Licca-chan, aka 'Japan's Barbie', is casting a spell over adults Premium

Licca-chan has been a favourite of Japanese children since she appeared in toy shops in 1967. Now, she’s a social media superstar thanks to an obsession by adults

With her wide eyes and demure smile, Licca-chan is known as "Japan's Barbie". And her appeal is spreading to all ages, with adults turning the doll into a social media superstar.

One fan posts wry videos of the plastic poppet to over a million Instagram followers, while others painstakingly craft miniature clothes and share photos of their fashion shoots.

Minami Murayama, a 34-year-old homemaker who once had ambitions of becoming a fashion designer, told AFP that her "dream has come true at one-sixth of the size" thanks to Licca-chan.

"If I see a stylish woman wearing something that I couldn't wear because of my age or body size, Licca-chan can still wear it and look good," said Murayama, who owns around 40 dolls and has hand-made over 1,000 outfits for them.

Licca-chan has been a favourite of Japanese children since she appeared in toy shops in 1967, and manufacturer Takara Tomy has sold over 60 million of them. The company's official biography casts her as an 11-year-old girl with a Japanese designer mother and a French musician father.

At 22 centimetres (8.5 inches) tall, she is smaller and less glamorous than Barbie, who Murayama describes as "a supermodel" compared with Licca-chan's more "familiar" look.

Murayama spends hours making clothes for her dolls and favours denim, which her husband helps her bleach and tear to achieve the "distressed" look. She has built a series of intricate sets, using tiny props to decorate mini cafes and fashion studios.