Golly

Golliwogg or golly is a children’s literary character that looks like a rag doll. The character was created by English cartoonist Florence Kate Upton in the late 19th century. The character was developed with inspiration from a blackface minstrel doll that Florence would play with as a child. The Golly character first came into picture when Florence illustrated a children’s book titled, "The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls and a Golliwogg" in 1895. The character had jet black skin, with red lips and bright, wild, woolly hair. He wore a shirt with a stiff collar, red trousers, a red bow-tie, and a blue jacket with tails, which were all traditional minstrel attire.

The Golly Wog doll gained a lot of popularity in the 20th century and the character was used in many books and was incorporated in British commerce and culture. A musical show called "The Black and White Minstrel Show" which ran on UK television and stage for many seasons followed. The Golly doll was responsible for the spread of ’darky’ iconography in Europe. From 1910, British jam manufacturer James Robertson & Sons used a golliwogg as his mascot. Later in 1920, the Robertson Company started making promotional Golliwog badges in exchange for tokens. The Golly dolls have become a collectable item today and are available online.