the god of things as they ought to be ~


aka ~


the billiken ~


was a charm doll created by an american art teacher and illustrator ~


miss florence pretz of kansas city of missouri of u.s. america ~


( peace be upon her name ) ~


who is said to have seen the mysterious figure in a dream ~


in 1908 she patented the billiken ~


who was fashioned as elf-like with pointed ears ~


a mischievous smile ~


and a tuft a hair on his pointed head ~


his arms were short ~


an he was generally sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him ~


to buy a billiken was said to give the purchaser luck ~


but to receive one as a gift would be better luck ~


the billiken also became the namesake of billiken shokai ~


the japanese toy manufacturing company ~


the god of things as they ought to be presently resides on the fifth floor of the tsūtenkaku tower in the japanese part of asia ~


due to wear an tear ~


(particularly to the soles of the the billiken's feet) ~


the statue was replaced in may 2012 ~


with a new one ~


each year thousands of visitors place a coin in the billiken's donation box ~


an rub the soles of the billiken's well-worn feet ~


to make their wishes come true ~

OK

Meh. Motanka dolls are much more interesting. Much prettier with real meaning. They have been around for thousands of years. I am going to be getting some from Ukraine for Christmas gifts.