Sarubobo (さるぼぼ) is a Japanese amulet, particularly associated with the town of Takayama in Gifu Prefecture. Sarubobo are red human-shaped dolls, with no facial features, made in a variety of sizes. Traditionally, sarubobo are made by grandmothers for their grandchildren as dolls, and for their daughters as a lucky charm. There are several reasons why the amulet has this name. The sarubobo is associated protection from bad things. In Japanese, the English word "leave" translates as "saru", so possession of a sarubobo means that bad things will "saru". You can hang it in the car or at home.
