Golliwogg

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A fictional character originating in children's literature, often depicted as a caricature with dark skin and exaggerated features
2. A historical figure in children's toys and literature that has drawn criticism and controversy for its racial stereotypes
3. A type of black-faced doll that was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, now regarded as an offensive representation of racial identity

Etymology: The word began as a name in a children's book. Florence Kate Upton, an American illustrator, published "The Golliwogg's Air-Ship" in 1895 with the original spelling carrying a double g, and her character was a grotesque black doll with frizzy hair, red lips and a wide grin. The doll became hugely popular in Britain, where Upton's books and the merchandise that followed made it a fixture of the nursery. The name's own origin is murky, and the sources offer no confirmed etymology, so the spelling is the most reliable fact here: the double g distinguishes the first printed form. Within a few decades the figure had been turned into dolls, badges and jam labels, and it became a symbol of the racial caricature that later generations came to find offensive.

Synonyms: doll