This post is largely due to the fact that I have just bought my very first Licca doll, I have loved them for a while so finally decided to take the plunge…
Tokyo-born and raised and in 5th year of Shirakaba Gakuen elementary school, Licca has a French father (Pierre) and a Japanese mother (Orie), likes tennis, window-shopping and baking cookies, reads manga/comics like Doraemon and enjoys custard pudding and vanilla ice-cream. Her full name is Licca Kayama.
Her creators have modelled her personality and hobbies in such way that little Japanese girls could identify with her easily. She’s of a small frame, 142 cm (4′ 8”) tall and weighs 34 kg (75 pounds). Her two favourite books are widely-known and popular classics that girls in Japan like to read - Anne of Green Gables and A Little Princess. Licca was first released in 1967 and instantly became very popular. She had blue eyes and brown hair ending in an elegant curl. At the time she had a different headmold, the type we now call 1st generation Licca. The Licca of today is in her 4th stage and is 4th generation Licca. All the different generations have different headmolds and make-up. A good way to set the 1st gen apart from the others is to look at their eye design: the 1st gen Licca has only one white hightlight/dot in each eye, the other generations have three. The size of her body and proportions has also changed through the generations. Modern-day Licca is taller and wider at the hips and chest.
In 1972 Takara introduced 2nd gen Licca with similar dark-brown/reddish hair in an “old-fashioned” style with a curl at the end like the 1st gen had. The headmold changed a bit and “filled out”. The cheeks look fatter and give her a rounder face. The eyes now have 3 white dots in them.
In 1980 the headmold changed again and the doll became known as 3rd gen Licca. The face doesn’t look AS round anymore, it looks “flatter”, like the “baby fat” evened out. The hair is now often straight and of a lighter brown color.
In 1988 the Licca we’re familiar with now first appeared – the 4th gen Licca. The new headmold looks wider at the top, her chin is more pointed than before, shape of the nose is different, lips aren’t as puckered anymore but a bit thinner. She has wider eyes with a bit more detail. The default hairstyle is straight blond hair. This is the playline Licca and the more economical version. 4th generation introduced many, many hair style and color variations, and the prices range from $10-$20 for an off-the-shelf Licca to $100 and more for the most limited dolls.
Licca has a big family, including twin sisters Miki and Maki that are 4 years younger than her, and even younger triplet brother and sisters Kako, Gen and Mika (they’re still babies). She also has French grandparents and a French cousin.
There’s also a “future Licca” storyline that explains how Licca attends university, becomes a diplomat and goes to France where she meets Frantz, also a diplomat. They marry in a year and have a daughter named Licca in 2001.
In the storyline where she doesn’t age and is forever 11 years old, Licca is currently dating Kakeru. She has befriended a lot of other children and each Licca generation introduces new Licca friends. Same with her boyfriends.
In 1970 we first see Lady Licca which is actually not an older version of Licca from the future but her role model. Lady Licca has been very popular among collectors to this day. She has the headmold of 1st gen Licca but is much taller. Her last name is Kitahara.
In 1988 2nd gen Lady Licca was released and this one IS an older-looking Licca Kayama and shares the 4th gen Licca headmold. She’s also taller than normal-sized Licca.
There is also an older sister on the scene, Rie (a stewardess), but Takara scratched her from the family line because at the time she was released (1972), Licca’s mother was too young to have a daughter in Rie’s age. She’s the rarest doll in the Licca family/friend line and a big favourite among many collectors.
In 2001 Takara introduced reproductions of the 1st gen Licca and Licca Club 67 has been releasing them in groups every year. The repro headmold and body are smaller than the original. Repro Licca is highly sought-after by collectors as she comes in limited numbers and is a Licca Club 67store exclusive.
In addition, we have non-LC67 repros that were produced in greater numbers than the LC67 limiteds (several thousand of each version) and they all have a similar hairstyle (like the original 1st gen Licca) but different outfits. These were done for the Licca 25th Anniversary in 1992.
There are at least two rare TAKARA BAKO store exclusive repros, as well.
Repros of the 2nd gen Licca also exist, are much easier to obtain and were released in bigger numbers. They all have the brown/reddish hair in the hairstyle of the 2nd gen Licca, while the 1st gen repros by LC67 often sport more modern, trendy hairstyles the originals didn’t have.
Neo Licca is a Licca with a 1st gen headmold but a taller body. This Licca is similar to the repros in the sense that she’s not vintage but she’s using a vintage Licca headmold. There are different very cool NEO Liccas and are pretty popular by the fans, too. The NEOs are like Liccas in teenager form. The first NEO was released in 2000.
Massive thanks to LiccaLicca.net for all this information.
Here are some more links to Licca for your viewing pleasure…
1. Cut out your printed fabric leaving seam allowances on all sides. Cut out a matching backing fabric in the same size.
2. Pin the ‘right sides’ (the side you want to see) together on three sides. Sew the three sides together by hand or with a sewing machine.
3. Turn the cushion right-side out, using a pencil or chopstick to turn out the corners. Stuff the cushion with fabric scraps, cotton wool or commercial stuffing. Turn under the open edges and sew closed by hand.
1. Open a word processor document and insert some images. I’m leaving a white space around them for seam allowances. Do a test print on paper to check layout and colours ( I decided to skip that bit- *bzzzz* – and the document reformatted itself and removed my seam allowances!)
2. Set your printer settings to ‘Best’ print quality and ‘plain’ paper. Put the fabric sheet into your inkjet printer so that the image will print on the fabric side. Let the sheet dry for about ten minutes.
3. Peel away the paper backing. Rinse the sheet in a tub of cold water.
4. Lay the sheet flat on a towel to dry…and that’s it! The ink is set and can be washed gently by hand or in a machine.
The Uthando (‘Love’) Project provides free patterns to make dolls for children in a community ravaged by HIV and AIDS. The dolls are to promote expressive play, which is essential for children’s development and mental health. Your doll could be a child’s first toy, shared by the whole family.
