What to do with gollywog?

[gollygood]

Name change obvs. I've been having a clear out and have found my childhood love, my gollywog. Honestly I don't even know if you are supposed to say the word so my enormous apologies. He's a handsome knitted chap and before I knew what he was I adored him. Back then we had Robinson's jam badges etc and I just didn't know. He was one of my favourite childhood toys but he's been hidden in a drawstring bag for years in case he is seen by someone. Can you suggest what to do with him? I'd find it hard to just hide him in the bin and wondered if there was something nicer I could do. A burial? Donate him somewhere? Surely he's too racist for a toy museum? I don't know. Keep him hidden until I'm elderly and let my kids bin him? Any suggestions? He was my favourite toy and I can't hate on him because of what he is and I didn't know. Now I do what should his fate be?

A dumpster? So you plan to send your golliwog to the United States? Tbf, he might be more at home there.

Alternatively, you could build a funeral pyre out of copies of the Daily Mail, video the cremation then post it on MN with a diagram.

He's not racist

He is, though. This coming from someone who grew up loving Enid Blyton books and seeing them as "just another toy."
I've grown older, I've read up on them.
Pack him away with a note of how he was a toy "of the time for want of a better expression.
To educate others

My mum is mixed race and has one. I was quite surprised when she bought it (not that long ago, at any auction possibly), but she says she loves it.

Oh god! Why use the w word? It's on a par with the n word. Really offensive.
And get rid of it.

You could 'upcycle' the doll. I presume it is only the head that the problem. You could cut out/knit a piece of new material for the front and back. Maybe some bright material. Stitch it in, add eyes and stitch a mouth and nose. Then you could put wool for the hair, maybe a la Worzel Gummidge. You'd have a new partially knitted, fabric/rag doll.

I wish they'd get rid of Barbie now .

Or she could throw out the racist doll.

It would be a different doll if you changed the face and hair though. Maybe new clothes. You could use the stuffing from the original head, but just cover in a new fabric head if you didn't want to slip a new one over the old one.

Rag dolls exist as an alternative to plastic. One of my nieces got one from Eastern Europe last Christmas (can't remember where as the other side grandma got it) - it has brown wool plaits and freckles on the fabric of the face. Also, I remember the Cabbage Patch dolls craze. These are much nicer and more environmentally friendly than say a plastic barbie.

You don't have to throw stuff out when you can alter them.

My old line manager has a golly on her bookcase

She has no issue with it as she loved it as a child.

She sees it as part of history .
She worries that people willjudge her but she also says its a treasured item .

A tribunal is currently investigating 3 Met Police officers who exchanged racist, sexist and homophobic messages on a WhatsApp group. One meme was an image of a golliwog toy captioned ‘a sneak preview at Megan’s wedding dress’.

I'd certainly judge her.