Beechworth Sweets ad banned due to use of ‘inappropriate racist symbol’
A TV advertisement for The Beechworth Sweet Co., has been banned by the Advertising Standards Board for its use of an illustrated golliwog in the brand logo which the watchdog ruled is an “inappropriate racist symbol”.
The TV ad in question depicts the front of the business, a snapshot of some chocolate products and the logo for the business which features old fashioned toys, including a golliwog, pets and old fashioned confectionary. In the TV ad, the logo was animated to make the golliwog wave.
A complaint argued the ad was “offensive” due to the golliwog.
“It shocked me deeply, this is a racist symbol! In 2016 the image of a golliwog on television is completely inexcusable. I truly believe casual racism like this is so damaging to the community and this commercial should never be aired again,” the complaint stated.
The Beechworth Sweet Co., defended the logo, stating it was “set up when the business opened in 1992”.
“The logo is done in an old fashioned style to depict the Victorian era of the historic town of Beechworth which maintains signage and streetscapes as part of its heritage attraction,” the lolly shop said.
“The Beechworth Sweet Co., believes the logo represents childhood memories, eg. toys, pets and old fashioned confectionary. Golliwogs, now referred to as ‘Gollies’, were very popular at the beginning of the 20th Century and were characters in many children’s books. The racial connotation of golliwogs came around the 1960s. We believe we represent gollies as part of happy childhood memories in a tasteful, respectful way.”
In its ruling, the Board noticed that “the golly is now recognised as a symbol of racial insensitivity due to its origins as a ministrel-like caricature, as minstrels were usually white men using black-face to depict ‘racist black stereotypes'”.
It was the Board’s view that by making the golly’s hand move in the ad’s final scene, it is drawing “specific attention to this doll”.
While the Board has no jurisdiction over the design of the logo, the Board considered that by “using animation to highlight the characters in the logo, and by drawing the viewer’s attention to one particular toy, the golly, the advertisement used an inappropriate racist symbol”.
“The Board considered that the use of the animated golly character represents a symbol that humiliates and ridicules a person on account of the colour of their skin,” the ruling stated.
The complaint was upheld.
The Beechworth Sweet Co., has suspended the TV ad “pending further correspondence regarding the processes and the possibility of a review”.
“It has never been our intention to be racist. The intent of this advertisement has always been to share our love of sweets,” the company said.
What utter nonsense!
Ingmar,
I take it you’re not black, then?
Yet another example of the advertising standards board bowing and scraping to the the left-wing hand-wringers who find everything has to be offensive and have another meaning. I totally agree with you, Ingmar. It’s time the asb was sacked in toto and replaced with humans. Or golliwogs.
PS – I don’t find it offensive in the slightest; the opposite, in fact. Does my single comment not outweigh the precious complainer?
……….and while we’re at it let’s erase every symbol from the past that might at some time be considered offensive. And the A S B too, they’re representative of a narrow minded ultra conservative weak willed bunch of lunchers and bludgers.
All Golliwog immigration should be immediately stopped until I can work out exactly what is going on.
Golliwogs were part of my childhood> I am now 62. The advertising board needs to have a good look at itself and stop bowing down to those people who wish to change Australian culture and beliefs. I wonder if the colour of the golliwog was White/yellow/brown it would be different. Shame on you. I wish the Beechworth Sweet Company would fight this and the 1 Whinger should butt out. I really dont know where Australia is going.
As per Benster’s comment above, guessing that none of the people objecting to this are black. For most black folk (and reasonably aware people in general) Golliwogs are a deeply racist symbol of the past and the sooner they are relegated to the past the better.
Golliwogs are from your childhood and that’s really special to you. How lovely!
So must the memories be of smoking on planes and getting spanked by your teachers at school.
Some things are best left in the past… unless of course you are an ignorant white troglodyte.
Have a nice casually racist day! 🙂