'Golly' soft toy, Wendy Boston Playsafe Toys Ltd., 1960-61

Given by Wendy Boston Playsafe Toys Ltd.

Made by the donor, Wendy Boston Playsafe Toys, Ltd, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. The donor contacted museum in August 1964 after seeing a different BGM golly on loan to a to display of children's objects at the Central Hall, Westminster.

This doll is either No. 90 in a contemporary Playsafe catalogue - 'When Teddy is having his bath, what better subsititute than a Wendy Boston Gollywog? They are the only ones in the World with printed faces and Nylon wigs. Washable.' Or it's 'No. 92. Dressed Golliwog. From his wonderful wavy wig down to his traditional striped bow legs, he is entirely made from washable materials, all of them specially printed and processed for Wendy Boston.'

The original golly was a central character in a series of books published between 1895 and 1909. Bertha Upton (1849–1912) wrote the books and her daughter, Florence Kate Upton (1873–1922), illustrated them. They based the character ‘Golliwogg’ (as it was originally spelled) on a doll Florence owned as a child growing up in 1880s America. The appearance and clothing of the doll (see B.493-1997) is based on the ‘blackface minstrel’ figure, a 19th-century racial caricature of African Americans. Blackface minstrel shows were performed by white actors and singers, who parodied African Americans by darkening their skins with shoe polish or burnt cork. These portrayals perpetuated many negative stereotypes and were steeped in racism. The shows originated in the USA, with the first widely known blackface character, ‘Jim Crow’, appearing around 1830. Soon after it became popular in the UK, which developed its own blackface traditions.

Florence moved to the UK in the 1890s, where the Uptons’ books became very popular. Their Golliwogg character was not copyrighted, allowing multiple representations of the golly to enter the public domain. The character featured in British toys, games, textiles, ceramics and children’s books, and was used as a mascot by the food manufacturer, Robertson’s, from about 1910. From the 1980s the character’s popularity began to wane as campaigners fought against the racist stereotypes that the golly represented. Robertson’s continued to promote the figure as part of a British ‘national tradition’ until 2001, when they stopped using the golly in their branding.

The Wendy Boston company became known as Wendy Boston Playsafe Ltd. in 1960. As this toy was acquired by the museum in 1961, it must have been manufactured in either 1960 or 1961.

MISC.9-1961