Leading up to another wonderful Bendigo Easter Festival, we were delighted to learn about a six-metre-tall Kewpie doll statue which will be unveiled this year at Charing Cross, between Rosalind Park and Alexandra Fountain. Kewpie dolls were created by American cartoonist Rose O’Neill, and gained international popularity across the 20th century, primarily in Germany and Japan.

In 2000, for the Sydney Olympic Games, a dozen Kewpie doll statues were created for the closing ceremony. Doing some research on the upcoming Bendigo Easter Festival, the Ambedo team stumbled upon this fascinating Kewpie statue right here in Bendigo, and we knew we had to get the scoop on it. The statue currently belongs to Bendigo Easter Festival Society President, Simon Mulqueen, who had all the details.

Ambedo: Probably the most obvious question, how on earth did a giant Kewpie doll from the Sydney Olympics end up in Bendigo? Have you had it since the Sydney 2000 Olympics?
Simon: At the conclusion of the Olympics, the Olympics authorities were selling various props and memorabilia. The Easter Committee went to the auction, and we bought a number of items, including Violet, the Kewpie doll (pictured). The reason we bought Violet in particular was because one of our old volunteers who had been involved in Easter for 80 years. Her name was Violee Myers-Davey, and she'd been a supporter of Easter from the very early days. We immediately knew it was the appropriate doll.
There were three or four dolls for sale at that auction, but we wanted Violet. Fortunately for us, this was the third doll in the auction. The first one went for a lot of money, but the interest died down. We got her at a good price, and it was perfect from our perspective. The harder part was getting everything here. We had to get everything trucked down from Sydney to Albury, and then we picked them up and brought them back here. So, that's how the Easter Fair came to own the Kewpie.

Ambedo: Had there been many public appearances of Violet in the past?
Simon: Since arriving in Bendigo, she has been in a few parades, mostly in the 2000s. Only two or three of those were a “full appearance”. But then in 2003, when the Easter Fair was taken over by Council, a lot of that stuff was sold off. So I bought Violet to ensure that she didn't get lost to the town. There have been a few appearances since then, but this will be the first big one in many years.

Ambedo: A six-metre-tall structure would be hard to store and build up. How much time and effort goes into assembly?
Simon: She’s on a steel frame and she has a dress that’s attached to it. The fibreglass body sits atop that. This year I've restored the body back to a shiny, sparkling, almost brand-new condition. The dress is 26 years old and showing signs of age, but the body part of the doll is in good condition.

Ambedo: Do you collect any other items similar to this or is this just a one-off?
Simon: This is very much a one-off. I'm very history-minded, but this is the only Kewpie doll I have, I'm afraid.

Ambedo: How much maintenance would be required for such a large statue?
Simon: As I said, I've restored her, and there's really not a lot of maintenance. But she's very big and not easy to store. In her full setup she’s six metres tall. And the circumference of her dress is sixteen metres around. You've got to have a decent-sized shed to keep it, as you can imagine.

Ambedo: Do you know roughly how much time and effort would go into building it up again?
Simon: I've put a fair bit of time into restoring her because she hasn't been fully set up for a while. And things break over time. I’d have to say it’d take about 20 hours. But then we've got to essentially dismantle her back to fragments, transport her into the city and then reassemble it. So it could take a lot more time.

Ambedo: What made you want to unveil and display the Kewpie doll this year?
Simon: Well, as president of the Easter Fair Society, I’m proud to state that this is the 100th anniversary of the society. Given that Violet was owned by the society and has been an Easter display for a number of years, there are some big elements of Easter that are linked to the society's birthday. So Violet is one of many attractions we have set up for this anniversary, as well as a big concert in the park, a tribute band called Queen Rhapsody. We've got Japanese drummers coming for performances on Good Friday. We're doing a float for the Torchlight Procession and the Sunday parade. There's a fair bit that we're doing to sort of celebrate this anniversary.

Ambedo: Through a bit of research, we discovered that there were eleven other Kewpie dolls from the Sydney Olympics, spread all across the country. Do you know much about those ones?
Simon: I've spoken to a number of media outlets over the years. No one knows where all twelve currently are, I've found about six, mostly in the regional areas. The Powerhouse Museum in Sydney has one and the National Museum in Canberra has another one, both in pristine condition. One of the dolls, Lily, was decorated in hippie colours, but there's a couple that are in bad condition. One was involved in a fire, unfortunately. The others may be still around, but no one knows where. We’re lucky and proud to display her in the way that she is.

Ambedo: When and where can we find the Kewpie doll during Easter?
Simon: It should be displayed in the open space at the fountain, where the Bendigo sign is, just south of Rosalind Park. She'll be there, fenced off, but people will be able to have a look and take photos with her. It'll be for Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday.

Ambedo: Was there anything else you wanted to add at all?
Simon: I don't think so. With the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, I think this is good for the city. And the Kewpie doll is a connection to the Olympics as well, particularly over the next few years. I think there will be some focus on her and maybe the other Kewpie dolls, so there may be a few things that are done in the lead up to it. As I said, there's not many of them around and on display. It's a cool thing for the town, and it draws a bit of attention to the city.
Something interesting is that many years ago, one of the prizes available with the carnival rides was a Kewpie on a stick. There are a couple of ladies who are looking to do replicas on sticks, dressed as Violet. So, they'll be available for people to buy at Easter. But it's a bit of a nod to the history of the fair as well.