Did you run screaming when you saw this oversized doll head with eyes that turned from green to pink to blue to orange back in 1972? You wouldn't be the only one. The reaction to Blythe by Kenner was so dismal that the doll was pulled from shelves after only a year.

It wasn't until the collaboration between photographer Gina Garan and creative agency CWC founder and president Junko Wong began wooing the top fashion designers in the world, that things started to turn around for Blythe.




Fast-forward to the present where Gina's photos used in the McQ Alexander McQueen for Target ads are just another reason Blythe has become the girlie pop culture icon of today. Something about the way that kitch meets couture in the most sentimental way struck a nerve in the collective hello kitty consciousness of millions of girls/women and lifted Blythe into the realm of super stardom.

I've written about Blythe about a zillion times in the past few years (see the left hand index under "all things blythe") and just found out that the 8th Blythe Anniversary Charity Exhibition, will take place this June 2009 in Tokyo.



I feel honored that it's my second time being invited to design a Blythe for this event (click here to see mine)--which is open to the public from June 24 until July 1, 2009. Part of this exhibition may travel to Singapore in August. The exhibition will then be held at Venus Fort in Odaiba, Tokyo, from the end of August until mid-September.

Note: BLYTHE is a trademark of Hasbro. ©2009 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. BLYTHE character rights are licensed in Asia to Cross World Connections, Ltd. Licensed by Hasbro.