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Soft Toy

1959-1969 (manufactured)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

'Golly' soft toy. The head and hands are of black brushed cotton. The mouth is an upwardly curved shape of red felt sewn to the face; it has a black line sewn through the middle to indicate the lips. The eyes are white plastic discs with smaller black disc glued on. The hair is black nylon wool stitched in a band across the top of the head and feathered upwards; the back of the head is bare. The upper body and arms are of turquoise felt designed to represent a tailed jacket. The front chest is yellow velveteen with a single red line stitched down the front. The hands are stitched to indicate fingers and separate thumbs. The legs are of black and white striped cotton shaped and stuffed to represent trousers with the upper feet of white brushed cotton representing spats. At the neck is sewn a bow tie of black and white striped cotton. A rattle is located inside the toy's body.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
cotton, felt and nylon fur fabric, plastic
Brief description
'Golly' soft toy rattle, cotton, felt and fur fabric, English, Merrythought, 1959-69
Physical description
'Golly' soft toy. The head and hands are of black brushed cotton. The mouth is an upwardly curved shape of red felt sewn to the face; it has a black line sewn through the middle to indicate the lips. The eyes are white plastic discs with smaller black disc glued on. The hair is black nylon wool stitched in a band across the top of the head and feathered upwards; the back of the head is bare. The upper body and arms are of turquoise felt designed to represent a tailed jacket. The front chest is yellow velveteen with a single red line stitched down the front. The hands are stitched to indicate fingers and separate thumbs. The legs are of black and white striped cotton shaped and stuffed to represent trousers with the upper feet of white brushed cotton representing spats. At the neck is sewn a bow tie of black and white striped cotton. A rattle is located inside the toy's body.
Dimensions
  • Height: 36.9cm (excluding hair)
Production typeMass produced
Marks and inscriptions
'MERRYTHOUGHT, IRONBRIDGE, SHROPS. MADE IN ENGLAND' (Cream and grey cloth label sewn to base of the left foot)
Credit line
R. E. Lawrence bequest.
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
Merrythought introduced a 'golly' soft toy rattle in 1959 and produced them until the 1990s. One design represented the singers from a television variety show called the 'Black and White Minstrel Show,' broadcast from 1958-1978. These versions also had striped trousers and necktie with a matching top hat but also 'wore' white gloves.

This version contains a rattle in the body and probably dates from the mid-to-late 1960s, possibly the early-1970s.
Bibliographic reference
References: Collector's Guide to British Dolls
Collection
Accession number
B.236-1996

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Record createdApril 18, 2000
Record URL
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