Golly, Golly, Everywhere
The Golliwogg, as he had been developed by Florence Upton in her books, had not been copyrighted. Therefore from its first wave of success in the late 19th century, the character was reproduced in various forms. To date, there is no explanation as to why this evidently unattractive doll was so popular amongst children. The image of the golly dressed in unco-ordinated bow tie, waistcoat, jacket and trousers appeared on Christmas cards, badges, early 20th century teething rings, trade cards, toys, dolls (many of which were home made using 'Rag Sheets'), games, postcards and confectionery. There were golly songs such as My Good Old Golliwog by M. Byron Lewis and Charles Hutchins (1909), which was an action song for schools, and Mister Golliwog, I do Love! by Osbourne J Grenelle and Sydney Twinn (1911). Children had access to other golly adventures as in Golliwog Stories: A Picture Book for Little Folk by Frank Hart (1910) and The Golliwog News (1913). Such widespread acceptance helped to turn the golly into an icon of childhood.
By 1911 the golly began to acquire a mischievous image. In the children's book Bo-Peep, his character is unsavoury in different situations. When the golly arrives in a nursery he makes a dreadful fuss whilst a skating tragedy occurs as 'The unfair Golliwog' shows his 'jealous, thievish Golly rag sheet, English, 1916 character' (In Jan Nederveen Pieterse, White on Black …). This was a marked move away from the more placid and genial Golliwogg Upton had created.
The historian Sheila Gopaulen believes that by becoming an icon amongst British children, the golly 'entered the British popular imperial consciousness as evidenced by the ephemera that depicted the golly between 1895 and the 1920s. It had become a distinctly British creation that signified paternalist national affection'. This is well illustrated in a 'Midget Message Card' of 1917. Here, a mother watches over her children as they pray for those fighting in the First World War. The golly is present as part of this harmonious and patriotic family scene. By the time of the First World War, the golly was firmly established as a favourite nursery toy and would have been the soft toy of choice for many children.
During the inter-war period, the golly featured on merchandise more and more. For example, the confectionery manufacturer Trebor introduced its aniseed flavoured sweet, Black Jack, in the 1920s. The wrapper of the sweet featured the now classic face of the golly: afro-style hair, black face, oversized lips, giant eyes and equally large bow tie.
This marketing strategy was used to 'introduce a black-chewy candy, differentiate it from other competitive products, and that the grinning, cheerful, lively and appealing trademark [of the golly] would appeal to the candy-buying public' (R. McGregor). Black Jacks continued to depict the golly until the 1990s. A criticism of the use of the golly in this way, and for so long, was that, as Sheila Gopaulen has expressed, 'Trebor's sweet wrapper bore similarities to the existing use of images of black children to advertise liquorice, underlining the connections between the confectionery and skin colour.'
From the late 1940s, following the Second World War, the golly became popular again through children's literature. There were numerous titles such as The Frog and the Golliwog, and other Stories by Robert Tredinnick (1947), and The Golliwog, and Other Stories for Children by Garnie Ritchie (1950). The most famous was by Enid Blyton and her book The Three Golliwogs, first published in 1944. This was matched by the mass production of golly toys. Between the 1950s and 1960s, the golly's popularity increased to the degree that he became a mascot for British pop group The Beatles.
