Reprinted with permission from
Dolls of Friendship, 2nd Edition,
copyright 1997, Sidney L. Gulick, 3d

 
Come, Dolls of America
by Mary Moffat

 
This is a poem, written by Mary Moffat, that tells the story of the Friendship Dolls being made and collected together in the United States for their trip to the children of Japan: 

Come, dolls of America, you're asked to go
      To a festival quaint, and you'd like it, I know;
So neatly and daintily dress in your best,
      And start on your travels with gladness and zest.
Oh, come by the hundreds and thousands and more,
      And journey along to a far distant shore
Where dear little children, with joy and delight,
      Will welcome and love you, their eyes shining bright;
The words they will speak--very strange they will be
      To dolls who have traveled from over the sea.
You'll sit as their guests and watch busy girls try
      To learn how to keep their home tidy--oh my!--
To make dainty dishes that you've never seen,
      With bamboo and seaweed and sweet pasty bean;
To bow to their guests in a low, proper way,
      And practice homemaking as though it were play.
And often the neighbors and guests who attend
      The festivities gay, will praise and commend
The lovely American dolls who have come
      Over land, over sea, far away from their home,
And they'll ask why it is that you dolls have been sent;
      Then for answer you'll say that your coming was meant
To tell of the friendship and interest true
      Of children whose flag is the red, white, and blue,
For those who are living in cherry-blossom land,
      To whom they would hold out a child's friendly hand.
And the spirit of childhood shall show us the way
      To friendship that lasts, and to peace that shall stay.

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