McDonald’s bans golliwog raffle after ‘racist’ outcry
MCDONALD’S has asked its Te Awamutu restaurant not to hold raffles for golliwog dolls, after one customer called them ‘‘racist’’.
Will Moreland spotted the doll being displayed on the counter of the franchise yesterday— it was wearing a Waikato rugby jersey.
‘‘I was a bit shocked, because I’ve always thought of it as a racist image that depicts black people in an unfavourable way,’’ the 21-year-old said.
‘‘I suppose the question is less for McDonald’s as a large company – the question is more for Te Awamutu and how it views racism and cultural diversity.’’
In a statement, McDonald’s said the Te Awamutu restaurant hadn’t had any direct complaints about the doll.
‘‘That said, we acknowledge the sensitivities that exist with certain types of dolls, and have asked the franchisee not to do this type of fundraising going forward.’’
The raffle is to raise money for Ronald McDonald House, a charity that supports children requiring medical care.
The golliwog is a black fictional character, created by Florence Kate Upton, that appeared in children’s books in the late 19th century.
It was based on a blackface minstrel doll that Upton had played with as a child and is seen by many as a crude caricature of a black man.
In 2015, Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy applauded Pak’n Save for pulling golliwog dolls from the shelves of one of its stores.
‘‘An important thing about growing up is that even though something we did as children may have been acceptable then, it doesn’t make it acceptable forever,’’ she said.
‘‘Golliwogs aren’t harmless toys, they were born out of racism and represent an era that is best left in the past.’’
‘ Golliwogs aren’t harmless toys, they were born out of racism.’ DAME SUSAN DEVOY