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Soft Toy
1960-1961 (manufactured)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
'Golly' soft toy, Wendy Boston Playsafe Toys Ltd., 1960-61
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Accompanying Playsafe leaflet reads: 'he is made from entirely washable materials, all of them specially printed and processed for Wendy Boston'. |
| Brief description | 'Golly' soft toy, Wendy Boston Playsafe Toys Ltd., 1960-61 |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Mass produced |
| Credit line | Given by Wendy Boston Playsafe Toys Ltd. |
| Object history | The original golliwog was a central character in a series of books by Bertha and Florence Upton published between 1895 and 1909. Florence, the illustrator of the stories, based the golliwog on a doll she had acquired in the US in the 1880s. The appearance of this doll was influenced by the Blackface performance tradition. From the late 19th century until the 1960s, the golliwog flourished as a toy. Its image featured on toys, games, textiles and ceramics and was also used by food companies. From the 1970s the golliwog’s popularity began to wane as many British people felt that it promoted racial stereotypes. |
| Production | 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. |
| Other number | 92 - Manufacturer's number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | MISC.9-1961 |
About this object record
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| Record created | July 1, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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