Wanted   Do you have a passion for antiques and collectibles - and writing?   The Wayback Times invites you to submit freelance articles for use in print and on our new web site.   E-mail your text submissions to The Wayback Times.   Articles published in The Wayback Times since 1995 have covered a wide range of interests, from Golliwoggs to toy VW collecting, and from collecting insulators to hunting old books.   Most authors of our online selection of articles have included their e-mail addresses and they are always delighted to hear from other collectors.

Ad Rates / Articles / Classified Ads / Editorial / Home / Links / Showtime   The Golliwogg clan revival   List Donna McPherson Next   The Golliwogg Revival   By Donna McPherson The 1960's and 70's were years of heightened awareness about racial issues. Society became intolerant of books and toys that were perceived as shedding a derogatory light on people of colour.   Poor Golly. He had become one of England's most beloved toys and suddenly he had been placed on the "most inappropriate" list. Production of golliwog toys and mementos almost came to a halt.   Many did not understand his origins, or realize he had been unfairly classified. In fact, the Golliwogg was born out of the creative genius of a mother and daughter team, Bertha and Florence Upton. It was in Hampstead, England, where the two women decided to write and illustrate a book for children that would feature a black figure "Golliwog" and two wooden dolls.   The characters were representative of three of Florence Upton's toys; a black cloth doll and two wooden Dutch dolls. On page 91 of Enchanting Friends, author Dee Hockenberry states it has been suggested the dark-skinned natives working with British soldiers in occupied Egypt played a part in the selection of the name "Golliwog." The workers wore arm bands initialed W.O.G.S standing for "Working on Government Services." It is assumed that Florence Upton added a "g" and created the word Golliwoggs.   Between 1895 and 1909, the women produced 13 books, the first being The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls, and the last, The Golliwoggs in the African Jungle. The Golly, or Golli, as he is also known, enjoyed such popularity that after the women stopped penning their books, many other works about the Golly were written and published in England and America.   In 1908, the Margarete Steiff Company in Giengen, Germany, produced the first known manufactured Golliwogg. Many other companies, such as: Schuco, Herman, Deans, Chad Valley and Merrythought, also produced golly for a growing number of collectors.   Many are not aware of his birth in 1895 and were introduced to Golly through his friendship with a wooden elfin-like doll, which appeared in the 1950's Noddy books. The Enid Blyton series is full of the adventures of Noddy, Golly and often a teddy bear.   The Upton's did not copyright their work and as a result, many benefited from their genius. One such English company was Robertson's marmalade, jams and condiments that adopted the Golli as their logo. The company issued many premiums that could be redeemed for Golliwogg pins and paraphernalia.   In the fall 2002 issue of Canadian Teddy Bear News, editor Patricia Atchison notes Robertson's "still use the Golly today, making Robertson's Golly memorabilia, such as tableware, figurines, jewelry, aprons, patterns, dolls, and Golly tokens very collectible."   The variety of Golliwogg-related pieces is astounding. Golly is a fascinating subject to collect since it has a long social history and covers many specialty areas such as china, jewelry, soft toys, banks, books, games and puzzles.   Avid collectors can join the International Golly Collector Club. The contact information for the club is The Toy Store, Franklin Park Mall, 5001 Monroe St., Toledo, Ohio USA 43623 or www.toystorenet.com.   Donna McPherson, Napanee, Ontario charmant@sympatico.ca     Return to top of page   This Is Livin' Publishing © 2010 581 8th Line West, RR1 Hastings, ON, K0L 1Y0 Phone/Fax: 705-696-1833   webmaster