Owner of Bay of Plenty cafe 'Golliwogs' unlikely to change name

Golliwogs bakery and lunch bar in Paengaroa. Photo / George Novak

The owner of a Bay of Plenty cafe called Golliwogs that displays several of the dolls is unlikely to change the branding, claiming golliwogs are not racist.

The golliwog is a black fictional character that began appearing in children's books in the late 1800s taking inspiration from an old form of racist entertainment shows that were popular before slavery was abolished.

It later became a popular children's toy.

It is characterised by black skin, eyes rimmed in white, big red lips and frizzy hair.

This week it was reported a quilt depicting golliwogs had been removed from an art exhibition in Whakatāne after a visitor complained it was offensive.

On Thursday the Bay of Plenty Times called the cafe and spoke with a woman who confirmed she was the owner but refused to give her name.

She said of using the name Golliwogs: "It's not racist against any race or people, it's a toy. I mean people aren't racist against Barbie dolls, so what the hell," the woman said.

She confirmed she knew the history behind the golliwog and said there was a lot of "misinformation" about golliwogs.

"They're all happy, nice - golliwogs are all toys that little kids like and play with ... they're not a race, they're just a doll. They don't even look like any race," she said.

"That's why I called it Golliwogs, there's a lot of misinformation about it."

'When told about the history of the dolls being racist and demeaning, she said they were not.

She said there had been no problems with the name of her cafe and "nobody seems to mind it". Her company was also named after the characters: "so if it's legal, it's no problem."

An NZME reporter went to the shop on Friday. It was not open but he saw six or seven golliwog dolls on display inside.

Auckland University School of Social Sciences and Public Policy associate professor Camille Nahkid told NZME this week a golliwog was "offensive" as it was a caricature that belittles one race for the entertainment of another.

Nahkid said the golliwog diminished and belittled a race that was packaged and presented as a childish icon.

She said there was "nothing harmless" about it.

The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris State University in the United States said the golliwog was originally a book character by Florence Kate Upton in 1873.

The cartoon was drawn as a caricature of a minstrel, and the minstrel show was an American form of racist entertainment with a demeaning image of black people, and shows were popular before slavery was abolished.

The earliest dolls were rag dolls made by parents with the first mass production in 1908, the university museum recorded.

The university museum stated that the golliwog reflected negative beliefs about the minority race; as thieves, criminals, and incompetent.