Golliwog

Georgie with Robert's old Wolly, pen and wash (2008). The golliwog is best known as a children's toy.

The "Golliwogg" (later "Golliwog") is a character of children's literature created by Florence Kate Upton in the late 19th century, inspired by a blackface minstrel doll which Upton had as a child in America. Upton did not patent her creation and the character, depicted in the books as a type of rag doll, was reproduced, both by commercial and hobby toy-makers as a children's toy. The toy was known as a "golliwog", and had great popularity in North America, Britain, Europe and Australasia, into the 1960s. While home-made golliwogs were sometimes female, the golliwog was generally male. For this reason, in the highly misogynistic period following World War II, the golliwog was seen, along with the teddy bear, as a suitable soft toy for a young boy.

The toy golliwog has become a collector's item. However, the image of the doll has become the subject of heated debate. One aspect of the debate in its favor argues that it should be preserved and passed on as a cherished cultural artifact and childhood tradition, while opponents argue it should be retired as a relic of an earlier time when racism against black people was blatant.

History

Florence Kate Upton was born in 1873 in Flushing, New York, the daughter of English parents who had emigrated to the United States three years previously. Following the death of her father, she moved back to England with her mother and sisters when she was fourteen. There she spent several years drawing and developing her artistic skills. In order to afford tuition to art school, she illustrated a children's book entitled The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls and a Golliwogg. The 1895 book included a character named the "Golliwogg", who was first described as "a horrid sight, the blackest gnome", but who quickly turned out to be a friendly character, and is later attributed with a "kind face". A product of the blackface minstrel tradition, the character was classic "darkie" iconography. The Golliwogg had jet black skin; bright, red lips; and wild, woolly hair. He wore red trousers, a shirt with a stiff collar, red bow-tie, and a blue jacket with tails — all traditional minstrel attire.

Florence Kate Upton's Golliwogg in formal minstrel attire in Golliwogg and Friends in 1895.

File:AreYouReallySellingThat.jpg

Golliwogs for sale, in 2008.

Upton's book and its many sequels were extremely successful in England, largely because of the popularity of the Golliwogg. Upton did not patent her character, and its name, spelt "golliwog", became the generic name for dolls and images of a similar type. The golliwog doll became a popular children's toy throughout most of the 20th century, and was incorporated into many aspects of British commerce and culture; for instance, some of Enid Blyton's books feature them, often as a villain and sometimes as heroes. Upton's Golliwogg was jovial, friendly and gallant. but some later golliwogs were sinister or menacing characters. The Black and White Minstrel Show, a blackface musical show which ran for many seasons on UK television and stage, had performers blacked up as golliwogs, with white-ringed eyes, as in the original Minstrel show tradition.

The golliwog contributed enormously to the spread of 'darky' iconography in Europe. It also made its way back across the Atlantic in the form of children's literature, dolls, children's china and other toys, ladies' perfume, and jewellery.

British jam manufacturer James Robertson & Sons used a golliwog called Golly as its mascot from 1910, after John Robertson apparently saw children playing with golliwog dolls in America. Robertson's started producing promotional Golliwog badges in the 1920s, which could be obtained in exchange for tokens gained from their products. In 1983, the company's products were boycotted by the Greater London Council as offensive, and in 1988 the character ceased to be used in television advertising. The company used to give away golliwog badges making up different sets, such as playing jazz instruments, or with sports equipment, or other such themes. The badge collection scheme was retired in 2001.

In a statement reported by the BBC, Virginia (Ginny) C Knox, previously brand director for Robertson's and now Chief Operating Officer of the Culinary Brands Division of RHM, told the Herald Newspaper in Scotland in 2001 that the decision to remove the Golly (Golliwogg) symbol from Robertson's jam and marmalade jars was taken after research found that children were not familiar with the character, although it still appealed to the older generations. "We sell 45 million jars of jam and marmalade each year and they have pretty much all got Golly on them," said Ms Knox. "We also sell 250,000 Golly badges to collectors and only get 10 letters a year from people who don't like the Golliwogg image".. Today, Robertson's Golliwog badges remain highly collectible, with the very rarest sometimes selling for more than £1,000, and even comparatively common and recent badges being worth £2.00–£3.00.

After the publication of Upton's first book, the term "golliwogg" was used both as a reference to the children's toy and as a generic, racist term for blacks. In Britain and the Commonwealth, "golliwog" perhaps became "wog" a racial slur applied to dark-skinned peoples worldwide, including Africans, Italians and other Mediterranean people, Native Americans, Middle Easterners, Hispanics, and Indians. In Australia many young people of Greek, Lebanese and other Mediterranean descent have adopted the name "wog" as a humorous identifier. An example of this from popular Australian culture is the 2000 movie The Wog Boy starring the popular actor Nick Giannopoulos.

In the early 1980s, revised editions of Enid Blyton's Noddy books replaced Mr. Golly, the golliwog proprietor of the Toytown garage, with Mr. Sparks.

In September, 2007, retail chain Zara put a T-shirt on sale in its UK stores with a Gollywog-looking little girl printed in the front. The design spurred controversy, coming only weeks after the company had been forced to pull a swastika-emblazoned handbag from its shelves.

On Saturday, June 21, 2008, supermodel Naomi Campbell pleaded guilty to assault in a foul-mouthed "air rage" incident which occurred on April 3, 2008, where she alleges being called a 'Golliwog supermodel' by an employee of British Airways. Campbell accused the airline of racism. British Airways issued a statement denying the allegations made by Campbell, claiming that they "are proud of our diversity", and "have strict policies concerning dignity at work and have long-standing training programs on diversity and inclusion."

Other meanings and In Popular Culture

• "Golliwog" was World War II British naval slang for a Gauloise cigarette, which had tobacco which was nearly black in colour.
• The American rock group Creedence Clearwater Revival was known as "The Golliwogs" and under this name they released a number of singles on the Fantasy label before they rose to prominence. Golliwog is also a Slovenian punkrock/hardcore band.
• In unofficial military parlance of some countries which has become less common nowadays, the term "golliwog" was used to indicate a piece of equipment that has been tuned, upgraded, and possibly customised to the point where it is no longer similar to the stock item it started as. The term stems from the fact that although the Golliwog itself was black – its standard form was featureless in a sense – it was always represented as decorated smartly with, for example, ribbons and bows. It could be said to be found always dressed up in finery; no Golliwog was ever seen dressed conservatively.
• The sixth movement of Claude Debussy's Children's Corner is titled "Golliwogg's Cakewalk", inspired by the American dance.
• Golliwog is the former name of a popular line of cocoa biscuits in Australia. First released in the 1960s, they were renamed by manufacturer Arnott's in the mid-1990s and are now sold under the name of "Scalliwag".
• Golliwog was a term used to refer to bullfrog tadpoles in southwest Missouri and the Ozarks.
• Golliwog is a solo-single by ABBA member Agnetha Fältskog from 1974.
• Contortion; In a rag doll or golliwog act, one or two assistants bend, shake and carry the contortionist in such a way as to convince the audience that the disguised performer is actually a limp, life-sized doll. The act usually ends by stuffing the doll into a small box, after which the performer gets out and takes off the costume.
• Golliwogg is featured in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen as the pilot of an interdimensional ship, along with the Dutch dolls. Golliwogg is said to be a creature made of dark matter in the book.

See also

• Blackface
• Minstrel show
• Zwarte Piet
• Black dolls

External links

• "The Golliwog Caricature," Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia Article by David Pilgrim, Ferris State University, Michigan
• Golliwog history Golliwog history & vintage Golliwog guide
• "The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls and a Golliwogg" by Bertha Upton 1895 at Project Gutenberg
• "Gollyworld" Information on Robertsons Golly Badges
• "Golliwogg.co.uk" An independent guide to Golliwogs
• "Gollydownunder.com"A brief history of Golliwogs
• "Gladstone the White Golliwog" An anti-racist story for young children about a white Golliwog
• Clean plates GOLIWOG license plate
• BBC News - Row erupts over golly exhibition 13/01/07
• Kate Finn, Australian maker of golliwog dolls
• "Gollies". Childhood. Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 2007-07-23.
• "www.gollyfest.com"Gollyfest and the International Golliwogg Collector Club
• "golliwog.com.au" Book 'Golliwog Gone' examines disappearance of golliwog from politically-correct society through the eyes of a child. Golliwog song called 'Golliwog Gone'( I want my Golliwog back!) recorded.
• "Naomi Campbell says racist slur sparked air rage"
• "Naomi sorry for assault, but still mad at airline"
• Play- "Conversations with a Golliwog" by Alexander Guyan