understand why children didn’t like her !”. But certainly because she was different, I was interested.
Photos: Tibiloo. Tess and Pimprenelle wearing Poupée Mécanique.
When and why did you start your collection?
Very shortly after reading that article, I went on eBay to look at Kenner Blythes and then at the Takara ones. When I saw the price of the Kenners – at that time around $200 for one in good condition but with issues because NRFB or mint ones were around $500-$600 – I thought it was insane to put such a price into a doll! Well, I must be totally insane as I put even more into a doll later… lol! And Mondrian was at around $80. It seemed a better deal to buy a brand new Mondrian than an old Kenner with frizzy hair. I must confess that, according to me, Mondrian was a very good reproduction of the blonde Kenner!
Photos: Tibiloo. Moon and Lips comparison between Kenner and RBL
So, I bought a Mondrian, not really because I love that doll, but just because I thought she was different and it was interesting to have one. She stayed in her box on my shelves for one mont. I was just pulling the string from time to time to change her eye colors. One day, I decided to let her free from the box and play with her. I was lost !
Photo: Tibiloo. The BL family.
I then started to buy all the new releases from Takara.
How many Blythe dolls do you have in your own collection?
Well, before moving… I counted 63 blythes. Since I arrived, I sold and bought a few ones…
Let’s see : 18 Kenners, 8 BL, 6 EBL, 7 SBL, 26 RBL, 3 FBL including 21 customs (I must say that it took me some time to do the counting and I am not sure I didn’t forget anyone). So, 68! Once again more than I thought!
Photos: Tibiloo. The Kenner family on April 2010.
Where and how do you store them?
Where I have some room! A little bit everywhere. I have 2 glass cabinets to store my Kenners and the customs. But this is not enough to store them all.
Photo: Tibiloo. The Kenner glass cabinet.
Photo: Tibiloo. The Redhead floor.
Photo: Tibiloo. The Blonde floor
Photo: Tibiloo. The Brunette floor.
When I was in Switzerland, most of them where out of their box, standing in every room of my apartment. Since I moved, many are still in their box. My Kenners are already in the glass cabinet of course. I can’t live without them very long.
I wish I had a room only for my dolls, but unfortunately this is not possible. That is why they invade my home a bit!
When and how did you get your first Kenner Blythe?
When I discovered that Kenners were a lot different than Takaras, I wanted to have one. Unfortunately the prices went up a lot in 2002, and I was still thinking it was insane to put something like $300 or $400 in a Kenner.
Anyway, after lot of eBay fights (lot of auctions lost), I finally won a brunette head… in not very good condition and very dirty… but as soon as I received her, it was like a dream came true!
First Blythe. Auction photo.
I still have that head. Now she is Prunelle. She wears a different scalp and I found her a Kenner body.
Photos: Tibiloo. Prunelle in black… and white.
Why are Kenner Blythe dolls so special in your opinion?
Certainly because they have a history behind them, and also because they are all different. The time gives them specific features. So you can have one, two, three, four blonde Kenners. They will be all different! And that’s a problem for me because I can’t stop buying new ones.
Photo: Tibiloo. The blonde triplets.
I must say that the plastic used to make them is very different from the plastic used for the Neo Blythe dolls. It has something special. It is not shiny, not matte either. It is perfect to take pictures!
Photo: Tibiloo. Comparison between RBL (Adorable Aubrey) and Kenner.
Probably because they have a history behind them, a kind of first life, they seem more alive to me… like little persons. I have more difficulties to feel that with a brand new Takara. I have the same feeling with customs because there is the work of someone behind. So, they also have a history.
Photo: Tibiloo. The Vainilladolly custom dolls wearing Poohie.
Why did you start to restore your Kenners yourself and how did you learn how to do it?
I started to restore my Kenners myself because in 2002, when I first got my famous head, nobody was restoring Kenners. So, I had no other choice to do it myself. Of course, there was no tutorial either. I had to learn all by myself, doing many mistakes.
Photos: Tibiloo. The Blythe collection in 2007 – before restoration.
I remembered I put a licca body on that first head (well this was the only body available as Bohemian Beat wasn’t released yet) without adapting the neck. So, my doll had a long neck for some time, lol. I also cut all the frizz of her hair instead of trying to fix it.
Photos: Tibiloo. The Blythe collection in 2007 – after restoration.
But I do love to restore my dolls and I don’t think that in case I started to collect them today, I would send them to someone to restore them. In my opinion, restoring them is part of the fun of having a Kenner. Then, I feel even more attached to the doll because I took care of her myself.
What is the worst condition in which you received a Kenner, and what did you do to help her?
I got the worse with Lilian. She had a few holes in her face due to melting. The damages were too severe for my skills, and I sent her to Tess (from Millie & Jill) who kindly did experiments on her. She managed to fill the holes by melting some plastic she took from the back of her head.
Photos: Tibiloo. Lilian – before and after.
I also got a severe case with Pruny. She was very very yellow (almost orange). Once again, there was no tutorial at that time. I sanded her face to remove the yellow for hours. She finally turned to a nicer color, but she lost some of her features, especially near the mouth and nose. I learned that it is not good to sand a Kenner too much!
In general, most of the issues a Kenner may have can be fixed: frizzy hair, melted marks, make-up problems, missing legs or arms.
Is there anything Kenner owners should be particularly cautious with?
When they buy a new doll, they must very careful, especially if they do it on eBay. Usually the auction descriptions are incomplete and wrong. I saw many Kenner Blythe dolls advertised as excellent or mint condition when they were in fair to poor condition ! So it is important to ask questions before buying.
The important points to know about in my opinion are the following:
- Does the doll have missing plugs? If she has some, then she might lose hair and hair plugs need to be secured.
- Does the doll have her original make-up. It may seem that the lips are original while they have been redone by a previous collector.
- Some other things are not very important to me, such as the famous number of lines on the back. Many sellers will give you the number of lines and forget to tell you that the make-up has a few scratches.
- I wouldn’t recommend to buy a Kenner with very yellow skin as it is very hard to remove, except if you plan to let the doll with her tan complexion.
Then when the Kenner is in your house, there is nothing you should be very cautious with. Kenners are actually a lot more resistant than Takaras (you can give them baths, carry them in your bag without too much protection…). That’s finally why I prefer taking a Kenner than a Takara each time I travel. I have less risk to damage her.
Photo: Tibiloo. Alice Carole.
Which Kenner is the last one arrived in your collection?
She is Louise. A blonde one with a cute little melted mark on the middle of her forehead. Apart from this mark, she’s perfect ! But this is because she had that little mark that I fell in love with her.
Photo: Tibiloo. Louise wearing Le Petit Bazar de Tibiloo.
Are you planning to adopt another one soon?
I learnt to never say no with Kenners ! When I had 15, I promised myself to stop buying them, or at least to sell one if I wanted to buy a new one. Well, I didn’t keep my promise! I must confess that I would love to have a brunette sidepart. So, maybe the last one?
Did you send any of your Kenners for adoption or do you still have them all?
Yes, a few of them, but usually right after buying them or after keeping them not too long. I must bond with them immediately or they have to go to someone who will love them better than me.
I also bought one or two Kenners in the purpose of stealing some parts for my “girls”, and then “remade” a “bad” Kenner with the parts I didn’t want to keep and sold her. I sold 3 Kenners that I kept for a little period of time and I must say it was hard. I am still thinking about them: Stella, Lilian and Umeshu. I just feel better for Stella because she is with Stellinna, who I know very well.
Photo: Tibiloo. Stella.
This is silly but I get attached rather strongly to my Kenners. I have been thinking for several months about giving for adoption one or two I like the least… but I can’t!
What do you like the most in collecting Blythe dolls, and Kenners especially?
Blythe brought me a lot. For example, I wouldn’t have gone to Japan without Blythe. Collecting Blythe made me travel. I also met a lot of people from all over the world, not only on Internet but also in real life. Collecting Blythe also taught me many things, such as speaking English better (this is still not perfect but I can tell you that my English was terrible before Blythe), knitting and crocheting (I could knit a little bit before but not crochet at all), and finally discovering a real passion: photography! Before Blythe, I didn’t take pictures at all. I didn’t even have a camera! Now taking pictures is so important for me!
Photo: Tibiloo. Beret by Le Petit Bazar de Tibiloo.
Photos: Tibiloo. Sammydoe custom / Vainilladolly custom . Berets by Le Petit Bazar de Tibiloo.
Photo: Tibiloo. Nounours bonnets by Le Petit Bazar de Tibiloo.
I think collecting Blythe wouldn’t be the same if I wasn’t sharing this hobby with other people. That’s what I like the most. Sharing my love with other persons and communicating with them!
MERCI Virginie for telling us about your life with Blythe and your Kenner heaven. I can definitely see the “French touch” for fashion in the way you dress your dolls 
In addition to the nationality, we also share the same passion for Redheads, and I really love your beautiful pictures and sense of humor!
Photo: Tibiloo. Kenners having fun!
Photo: Tibiloo. Hazel.
Photo: Tibiloo. Petal.
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What a wonderful story! Thank you for sharing your history, Tibiloo and thank you for continuing to feature such wonderful people, Mlle Blythe!
Another great interview – keep em coming! I love the restoration pics of that poor girl with the grilled face. Great story
Hello, Dolly! « Sallylouvintage's Blog // Oct 16, 2010 at 02:02
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Love these interviews!