How did I get here and where to go from here....

I know how I got here, I just don't know where to go from here...  Well, I was on Flickr (always my achilles heel)-- I saw a doll, Enyo.  I did my research.  Enyo is a tiny bjd made in Spain.  Now, I always wondered what the draw was with the tinies (but in doll collecting I make no judgements).  I started wanting a small doll that when I traveled I could photograph -- solution: a tiny.

I contacted Enyo's maker and she kindly responded that she probably wouldn't be making that mold for now as she had other projects.  As I looked at the Enyo photos I decided I probably should move on and I did -- that's when I found the Secretdoll.  I love my Secretdoll.  I think she's very cute and wouldn't change getting her.

Here's where I took a wrong turn.  I started looking for clothes/shoes for Secretdoll and found that they shared the size with Blythe Middies.  Now, I knew nothing of Blythes (other than being able to recognize them).  I didn't know they basically come in 3 sizes.  Petite, Middie and Neo (large).  I guessed it was odd to move from bjds to Blythe -- but there are quite a few people that have this same story.  One person said after seeing a Blythe in person she'd be going back to bjds!

I did some research (first on Flickr) -- again .... I was amazed by all the custom work and I remembered that Freddy Tan (the amazing talented Freddy was customizing Blythes).  I looked more and thought -- got to have one!  I remember years ago, Marina B. saying something to the effect that she didn't know what the draw was -- She drew the scorn and disdain of the Blythe community!

So, I ordered my first doll from the official website as I had heard murmurings of fakes being sold on Ebay as real dolls.  Who knows.  Anyway, so the wait began.  Foolishly, I thought if the doll was in stock and I was paying for express shipping, the doll would appear at my door within days or maybe a week or so.

This was not to happen.  I joined a Blythe forum and waited.  I heard about the fakes.  TBLs as Blythers like to call them.  I decided to order one.  It was a whim, but they are cheap so what the heck.  I would say within 2 weeks the TBL -- Fake-- showed up.  She looked pretty good to me, but having never seen an actual Blythe in person, I couldn't compare it to anything.  I remember thinking it's going to be like fake Barbies -- your mom tried to convince you they "were the same" but you knew the minute you laid eyes on one -- it was fake.

So I waited.. and waited.  I contacted the company figuring something had gone wrong.  They told me Friday they would send it out.  Two weeks came and went from that Friday.  No doll.  I again contacted them.  They apologized and said it would go out on Friday.  (I didn't hold my breath) -- That Monday I got an email and tracking number.  That was progress.  Tuesday the mailman left a slip.  I figured it couldn't be the doll that was coming from Japan.  But when I collected the package on Wednesday.  It was the Blythe doll all the way from Japan.

Now, the only disappointment I have is the hair on the doll.  People on the forums talk about having to wash it.  I just couldn't understand having not seen one.  The hair is made of the rattiest saran.  It reminds me of when Barbie hair gets old or Tammy dolls.  People talk about the fakes smelling bad or having ratty hair -- I think either they have improved or that was some propaganda to discourage purchase, because the fake's hair is nicer than the real doll and there is no smell to the fake doll.

I'm not going to say the fake is just as good.  I am going to say I thought the real doll would be better (in terms of quality). (considering it's about 4X the price)