The first Middie Blythe has has been announced: Macaron Q-Tea Party.

A collaboration with the fabulous Japanese fashion brand Q-pot is a marvellous start to the life of little Middie:

What an outfit design! And if previous Q-pot collaborations are anything to go by, that design should look even better in the flesh:

Petite (released 2009):

Neo (released 2009):

But do we like the doll? Well, I have to admit, I’m still undecided and responses on the WPWD forum are definitely mixed. Middie’s face does seem to resemble the Petite Blythe face shape more than the Neo or Kenner Blythe. She also has a very different eye mechanism from the Neo or Kenner – her eyes move and wink more like a Pullip doll than any previous Blythe. Another difference is the new head tilt, demonstrated thoroughly on the promotional animation:

Now, I have to admit, this demo reminds me of nothing so much as Linda Blair’s head turning right round in the Exorcist. It gives me the creeps. But a slight head tilt on a doll can be very appealing – I love the soft tilt that vintage Sindy dolls have, for instance. It can give a doll a very sweet expression and look a little more natural than a stiff neck. I’ll be looking forward to seeing some fan pics to see if Middie makes the tilt work for her. It’ll also be interesting to see how her head is put together and what customising opportunities this presents. Will we be able to change her eyechips like a Neo Blythe? Hhmmm…

So, for me, the jury is still out.

Macaron Q-tea party is out in October 2010, priced at 14,490 yen and limited to 3500 dolls.

The leaked photo seen this week definitely is the new Middie, the new 20cm tall Blythe doll.

Personally, I’m really not sure if I like her yet. Her face seems much more like a Petite Blythe than a Neo and I find that head tilt a bit weird. I very much want to like her though, so I’m hoping the official animation wins me over. *fingers crossed*

A phone pic is doing the gossip rounds of Blythe intertubers:

Rumours are yet to be confirmed, but she may be the much-discussed new Middie. I don’t know about you, but I’ll be stalking the Blythedoll.com news pages until we find out for sure!

Shoes! We all love shoes and boots and I know I’m not alone in loving doll footwear too. Trends sweep through the Blythe-player community like wildfire. First there were the Barbie mary janes and Sugarmag Doc Martens, now Takara Converse-style shoes and Licca knee-high boots.

It’s been a while since CWC released any Blythe shoe sets, but they’ve just announced two new sets for the end of the year, Shoe Cruise Day and Shoe Cruise Night:

Mary janes are always welcome. The illustration makes these look like Momoko round-toe mary janes, which would be great – I’d prefer a style like that to the type of mary jane shoes that came with Tarts and Tea and Ribonetta Wish. We’ll have to wait and see whether they are a new mould.

The strappy ones look like the shoes that came with Beatrice Vest. They look great, but are a bit difficult to keep on Blythe’s feet. They’d definitely fit Licca feet though, quite a consideration for Licca body enthusiasts like me.

The platform boots look incredibly cool and very high from these promo pictures. I think they might be the same mould as Kiss me True’s black boots. I can’t wait to see them in pink.

The flat boots look like the boots that came with Simply Peppermint and Simply Lilac – a great slouchy style. The colours for these aren’t exciting, but they are classic, go anywhere colours.

All-in-all, though I had thought it would be Momoko shoes only for me now (the details!), I’m planning to start searching for a pre-order ASAP.

The creative folks at CWC are releasing info about the new Middie Blythe, but slowly. The teasers!

Junko Wong blogged this week with just photos, teasing photos, of hands and feet in three sizes:

The suspense builds…..

Then the official Blythe news site told us a little bit more:

So hopes for a neo-style eye mechanism are dashed, but the direction-changing eyes sound intriguing – will they work like Pullip eyes I wonder? Will they have changeable coloured chips like a neo Blythe?

It’s disappointing that the body isn’t going to be more poseable, but no big surprise. It’s very difficult to find a (non-BJD) doll body that can be both reasonably sturdy, strong enough to hold an over-sized head and poseable. (See the poseable but easily broken Pullip body, for instance.)

Her feet are only a little smaller than Neo Blythe feet, so hopefully she will be able to share at least some shoes. I’m also pleased that the height has been confirmed at 20cm. This is the same as Odeco and Nikki (and I think tiny Betsy McCall?), so there are already many patterns available for dolls this size. Fingers crossed her other measurements are also similar – if so, she’ll have a whole wardrobe ready for her when she gets to my house. Result!

Petworks announced a new Odeco and Nikki release this weekend. Called Sullen Princess, they are something of a departure from previous releases.

Apparently (I’m relying on Babelfish translations), this Odeco has rooted hair, rather than her usual wig. Now, I usually hate wigs on dolls, but Odeco’s have always been the best, as good as a wig could be, as they fitted snugly, had thatched partings and tended to be in styles that suited both the doll herself and were amenable to the limitations of a wig. Girlsband Odeco, for instance, has the perfect hairstyle for a wig and it flatters Odeco’s little face very well:

Sullen Princess’ rooted hair looks wiggier than most of the wigs though, as we can’t see a parting. It seems like a strange choice of style for the first rooted-hair Odeco. The colour is gorgeous though – such a beautiful vibrant deep blue. I’m hoping that these promo pics are just a little unflattering – hopefully the style will look a lot cuter in real life and be more style-able than previous Odeco hair.

Odeco’s make up is also different from previous releases – this is the first one that doesn’t have a sweet happy expression. So far, her pout is getting mixed reviews, but I love it. Such a sulky look! Her eyes seem to be a beautiful colour from these promo pics too.

Nikki seems a little unremarkable by comparison, but she is gorgeous, just quietly gorgeous in that soft pinky shade. I like her very much, particularly as she reminds me of a sweet version of my favourite Nikki, the Space Nikki:

One day, a Space Nikki will jet to my house…

Anyhoo, I digress. We also have doll show versions of Sullen Princess to discuss:

Now this is where Nikki gets a surprising new look! Jeepers. Hair. I think hers is rooted too. I’ve looked at it, and I’ve looked again. I’ve wanted to like it. A lot. But, no, I’m voting no. I think a dress on a cat (or a frog) is perfectly normal, but even I can’t go for this. It has to stop. *shudder*

In all the shock and awe I’ve forgotten to say anything about the fashion. Well, it’s princessy definitely. Quite nice colours. That is all. I wonder what the shoes are like…

Yesterday, CWC announced a whole new type of Blythe doll – the Middie.

Apparently, the first one will be with us in “Fall 2010″ (Spring for us in Aus, obviously) which means any minute. There is excitement and speculation all over the intertubes! Will she have changing eyes or sleep eyes like a petite? Will CWC be able to make an eye-changing mechanism small enough for a Middie head? Or will the head be as big as a Neo Blythe? Will the first release be a Neo-Middie-Petite set? Will her body be Dal-sized? Odeco-sized?

All we can do is wait and see. And maybe pester Junko Wong on Facebook a little bit….