Not exactly a Golly thread?

[smoggii]

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My little girl received Lois (but in a different dress) in the above pic for her 1st Birthday yesterday. Grandad bought her because she is a lovely hand made dolly in a beautiful dress. PIL said that these dolls come in all races and are just lovely.

I held my tongue said thank you for the gift and decided to do some googling before making my mind up what to do.

I am fundamentally opposed to Gollys, they enforce racist stereotypes from a bygone era and i don't care how nostalgic people feel about them, i don 't think we should return to a time when they were considered acceptable.

So i've looked at the website and they appear to do a range intended to depict different races but, all seem to be enforcing racial stereo types and one of the black dolls is called Golly.

I'm happy for my little girl to play with all types of toys (providing they are not offensive) and none of the dolls are a true representation of what humans look like but it's the fact that this one is so much like a Golly that you immediately think of them when you see it.

AIBU to hide it away. I don't want to chuck it because I think PIL bought the dolly because of the quality and didn't think about it. They are not remotely racist (unlike my own parents who say they're not but are).

Or should I accept that this is not a Golly but simply a black rag doll?

Oh dear, they do look like gollys and I wouldn't be happy either. Shame as they do look good quality.

I do know that some people are offended by them, but I can honestly say that I know a wide variety of people, and nobody here is offended.

after my original post I have done a little tinternet research so not necessarilly true in content, however it would seem that it is the word association with wog

Blimey, thinking back I went to school with a mixed race lad who was known to everyone ( including his parents ) as Golly, or 'Gol', because of his hair. Even the teachers used 'Golly' ( The hair had to be seen to be believed btw ) And he would introduce himself as 'Golly'

Wasn't that long ago either, i'm only 30 ! Don't think it would be deemed acceptable now tho........

YANBU bw, those dolls are hideous, I too would be losing it in the bin.

Looks like a golly to me and they even call one of them a golly, something like this or this much more appropriate, DD has one much like the latter. My husband was also called a 'golly' and worse as insults growing up in the 70's in London and finds the term and gollies offensive.

the black dolls are gollys they are even dressed as a golly with the red lips

throw it away they are offensive to many not just becasue of the horrible caricature that they are but also the history of how they came about, really that should be a good enough reason to get rid of it

imjustagirl what you report is just a few of many representations of where the doll derives and why offensive.

In the price list they say that they are selling a range of "golly dolls", so they are following in the gollywog tradition. Ugh.

I know FESTI, many more reasons.

My family live in South Devon and some gift shops there are heaving with them! It appears that there is a real attempt to revive them!

And yes, the female dolls don't look like any black females I know.

As neither do the 'white' ones look like anyone I know

Well, I think it was lovely of your pil to buy your dd a gift, but if you aren't comfortable with it then to avoid any upset to them can't you just hide it? Hopefully your dd will forget about it.

Didn't mean it was a lovely gift, by the way, just meant the thought was lovely iykwim.....

ZhenThereWereTwo Those ones you linked to are lovely and I would be quite happy to have them. I don't know why but i hadn't actually considered what would happen if she left the house with it...eek.

Poor Lois is going to get filed, fortunately PIL live away and we go there more than they come here so it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

I'm glad it's not just me that would feel this way.

DH was horrified (but is a wuss sometimes so didn't say anything) and said to hide it.

Ladymariner I did say thank you to them it was very thoughtful and as I said I really don't think they would have thought about it.
They also bought her the peekashoe octopus which isn't remotely a true depiction of an octopus but i'll let that one slide

Cephalopodist

Seriously though, you are right to get rid of the doll.

Glad to see you're gonna follow your instincts and get rid of it. I doubt your PIL meant any harm, but as you know about the history of these stereotypes, you know how offensive and harmful it can be.

Just looked at the website. Those Grandma and Grandpa ones are the worst,real "Gone with the Wind" stereotypes.

Im sure your PIL just thought it was a nostalgic, retro doll, that they recall from childhood. My PIL, were shocked we took issue with them hanging a golly from their xmas tree. I think they thought it was political correctiveness gone mad! If you asked to swap it for one of the other dolls on the website, i.e oriental indian,white... they would probably think you were a bit racist!

I think Lois looks like a "golly" doll with the associated stereotypes. Clara would be acceptable to me.

Excruciating.

I don't like it, but can I just say Rock The Bow Tie!

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There needs to be a bow tie revival...

I remember being in some remote part of North Yorkshire and they were all over the gift shops. Had an argument with my mum when I was shocked and she said "oh, but I used to collect them when i was little! They're just Old Fashioned!"

I can't believe people are actually selling these now. They look like the "blacked up" caricatures of black people that used to be in Black and White minstrel shows.
Get rid OP.

WTAF?!!! It's a black rag doll, just as there are white rag dolls on the site and also chinese type ones, none of the rag dolls are a nice pretty image of the race they are portraying, but the black one is offensive? And only the black one?

I think it's absolutely fine. It's just a doll, its peoples attitudes that actually matter.

But then I love my collection of golly badges that my granny used to collect from the jam jars for me. I used to like them because of all the different outfits they had, simple as that.

I don't think there is anything wrong with a black doll, the white ones don't look like any white person I know either. That is the nature of dolls, what with them not being real and all.