Five Japanese Friendship Dolls are now on display at the Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology.
58 dolls were sent to the U.S. in 1927 after a US religious group sent 13,000 blue eyed baby dolls to Japan. Getting kids to be friends was the whole purpose of this project. The Japanese reciprocated, but this was not an expectation. The 58 Japanese dolls came with cool accessories and the most beautiful kimonos. All the dolls had passports and carried letters from kids with them. Unlike the baby dolls, the Japanese dolls were not intended for play.
The dolls traveled by steamer ship, arriving in San Francisco to welcoming crowds. After various public displays and ceremonies, the dolls spread across the country. Their permanent hosts---schools, libraries, and museums --- built display cases for them as required. They were each considered unique, with distinct personalities.
During WWII, our two countries went through a rough patch as you may recall. Most of the American blue eyed dolls were destroyed. About 300 remain. The Japanese dolls were stored away. Some were sold and some were "lost." 11 are missing at this point in time.
I'm anxious and angry about the missing friendship dolls. Where the heck are they? First off, the dolls should never have been sold. They belong to the children of the U.S. If you are a private owner of a friendship doll, you should do the right thing and hand her over. Secondly, let's face it. "Lost" probably means stolen and it doesn't look like the caretaker institutions have had any accountability or consequences for their carelessness and/or criminality. How about some public apologies at the very least?
There are people looking for the dolls and I sincerely hope they are found before I go to my death. Please share any information you may have about their whereabouts. If you want to, you should go to the museum to see the dolls who have come to B-town. Once you meet them and learn their stories, you'll understand why I'm so worked up about this.
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