Friendship dolls

The dolls were meant to improve the deteriorated relationship between Japan and America that had resulted from the Immigration Act of 1924, which prohibited East Asians from immigrating to the United States and sparked anti-Japanese exclusion movements in California and other parts of the US.

[3] Gulick helped form a group called the Committee on World Friendship Among Children (CWFC),[4] which was overseen by the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America, and the Commission on International Justice and Goodwill.

The Committee on World Friendship Among Children, Gulick, and Japanese businessman Viscount Eiichi Shibusawa worked together on the project.

[6] Fewer than 100 of the dolls were sent to Formosa and divided amongst the ethnically segregated elementary schools and kindergartens.

[8] Shibusawa led a collection in Japan to reciprocate for this gift, although Gulick and the Committee had told them they did not expect such a thing.

[4] A group, the Committee on International Friendship among Children in Japan, was formed to oversee the project.

[citation needed] The CWFC requested that the donated dolls were "price as moderate as quality would permit; face, arms, and legs of unbreakable material; joints and wig handsewn; eyes that opened and closed; and a voice that should say unmistakably 'Mama'".

[9][15] It was suggested that "girls specialize on the selection of the dolls and the making of their clothing and that boys serve as business and ticket agents".

[7] Each doll was 32-33 inches tall, with a silk yuzen-dyed kimono, complete with family crest and furisode-style sleeves, and "bridal trousseau" accessories.

[19] They had a partial wood core covered with fabric,[19] and human hair, glass eyes, hinged legs, and a mechanism that allowed them to say "mama" when squeezed.

[72] In 2012, American novelist Kirby Larson published a novel called The Friendship Doll, which followed Miss Kanagawa during her tour across the United States.