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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/6359248/Noddy-returns-without-the-golliwogs.html
Political correctness gone too far, or a good move to "avoid controversy"?
As a child, I devoured all the Noddy books and was never upset by the presence of Golly. I don't remember the villainous gollies at all.
I was more upset but the absense of any black characters in most childrens' books of the time. I think they should keep Golly; it would only be racist if all the gollies were "bad", but Golly was Noddy's best friend. Having an all-white cast of characters is far more racist.
Political correctness gone too far, or a good move to "avoid controversy"?
Noddy returns without the golliwogs
Noddy returns to Toyland later this month in the first official new book for more than 45 years, but the golliwogs have been banished from his circle of friends.
In a bid to avoid any controversy for Noddy's 60th birthday, the golliwogs will not appear in the latest book. Enid Blyton's granddaughter, Sophie Smallwood, who wrote the new adventure, had considered including the characters but decided it would be too controversial – a decision which has been described as "unnecessary" by fans of the series.
As a child, I devoured all the Noddy books and was never upset by the presence of Golly. I don't remember the villainous gollies at all.
I was more upset but the absense of any black characters in most childrens' books of the time. I think they should keep Golly; it would only be racist if all the gollies were "bad", but Golly was Noddy's best friend. Having an all-white cast of characters is far more racist.
The dolls were popular at the time that the stories were written, but were later considered racist, prompting publishers to reissue the books replacing the golliwogs with other characters, with the white-faced Mr Sparks becoming the proprietor of the garage and the evil goblins Sly and Gobbo becoming Toyland's main villains.
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