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Glite Dictionary
golliwogg

golliwogg

9.9
A soft doll with exaggerated features that shows Black people in an offensive way
  • noun
  • /ˈɡɑːlɪˌwɑɡ/
  • Slur
: muñeco golliwog (ofensivo)
  • The museum removed the golliwogg from its collection after complaints about racist imagery.

Examples

  • The book featured a golliwogg character that reflected the prejudices of its era.

  • As a child, she owned a golliwogg, though it would be considered inappropriate today.

  • The child hugged her golliwogg tightly.

  • Many people find the golliwogg to be offensive.

  • The museum removed the golliwogg from its collection after complaints about racist imagery.

  • Many people find the golliwogg to be offensive.

  • As a child, she owned a golliwogg, though it would be considered inappropriate today.

How Offensive

golliwogg
  • Slur
9.9
caricature
46 5.5
toy
233 1.0

Surface Forms

golliwogg singular
golliwoggs plural

Etymology

Golliwogg was first the name given by the writer Florence Kate Upton to a dark-skinned doll in her 1895 children's books, and it became a popular 'toy'. Because the doll copied racist stage pictures, golliwogg came to mean an offensive 'caricature' of black people, so the word today is seen as hurtful and not acceptable.