SHE IS CUTE, beautiful and has already taken Europe and Japan by storm. Madonna reportedly has her for company, and so do those who keep up with the latest trends.
Step aside Barbie and Hello Kitty, Blythe is about to cast her luminous eyes on Hong Kong. A 'best dressed Blythe' contest is currently being run by a local fashion outlet - weeks before her spin-off merchandise is due on its shelves.
Back in 1972, this 28.5-centimetre doll was manufactured by Kenner (an American toy company in Cincinnati) for just 12 months. It is now in such huge demand that an original can fetch as much as HK$10,000 in Japan. And as any trend setter will tell you, anything that is big in Japan is on its way here.
But Beautiful Blythe (as she is affectionately referred to by her hordes of fans) has not always been popular. Her trademark eyes - which change colours (amber, blue, pink or green) at the pull of a string - apparently were too spooky for young girls. But that was 30 years ago.
Today, Blythe is the mascot of a hip Tokyo department store, and one giant Japanese electronics company has used her to model its products all over Europe.
Numerous Web sites are devoted to her (and her range of T-shirts and photos). A book has even been written about her short shelf life.
In the late 1990s, New York-based music video, commercial and sitcom producer Gina Garan was desperately looking for the Blythe doll because she and the diminutive figure with a broad head, huge eyes and tiny body apparently bear an uncanny resemblance. Upon seeing Blythe, according to one Web site, Garan effused: 'I died. I was in love. I couldn't believe how cute this thing was.'