About a year ago, a mysterious doll joined my collection. It turned out later that she was the Takara Kimono Jenny from 1986. It took me some time to identify her and in the process I took a closer look at a different doll also by Takara – Licca-chan. Licca popped up on my screen whenever I looked for any pictures of Takara Barbie until her image stuck in my mind. I liked her a lot but she didn’t fit the rest of collection – she had none of Barbie’s sophistication and next to her, even Skipper looked mature. So how is it possible that before I knew, I owned two Liccas, one Himari, two outfits and a playset? And I’m making plans for more.
Licca-chan is a sweet little doll with round, large eyes, so manga-like. She’s the kind of doll I would love to gift to my daughters if she were a little cheaper to purchase. As it is, I have to import her straight from Japan and the Japanese know how to make a doll irresistibly cute and appealing. Licca’s dossier is carefully constructed so that little girls could easily connect with her: she’s a 5th grader, has a lot of younger siblings she takes care of, her Japanese mother is a designer and her French father is a musician. Apparently he took his wife’s name as the family is called Kayama. There are two grandmas, but no grandpa – he’s probably working till he drops. An adult Japanese marries his job and he (it’s usually a he) remains faithful “till death do them part” (or is it “does”). English grammar aside, Licca has also a dog named Pudding and two puppies called Lime and Lemon. Licca-chan spends her days at school, doing homework, but most importantly – helping her mom doing chores. Licca also takes up part-time jobs, as young Japanese are encouraged to. So she works in a sushi restaurant, a café, at McDonald’s, in a pet shop. She’s also been a pet stylist and a kindergarten teacher, and she’s only 11.
I purchased my Licca-chan brand new, still in box, which I don’t do often. Her box is very busy, filled with Japanese writing. It’s really hard to focus and my Japanese is almost nonexistent. I did study it for several years, passed two JLPT levels, and then kids came and I had no time or energy to pursue my studies or to keep the language at a decent level. I’ve gone terribly rusty in that department so even reading Licca’s profile was hard. I did translate it though I could have gone online just as well. So Licca was born on May 3rd, she’s 11, she’s a 5th grader, her family of 8 is her mom, dad, twin sisters and triplet babies. She’s a slightly impulsive but a kind girl. So I started with the side, now the front – there’s an important piece of information” LD-14 Waku-Waku Shoppingu (Exciting Shopping). The symbol LD is crucial when shopping for Licca because Japanese shopping sites can be misleading if you hadn’t done your research beforehand. Judging by the stock photos you may get the impression that a doll is a part of the deal. The description that accompanies the pictures is usually scarce, if any. So you need to go by the LD which stands for Licca Doll. LW is Licca Wear and LG is Licca Accessories / Gadgets. It’s not always so simple, because some dolls don’t have that LD number. I have seen reviews of disappointed collectors who were sure they were purchasing dolls and making great deals, but then it turned out they bought just an outfit. The description should mention the doll is not included, if it really isn’t and in most case the information is there, but it’s not clearly visible and you need to look for it. Now the number that is next to LD gets repeated. If you type LD-14, the browser will show pictures of several different dolls. Apparently the number is reused yearly. Not sure.
It took me a looong while to analyze the box and it left me mentally exhausted. I’m still not completely done with it and I doubt I will ever be. Anyway, you can get some information from the humorous pictures, so Takara Tomy informs you that Licca shouldn’t be exposed to sun for a long time, you shouldn’t put her next to any heating device/source because she may melt (I guess), you mustn’t blow-dry her hair and you had best leave her original hairdo untouched, especially if her hair is curly or done in pigtails. Now, should you have a desire to talk to Licca-chan, you can do that as Takara Tomy provides you with a phone number. I guess Licca’s voice is high-pitched and may be detrimental to your hearing. That is, if you wished to have a conversation with a recording in Japanese, just saying… Oh and don't put small pieces in your mouth or wrap things around your necks! As they say, safety first!
Ok, so it’s going to be a long, long text for you to read and I think, not very grammatically correct, no time for proof-reading, I’m in a hurry. As usual, I’ behind with my English posts and my blog anniversary is fast approaching. But we’re finally on what is IN the box. Well, there’s the doll and her hair is secured with cellophane, she’s attached to the inner cardboard in such a way that unboxing her is fast an easy. No nasty tabs shot through the back of her head. Her accessories are packed separately in plastic bags. That’s typically Japanese, I once had some Japanese crisps! Every single crisp was packaged separately …. No wonder the Japanese are so slim, it would exhaust your patience to unwrap them all. Anyway, Licca-chan comes with some Kitten-heel pumps, they’re pink and rubbery and they stay on surprisingly well. She’s also got a blue purse with some lace and bead strap. It’s durable and functional. Licca’s going shopping so she’s got a shopping bag, some paper money with the faces of her family on it and a credit card.
Licca’s wearing a most adorable simple floral dress. It’s incredibly well made but it’s cut at the back all the way down and held with a very long piece of Velcro. I hate Velcro but I totally understand why it’s there and in such abundance. The dress is supposed to be easily put on by small hands of a child. And it is. That’s the way all Licca’s dresses are made but despite that, I would still love to own almost all contemporary fashion packs for Licca. Licca’s clothes are so cute. And you need them because Skipper’s or Barbie’s clothes won’t fit her. Licca’s also wearing some undies, like all Japanese dolls must. It always surprises me when I see undies on a doll, I’m so used to seeing Barbie’s naked butt, but she’s allowed, she’s so worldly, Barbie is. Licca’s also wearing a bow in her hair and the bow is attached to a separate rubber band so if you want to take it off, you don’t need to worry it’ll mess her hair. I also need to mention the earrings that are plastic hearts, but if you don’t like them, you can just take them off easily and replace them with another pair if you so wish. Licca’s earrings are available in a pack of 7 or 8 pairs for you to buy and change.
Licca’s hair is lovely and I read somewhere it’s made of toyokalon. It feels like saran but it’s a little silkier. It’s shiny and styled in a side ponytail, curled in one long ringlet. Licca has absolutely perfect bangs. Her hair is important because it’s going to make her different from all the other Liccas as they’re going to share their face paint. There will be some slight difference but her facial screening will be pretty much consistent. If you crave some variety in that department, you can purchase a Castle Licca with blue eyes or green eyes or various types of hair. Those dolls are highly sought after by collectors and are available exclusively in a store in Tokyo as well as a Licca-chan themed park/ museum in Fukushima. It offers also other headmolds. I’ll be writing about those dolls sooner or later, though I don’t think I will ever get one – they’re pricey though at Licca Castle, as far as I understand, you get one and she’s included in the price for the ticket.
Licca-chan is tiny, she’s much shorter than Barbie but be not deceived, she’s heavy for her size. She’s incredibly well made. Her articulation takes some getting used to as she’s got wires in her legs and arms and they do bend but they look a little weird. I think it’s great though for being so seamless. Licca’s feet are molded in such a way as to allow flat shoes and some heels as well but I forgot to take pictures of them. Will be showing them eventually as in a Japanese house you’re not supposed to wear shoes and I do own a little house for Licca too.
There’s so much I’d like to include in this post and so little time. Hasty, hasty, another post is waiting for translation! Prepare for much Licca on my blog in the nearest future. Don’t worry though, Barbie’s not in danger. I’ve recently fallen in love with vintage repros, they’re so statuesque and sophisticated. Anyway, that’s all for today, stay safe!
i love Licca dolls and have a few. The dolls are very well made and super cute
ReplyDeleteOh I would love to see those dolls! I've checked your blog, the paper dolls are amazing, but no Liccas there, is there anywhere I could see them? Flickr? Instagram?
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