Wyoming’s Japanese Friendship Doll Turns 100 Next Year

Did you know the Wyoming State Museum has cared for a Japanese Friendship doll, Miss Yamanashi, for almost 100 years.

In the winter of 1926-7, a Committee dedicated to world friendship among children sponsored a doll exchange between Japanese and American children as a way to ease cultural tensions resulting from the passage of the Immigration Act of 1924 (which banned Asian immigration to the United States).

The doll given to Wyoming was named Miss Fujiko Yamanashi.

In total, 58 dolls and accessories were created; each doll represented specific Japanese prefectures, cities or regions.

The dolls were sent to various American museums and libraries, including the Wyoming State Museum.

Today, the Japanese Friendship Dolls are recognized as among the most significant dolls ever produced b