Rika-chan 「リカちゃん」(1967)

 

This is the second in a series of posts leading up to the March 28 – July 5 exhibit of shojo manga at Ohio State’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum entitled: World of Shojo Manga: Mirrors of Girls’ Desire. A small rotating exhibit on the 3rd floor of Thompson Library highlights cartoonists who will be included in the exhibit!

MAKI Miyako 牧美也子 was born in Kobe in 1935. After a very successful career in shōjo manga when she published in such journals as Ribon, Margaret, and Shojo Friend, Maki shifted into the “ladies comics” genre. She is married to Reiji (Leiji) Matsumoto, another cartoonist who will be included in the exhibit.

Perhaps Maki Miyako’s biggest impact on Japanese popular culture came in 1967 with Rika-chan (“Licca”), a doll developed based on her sketches which quickly became the most popular fashion doll in Japan. Rika-chan’s popularity continues. Recently a new Oshaberi (talking) Smart Eco-House Yuttari-san was developed by Takara TOMY in conjunction with PanaHome to increase environmental awareness among kids playing with Rika-chan dolls. A cute video showing how to play with Oshaberi Smart House Yuttari-san already has over one million hits on YouTube!

At Ohio State we currently have these works by Maki Miyako: