Ah, the rush of your first Kenner. You’ve spent a week watching her on eBay, emailing the seller for credentials (they provided the ransom-style photo with a current newspaper, a piece of her hair, and passed the holes-behind-the-ears quiz…). Finally those last 30 heart-pounding seconds are ticking down. You snipe! You get the green light from ebay! You refresh frantically in the final 5 seconds! 4…3…2…Congratulations! After a patient wait for the mailman to deliver your new baby, you are rewarded with a musty, matted, long-forgotten little bundle of joy. Now What?*
Some Advice Before You Begin
It can be tempting for a first-time kenner owner to want to immediately try to polish this diamond in the rough into the picture-perfect little model that all your flickr friends have. But wait! A complicated road of brittle plastic, delicate frizz and potential dolly damage lies ahead of you. Don’t jump off the deep end without a little bit of guidance (and as much common sense as you can muster).
First, don’t cloud those initial moments of dolly bonding with visions of sandpaper and shampoo. Take some time and get to know her. Smell her scalp - the combination of hard plastic against rubber plus all the time she’s been incubating in a box will give each Kenner a very distinct aroma. Aged rubber is a thing to appreciate.
Of course, you’ll want to pull that string right away! Notice her unique sound. If you own New Takara Blythes, you’ll be shocked the first time you pull a Kenner string. the delicate plastic rings like a bell. Of course, if your kenner has a broken mechanism, you won’t want to pull the string at all. Never pull with force.
Carefully inspect her hair and scalp. What’s the texture like? is it frizzy all over? just at the tips? dig through her frizz (gently) and look at her roots. a lot of kenners are missing a hairplug here and there. If she has large bald areas or hair that falls out when gently combed, You’ll want to be extra gentle when washing or detangling, or get her roots repaired.
Take some photos, give her a name, gush to all your Blythe buddies that she was “totally worth it” and that you are absolutely smitten. Now you are ready to clean her up and start treating her like the pampered girl she was made to be!
The First Bath
It is perfectly safe to submerge a Kenner Blythe in warm water with a drop of mild baby shampoo or oil-free dish soap. Her eyelash glue is not water soluble. Allow her to soak for about an hour to soften the dirt and grime that has built up on her rubber parts, and then gently scrub the rubber parts of her body (not her face) with a sponge.
For facial dirt, Use a wet q-tip to gently wipe away dirt, avoiding her makeup. Soapy water is perfectly safe for her makeup, but agitation can ruin the soft edges of her eyeshadow and blush. Lips can handle a gentle wipe with a q-tip. Pull her string and wash each of her eye colors, as well as her eyelids, being delicate around her eye shadow of course.
Pour a drop of oil-free soap onto her hair and gently lather it up, being cautious of any delicate roots you found when inspecting her dry. Rinse and repeat. You can gently detangle while you shampoo with your fingers.
Personally, I do not like to leave any product in my Blythe’s hair, for practical reasons (I like to style it a lot and I don’t like the greasy feel some products leave behind). You can use regular liquid fabric softener instead of conditioner. Make sure to pick a scent you can live with and then soak her hair in a bowl of the fabric softener for about a half hour (or more, just not too long or it will start drying out on the surface and be harder to wash out). Try not to let much fabric softener get into her head - don’t submerge her face. After she’s soaked, rinse her hair thoroughly until the water runs clear, and blot it dry with a clean terry towel. She has a metal spring in her head that can potentially rust (most are rusty already), so allow all the water to run out the square hole in the back of her head, and try to let her dry out in a dry place (i.e. not your humid bathroom).
Hair Issues
Hair is a tricky balancing act. On one hand, even the slightest frizzy tips can annoy the heck out of someone who’s used to smooth shiny Neo Blythes, but on he other hand, the frizz adds to the uniqueness of blythe and can actually help her achieve gravity-defying up-dos and curls. Frizz is a result of play and styling and is inevitable even after you’ve gone to great lengths to fix it.
When I am sprucing up a girl and the owner just wants light detangling so that it is more manageable to style, first, I detangle the slightly damp hair with my fingers, working from tip to root. Work in tiny sections. I like to use a smooth-bristled, “wet hair” brush because they are gentle and have wide bristles. I use a bit of a rocking motion so that I don’t pull the knots and cause more frizz (frizz is essentially stretched-out hair). This is easiest when she is laying on a solid surface over a low-nap towel or piece of cloth.
You might notice that your Kenner has longer sections in the front area of her hair originating at the partline, and shorter hair underneath and in back. This is normal and not the result of a scissor-happy kid. Do not cut off the long parts in an effort to even her out! At the kenner factory, they pulled all of her part-hair up into a loose braid, and then chopped all her hair off evenly, resulting in some long pieces. Side parted girls will have longer hair on the side that the part sits on for the same reason - it was cut like that at the factory and is not a flaw.
A really safe and easy technique for improving frizz over time is to use cold foam rollers
If she has bangs, comb them into place and put a piece of cut-off nylon stocking over them until they dry.
Another common misconception is about the “goop” that sometimes oozes from a kenner’s scalpline. Often it is mistaken for glue and the work of a sloppy doll doctor, but it is actually just the same plastic that her face is made of. Years of sitting in storage (probably under fluctuating heat/cold) has caused a chemical reaction between the soft rubber of her scalp and the hard plastic of her head, and the rubber is actually melting into her head. This occurs in all kenners to some degree, even if it is not visible on the outside. Luckily, the area of the scalp where this reaction is happening is over a thick area of the head, and in kenners with even severe goop, the damage is relatively shallow and will not compromise the integrity of her head. You can choose to gently remove this goop (sometimes it is soft and can be removed with a fingernail or an orange stick for fingernails, but sometimes you will have to carefully trim it with a hobby knife. If you choose this route, go SLOWLY and avoid her hairline.) You do not need to remove the goop if it doesn’t bother you cosmetically.
You’d be amazed what a quick bath can do for a 30-year old doll. If she has more severe damage, do your research or consult someone experienced before proceeding yourself. Here’s a list of things that I personally would not recommend a beginner try to repair:
- Broken Neck
- melt-marks and scratches
- yellowed skin
- yellowed/clouded eyes
- body cracks
- eye mechanism damage or any internal head/scalp damage
- eyelash damage
If at any time during her first bath you are worried that you are doing something wrong or think you are causing damage, stop and ask for help (why, you can do that right here!). If you like her dirty and frizzy, leave her dirty and frizzy. Don’t feel pressured by other people’s dolls to make your doll something she is not.
Part of the allure of a Kenner is the mystique of a doll that has been hidden away for 30+ years. Enjoy those little “flaws” that she has acquired in her travels, and appreciate her unique personality before trying to make her into a “perfect” specimen.
Most of all, Enjoy your Kenner Blythes!
* this Guide is intended for Kenner owners who have purchased a dirty, frizzy, smelly, but otherwise mechanically sound kenner that has been in storage since the 70’s. If your kenner has suffered structural damage, has had a previous owner or dolly doctor try to restore her with poor results, you’ll want to consult an experienced restorer.
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Thank you, Melissa. This is an absolutely fantastic tutorial. Just perfect for beginners and also great tips for every KB owner.
Brilliant!
I like the idea of sniffing the individual aroma of kenner plastic!*L*
me too
I can identify all five of my girls by their smell alone.
Melissa: even when you’re blind folded? XD
yes! especially whim and vigne, since they were my first. maybe not westley since i haven’t had her as long. Whim smells like an old person’s house (a meticulously clean one, like my grandma), vigne smells a lot like a vintage thrift shop, dash smells like flowery perfume and atessa smells like hospital cleaner.
I just sniffed westley and she has just about no smell at all!
I have a question: I often see Kenner Blythes submerged in bath water. How safe is that really? Isn’t she subject to the same greening of the knees from corrosion of metal parts that other vintage dolls like the Barbie line get? Or is her knee mechanism all plastic?
Melissa thank you SO much! This is excellent and I love that you encourage all Kenner owners to enjoy her has she is when she first gets home!
I was lucky to find such a gem, but I am still wanting to find a diamond in the rough to restore to new, I can only imagine the bonding experience it brings!
I was a person that had only seen, felt, touched in person Takara Blythes, so when I got Zooey in the mail, I pulled her string and the “PIP” instantly brought tears to my eyes I was SO over joyed to have her in my life from that moment on!
Kenners are magic!
P.S. Thank you for the nylon tip - I might actually use this on a few of my takara’s with crazy bangs!
piccadilly: I’ve seen the inside of a kenner leg (remember the doggy accident blythe?) and while she does have a metal part inside her knee, I believe it may be stainless as I haven’t seen too many with green knees, or had any problems with rust.
What a nifty tutorial! I love how it’s kept so simple and reminds new owners of the dangers of over-zealous repairs. It’s funny how simple it is to fix up the Kenners, even if mine get frizzy after too many hairstyles, a simple wash, condition with fabric softener, and air drying seems to take it away. I totally agree with you not to add any goop to their hair.
great new site melissa! you’ve been busy!
Excellent Tutorial.
My two KB girls funnily enough smell so much alike. I probably could not tell them apart by smell.
Sweet stuff!
Good werk Mel!!
:-)
I cannot agree more with their unique smell!
Thanks for the great tips! This is absolutely perfect timing - I *just* won my first KB and can’t wait to sniff her when she arrives!
I remember Belinda smelt kinda like ciggerette when she came outta her box (piiiew) And Coral had the vintagey smell XP but they now both smell like my favourite conditioner (oops!)
SO well written Melissa. I particularly love the opening 2 paragraphs that describe the rollercoaster of a first Kenner purchase. You’ve also managed to reignite my recent Kenner itch. Do i really need a fourth Kenner? LOL
This article couldn’t have come at a better time, Melissa! Thank you!
I’ve just picked up my 2nd Kenner today, and even though I’ve fixed up my first last year, tips from the professionals are always awesome. I’m relatively germophobic (but I still do my thrift store rounds in search for Kenners!), but wahey! Have now sniffed Beatrice Dimple after this article. Old lady powdery perfume of some sort.
Wow the first couple paragraphs was exactly how it happened for me. It must be the same for many. Ebay, Flickr, wow! This was an awesome tutorial. Do you have any suggestions for cutting bangs for Blythes? My Blythe has some bangs but I’d like more. I’m new at this. I’ve only had my Blythe since the end of January. Thanks alot!
tiffany - is your blythe a kenner or a modern blythe?
Hi there,
I am thinking of buying a Kenner who has no eyelashes. Is this a major issue that requires a lot of expertise to repair or something with good instructions I may be able to do myself. Thanks a ton for any info!!
Krista
hi krista - I have repaired many girls with missing eyelashes and can tell you that to do it right is quite a painstaking operation, one I would not recommend for a beginner. Kenner eyelids have a VERY shallow and narrow gap to hold the lashes in, unlike takaras that are very deep and wide, easy to fit new lashes in.
since you have to use superglue to hold kenner lashes in, you must open the head first.
Melissa,
Thank you very much for the information, I certainly would not want to touch them myself having this info. Would you mind e-mailing me an approx. cost for this kind of repair. I am sorry to not have pics or anything(the doll is not mine yet) and depending on how costly this repair may be, may never be!It is very clear that she has no eyelashes whatsoever. Thank you for being such a great resourse.
Hi Melissa,
I’ve seen quite a few KBs on ebay without arms and legs, yet they looked stunning (a little pathetic too unfortunately). I’m very tempted indeed. Do modern blythes’ arms and legs fit into KBs’ bodies well?
Rina - yes, EBL/RBL/SBL arms fit into kenner armholes. they are a little loose sometimes, adding a little drafter’s tape around the joint usually fixes it right up.
legs though, are another story. it requires surgery on the Neo body to make the waist joint fit the kenner body. you can’t use the legs alone because the joint is very very different.
Thanks for the tips! I love what you wrote…Smell her scalp and notice her unique sound….I did that too! LOL~
Wow!!!!!!
Very well written - I really enjoyed it! Doing my research for the arrival of Claire…
tiff! you got a kenner! congratulations
omg Melissa … err … after the fiasco of my messsed up girl I bought another - you’ll be hearing from me soon. She has a chip floating around inside her head.
wow! ha! are you going for a group discount?
Well, I’ve been looking for a kenner but couldn’t find one that I could afford, so I settled for a ADG, but her hair is starting to frizz, does the method for Kenners shown above work for ADG?
to be quite honest, I haven’t spent much time working on ADGs! maybe someone else here can shed some light on the subject.
I do remember that my ADG’s hair did not respond well to heat, but a wash and condition would probably be harmless.
Thanks for your help! I’ll try it out and tell you how it goes.
just got my little kenner sweetie and her hair is much worse than i was led to believe!
i have washed it and used the fabric softener and have been slowly using a ceramic iron to flatten sections to defrizz as best i can.
it looks great at first but then dries out and is back to frizzy
is there anything that can be used to moisturize the hair?? dont know what i am doing wrong with her! i want her to be frizz free
thanks for having such a helpful site!
Jessa - unfortunately, your girl will probably never be frizz free. you can try a silicone-based hair smoothing gel (just a little bit!) to lubricate the surface and aid brushing. try your local beauty supply store.
have you tried putting her hair in large curlers? my frizzier Kenners look best when they are fresh out of their curlers.
BRASILEIRA
BEIJOS…
i havent put her in rollers yet! i will definitely try that though!
i just wish there was some kind of a moisturizer that could be used…
maybe we should start a line of hair care products for dolls!
right now my girl is in braids that looks adorable of course but i love her hair long!!
Delectable tutorial as always Mel!
I have treated many, many Kenners for de-frizz, and I find that largely depending on the particular doll’s hair fiber, frizz can actually go away for good. Certain hair fibers won’t respond as well to treatment and I make sure that I inform the doll’s owner, but especially if it’s the fine hair fiber, it can become bone straight for good. With coarser hair fiber, it may bounce back to having some frizz, depending on maintenance.
Maintenance is key; using the right brush, the right products for the hair ends, how to clean hair after it’s been treated etc. It’s always tricky. Personally I like frizz a lot, it’s so charming on Kenners.
Thank you very much for your explication!I took goods advices!!
Yesterday arrived my first kenner and i´m enjoying a lot with her restoration!!
Hugs!-Adrian-
what a great site! i’ve been trying to find someone to tell me how to de-frizz my childhood blythe before i put her up on ebay. now that i’ve read the comments though, i’m not sure i should de-frizz because it seems that her new friend may enjoy tidying her up. what do you think? she’s clean, but should i leave her frizzed or not???
–snee
Snee - based on the performance of “natural” kenners on eBay, I think you should leave her in all her frizzy glory!
Good luck and thanks for checking out the site!
thanks so much for the advice!
What is the best and safest way to clean yellowing on Kenner Blythes faces???
Karen - yellowing on a kenner is not just surface dirt, but actually plastic discoloration, so sometimes it is not possible to remove. Many people reduce the yellowing through “dermabrasion” with a very fine sanding sponge. be aware that this is not a beginner repair and can potentially damage existing makeup. You might want to contact someone with experience restoring kenner blythes about taking on a commission.
Hey Melissa,
Thanks so much for the great tutorials, but I had some simple questions that I couldn’t find answers to. I’m probably overlooking them. Anyway, I just got my first doll, Picadilly Encore. She was in her box, never opened, but her hair feels sort of sticky and it has a crimp in it from where the plastic was holding her in.
I’d like to try and straighten the crimp out of her hair or use the cold foam rollers on her. Should I just follow these same instructions? I know she isn’t as old as a Kenner, but I wasn’t sure if there was really any difference.
Thanks so much >^..^
MistyHills: Wash her hair with mild dish soap. I don’t condition my Takara girls, I just let them dry. If her hair still has the kink, place a wet towel over her head and press it with a hot iron, then comb out the kink while it is still hot. make sure the Iron does not directly contact her hair!
Good luck!
Thanks! I did just that and it worked great! Thanks a million!!!!!
Hello!Is there anyway to get what seem to be rub marks off of a Kenner or any Blythe in general?