"Behind Blythe: Creative Direction Behind a Pop Cult Icon" is a lecture by creative director and arts entrepreneur Junko Wong held in conjunction with "Degrees of Distinction: Alumni Invitational Exhibition" on view at the University of Hawai'i Art Gallery from October 25 - December 11, 2009. A book-signing of Nā Wāhine ‘Auli‘i, a story of Blythe’s visit to Hawai‘i follows the lecture. Junko Wong is the founder and president of Cross World Connections International, a firm that represents international artists and illustrators, operates three stores and an online illustration school. A driving force in the designer toy culture, she is the executive producer and creative director of the Blythe doll, a fashionable and highly-desired collectible. Wong has lived in Japan since 1983
