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Strange BearsI have always understood the name of the G0lliwog came from Bertha Upton who wrote the first books aboout him and they were illustrated by her daughter.
However on the weekend, as per-usual when the question of "What do you do/" came up at a party and I mentioned bears etc the question arose of where they came from. So usual story about Roosevelt. Then the question about Gollies cam up and I gave the Bertha Upton answer.
An American at the the Aussie party became quite aggressive and told me basically that I was an ignorant Aussie and the real story was that Robertson Marmalade Jam's son toured the south duing the "slave" era and saw the children palying with rag dolls their mothers had made. Their accent being rather broad the word "dolly" sounded like "Golly" and he brought the name back and invented it.
I found his aggression quite amusing and his defense of the "worlds ignorance of the true origan of the word" even funnier, however I am now quite curious as this is the first I have ever heard of this story. Has anyone else heard of it?
Past Time BearsSounds like one of those 'ugly American' incidents to me. He is QUITE WRONG!! Just ask Dilu . . . she is an expert on the origin of gollies and has discussed this before. Robertson Marmalade Jam???? Was this guy sloshed at the party?
Matilda Huggington-beareBertha Upton, 1849-1912.
The Golliwogg in War! London, New York: Longmans, Green & Co., 1899.
The Golliwogg in War! is one of a series of books featuring the "Golliwoggs" which were African-American dolls. Bertha Upton wrote the verses for the books, her daughter Florence did the illustrations. The Uptons did not copyright their work which was soon copied onto a wide variety of cards, games, and even wallpaper. The composer Claude Debussy, in his suite Children's Corner (1906-08), included a "Golliwoggs Cake-walk."
I googled Bertha Upton, this is just a teensy fraction on the Golliwogg. There is just tonnes of stuff.
This extract is quoted from the University of Delaware.
this is a link to a bookshop online
http://www.theweeweb.co.uk/public/autho … php?id=524
this link you will love. It is a save our golly site. Theres this huge golly world out there I never knew existed.
http://www.sterlingtimes.co.uk/golliwog.htm
Matilda Huggington-beareI have been reading about the Robertsons 'golly' on their marmalade and jam jars.
The rude american was only a teensy bit correct. I hope you get to meet him again.
to tell him he is in fact WRONG!!!!!!!!! :crackup: and you are infact RIGHT!!!!!!! 
Pandy Potter BearsI was very disappointed when Robertsons went PC and did away with the Golly tokens. You used to collect them off the jam and marmalade and could send off for loads of stuff. There were badges and figures. I've still got a badge somewhere but my brother has the figures. Thanks for the links.
