GOLLIWOGS
Readers write about Golliwoggs
Readers of the NEATH FERRET (Neath's Private Eye website) write about the once famous Golliwogg badges and figures associated with Robinson's jam. A Goggle search reveals they can still be seen, at least on the Internet - but a person dare not wear one today.
We have got freedom in this country - but only within limits. Some say that the EU is going to reduce the freedom we already have.
For our younger readers, here is the background story:
The golliwog, golliwogg or golly is a controversial black fictional character created by Florence Kate Upton in 1895 that first appeared in the children's book The Adventures of two Dutch Dolls and a Golliwogg that was made in the same year that the character was created in and later appears in children's books in the late 19th century. It is usually depicted as a type of rag doll. It was reproduced, both by commercial and hobby toy-makers as a children's toy called the "golliwog", and had great popularity in Europe and Australia into the 1970s. The doll is characterised by black skin, eyes rimmed in white, clown lips and frizzy hair. Though home-made golliwogs were sometimes female, the golliwog was generally male. For this reason, in the period following World War II, the golliwog was seen, along with the teddy bear, as a suitable soft toy for a young boy.
The image of the doll has become the subject of controversy. While some see the golliwog as a cherished cultural artefact and childhood tradition, others accused the character of being an offensive caricature towards people of African descent. Sources: Wikipeda / Neath Ferret.
