Originally Posted by Jan4kids

I saw Golliwogs for sale up on Mount Tamborine a few years back. After my inital reaction of 'OMG! Are they allowed sell these?? aren't they banned?' I stepped down a level to reminiscing. having fond childhood memories (my Grandma had made me one/Robinsons jam) and wondering if I should buy one and how would I hide the 'spend' from my Husband.

That's as deep as it went for me....no harm in them, just a whiplash reserved English response.

Jan

Originally Posted by Lion in Winter

Maybe one's perception of this depends on where/when one grew up. The problem with the golliwog doll isn't that it is black, but that it represents derisive racial stereotyping with the clown lips and big white grin that people did actually think was acceptable (cf some Tintin stories, etc.). They aren't actual "ethnic" or culturally representative dolls. They don't look like actual people at all, yet that is how black people were represented in Europe and the US (another example would be the black person eating the watermelon slice, etc.). This is the source of the problem - if they were just cuddly dolls, then fine, but they aren't. They are loaded with a long history of prejudice.

I don't know that it's a matter for governmental interference as to whether they should be on sale - just personal good taste I would have thought.

Originally Posted by Lion in Winter

Maybe one's perception of this depends on where/when one grew up. The problem with the golliwog doll isn't that it is black, but that it represents derisive racial stereotyping with the clown lips and big white grin that people did actually think was acceptable (cf some Tintin stories, etc.). They aren't actual "ethnic" or culturally representative dolls. They don't look like actual people at all, yet that is how black people were represented in Europe and the US (another example would be the black person eating the watermelon slice, etc.). This is the source of the problem - if they were just cuddly dolls, then fine, but they aren't. They are loaded with a long history of prejudice.

I don't know that it's a matter for governmental interference as to whether they should be on sale - just personal good taste I would have thought.

Originally Posted by GarryP

A good thing.

Basically the designs of these dolls today isn't so much the minstrels version of 40 years ago, and the name got changed - so what you're left with is, a black skinned doll.

For the white skinned child that gives them white and black skinned dolls that they play with equally. For the black skinned child that gives them a doll that looks like them.

In short, too many adults looking back and thinking what they are told by PC zealots - the kids aren't so dumb.

Originally Posted by renth

I think you have hit the nail on the head. The gollywog dolls are racial caricatures that are no longer acceptable.

Originally Posted by GarryP

Interesting article on the creation and derivation of the doll :

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ntroversy.html

Interesting to note that the 'wogg' part of the original name predates its possibly parallel derivation as a negative term. As for it being a caricature; its a doll, not a life model - what would you expect?

As I said earlier, the problem is the PC crowd and those looking backward rather than forward.

Originally Posted by Lion in Winter

A doll that looks like them?

Which one is that then?

http://www.mastercollector.com/artic...lackchatty.jpg


http://bigyellowtaxi.files.wordpress...2/golliwog.jpg

Originally Posted by Lion in Winter

So you feel that the racial caricature doesn't matter?

Originally Posted by Lion in Winter

So you feel that the racial caricature doesn't matter?

Originally Posted by Turban Explorer

If Aboriginals find the dolls racist (ie, as has been stated in the original article) then surely there's a duty not to sell them regardless of what us white folk think as to whether they are harmless retro-fun or a passe racial stereotype?

Originally Posted by GarryP

Interesting article on the creation and derivation of the doll :
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ntroversy.html

Originally Posted by renth

I found this site very interesting. This bit as about the gollywog but if you click on the link labelled caricatures you can read about all sorts of different stuff.

http://www.ferris.edu/htmls/news/jimcrow/golliwog/