It was interesting to discover that the popular Licca doll at the center of a potential new tradition among Japanese high school students. The Tochigi Women's High School has dressed the dolls in their school uniforms and are selling them to celebrate the school's 110th anniversary. You can read more about it in the news story, School figurines dressed up in memories.

We couldn't find a photo of the school figurine, so you'll just have to look at a photo of a Licca-chan and imagine it in a Japanese high school uniform. (photo credit)

There's no shortage of japanese figurines dressed up in school uniforms already. Anime figures have been similarly attired for years (see photo below or this link). And you could already order a customized bobblehead doll dressed in an asian school outfit too.

In the United States, high school students buy and wear their class ring as a symbol of their school association, spirit, and pride. The tradition started in 1835 at the United States Military Academy at West Point. In the 1950s and 1960s, approximately 50-80 percent of students at a high school would buy their class ring. Now, the tradition has faded a bit. It is estimated that only 10 to 40 percent of high schoolers buy their commemorative class ring.

Is it possible that the tradition of purchasing a class ring will be replaced in the United States with buying a school figurine? I wouldn't count on it. But a school figurine or doll does seem like a more practical purchase for display later in life than a class ring. What do you think?