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Kaleidoscope

1961 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Kaleidoscope, a cylindrical metal tube with a small round hole in one end, and a turning cylindrical cap at the other. The cap contains coloured plastic pieces and has an opaque plastic cap (slightly warped). It is printed with pictures of Noddy and a kaleidoscope design. The body shows Noddy, Big Ears and Golliwog using kaleidoscopes, he word 'KALEIDOSCOPE' AND 'Never Ending Different Designs' and the maker's name and date (1961).

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Tinplated metal, plastic
Brief description
Kaleidoscope, Noddy, Green Monk, 'G M Noddy Sub. Rts. Co. Ltd ', English, 1961
Physical description
Kaleidoscope, a cylindrical metal tube with a small round hole in one end, and a turning cylindrical cap at the other. The cap contains coloured plastic pieces and has an opaque plastic cap (slightly warped). It is printed with pictures of Noddy and a kaleidoscope design. The body shows Noddy, Big Ears and Golliwog using kaleidoscopes, he word 'KALEIDOSCOPE' AND 'Never Ending Different Designs' and the maker's name and date (1961).
Dimensions
  • Height: 21cm
  • Diameter: 5.7cm
Production typeMass produced
Credit line
Given by Mrs. N.E. Oldman
Object history
Given in 1985 by Mrs N.E. Oldman [85/1927] as part of a large collection of clothes and toys that were made and bought for the donor's daughter who was born in 1951.
Historical context
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.
Subject depicted
Collection
Accession number
MISC.173-1987

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Record createdJuly 1, 2009
Record URL
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