Grandmother sells Gollywogs - and dresses up as one - for charity in bid to 'reclaim black heritage'

A grandmother is selling 'Golly Dolls' in a bid to 'reclaim black heritage' and raise money for charitable causes.
Retired midwife Charlotte Nightingale, 65, sells the controversial children's toy at fairs, school fetes, and village shows.
The mother-of-three, who dresses up as a Golly when she sells them, said she had received a widely positive reaction from members of the public and does understand why they have been banned.


Originally made by mothers for their children in West Africa, the tradition of Golly Dolls travelled to the Americas during the transatlantic slave trade.
The dolls were called 'Golly' - a variation of Dolly - by children, and became popular toys in the UK with British jam manufacturers Robertson's even using Golly as a mascot from 1910.
American-born English author Florence Kate Upton created the name 'Golliwog' for a character in one of her books, inspired by a real Golly Doll found in her attic.
The name subsequently appeared in the work of other writers and became widely used.
But from the 1960s onwards the doll began to be seen to have racist connotations, partly due to the negative portrayal of 'Golliwog' characters in some literature as well as the derogatory use of the word 'wog' as an offensive racial slur.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3761230/Grandmother-Ghana-sells-Gollywogs-dresses-one-charity-bid-reclaim-black-heritage.html

How is that reclaiming black heritage?

eddie wrote:How is that reclaiming  black heritage?

It tells you in the article

Yeah I know, it was a general wonderment....I'm asking aloud "how is that reclaiming black heritage?"
I don't see that it is.

eddie wrote:Yeah I know, it was a general wonderment....I'm asking aloud "how is that reclaiming black heritage?"
I don't see that it is.

Well, I guess, most people believe that the gollies were originally created as derogatory dolls which it seems they were not and originated in Africa. Therefore, she wants to claim them back as that, and let go of the stigma of the golly.

Yeah I get that but....it all seems a bit pointless. The western world won't embrace them and she's going to run out of black people who want them.

But good for her, I suppose. At least she's giving young black children back some of their history.

eddie wrote:Yeah I get that but....it all seems a bit pointless. The western world won't embrace them and she's going to run out of black people who want them.

But good for her, I suppose. At least she's giving young black children back some of their history.

I think lots of people want and like gollies. I've seen on sale in many shops.

I wouldn't buy one from a shop here, but I'd but one from the woman in the article, it's made with good intent.

Yes it's not hard to find shops that still sell gollies.

I had one when I was a kid and I loved him. I do understand if people think it demeans black people though.....like the black and white minstrels, the golly seemed to become more of an insult to blacks than a cultural historical symbol.

Syl wrote:Yes it's not hard to find shops that still sell gollies.

I had one when I was a kid and I loved him. I do understand if people think it demeans black people though.....like the black and white minstrels, the golly seemed to become more of an insult to blacks than a cultural historical symbol.

But as black people have a right to be offended by it, so they also have a right not to be, as this woman obviously doesn't. It's up to her. Why should anyone say she cannot?

eddie wrote:I wouldn't buy one from a shop here, but I'd but one from the woman in the article, it's made with good intent.

I had one as a kid. I loved him. I called him.......Gollykins.

Syl wrote:Yes it's not hard to find shops that still sell gollies.

I had one when I was a kid and I loved him. I do understand if people think it demeans black people though.....like the black and white minstrels, the golly seemed to become more of an insult to blacks than a cultural historical symbol.

Mine had a dicky bow and spotty pants that glowed in the dark.   My mum binned him when she found out it was made with Radium.

I never had one. Don't think they were around in the 70's.

eddie wrote:I never had one. Don't think they were around in the 70's.

More so in the 50's and 60's. They were around in the 70's... also on our jam jars.

HoratioTarr wrote:

Syl wrote:Yes it's not hard to find shops that still sell gollies.

I had one when I was a kid and I loved him. I do understand if people think it demeans black people though.....like the black and white minstrels, the golly seemed to become more of an insult to blacks than a cultural historical symbol.

Mine had a dicky bow  and spotty pants that glowed in the dark.   My mum binned him when she found out it was made with Radium.

Health and safety left a lot to be desired back then.

HoratioTarr wrote:

Syl wrote:Yes it's not hard to find shops that still sell gollies.

I had one when I was a kid and I loved him. I do understand if people think it demeans black people though.....like the black and white minstrels, the golly seemed to become more of an insult to blacks than a cultural historical symbol.

But as black people have a right to be offended by it, so they also have a right not to be, as this woman obviously doesn't.   It's up to her.  Why should anyone say she cannot?

I agree....I think most people stopped buying them to support the black people who found them demeaning, but everything goes in cycles....and if black people start to embrace them again no doubt white people will start buying them once more.

eddie wrote:I never had one. Don't think they were around in the 70's.

Do you remember the little metal Robertsons gollies that kids used to collect?

No. I didn't like those sweet commercial jams, I still don't. I do however, like a blueberry conserve - more like a jelly than a jam.

I think kids used to mither for the jams and marmalades more for the little badges than for the food.

Are they worth anything now?

eddie wrote:Are they worth anything now?

Some of them are, yes.  Particularly the ones that are pre-war

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Very-rare-Robertsons-pre-war-Lemon-badge-by-H-W-Miller-/172314358459?hash=item281ebc72bb:g:uNkAAOSwkl5Xc4Zi