photo by funnybunny


The first official dark-skinned Blythe, Twenty Years of Love, was released in 2021 to celebrate Neo Blythe's 20th anniversary. However, Blythe collectors have been wanting to have dark-skinned Blythes for a long time, and some did not wait for an official release to make their Black Blythe dreams a reality. Because Takara TOMY is a Japanese company and CWC's licensing permissions are limited to Asia, it was likely very difficult for CWC to convince Takara TOMY to formulate a new color for the plastic parts and produce a doll that looks nothing like their typical customer. In my opinion, because black culture has been popular across Asia for decades through music and fashion, I could absolutely see Japanese Blythe collectors buying a dark-skinned Blythe in the mid-2010s. There are many Japanese fans of music genres like rap, jungle, and reggae. The fact that Blythe fans both in Japan and abroad attempted to customize Blythe to be inclusive of darker skin tones speaks to the potential popularity a doll like Twenty Years of Love or Love Jaylah could have had in the early aughts.

A common method of coloring the skin was using an airbrush to diffuse pigment over the different parts of the body and locking it in with sealant. This was repeated many times in thin layers that would build up to become opaque. It was important that the pigment not go on too thick to prevent chipping. Some customizers rebodied their dolls onto the bodies of doll lines that produced black dolls, wanting to forego the process of coloring the body.

Mohair reroots were common in the mid-2000s for Blythes of all skin tones, but seem to have been particularly popular among those hoping to create a Black Blythe because it can mimic curly and coily textures.