They are called gollies, or golliwogs, and they date back to a series of children's books in the early 20th century, resembling the black-faced minstrels of American vaudeville shows.
Gollies were well-loved in Europe and in the 1910 became associated with a British jam manufacturer who used one named Golly as a mascot to sell his products. Golly was such a successful mascot that the manufacturer produced Golliwogg badges which became exceedingly popular by the 1950s.
Alas, as with many cultural icons of yesteryear, the Golliwogg is now considered racist and not for public consumption.
The private collection on display in Westbury Manor Museum in Fareham has been criticised for its perceived racist connotations.
Dr John Molyneux, from the University of Portsmouth, said the items should not be regarded simply as a childhood pastime or hobby.
But Nick Martin who owns the collection said the exhibition had been very popular and no-one had complained.
I think it's important for people to see all sorts of cultural icons for what they actually were, without any updating (for instance, Tom and Jerry cartoons have been revamped so the black housekeeper doesn't have the same voice). To me, it's a teachable moment both for adults and children. I'm fascinated by the darky iconography, partly because it is so shockingly and offensively stereotyping. But I also find it interesting because it is so painfully different from other stereotypes faced by other groups of the same time period.
For example, Wikipedia points out that minstrel shows contained a variety of stereotypes including the drunken Irishman, the cheap Scotsman, the venal Jew, etc. But it's the blackface stereotype that stuck and, in fact, was carried around the world. It seems to me that exposure to these objects, posters, and other images can be very enlightening if in the right context.
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