The Royal Family wasn't Racist. Princess Diana just Banned Golliwogs for Shits & Giggles. [View all]

[TheBlackAdder]

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Princess Diana Banned From Racist Toys in Royal Nursery

Princess Diana once revealed her sons Princes William and Harry were banned from playing with controversial golliwog dolls because it "was seen to be racist."

The rag dolls—characterized by their dark skin and frizzy black hair—were popular in Britain and Australia in the early 20th century. But, like the equally dubious use of blackface in cinema, in more progressive times in the latter decades of the 20th century, the children’s toys were deemed an offensive depiction of black people. The word “golliwog” was also used as an epithet toward black people.

According to Australian newspaper the Herald Sun, the late Princess of Wales remarked that she “grew up with gollies” as a child during a tour of the Museum of Victoria with then-husband Prince Charles in 1985.

The museum had curated a collection of golliwog dolls in its children’s section at the time.

https://news.yahoo.com/princess-diana-banned-racist-toys-103243752.html

How the golliwog went from innocent children's hero to symbol of bitter controversy

First popularised during World War II, it was uttered by some British soldiers as a slur against North Africans and other dark foreigners, and its meaning spread to include anybody with even slightly swarthy skin.

The origin of 'wog' is hotly disputed - acronyms such as Wily Oriental Gentleman are suggested derivations, but more likely is that it was adapted from the already well-known golliwog.

However, a few years ago, a study by academics at the Bolton Institute supported the view that 'wog' had a separate derivation and that 'the golliwog, it seems, was not in origin a racist icon'.

By the 1960s, both the use of the term 'golliwog' and the dolls themselves were under increasing attack. Seen at best as racially insensitive and at worst as racist and vicious, golliwogs were gradually removed from public life.

In 1983, the Greater London Council banned Robertson's products from its jurisdiction, and in 1988 the character was no longer use in TV advertising.

The Enid Blyton books' negative use of the character was toned down and, after holding out for many years, even Robertson's Jam was forced to jettison Golly in 2002, a decision that was obviously taken with the greatest reluctance.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1136016/How-golliwog-went-innocent-childrens-hero-symbol-bitter-controversy.html

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