Birthday card, printed paper, featuring Noddy, made in the UK by Sampson Low, copyright the Noddy Subsidiary Rights Co., Ltd, 1956-57

Birthday card for a child, of landscape proportions quarto folded with a left centrefold, printed in colour on white paper. The front shows Noddy driving up to the police station in his car; outside are a teddy bear and a black and white cat, with a ladybird running away in the distance. Inside is an illustration of an unlocked cell, with a 'golly' being brought cake, flowers and a present by Noddy and some other toys, with a policeman joining in and another looking in through a barred window.

A tab mechanism provides additional elements to both illustrations: at the front, a policeman in the doorway of the station, with policeman in a bus emerging from behind the building; inside, a line of marching policemen, and a teddy bear looking in through the barred window.

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.

The cards in the group (B.157/233-1997) were sent to a sister and brother, Alison Lesley Turner (the donor, born 02/03/1951) and Kevin Andrew Turner (born 01/04/1953).

B.206-1997