27:
284:, an Inuit carver by the name Angokwazhuk copied a Billiken figurine in ivory brought to him by a merchant. Since that first appearance in Alaska, some Inuit carvers began to include the billiken in the collection of figurines they created. By the 1960s the Billiken was ubiquitous in larger Alaskan cities like Anchorage, and heavily touristed areas. Billikens were often carved from Alaskan ivory and were used in jewelry and knick-knacks. Often these souvenirs were accompanied by printed, romanticized Billiken lore. In Anchorage, the name was also adopted by merchants, as in the Billiken Drive-In movie theater.
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127:" craze in the United States at the start of the twentieth century. It represented the "no worry" ideal, and was a huge hit. Variations appeared, such as the "Teddy-Billiken Doll" and the Billycan/Billycant pair (to drive petty problems away). The Billiken helped touch off the doll craze of the era.
430:
Due to wear (particularly to the soles of the feet), the dark, worn statue replica from 1980 was replaced in May 2012 with a new one. Presently he resides on the fifth floor observation deck and has become closely associated with the tower. Each year thousands of visitors place a coin in his donation
62:
on the ornamental design of the
Billiken, which she sold to the Billiken Company of Chicago. The Billiken was monkey-like with pointed ears, a mischievous smile and a tuft of hair on his pointed head. His arms were short and he was generally sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him.
66:
To buy a
Billiken was said to give the purchaser luck, but to receive one as a gift would be better luck. The image was copyrighted and a trademark was put on the name. After a few years of popularity, the Billiken faded into obscurity. Although they are similar, the Billiken and the baby-like
426:
In
October 2008, the Billiken of Tsutenkaku took a journey all the way from Japan to its "home" city of St. Louis, Missouri where it was visited by students of St. Louis University, whose mascot is also the Billiken.
211:
to this day. A bronze statue of the
Billiken stands in front of the Chaifetz Arena on the Saint Louis University Campus. A junior version of the Billiken became the mascot of nearby
374:
city's Chinju Inari and Matsuo Inari shrines. Both of these statues were removed from display for many years at the onset of the war when foreign deities fell out of favor.
151:. It is employed as a device that both prompts recollections of the male lead, Robert Taylor, and that links several scenes within the movie as the plot unfolds.
172:
was closed in 1925, the tower's
Billiken statue disappeared. In 1980, a replacement statue made its appearance in a new Tsutenkaku Tower that was built in 1956.
26:
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The statue was a permanent fixture in the tower until
September 2005 when it made its first departure and was taken, as an ambassador of sorts, to
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215:; a stainless steel statue of the Junior Billiken stands adjacent to the Danis Fieldhouse, on the St. Louis University High School Campus.
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At least two
Billiken-themed songs were recorded, including "Billiken Rag" and the "Billiken Man Song." The latter was recorded by
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The
Billiken also became the namesake of Billiken Shokai, the Japanese toy & model manufacturing company established in 1976.
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104:. The Billiken also became the namesake of Billiken Shokai, the Japanese toy and model manufacturing company (established 1976).
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Throughout Japan representations of the
Billiken were enshrined. Pre-World War II statues of the Billiken could be found in
779:
Well-researched article tracing the history of the
Billiken's first mention in 1896 in Canadian poet Bliss Carman's book
408:
in which the statue is restored to the Tsutenkaku in an effort to revive the popularity of the tower and save Shinsekai.
419:(traditional Osaka) culture. As a part of the cultural exchange, a replica of the statue of Shibuya's most famous dog,
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of November 7, 1909, the Billiken sketch at the left is by Florence Pretz and the drawing of Pretz is by journalist
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54:, who is said to have seen the mysterious figure in a dream. It is believed that Pretz found the name Billiken in
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The Billiken made its Japanese debut in 1908. A statue was installed in the uppermost level of the original
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The Billiken was the team nickname for several minor league professional baseball teams, including the
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In its heyday, the Billiken enjoyed worldwide celebrity. In the United States he became the athletic
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Flickr group featuring photographs, ephemera and souvenir images of Billikens from all over the world
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The Last Frontier: Incredible Tales of Survival, Exploration, and Adventure from Alaska Magazine
783:. This was the inspiration of stories by Sara Hamilton Birchall and illustrator Florence Pretz.
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500:, Billiken Media Relations (Saint Louis University), August 5, 2009, archived from
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institutions located in St. Louis. The Billiken is also the official mascot of the
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248:(a league that dwelled in several classifications between 1906 and 1912), and the
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of the 1910 Southern Association (a Class A league that ran from 1902–1935), the
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58:'s 1896 poem "Mr. Moon: A Song Of The Little People". In 1908, she obtained a
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box and rub the soles of his well-worn feet to make their wishes come true.
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In 1909, the Billiken began its appearance in souvenir shops of Alaska. In
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The most famous representation of the Billiken was in an amusement park,
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705:
Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture
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Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture
415:'s Tokyu Hands department store in Tokyo as a part of a fair to promote
817:
Fan Site of the Saint Louis University Billikens Saint Louis University
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Tower in 1980. The Billiken was a star in Sakamoto Junji's 1996 comedy
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created by an American art teacher and illustrator, Florence Pretz of
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The Billiken, as a good luck charm, appears multiple times in the
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485:, Florence Pretz, "Design for an image", issued October 6, 1908.
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47:
647:, Rogers Historical Museum, City of Rogers, Arkansas (undated).
389:, Japan. In 1912, he was enshrined in the park as a symbol of
827:; available for free download from InternetArchive,Archive.org
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A replica of the statue was placed in the second-generation
393:. Popular Billiken souvenirs in the park included dolls and
814:
811:
Saint Louis University High School's origin of their mascot
497:
What is a Billiken? Unmasking SLU's Cool and Unusual Mascot
260:
is located in southern Illinois, 116 miles from St. Louis.
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as it was opened to the public in 1912. When the nearby
686:, an Argentine children's magazine named after the doll
613:. New York: United Publishers Corp.: 35 March 6, 1909.
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229:held shortly before the start of the school year.
699:"Chapter 8: Mind Cure and the Happiness Machine"
203:, because the figure was said to resemble coach
80:Today, the Billiken is the official mascot of
8:
645:Donation of the month. Object: Billiken Doll
123:The Billiken sprang from the height of the "
16:Charm doll popular in the early 20th century
326:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
550:"Beguiled by billikens in Bearcat country"
207:. The school's athletic teams remain the
71:figures that debuted in the December 1909
346:Learn how and when to remove this message
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799:(a Saint Louis University publication)
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449:
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458:. Church of Good Luck. Archived from
236:of the 1908–1910 Central League, the
7:
789:Saint Louis Billikens: Official Site
729:Ray, Dorothy Jean (September 1960),
709:. New York: Vintage Books. pp.
585:. New York: Vintage Books. pp.
524:"Timeline of Saint Louis University"
324:adding citations to reliable sources
161:kept a Billiken doll on his piano.
254:Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League
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362:Wooden statue of the Billiken in
116:Billiken statue on the campus of
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213:St. Louis University High School
86:St. Louis University High School
274:Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition
886:New religious movement deities
547:University of Cincinnati News
227:yearly parade of the same name
1:
803:Billiken Centennial 1908–2008
770:In Search of Billiken's Roots
731:"The Mystery of the Billiken"
740:Shepherd, Jill, ed. (2004),
219:was a youth-club mascot for
662:, Moviefone, archived from
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781:More Songs from Vagabondia
18:
851:Picture of Florence Pretz
809:What's a Junior Billiken?
21:Billiken (disambiguation)
795:Excerpt of article from
482:US Design Patent D39,603
246:Southern Michigan League
697:Leach, William (1993).
579:Leach, William (1993).
272:Two Billikens from the
32:St. Louis Post-Dispatch
896:North American deities
876:Saint Louis University
842:motion picture trailer
793:Origin of the Billiken
528:Saint Louis University
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201:Saint Louis University
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118:Saint Louis University
100:group affiliated with
94:Royal Order of Jesters
82:Saint Louis University
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738:. Also reprinted in
423:, was sent to Osaka.
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250:McLeansboro Billikens
244:of the 1911 and 1912
209:Saint Louis Billikens
190:Saint Louis Billikens
183:
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96:, an invitation-only
52:Kansas City, Missouri
29:
846:About Florence Pretz
320:improve this section
238:Montgomery Billikens
234:Fort Wayne Billikens
222:The Chicago Defender
74:Ladies' Home Journal
19:For other uses, see
611:Dry Goods Economist
462:on 27 December 2011
833:by Melville Gideon
787:What's a Billiken?
775:2021-04-11 at the
454:Dorothy Jean Ray.
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242:Bay City Billikens
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77:are not the same.
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823:recorded 1909 by
626:Missing or empty
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36:Marguerite Martyn
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891:Missouri culture
821:The Billiken Man
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176:Sports mascot
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159:L. Frank Baum
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143:Robert Taylor
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881:Fortune gods
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831:Billiken Rag
825:Blanche Ring
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664:the original
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628:|title=
619:cite journal
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558:. Retrieved
554:the original
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531:. Retrieved
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506:, retrieved
502:the original
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464:. Retrieved
460:the original
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385:district of
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318:Please help
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282:Nome, Alaska
279:
252:of the 1910
231:
220:
217:Bud Billiken
194:
163:
154:Wizard of Oz
153:
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139:Vivien Leigh
136:
132:Blanche Ring
129:
122:
79:
72:
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56:Bliss Carman
43:
41:
31:
797:Universitas
258:McLeansboro
102:Freemasonry
860:Categories
691:References
560:2012-06-10
466:16 January
402:Tsūtenkaku
364:Tsūtenkaku
48:charm doll
391:Americana
383:Shinsekai
381:, in the
379:Luna Park
307:does not
170:Luna Park
125:Mind-Cure
30:From the
773:Archived
711:230, 247
683:Billiken
676:See also
659:Billiken
587:230, 247
508:July 10,
406:Billiken
44:Billiken
871:Amulets
838:Biriken
421:HachikĹŤ
413:Shibuya
328:removed
313:sources
276:of 1909
188:of the
157:author
108:History
98:Shriner
88:, both
840:(1996)
752:
717:
593:
533:8 July
417:Naniwa
264:Alaska
197:mascot
186:mascot
145:movie
90:Jesuit
69:kewpie
866:Dolls
438:Notes
395:manjū
387:Osaka
366:tower
288:Japan
46:is a
750:ISBN
715:ISBN
632:help
591:ISBN
535:2020
510:2009
468:2010
372:Kobe
311:any
309:cite
184:The
141:and
84:and
42:The
322:by
199:of
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