Momoko

Momoko was first produced by the Petworks company. The first two Momokos produced in 2000 were the DHEXl and DHEXs. I didn't discover Momoko until 2002 and it took me some time to catch up on the "older" dolls. But I have achieved my goal and today have all the Momokos produced by Petworks before they sold the rights to Momoko to the Sekiguchi company. My website at: http://www.barbigirl.com/momoko.htm will show you why I have earned the title: The Momoko Queen.

The first PW(read PetWorks) Momokos were truly delightful. Their faces were very appealing...cute, impish, innocent...Momo had it all. The body used was the Takara SAJ body and while not as flexible as the newer bodies, was far more appealing to me. Momoko's skin colour was always a pleasant natural colour and she was very well dressed in the latest Japan fashion.

Momoko soon became my passion and I eagerly awaited each new season of Momokos. Anywhere from 2 to 5 dolls were produced for Spring/Summer(SS) or Autumn/Winter(AW). At first the dolls were numbered as year and name so 02DD was a Daisy D made in 2002. Momoko became hugely popular and it was a challenge, because of small issue numbers to track down quite a few of the dolls. One edition 04RXb, http://www.barbigirl.com/momoko.htm#rxb was made in an edition of 10 dolls worldwide!!! Dolls introduced at Doll Shows were even more difficult to acquire. Yahoo Japan became my second home!!!

PW also produced a number of OOAK dolls in conjunction with various design studios. Then there were the Bonus Truck dolls and it is possible that even PW doesn't know the edition size of those dolls.

As Momoko collecting became a frantic search for the elusive dolls, PW made an astounding announcement:

On October 12, 2004, the Petworks company announced that their wildly popular Momoko doll would be made by the Sekiguchi company. It was the end of an era for Momoko collectors. Here is was Manabe Watanabe(Momoko's inventor) had to say:
Thank you everyone for your support after the end of Momoko production at the end of August 2004. Thank you also for your many ideas and opinions on how to “improve” Momoko. After many meetings with both doll companies we announce that Momoko will be sold again in the Spring of 2005. We will make a doll that will make all of our customers happy. We hope you will continue to give us your opinions and we can keep building together to make a most fortunate Momoko doll. Wishing you good luck in everything you do, Manabe.
News of the 1/6 scale real fashion doll Momoko. Petworks is very grateful to everyone for their patronage. We announce that Momoko will be selling in the Spring of 2005 and will be produced by the Sekiguchi Doll Company. Momoko will have new style but her name will still be 1/6 scale real fashion doll Momoko doll. She will by approximately 27 cm tall, will have a resin, jointed body. The estimated value of each doll will be 8,190 Yen including tax. Momoko will be dressed in up to date fashions.
The Momoko that will debut in Spring 2005 will appeal to a wider age range of customers. We hope that many new fans will come to Momoko, but we hope that her “old” fans will continue to support her.