is a 10½ inch

fashion doll Fashion dolls are dolls primarily designed to be dressed to reflect fashion trends. They are manufactured both as toys for children to play with and as collectibles for adults. The dolls are usually modeled after teen girls or adult women, though ...

produced by Takara (the Japanese toy company now known as

Takara Tomy (trade name, trading as Takara Tomy in Asia and Tomy elsewhere) is a Japanese toy company. It was established in 1924 by Eiichirō Tomiyama as , became known for creating popular toys like the B-29 friction toy and luck-based game Pop-up Pi ...

) since 1982. The doll was known as ''Takara Barbie'', and in 1986 the doll was renamed "Jenny" after Takara ended their licensing agreement with

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company headquartered in El Segundo, California. Founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth Handler, ...

. Takara Barbie differs from a western Barbie. Takara Barbie was altered to better appeal to Japanese preferences, with a shorter height, large rounded

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

-style eyes and a closed mouth. Like her Western counterpart, Jenny wears a large variety of outfits, which often include

street fashion Street style is fashion that is considered to have emerged not from studios, but from the population at large. Street fashion is generally associated with youth culture, and is most often seen in major urban centers. Magazines and newspapers co ...

school uniforms A school uniform is a uniform worn by students primarily for a school or otherwise an educational institution. They are common in primary and secondary schools in various countries and are generally widespread in Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Brit ...

kimono The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn Garment collars in hanfu#Youren (right lapel), left side wrapped over ri ...

, and other unique Japanese costumes, such as "Bullet-Train Stewardess Jenny".

Name

Prior to 1986, the doll was known as ''Takara Barbie''. In 1986 Takara ended their licensing agreement with

, and, as they owned the rights over the Takara Barbie's design, came up with a new name for the doll.Japan's Jenny: Takara's Trend Setting Fashion Doll
/ref> The explanation given for the name change was that ''Jenny'' was the name of a character ''Barbie'' portrayed in a play, also titled ''Jenny''. The play was a success and Barbie had become so associated with her character's name that she decided to change it to Jenny."Introducing Takara's Jenny" by David Hammon, Barbie Bazaar, January/February 1995 Issue Jenny's boyfriend was renamed from "Takara Ken" to "Jeff".

Name

See also

References

Further reading