Monou Elementary School

~    Blue-eyed Doll Mary    ~

A Monou Elementary School teacher, who was watching the August 1973 TV broadcast of "Blue-eyed Doll Found!", remembered a doll that had been thrown into the storeroom on the north side of the school building. What she brought out of the storeroom was a doll of celluloid. She was an indisputable "Blue-eyed Doll," named Mary, 40 cm in height, with a red beret on her blond hair, and wearing a dark reddish-pink short-sleeved knit dress. She was covered in dust, the wool tattered and eaten by moths, but she was a cute doll that closed her eyes when you laid her down and showed her blue eyes when held upright.

 

Mary (Monou) 

 
 
According to a story from Mrs. Takahashi, who was a teacher at the school at that time, "If I remember correctly, since the number of dolls that came to Miyagi Prefecture was small, they were given out based on a lottery. Monou Elementary School was one of the schools that won."

According to an article in the August 27, 1992, edition of the Kahoku Shimpo newspaper, Adrian, who worked from 1991 as an English language assistant at the junior high schools, was asked by the Board of Education to take the Blue-eyed Doll Mary on a short trip home to America (homecoming) when he returned to New York, his hometown, for summer vacation. Adrian visited St. Bernard School, his alma mater in New York, and told the story of Mary to the principal, Mr. Steward. Also, Adrian gave him as a present the stuffed doll "Momojiro," which is the mascot of Monou City. Mr. Steward was happy, saying "I also know the legend of Momotaro."  He gave Adrian some small crystal containers for the children of Monou Elementary. Also, Adrian introduced the city of Monou in the Saint Bernard magazine, and he visited Los Angeles together with Mary. We heard that it was a fun trip for both Adrian and Mary. 

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This is an English translation of a Japanese web page (link no longer available).
Special thanks to Tomoko Shizukuishi and the Miyagi Co-op, Peace Action Committee for their permission to publish this web page and for their kind assistance in this English translation.

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