Golliwogs and monkeys in adverts

[fatpizzaman]

I am wondering why oh why did two of my favourite breakfast and 11ses foods Golden Shred and PG Tips tea dump using the golliwogs and 'talking' monkeys as the mascots for their advertising campaigns?

Screw political correctness, they are cute and entertaining. Bring them back, I say! PG Tips has only recently become available in Australia, and I am glad to see it is still being made. Golden Shred was also available in all supermarkets here up until a few years ago when Robertson's got bought up by Premier Foods. :-(

[themilkman]

Re: Golliwogs and monkeys in adverts

I am wondering why oh why did two of my favourite breakfast and 11ses foods Golden Shred and PG Tips tea dump using the golliwogs and 'talking' monkeys as the mascots for their advertising campaigns?

Screw political correctness, they are cute and entertaining. Bring them back, I say! PG Tips has only recently become available in Australia, and I am glad to see it is still being made. Golden Shred was also available in all supermarkets here up until a few years ago when Robertson's got bought up by Premier Foods. :-(

You answered you're own question ther mate 'political correctness'..................or 'madness' to you and me

[agfagaevart]

Re: Golliwogs and monkeys in adverts

...Screw political correctness, they are cute and entertaining.

The actual history of them is not so cute:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golliwogg

"In a statement reported by the BBC, Virginia (Ginny) C. Knox, previously brand director for Robertson's and later Chief Operating Officer of the Culinary Brands Division of RHM, told The Herald Newspaper in Scotland in 2001 that the decision to remove the Golly symbol from Robertson's jam and marmalade jars was taken after research found that children were not familiar with the character, although it still appealed to the older generations."
An interesting quote.

Besides that, companies go through rebranding...Times change. Oil of Ulay became Oil of Olay


Just get over it. We're living in the 21 century afterall

[fatpizzaman]

Re: Golliwogs and monkeys in adverts

Just because something might have a bad past doesn't mean that it is bad in itself. :-S

[agfagaevart]

Re: Golliwogs and monkeys in adverts

Just because something might have a bad past doesn't mean that it is bad in itself. :-S

Oh yes...Of course. You can also apply that kind of logic to Jimmy Saville.

[culnara]

Re: Golliwogs and monkeys in adverts

hmmmm, children's toy doll compared to a children's tv presenter whom after death was revealed as a child / sex predator
I Don't get that one

[Sly]

Re: Golliwogs and monkeys in adverts

I don't really get the disdain for Gollywogs. It's just a doll. I think the people putting connotations on it are the ones that have the problems.

The monkeys? It's a bit cruel to make animals perform for us don't you think? From an ethical standpoint I don't think it's acceptable now.

[culnara]

Re: Golliwogs and monkeys in adverts

I don't really get the disdain for Gollywogs. It's just a doll. I think the people putting connotations on it are the ones that have the problems.

The monkeys? It's a bit cruel to make animals perform for us don't you think? From an ethical standpoint I don't think it's acceptable now.

My sentiments exactly Sly

[mazzer]

Re: Golliwogs and monkeys in adverts

As a kid I had a toy golly that I loved - I never knew it was meant to be a cariacature of black people, it was just a cute character and I loved mine dearly. I was also very fond of the Robertson's golly. There seems to have been a recent resurgence in the production of gollies as toys - you often come across them in posh gift shops - I remember finding a splendid fellow a few years back when my kids were little and was tempted because it was such a beautiful toy, but ultimately couldn't buy it because I'm an adult now and can't hide behind the excuse of childish innocence. Even the "nice" ones are ultimately racist stereotypes, and I'm actually quite shocked to see them back in circulation. (unbelievably, the same shop was selling new copies of the Little Black Sambo book as well!)

I've never liked watching animals being made to perform unnaturally - my kids have never been to a circus (although I believe they've done away with animal acts in circuses now, at least in this country - but circuses are still rubbish in my opinion cos of the creepy clowns!)

[battyrat]

Re: Golliwogs and monkeys in adverts

Reading this thread made me stop and think of what a small coloured girl was asking her mother in our local toyshop just before christmas.She asked why all the dolls were white.Looking at the shelf she was right.It's a pretty thought provoking thing when all a kid wants is a doll like themselves.The toy shop in question was probably more worried about the polical correctness brigade knocking at the door.

When I was a kid myself I never really stopped to think hard about golly's.They were everywhere from Robinson's badges and ornaments to books,even Noddy had a golly.Most girls I knew had them in their soft toy or doll collection.No problem as they were just another toy to a kid.I still find it hard to believe that it feels to me at least that political correctness has gone out of control as far as kids toys are concerned.If done correctly with the right intent a golly could be a beautiful toy.

As an afterthought there was a fellow on the antiques roadshow a few years ago that collected the sort of racial steriotype sort of stuff that a golly would now be seen as.A lot of it was just tat...but it formed an interesting collection of what could be seen as a part of our social history most people these days are brushing under the carpet or trying to hide.

You wait........next creepy clowns will be a racial steriotype of people with big noses or feet,nobbly knees or people with bad ties.

[darren]

Re: Golliwogs and monkeys in adverts

i feel iots just somkething to complain about.
its how it is now its all too p.c. these days.


you cant say anything.

and yes they are just dolls with dark faces.

if there should be n blak faced dolls there should be no white ones either..

id love to have had one but i never did.

I don't really get the disdain for Gollywogs. It's just a doll. I think the people putting connotations on it are the ones that have the problems.

The monkeys? It's a bit cruel to make animals perform for us don't you think? From an ethical standpoint I don't think it's acceptable now.

[Trickyvee]

Re: Golliwogs and monkeys in adverts

I had a Gollywog and never considered his colour to be related to black people. He was just a golly - an entity all of his own! Interesting that you can't get black dolls so easily now. I remember seeing black dolls (the plastic variety) alongside white ones in shops when I was a kid. It's a shame if shops feel like they can't sell them. Little girls just want a doll like them.

[mazzer]

Re: Golliwogs and monkeys in adverts

That's a real shame about the lack of ethnic dolls . I know some outlets - Early Learning Centre is one I think - that do try to represent diverse ethnicity in their toys. Harking back to my childhood, I personally love gollies for their nostalgic charm - but because they are rarely seen it's difficult to justify their return. Most kids today don't know what they are, and I had to explain to my kids what a golly represented cos they asked me what the Robertson's golly was meant to be.

[Richard1978]

Re: Golliwogs and monkeys in adverts

I've seen enough ethnic dolls around recently, & a casual look at the Argos website brings some up.

[Pinney68]

Re: Golliwogs and monkeys in adverts

I tried to buy a black Action Man a couple of years ago for my husband, not a chance! I know they used to make them, but I don't think they do anymore. Gutted.