Here are some words you might run into and their meanings!

-- 6-line and 7-line: these are terms that refer to the number of lines in the manufacturer inscriptions on the bodies of Kenner Blythes. There are some tendencies for 6-line Kenners to have certain features and 7-line Kenners to have others, but the differences ares not absolute.

-- BJD: the acronym for ball-jointed doll. Blythe is not a ball-jointed doll, nor is the PureNeemo body that often comes with fake Blythes, but sometimes people will use the term anyway to get more hits on their listings for doll items.

-- Blythe shop: a store with a special license to carry Blythe dolls and goods, including Blythe shop exclusive dolls. A complete directory can be found on Good Smile Company's website here.

-- boggled eyes: "boggled" is a term used to describe the lack of eyelid showing on a Blythe doll when she has her eyes open, which makes her look more surprised and earnest. The original 6 BL dolls (Parco, Mondrian, Hollywood, Rosie Red, All Gold in One, and Kozy Kape) all came boggled in their initial factory release. After Kozy Kape, the eyelid design was updated to be slightly visible with the eyes open. In the Japanese Blythe community boggled eyes are referred to as パチ目, or "pachi-me."

-- boggling: the customization process where a small section of the eye mechanism is sanded down in order to achieve the boggled look.

-- CWC exclusive: this refers to a doll that is sold exclusively at CWC-owned stores, which essentially makes it a Junie Moon exclusive.

-- eye chips: the 14mm plastic chips that comprise the iris and pupils. Every Blythe has four pairs, and the default colors are blue, orange, green, and pink. Some official releases come with special eye chip colors, and some even have special designs in the pupil.

-- face mold: when they shape the plastic to become Blythe's lovely face, they use a mold. They have used quite a few over the years; they all look quite similar, but you may start to notice subtle differences when you look closely. The face molds in chronological order are: the original Kenner mold, BL, EBL (excellence), SBL (superior), RBL (radiance), FBL (fairest), RBL+ (radiance+), ADG (Ashton Drake Galleries), Radiance Renew, and Radiance Evolution. The molds degrade over time, and dolls produced towards the beginning of a mold's lifespan have slightly smaller eye holes than those produced towards the end, thus the need for the periodic introduction of new molds.

-- face-up: this is the process of customizing a face-plate on a doll. It involves sanding off the original makeup and creating a base that pigment can adhere to, then painting on a new face. It can involve carving the face to change the features, but it doesn't have to. The faces are then protected with a spray-on sealant.

-- factory blythe : this term was originally used to refer to blank dolls that were given by CWC to participants of the Beauty Contest. They were authentic Blythes whose features didn't match any official releases, sometimes because they were prototypes. The term then was used to refer to the dolls that would pop up on marketplace sites like eBay that were made from various parts that were smuggled out of the factories and thought to have not passed quality inspections. These dolls would also typically have features that were inconsistent with any official releases because they were assembled from random parts. However, there were some that even mimicked the stock clothing and the box. The term is currently incorrectly used to refer to TBL dolls. It is thought that true factory dolls do not exist anymore as the smuggling of parts has stopped.

-- ICY doll: this is a term for fake Blythe dolls. They are typically also listed as factory or nude Blythe dolls, and may come on Azone PureNeemo-style or fake Takara bodies. Fake dolls are typically referred to as ICY dolls in Japan.

-- Junie Moon: the store that officially sells Blythe; they are owned by CWC. There are two locations in Tokyo: Daikanyama and Harajuku, as well as a location in Horie, Osaka. The Shinjuku location in Tokyo closed in 2024. They have an online shop and ship internationally. They have rotating front-window displays and also host exhibitions to showcase custom dolls and outfits under a common theme. They carry CWC exclusive dolls, top shop exclusive dolls, and Blythe shop exclusive dolls.

-- Kenner: the company that produced the original 1972 Blythe dolls. Thus, a Kenner Blythe is an original 1972 doll. In the Japanese Blythe community, they are referred to as ヴィンテージ (vintage), sometimes shortened to ヴィン (vin).

-- Middie: refers to the 21cm dolls produced by CWC.

-- Neo: refers to the dolls produced by CWC starting in 2001. While CWC also produced Middie and Petite Blythes, Neo specifically refers to the 29cm dolls.

-- Petite: refers to the 12cm dolls produced by CWC. The earliest Petite Blythes had keychain attachments, and there were also some playline Petite Blythes produced for Littlest Pet Shop. These are sometimes referred to as LPS Blythes.

-- pull-ring: the skin-colored ring at the end of the pull string that changes Blythe's eye colors. Some official releases come with special charms on the pull string. The pull-ring can be replaced with an assortment of beads and charms, but it is important to consider weight and size.

-- top shop: a store that has received special certification to carry Blythe products, including Blythe shop and top shop exclusive dolls. These stores are considered to be important to Blythe culture; top shop status can change from year to year. It does not refer to the clothing brand of the same name. A complete directory can be found on the Junie Moon website here.

-- sleepy eyes: a customization effect that involves adding a second string to the back of the head that allows the eyelids to be controlled independently of the eye change mechanism.

-- stock: a stock doll is an official doll. People typically use this term to refer to dolls that are authentic dolls and have either been customized lightly or not at all. It is often important that either the original doll is recognizable, or the doll is easily identified as a genuine doll. It can also refer to the clothes and items that come with official releases. In Japanese, the term デフォルト (default) is used intead, sometimes shortened to デフォ (defo).

-- TaoBao Blythe (TBL): this is a term for fake Blythe dolls, named after the shopping website where many fake Blythe dolls are sold. This term was coined in jest by collector Dr. Blythenstein. They are typically listed as factory or nude Blythe dolls, and may come on Azone PureNeemo-style or fake Takara bodies. From what I have seen, this term is not used in Japan.