Posted on 12/08/2010 2:19:56 PM PST by naturalman1975
A MELBOURNE doll shop has withdrawn a golliwog from its display to avoid offending the Oprah Winfrey roadshow.
The store removed the "Mamee" washer woman dolls after a visit by Oprah's production company.
But the Dafel Dolls and Bears shop in Block Arcade - where 110 of Oprah's guests will attend a cocktail party tomorrow night - will continue to display other golliwogs.
Golliwogs are deeply offensive to Americans because of their perceived links to slavery and racism. The store owner declined to comment because she had signed a confidentiality agreement with Harpo productions, but confirmed a meeting had taken place.
"Oprah's people came ... and yes it was discussed," a source familiar with the agreement said.
"As a result, they won't have that particular doll on display. But there will be plenty of other gollies when they come through."
The golliwogs still on display at Dafel's have an explanatory note on the origins of the black dolls, a throwback to the toys enjoyed by Egyptian children when British troops occupied the country in the late 1800s.
Dafel's has sold dolls and toys, including golliwogs, in the Block Arcade since 1945.
(Excerpt) Read more at heraldsun.com.au ...
...and these...
One silly rhyme she used to regale us with at bedtime was: "Who peed," said the doggy. "I don't know," said the gollywog, "I don't know who peed."
Haven't heard the term in donkeys' years (another saying she had!).
Mrs. Prince of Space
I loved Sambo’s when I was a kid. Great food and a fun cartoon story of a kid in India chasing a tiger.
If only I’d known how ‘racist’ it was back then I could have grown up to be a perpetually offended liberal.
Say, who exactly did Denny's offend?
That's rather a broad brush statement. To a majority of Americans, they're simply a product of times gone by. A historical bit of trivia.
I can recall having a golliwog as a very small child. I know that I liked it and that I did not associate it with black people. It was not dressed like the one at the top of this thread.
They are everywhere!
As recently as 1975 there was a chain of very popular restaurants name Sambo's. All the characters from the charming story were depicted on the walls. I remember eating there regularly with my children. I can't remember when America lost its collective mind, but the business was attacked based solely on its name, and quickly faded away entirely. I supported the chain to the bitter end.
Sambo’s, RIP many decades now...
No they aren't.
Trust me, I'm an American.
wouldn’t it be cool if Oprah and her planeload of guests rioted?
Agree.
Dang, I hope Buckwheat doesn’t show up!
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