Blythe is the quintessential mod doll undergoing a major resurgence in the new millennium. When the doll was first introduced in 1972, it barely lasted a year on the market. Children were terrified of its trademark feature: the eyes of a Blythe doll change color from green to pink to blue to orange when a string is pulled on its back. Fast forward to the late 1990s and Blythe is suddenly brought back to life by a chance meeting with a talented photographer. Gina Garan is the photographer credited with starting the recent Blythe craze. Garan is a doll collector who owns an extensive collection of over 2,000 dolls. She received a Blythe doll from a friend as a gift. Garan was inspired to feature the doll in a series of portraits that became an art exhibition and a book called This Is Blythe. Inspired by Garan's work, Blythe soon appeared in Japanese television commercials and became a household name in Japan. Vintage Blythe dolls are now valued at thousands of dollars. Since there were so few produced in the late 1970s, the price of the doll on the secondary market skyrocketed with the increased demand. Even the Neo-Blythes, the latest productions of the doll, are selling for well over retail value in online auctions. There are 37 types of Neo-Blythes and 87 types of Petite Blythes (smaller versions of the standard doll) produced today. Blythe dolls are manufactured by pre-order, so quantities are still limited. Appreciation for Blythe dolls is expanding beyond Japan into the world market. Children of all backgrounds are drawn to the doll's innocent features, large eyes and broad, cartoon-like forehead. Older fans of Blythe enjoy dressing the dolls in trendy fashions, usually created by hand. With her wild hair color, hairstyles and bright eye colors, Blythe is a fine example of the harajuku style that is popular with teenagers today.
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