They’ve of course been to the Arctic, and to the Caribbean—even the Today Show—and now they can claim to have been aboard the Schooner Bowdoin and in the capable hands of a former Coast Guard Commandant and one of the most senior people in the U.S. Arctic delegation.

Just prior to setting sail on the Schooner Bowdoin amid a series of events around the Senior Arctic Officials meeting of the Arctic Council in Portland, Maine, Susan Kaplan, a member of the host committee and director of the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum and Studies Center, presented Admiral Robert Papp, USCG (Ret.), the State Department’s Special Representative for the Arctic, with Robert E. Peary and Matthew Henson dolls.

The real Peary and Henson were the first to attain the North Pole in 1909; more recently their likenesses, in the form of plush dolls, have traveled the globe and become must-have items for aficionados of the all things Arctic. Visit the “Where in the World Are Robert E. Peary and Matthew Henson?” site for map locations and fun photos.