Are Golliwogs Really Racist

After several recent stories in the press i wanted to have my say about this subject and Gollies in general. The original spelling was Golliwogg, the second G was later dropped, they are in the main known as Gollies, due it is thought because of the w o g connotations,
The first we know of Golly was when a lady called Bertha Upton and Daughter Florence illustrated 12 childrens books telling stories of Golly and his adventures, this is how the Golliwog doll came about, hand made by grandmothers from rags found around the home. The most desirable mass produced dolls were made in Germany by Steiff. As well as the books by the Uptons, Golly is also featured in several books by Enid Blyton, this helped Golly become a very popular character.
In the early 1900s John Robertson on a trip to North America first saw young children playing with rag dolls, this gave him the idea to use the Golliwog as the company trademark and mascot. The Golly was first shown on jam jar labels in 1910. The mascot became so popular that the enamel Golly broach was produced in 1928, the first being the Golly Golfer.
The scheme was halted during the war because all metal was needed but it resumed again in 1946.
How did the scheme work? Well on each jar of Robertsons Marmalade or Jam there was a token, you collected the tokens and when you had enough you sent them off the the jam factory in Droylsden, Manchester and in return you got a Golly pin badge. Since the start over 20 million badges were sent out. In 2002 Golly was retired from the jam jars and replaced with Roald Dahl badges which were no where near as popular.
So why was Golly "retired" it is said that Golly was no longer politically correct, London Council had told Robertsons they would no longer use their jams in schools unless Golly was removed, this was just the start, Robertsons themselves say children no longer had the same interest and so they felt change was needed.
In the years of the badges from Robertsons lots of different sets were released, Golfers, Doctors, Policemen, Astronauts, Farmers, Sportsmen, Fruits, in fact you name it and a badge was made. Some were produced for charity, such as Cystic Fibrosis and Leukaemia. Others were made to celebrate special occasions such as the Olympics or the Moon Landings.
Lots of the badge sets were mass produced but quite a few were limited editions of 50 which makes them very rare and have been known to bring prices up to £5000 in auction. If you would like to know more about the badges please take a look at Liz Priggs Golly Corner Website.
As well as badges, toys and books we also have Silver Crane who made lots of tableware items such as Golly Toastracks, Teapots, Mugs, Plates, Dishes, Salt and Pepper Pots, Egg Cups and Butter and Cheese Dishes, these are no longer made and have also become very collectable.
Finally we have Carltonware Gollies, their first set was the Golly Bandstand which featured a collection of Gollies playing instruments, these stand approx 4 inches tall, they then produced other sets of the same size depicting similar figures to the badges, all are limited editions and very collectable. The latest from Carltonware are the 9 inch figures, the rarest of these being the Golly Guitarist.
Yes i am a Golly nut, i have over 400 badges, my favourites being my pre-war fruits because they were my nans, so bring back fond memories, i also have some Silver Crane pieces and the whole collection of Carltonware.
So get your granny to search her drawers, she could be worth a fortune.
Is the Golliwog racist or just a friendly little chap?