Different types of Blythe.

Takara Blythes have changed considerably over the years. For starters, the original 2001-2002 Neo (new) Blythes had Licca bodies with positionable arms and legs. These Blythe dolls had face moulds with eyes that looked a little too far to the side and some dolls had 'boggled' eyes where the eye lid did not really show a great deal. Several of the dolls also had matte faces. 
In 2002, Takara (current Blythe company) switched to the Excellent (EBL) design. The new bodies were less flexible, with only the legs bending and in a 3-click range. The eyes too were improved to show more of the eyelid and had a less extreme sideways glance. In 2004, the Blythe faces were given a whole new look, based on the original Kenner Blythe mould though. The new design, Superior (SBL), also had newer eyes, producing a more shiny look. The first four dolls after the redesign have eyes that look sharply downward, but Takara fixed this for the rest of the dolls. Superior head's are harder to open the heads and customize, which was a floor in design that had to be fixed if the average Blythe customizer was to be a happy one!
Another re-design of the head took place in 2006 with Radience (RBL), the head can again be easily opened, and the face itself is more child-like. In September 2008, Takara announced a new body style with even more bendable/durable knee clicks. In 2009, Takara introduced a new face mold called Fairest (FBL), supposedly based on the EBL face mold, with chubbier cheeks, bigger eye pupils, and semi-matte skin. Takara is currently releasing both RBL and FBL dolls, after announcing the discontinuation of the SBL mold in May 2009 .

(From left to right) BL, EBL, SBL, RBL and FBL!