The
earliest Golliwog is the hero in books of verse written
by Bertha Upton in the 1890's, and illustrated by her
daughter Florence. The mother and daughter worked together
on twelve illustrated books, all featuring the gallant
little character and his adventures traveling to such
exotic destinations as Africa and the North Pole, accompanied
by his friends, the Dutch Dolls.
Though
the original Golliwog character was a kindly fellow always
lending a hand to those in trouble, later authors portrayed
him very differently. Over the years he became a rascal,
was often up to no good, and even portrayed as a mean
spirited character. Consequently his reputation slid and
because of his poor reputation and dark color, he began
to be considered "politically incorrect."
The past few years,
possibly because of the centennial of the creation of
the Golliwog, he has again become popular, this time not
with children so much as adult collectors and Golliwog
artists.
The original books were published
by Longemans, Green and Company in England. Because the
books were published and distributed in England, the Golliwog's
fame and popularity spread there rather than in New York,
the home of Florence Upton. English children and children
of the commonwealth countries are those most likely to
have heard the stories and played with the dolls
.
The earliest golliwog dolls were
hand made rag dolls make by mothers and grandmothers in
the image of the storybook character. As early as 1910
golliwogs were mass produced, but they were not produced
in large quantities until the 1950's. Golliwogs are now
commercially produced in England, New Zealand, Germany,
and the U.S. Golliwog artists and creators can be found
around the world. Items decorated with pictures of golliwogs
have been made over the years and these are now avidly
collected. Post cards, greeting cards, dishes, perfume
bottles, and playing cards are a few of the items
that can be found picturing golliwogs.
So the Golliwog has regained his
reputation as a adventurous, cheerful, and kindly mischievous
fellow who will bring a smile to all who make his acquaintance.
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