How is this still allowed?!

[NotUmbongoUnchained]

My friends just sent me this! How are these still allowed to be sold?!

I’m still at work so can’t join in discussion yet but will be back later. Hopefully my friend has said something to them. Unbelievable.

A gollywog is not the same as a black doll. A black doll is like any other doll: a stereotypical, non-judgemental representation of a baby or child. A golly is very much judgrmemtal: wide, goggling eyes, inane grin, gaudy clothing. Even the name shows prejudice: golly implying a simpleton's astonishment, and wog being a pejorative term for any person of colour.

The fact that 'you' dont see anything to be offended by is irrelevant. If black people are offended by this representation of them, then that should be respected.

If black people are offended by this representation of them, then that should be respected

This.

Charlois while I agree perhaps those of a certain generation who loved their golly aren't necessarily racist, or even younger people who may have one that belonged to a family member (I have a relative's, it was the only thing they showed any real emotion for towards the end of their life, I'd never throw it away although I obviously don't have it on display!) There's no denying that they are now racist.

Just because things are traditional doesn't make them acceptable in today's society does it? I'm on the fence about the Morris dancers.

@ShowMeTheElf I think you very much misunderstood my post. I linked to a troop that is near to me which quite clearly explains the link to both coal mining and warding off spirits. I did not suggest at all that there is anything offensive in what they do.

Jellyslice - I thought the ‘w’ word came from the doll first? If that makes sense? Rather than the other way round

Context is all!

Brought up with gollies as a child (on an island of white culture) I never connected them with people or dolls. To me they were closer to a teddy-bear. (Not animal or human - just something lovable and cuddly).

I can't look at them in the same way now that they have been connected with revolting racist attitudes. (They are doubly offensive as they now mark a loss of an innocence of childhood!)

Should we ban Saint George's Cross too?

Why would we want to ban the symbol of the Turkish-born patron saint of Romania and Catalonia?

I haven't read the thread-have we had the black poster and the poster with the black husband who collect gollywogs yet? I always look forward to them!

"I'm on the fence about the Morris dancers."
I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere. Like tap dancers falling into the sink.......

My gran had a whole shelf full of the figures, all playing musical instruments. I loved them, but we weren't allowed to play with them . There wasn't anything racist about them then.

Those posters who believe gollywogs are not racist, would you give one as a present to a black child? I mean, if they’re just cute little characters then surely that would be fine?

Today is Wednesday I can only assume it's the market that has recently been rebranded. Please ask your friend to have a quiet word with management there. The last thing the area needs is bad publicity.

"There wasn't anything racist about them then."

There was, you know.

I was going to mention the shop at Corfe Castle as well

We all grew up with a lot of things that were racist, sexist and homophobic
Doesn’t mean we don’t know better now

And my mother told me why gollywogs were racist in a shop called Listons in a village called Bampton in about 1966. She explained about apartheid in the same place.......

MillicentF, they were just called Golly's if I remember correctly, I don't know when they added w*g.

@tillytoodles1 they became gollies after complaints about the full name. Not the other way around. I’m an early 80s kid and I remember the full name, and my parents explained why they were awful then.

"MillicentF, they were just called Golly's if I remember correctly, I don't know when they added w*g."

Other way round. They were gollywogs- and the "wog" was removed In an attempt to make them less offensive.

they're just cups

Such a ridiculous thing to say, it's not the cups that is the problem, its the design.

The Morris dancing thing isn't caricaturing black people, it's not racist.

Smeddum, I'm not looking for an argument. I'm merely stating that the Robertson's figure was just called Golly when he first came out many years ago when I was a child. Well before the '80's.