To give my son a "golly" toy?

[xalyssx]

DS1 has a few Noddy books from when his nan was a child, and his favourite character is a golly. I was in a charity shop today, and I saw one being sold for a pound, so I got it for him. I know that people find them racist, so I told him that they are "gollies" not anything else, and I don't let him take soft toys out, so hopefully it shouldn't offend people. AIBU to have bought it?

I haven't seen a golly post for ages.

Golly gosh!

I know the BNP sells them on their website - that's enough to put me off having one for that reason alone.

I honestly can't make my mind up.

I had gollies, knitted by my Aunt who was a Salvation Army Officer. But , I'm 48yo .

Personally, I haven't seen any apart from models on antique stalls.
I wouldn't buy one, but I don't throw my hands up in horror.
In my day, they were on Robinsons Jam. Nothing more sinister than that.
How times change.

here we go....

The more modern Noddy books don't have Golly in. He was replaced in the early 80's. How old are your Noddy books? TBH I think Golly is no longer relevant and there are far better toys you could have bought him, even from a charity shop.

I can county mumsnet age in threads I've read on this subject - it's a bit like the inverse of cat years.
It's pretty esoteric but recurrent. So I've seen one every two years.

Easy test, OP: imagine the head of your child's school is a woman of colour, would you bring that doll into the office as a pacifier when you go and have a chat with her about your child? Would you feel comfortable? If not, why not?

Yep. You sound like a nice person, OP. Hope you've got a flame-retardant suit.

Lol limitedperiodonly.

It's just a toy. Maggie - I had a look on the BNP site as I was curious as to how they were marketed, but couldn't find them, or a shop. Do you have a link?

I'd be more likely to buy a golly toy than let my children read the old noddy books tbh.

I have find memories of collecting the golly badges from the jam so I like gollies, but I appreciate that they are something that is probably best left in the past so while I might buy one for myself, I'm not sure I'd buy one for my children.

WooWooOwl Beware. The BNP website is set up to treat every visitor as a supporter. So unless you want to boost their propaganda don't go there.

It's not just a toy and it doesn't matter what the intention.

Even though I loved mine as a child they are toys made to ridicule black people.

It's not wise to have one now as we are far more culturally sensitive.

Most people do not want to encourage racism or make others feel uncomfortable.

So you do without the fucking toy even though they are lovely because people are more important than self centred cuntishness

Oh god, I once went as a Gollywog to a fancy dress party as a small child. It was all my own idea and I made my own costume. WHY DID NOBODY STOP ME?? This wasn't 1935, it was 1985!

Grey dog, it was a while ago - maybe they have stopped selling them now but at one point they definitely did. I only looked on there out of morbid curiosity but perhaps I shouldn't have Andrewofgg. They were blatantly making a big deal out of it in a 'why should we not be able to have gollies because of the PC brigade' kind of way.

yay! you can tell the nights are drawing in

I call Boo Hockey.

Thanks, Maggie just intrigued!

"AIBU to have bought it?"

My answer- yes and a rasict prat.

There is a bnp facebook page selling the gollies if anyone wants to look. I just put 'bnp buy golliwog' into the search engine and it took me straight there.

Or this may work
www.facebook.com/OfficialBritishNationalParty/posts/245576652152395

Perhaps it would be useful to discuss the tradition of dehumanising racist caricature to which these dolls belong. The English-American author Florence Upton invented the golliwog in a series of picture books produced at the onset of the Jim Crow laws, which mandated racial segregation in the American South. She described the character as "a horrid sight, the blackest gnome". He was clothed in the same apparel as the black-faced minstrels then prevalent in Europe and North America. He had thick lips, unruly black hair, and his hands and feet were paws.

The golliwog, like many related stereotypes of "primitive" black people ("picaninnies", minstrels, "mammies" and so on), quickly found a commercial market, producing a flood of cartoons and advertising imagery. It was taken up as a symbol by Hamleys, Harrods, Trebor and Robertson's jam. This imagery was consistent with a tendency to represent black people through the prism of biological racism. For example, the colonial exhibitions through which European states celebrated their global power featured "human zoos" and "negro villages".

The most insidious feature of these images is that they were intended for consumption by children, part of their socialisation into the adult world of race relations. It is because of this that many apologists for those racist images find it convenient to lapse into sentimental fugue state, in which history is obliterated. Yet, there is always time to grow up. Children may be understandably oblivious to this vile tradition, but adults have no such excuse.
From a Guardian Article in 2012.

Let's play professionally unoffended bingo.

How long before the person with lots of black friends who all call each other Ma nigga and Ma honkie turns up? We've already had "it's just a toy", so what about "children don't see colour"?