K07 Doll Custom (Part 2) — Elizabeth Rose and Mitsuha

Late September, my two K07 commission girls returned home. I have since christened them with names. (Around 2 weeks ago.)

Elizabeth Rose (K07 Doll custom Penny Precious)

My Penny Precious has been christened Elizabeth Rose. Quite the English name for quite the English girl.

It was hard choosing a name for her. Because Ken of K07 Doll and I referred to her as "Penny" (short for Penny Precious) in our correspondence, "Penny" kind of stuck for a while.

Elizabeth Rose (K07 Doll custom Penny Precious)

I entertained naming her "Enid" after Enid Blyton (the iconic children's book author, one of my favourites), or "Harriet Rose" after a good friend's adorable firstborn daughter. But somehow both names did not suit.

I made a list of potential names. The long list included Anne, Beatrice, Charlotte, Elizabeth, Enid, Emma, Felicity, Grace, Harriet, Lucy, Margaret, Olivia, Penelope (Penny), Rose, Rosemary, Sybil, Tamsin... I forgot the rest.

In the end, it was Elizabeth Rose. She has several British namesakes:-

• Queen Elizabeth I; 
• Queen Elizabeth II; 
• Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon); 
• Elizabeth Stuart, Electress Palatine and Queen of Bohemia;
• Elizabeth Barrett Browning, one of my favourite English poets;
• Elizabeth Gaskell (author of North and South, one of my favourite classics);
• Elizabeth Bennet, the heroine of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, one of my favourite classics; and 
• Eliza (or Elisa), the heroine in Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, The Wild Swans.

As for the "Rose" in her name, it is a nod to my friend's daughter Harriet Rose.

Mitsuha (三葉) (K07 Doll custom Nostalgic Pop)

Nostalgic Pop has been christened Mitsuha (三葉).

Her name is a reference to Kimi no Na wa (君の名は。) by Makoto Shinkai, my favourite animator/anime director. Yes, I know she doesn't resemble Miyamizu Mitsuha in the film. Nevetheless, the name seems to suit, and I wanted her to reference a favourite anime of mine.

Mitsuha (三葉) (K07 Doll custom Nostalgic Pop)

I love Kimi no Na wa and I think it is Shinkai-san's best anime (so far). I'm not saying that because it has been top of the Japanese box office for the past two months. I love Kimi no Na wa because it has profound themes, beautiful visuals and, to me, it has all the elements of Shinkai-san's distinct style.

Also, Mitsuha (三葉) literally means "three leaves" or "trefoil" - trefoil and clover are the common names of the Trifolium genus, a plant close to my heart.