Billiken
Sign in to savethumb|From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch of November 7, 1909, the Billiken sketch at the left is by Florence Pretz and the drawing of Pretz is by journalist Marguerite Martyn.
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thumb|From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch of November 7, 1909, the Billiken sketch at the left is by Florence Pretz and the drawing of Pretz is by journalist Marguerite Martyn.
The Billiken is a charm doll created by an American art teacher and illustrator, Florence Pretz of Kansas City, Missouri, who is said to have seen the mysterious figure in a dream. It is believed that Pretz found the name Billiken in Bliss Carman's 1896 poem "Mr. Moon: A Song Of The Little People". In 1908, she obtained a design patent on the ornamental design of the Billiken, which she sold to the Billiken Company of Chicago. The Billiken was monkey-like with pointed ears, a mischievous smile, and a tuft of hair on his pointed head. His arms were short and he was generally sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him.