Golliwogs not harmless, never have been - Human Rights Commission

Sunday, 7 January 2018

The Human Rights Commission said golliwogs are 'racist caricatures' that 'dehumanise Black people'. (File)

New Zealanders who think selling golliwogs is OK 'need a wake-up call', the Human Rights Commission says.

A Waiheke Island gift shop-owner faced backlash at the weekend after claiming golliwog dolls she sells are an 'English thing' and aren't racist.

Tourist gift shop Escapade Boutique on Waiheke Island was selling golliwog dolls for $46.

Kat, who declined to give her last name, told Stuff 'you have to be quick to explain [golliwogs] to black Americans'.

'You just see the look on their faces and I get in quick and tell them they're not what you think,' she said.

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Human Rights Commission spokeswoman Christine Ammunson challenged this, saying golliwogs were 'racist caricatures that dehumanise black people'.

Golliwog dolls were created in the United States in the 'Jim Crow era of racial segregation,' Ammunson said.

'They're not harmless dolls and never have been.'

Golliwogs are made from black fabric, and have black eyes bordered with white, red lips, white teeth, 'frizzy' hair and minstrel dress.

Americans used 'black face' to mock people of African descent.

A Golliwog is an intentional caricature of black face.

That is why they are racist.https://t.co/ocEcXDqzm7 pic.twitter.com/EmJvIy1PsQ

— Kenny Williams (@Ohheykenny) January 6, 2018

The dolls' creator, Florence Kate Upton, based the design on a black minstrel doll she played with in her childhood home in New York.

Minstrelsy was an American form of entertainment developed in the early 19th century which featured comic skits, music and dancing to mock people of African descent.

Minstrel shows were largely performed by white Americans in blackface makeup.

Kat, who owns Escapade Boutique, said she tells concerned customers a different version of the dolls' origins.

'They started off as talismans in England. They were based off chimney sweeps and chimney sweeps were actually white people,' she said.

'As far as I'm concerned society has just gotten far too PC' Kat said, and believed there were 'more important things for people to get offended about'.

Instead of trying to 'educate' her African-America visitors 'this store owner could have learned a lot from them', Ammunson said on Sunday.

The story, originally published on Stuff on Saturday, divided opinion among readers.

Some responded on Facebook saying golliwogs were 'gorgeous' reminders of their childhoods.

'These dolls are part of many children's childhood and I for one never viewed them as anything but a doll. They were never inferior to any other toy, just part of the collection. Erasing them from history is such a terrible idea, in the same way that removing statues of southern generals is. We should embrace all history in order to learn from it,' a reader said.

'Good on ya, political correctness has gone mad,' another said.

Others said they saw no difference between golliwogs and dolls - such as Barbie - which come in different skin-tones.

However, others were outraged - with one commenting the sale of golliwogs confirms 'racism is alive and well in New Zealand'.

'Of course they are racist. They are and were mocking black people, not based on white chimney sweeps. How ignorant,' a reader said.

'It doesn't matter if you collected them as a kid, they're mocking a large group of people and they are offended by it,' said another.