Glasgow gift shops start selling GOLLIWOG dolls in their windows | Daily Mail Online

Glasgow gift shops start selling GOLLIWOG dolls in their windows | Daily Mail Online



I remember a case, in my youth many years ago, in which Robertson's Jam makers in Paisley, Renfrewshire were taken to Court because they had a Golliwog on their jam jars. It was a big part of their advertising, as they gave away different metal badges of Golliwogs with guitars with saxophones,with tennis rackets and so on.A person collected a number of labels and paid a small price per badge.  They were forced to remove the Golliwog.

Later in my life,while in America, I sat in Sambo's pancake house during a four day break in Las Vegas, Nevada, one morning at about 3.30am eating pancakes and maple syrup. It was 1969 and one year after the riots in the Watt's area of Los Angeles near to where  was staying in Glendale. I mused about the name, in the light of the jam maker's problems.

My uncle had shares in Sambos and he told me a few years later that they were eventually taken to Court over the name, but won their case, stating that it was a slang form of the name Sam.

A friend of mine was a partner in a famous pop venue in Glasgow,where Simple Minds were discovered, named the Mars Bar. The chocolate bar makers took them to Court over that name and really made fools of themselves by doing so. The defense was rather obvious. The pub was named after the planet,of course!!!

So what's in a name? Golliwog dolls were part of my childhood as were pink coloured ones. They were all dolls. Perhaps all dolls should be banned, as they could be an arousal item for peadophiles!!!

Where does political correctness end? We still have the city of Manchester and we still have manhole covers in our streets. So why not, Golliwog dolls.?

Methinks it is an advertising ploy, plain and simple !!!