This battery-operated plastic Daruma is covered in red felt. Its arms, legs and face are molded in peach-colored plastic, and it wears red sandals on feet. The Daruma holds a plastic sensu (folding fan) in his right hand and holds a synthetic cloth banner in left hand. The fan has a red circle on the front (to resemble the Japanese flag) and a sticker on the back that reads "National Science Museum." The banner, attached to a red pole, reads "Nanakorobi yakoi!!," a popular Japanese saying associated with Daruma that translates to "Seven times down, eight times up!"--a reminder to persevere in the face of hardship.
The doll's face has a big mustache and thick eyebrows painted on, and the eyes are ringed with red. Below the face are two Japanese characters in gold. A red and white woven tenugui (headband) encircles the head and is tied in the front. There is a compartment for batteries on the back which has the Kokoro Co. Ltd. manufacturer's mark printed on it; next to the battery compartment is a lever to turn the object on and off. When turned on, a recorded voice shouts phrases of encouragement such as: "Cheer me up!", "I want to win! I want to win!" and "Yes, I can make it!"
This doll was brought to the Boston Children's Museum as a gift in 1986 when the Miss Kyoto doll came back from Japan where she had gone for conservation.
