Miss Kyoto

In 1926, the author and educator Dr. Sidney Lewis Gulick (1860-1945), known for his efforts to promote understanding and friendship between Japan and the United States, formed the Committee on World Friendship Among Children. Believing that the most effective way to counter prejudice and foster understanding was through children, the Committee’s first project involved an exchange of friendship dolls. Over 12,000 American “Blue-eyed Dolls,” dressed in hand-made clothes and squeaking “Mama,” were sent to Japan as a goodwill gesture.  Japan responded by creating 58 elaborate ambassador dolls representing different areas and cities of Japan. Each doll was dressed in a traditional kimono with her own passport, luggage, toys, and personal items such as a tea ceremony set. There was a mix-up between the dolls’ identities and their accessories after they left Japan, traveled, and toured various U.S. venues, and reached their final destinations.  Because of the mix-up, this doll was most likely not Miss Kyoto when she left Japan, but was identified as such when she arrived at the Boston Children's Museum in 1927.