Small Scale Articulation

I purchased an articulated Blythe doll body (the dark skin version).

My apologies to all of you Blythe lovers out there, but I do not know much about Blythe. I think that Takara manufactures this body, but I'm not sure. There are no markings on the body. I tried to do some research to find out more, but I got bored and my eyes started to glaze over after just a little while.  I don't know if this is an Azone or Pure Neemo or what, I just know that I wanted this articulated body. I don't want the huge Blythe head. Another one of my dolls will use this body. 

When removing this doll from the box, I was very glad to see that the skin tone is pretty much exactly what I expected from the photos on the advertisements. I was especially pleased after recent purchases where the figure that I received was not as dark as advertised.

I was also glad to see that the dark skin tone would match several of the dolls in my collection. The body feels very sturdy and is heavier than other dolls this size. She is a little bit taller than Juku Couture dolls, and about the same height as Wee Three Friends dolls.

Because of the immobility of the neck connector, any head that I put on this body will be able to move side to side, but not up and down. She has good mobility in her arms and shoulders. Her range of motion is somewhat limited at the elbows. Her upper arms swivel. Her hands rotate. There are several sets of hands that can be purchased for this doll, but I'm not interested in the various hand gestures. It would be nice to have a relaxed set of hands, though.

Her waist twists from side to side. Her legs will part slightly. Her legs rotate at the upper thigh. The range of motion at her knees is somewhat limited. Because of her ankle articulation, she can wear flat shoes, or shoes with a slight heel. She can kneel. She can also sit flat on the floor. She looks good posing in a seated position, and she can cross her lower legs.

This doll is small in stature, so I definitely wanted to give her a head with a youthful appearance. I have an extra Juku Couture Kana head, but the head has a tiny hole for the neck connector and would not fit without permanent modification. The neck connector for the Blythe body is Barbie sized.

The closest skin tone match to the Blythe body is probably my tan Momoko doll.  Momoko already has an articulated body and she's adorable on that body, so I was not about to rebody her. If I'm ever in possession of another tan Momoko head though, I'll probably put that head on this body.

I purchased this body hoping that it would be a good match for my Barbie Crazy for Coral Petite Fashionistas doll. My petite doll was not thrilled about that idea. She wasn't sure if she wanted to give up what height she does have in favor of articulation.

She's a decent skin tone match. My petite doll started to warm up to the idea.

It's a done deal. My petite doll is now more petite than ever! Her head looks slightly oversized on this body, though.

But she is thrilled with her ability to strike different poses!

Even though she is now the same height as the tweens and young teens in my collection, she is quick to remind them that she is actually a little older than they are.

She still likes hanging out with her old friends.

 The teen guys all still think she's cute.

My overall impression is that this is a good quality doll at a reasonable price. The joints are not very attractive, though. It's particularly noticeable and not aesthetically pleasing to me when I rotate her arms or legs, and the parts above and below the point of articulation do not appear to line up properly. I will find this doll something to wear that covers her body more.

I am very happy with this purchase, and look forward to posing her for many years to come.

Here is my video review of this body.