GarryP

Sorry, nope. The creation of these dolls came at a time and place where those racial groups were neither present nor degenerated. Later, as the real problem began to get addressed in the US, people such as yourself, cast around for something to fix on, to flex muscles and try and impose their will. Despite not having anything but a tenuous link, they got away with it.

It's a symptom of the way zealots in society can screw it up to their own ends - cf radical muslims and sharia law. Its a bad thing to put away the critical thinking and act on hyperbole.

Cheetah7

Gonk is a good name for a dog I reckon.

I have a Barbie doll, never had one as a kid and when my sister and I went on holiday a few years ago, I told her I had always wanted a Barbie and she bought me one at Heathrow airport, Barbie came to Cyprus with us and posed for photos - I still have her now.

And the child in me would like and has always wanted a Woody Doll from Toy story.

Lion in Winter

Here you go. A lovely 2012 cuddly toy.

Lion in Winter

No, sorry.

Before "they" were present where? Are you suggesting that the golliwog was created prior to the white man's discovery of the black man?

Later, as rampant and vicious racism began to cover Europe and the US, racial stereotyping spread accordingly.

Later still, they made cuddly toys that reflected the attitudes of the times - I remember seeing the minstrels on the Beeb, for example.

And later still, most people came to the conclusion that there was very little to be gained by continuing to make toys using this image.

I don't recall trying to impose my will, by the way. As far as I know I am just talking on an internet forum. I think your linking of this to Sharia law is somewhat tenuous, don't you?

GarryP

One eye wormist ....

Lion in Winter

You betcha.

renth

They were worse than denigrated, they were enslaved. It doesn't get much worse than that.

Lion in Winter

Just a harmless image. I'm sure they meant nothing by it. It's probably just me.

eddie007

I don't really see much of a market for them.... There are plenty of tie in toys available for children... Which will be relevant to THEIR childhood...

Back in the day, these appeared in childrens literature and in popular culture... They dont now... They have pretty much died a political death....

Would expect that people who DO buy them do so out of nostalgia for their own childhood.... And simply arent having "intellectual" debates about it..

Leave them be, they too will die out

renth

So wrong but very popular at the time....

"Coon songs were a genre of music popular in the United States and around the English-speaking world from 1880[1] to 1920[2], that presented a racist and stereotyped image of blacks."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coon_song

jad n rich

In the veg shop on the weekend the lady was very very tanned up, and talking about her holidays. When I mentioned the tan she commented, yeah I had to keep out of the sun after a while I was looking like a Ni....

So backward at times

sammax

I've seen golliwogs a couple of times in NSW. One place was a sort of homewares/gift shop and the man who owned it said he always had English people coming in and commenting on them, and the other place was in a children's hospice, where there were loads of them on the shelf! My nan made me one as a child and I loved it, but I can understand how people can be offended by them...

Penny45

And therein lies the problem. We (on this site) have come from a multicultural society where being openly racist is no longer tolerated. Many Australians however see absolutely nothing wrong in making that kind of comment in public. So we might see them as a harmless bit of nostalgia but in this country selling them just perpetuates the belief that racism is acceptable.

moneypenny20

That's freaking scary

Just been to my local shopping centre (sadly) and there in the middle was a new stall full of gollywogs in lots of different clothes. Even after this thread, it did look strange and I've certainly not seen any sold since I was a kid.

jad n rich

Does anyone remember (in UK) the jam pots with golliwogs under the label, my nan had collected them along with statues of golliwogs doing different things like playing soccer. Not sure what era they were because she collected a few things.

Elephants was another, she was so fascinated by them but had her biggest trip was lands end to john o groats? with my grandad on his bike with a sidecar

They were real characters, been through 2 wars but never had a bad word to say about anyone