Ликка-чан: История японской куклы-модницы

Dress up doll series

Licca chan (リカちゃん) is a Japanese fashion doll launched on July 4, 1967 by Takara, enjoying the same kind of popularity in Japan as the Barbie series does in the United States. Takara had sold over 48 million Licca chan dolls as of 2002, The release of the doll happened to coincide with the birth of Aiko, the daughter of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako of Japan, a factor which helped boost the sales of the new doll. This game was later released in the U. S. on October 14, 2008 as Lovely Lisa.

In 1966, Takara planned to enter the dress up doll market taking advantage of the know how of the plastic process. The initial plan was for the company to plan a dollhouse which could be carried by children, for dressing dolls of other companies like Mattel. The size was larger than expected and the plan was reviewed not suitable for Japanese housing circumstances and children's carrying. While planning, a fashion doll, in a setting of elementary school, the height 21 cm to fit in the palm was in favor, adopting characteristics of a cartoon girl. Miyako Maki was put in charge of the illustration of the advertisement at the time of release and the advertisement was named as "supervised by Maki sensei". The name "Licca chan" was decided by the general public offering on the July 1967 issue of the monthly girl manga magazine "Ribon". Subsequently, the name "Rica" became known as a name that works for both Japanese and foreigners. Two years after the launch in 1969, the dolls were accepted by the Japanese children causing Mattel (makers of the Barbie doll) to move its production base to another country, focusing less on sales in Japan. Licca chan started exceeding Barbie sales and began to reign as the queen of Japanese dress up dolls.

Licca chan dolls were a creation of new value for play and the objective was to provide dreams for girls. These dolls taught traditional women’s lives such as cooking, washing, and cleaning through “let’s pretend” play. To play with these dolls, many family dolls, dresses, houses and accessories were sold at the same time. In order for these dolls to be popular, the key was to always develop products from the child's perspective. It was the philosophy that Yasuhiro Kojima, a former senior managing director lived by. It still remains the founding philosophy of the product development team. In the fictional setting, Licca chan is born to a Japanese mother and a French father. Most customers don't know this and believe she is entirely Japanese. However, the fusion of West and Japanese elements makes the product exotic in Japan, making the sales very good.

The specifications of the Licca chan doll has changed over time. The doll is currently on its fourth generation. The first generation was launched in 1967. Licca chan had brown curly hairs with bangs. Her charm point was the one white star in her eyes. The second generation was launched in 1972. Licca chan's hair was more reddish brown and her bangs were parted. The stars in her eyes increased to three and she wore magnetic heels. The third generation was launched in 1982. Licca chan's hair is a lighter brown and it is straight. Her body size is the same as the second generation and her mouth is open instead of closed. The fourth generation Licca chan was launched in 1987. Licca chan's hair is close to blond and her eyes were bigger. Her body grew by 1 cm making her height 22 cm. Licca chan, her family and friends evolved generation by generation to reflect the vogue of the time period. She depicted fashion, careers and family life of that era. Additionally, her parents were also known as an ideal married couple, ideal parents leading to an ideal family life.