Le Golliwogg

I think I remember seeing this at my grandmother's house when I was very little. The bottle looks very familiar. Then again, it may have been on her decor shelf of statues and figurines. Just seen this bottle on episode of Antiques Roadshow while waiting at my son's doctor's office.

This is the most wonderfully warm perfume. My Great Auntie had a bottle on her bureau. The hair was real fur, a good quality. When I attented the Worlds Fair in NYC during 1965, I think, I visited the French Pavilion. One could test perfumes and then order. They came out of a chute. You did not see the packaging until you paid for and received the perfume. I loved the Golliwog, which seems mostly Amber, anyway, I was surprised to see ths same bottle as my Auntie had. I bought another small bottle of Vigny "Heure Intime" (innocuous bottle) in San Francisco c. '68. Both are heavenly scents and I do wish someone would ressurect the formula. As for the bottle design, I see it as a celebration of Afro-Art and for you kill-joys who see hate & evil everywhere, you know who you are, tough tittles. Signed, Josephine Baker.

Lots of people arriving here just to comment on the bottle, to play the Lorax and speak for their "non-white friends." I'm a non-white so I will go ahead and put my two cents on this thing I've never smelled since the discussion is heading that way and we all seem to value free speech here. There's a Wikipedia page on the Golliwog character that's easily accessible if anyone would like to read its history. It's one of many caricatures of black people that had its heyday in the early 20th century, although it's not nearly as well-known today as other archetypes such as mammy, pickaninnie, etc. As with the mammy character, the Golliwog wasn't a cultural piece that sought to completely demonize black people. Instead, it inflated many stereotypes, even innocuous ones. Mammy for instance was seen as a caregiving figure, someone nurturing to care for white children. Golliwog was a character in children's stories, and was depicted as a friendly companion to genteel Dutch dolls. However, there is a reason why these archetypes are considered racist today. Caricatures are meant to exaggerate attributes of people for a grotesque effect. Not every caricature does this in a racist way, but the black archetypes of the early 20th century certainly do, because they primarily focus on those attributes that marked black people as alien from polite white society. Mammy may be seen as a caregiving figure, but she was not an equal to her mistress or the children she cared for. Just the same, the Golliwog was invented by an English author to be a companion for her other characters, but she made sure to describe the doll as "a horrid sight, the blackest gnome" when introducing the character. To dismiss these characters as not racist, as completely innocuous, is to ignore history and the role these archetypes played in alienating black people in an already segregated society. I don't expect this review to be taken well by the Fragrantica community, but I wanted to contribute something to the commentary since the discussion seems to have been revived.

I know this will get deleted, but I can't help but respond to the profound ignorance of the last review. "killjoys"? This bottle is a racist depiction of African and African descended people. End of story. BUT as a vintage object, it is of a time, a time that has passed, and collecting it and commenting on it as an object from another era, and commenting especially on the perfume inside is completely valid here. In fact, many African Americans do collect this type of object or souvenir as a way to reclaim what was once used pejoratively against them as a people and make it their own, much like Black use of "the N word." BUT I think if you are too uninformed to know the historical/social/political significance of a thing that IS offensive to many people, you should not advertise it by saying stupid, dismissive things about their informed views, and ending with "tough tittles" (btw, WTH?) It's one thing to not know, but it's another thing altogether to not know and not care. That's willful ignorance, and I'm embarrassed for you. Your lilly-White self DOES NOT get to tell people of color what they are allowed or not allowed to be offended by. And while I'm at it, let me address the genius who wants to know why he wasn't allowed to use this as his avatar, and why, if it so offensive, it is even here for review. It's here because it's a fragrance. But hopefully, people are intelligent and educated enough to know that the character the bottle depicts is racist, and represents what was acceptable IN ANOTHER ERA by people who were ignorant. Let's say you are a WWII enthusiast. You go to ebay. You find some memorabilia that depicts Hitler. Maybe you buy it because you are a present-day White supremacist. Hopefully not. More likely you may buy it just because that era fascinates you, even as you are probably disgusted by crazy-ass Hitler, the man. BUT YOU WOULD PROBABLY NOT USE HITLER AS YOUR EBAY AVATAR.

At first site, this Golliwog bottle just looked like a clown to me. And contrary to popular opinion, I think clowns are cute (the cute / playful ones) Due to the Fragrantica Golliwog 'drama', I looked up Golliwog on Wikipedia because I didn't know why there was so much fuss over a d@mn clown. That led me to wonder if there was something more ("sinister", perhaps?) to my beloved Raggedy Ann. I didn't know Raggedy Ann & Andy dolls were based on storybook characters. I just knew they are adorable. When I had my childhood bedroom decked out in all things Raggedy Ann, I didn't know that her name came from a story about a "tramp." When I continued to collect them into adulthood, I did not realize that the characters were used for anti-immunization propaganda. Again, I just thought they were cute. I'm generally PRO immunization (note: generally), actually. Am I supposed to stop thinking that they are cute now? Ain't gonna happen. Thinking something is cute doesn't make someone a racist, holding racist beliefs does. Just something to chew on.

That just came across now, I've never heard about this perfume, the first thing that intrigued me it was, I think you guessed.. The bottle. To be totally honest that bottle reminds me what a five years old would draw is just a cute way a child would draw a person. I don't know the ideas the original designer had in his/her mind when created that bottle but I find artistic to start with. Ideal ( based on some comments below) is to try avoid take things too seriously. I myself trying to do the same. This is an old perfume. I am more curious about the scent itself than the bottle. Saying that, looks like a cute little happy doll. Like I said, that's just my opinion. Just to finalise the thing about 'race'... Races doesn't exist, only one race exists, the human race.

This makes me inexplicably sad. I used to read and collect Enid Blyton books as a child. The golliwogs were always portrayed as mischievous trouble makers. I still had the collection of books up until I was about 20 when I found out the history behind the golliwog. I trashed the whole collection. Almost fifty books. It just didn't seem to be right to keep them, even though they were written in a time when it was acceptable to refer to black people that way. I don't think I would even smell this, even if it was the best perfume in the world. But Fragrantica is a perfume encyclopedia and as such should publish as much information about as many perfumes as they can get hold of.

This perfume came about in an era in Paris where they fell in love with jazz and Josephine Baker (whom they loved and admired) .The whole fantasy of jungle, drums, and the exotic was the top attraction in the most famous cabarets of Paris. I don't think (and this is my opinion) that the perfume House of Vigny meant to offend or disrespect anyone. Of course, the French would not come up with that design now. About the scent itself, I would like to try it and see what the House of Vigny tried to convey in this now controversial perfume.

My husband is black. I saw this and we both had a laugh. The bottle is monstrous and gives me the creeps, but admittedly it was created in a different time and in a different world. A bit politically incorrect in our world I admit, but like one Fragrantica said, it is a collectors piece and because of the time that it was created for, it cannot be deemed as offensive. I must admit that to use it for your avatar is like using a swastica for your avatar, you just wouldn't do it.

I agree with elsie.oliveros, these bottles were never created to be racist, they were created to honor the black performers that were taking Paris by storm in the 1920's such as Josephine Baker. Back then Africa was a mystery to most, they didn't have newsreels or the internet. To say this is racist is just 21st century political correctness being applied to 1920's France.

I LOVE this perfume! My all-time favorite. My aunt and uncle as Willitts Design used to import this fragrance from France, but as far as I know it just is NOT available anymore. Have an OLD bottle 3/4 used and it's beginning to turn. I'm very sad about losing this scent forever. Does anyone know if it's still being made, or where I can purchase some?

All these comments about the bottle, and the one and only word that has been said about the juice is that it is warm amber. THAT is what makes me sick. All you who want to show off how "non-racist" you are, still fan the flames by even commenting about the bottle. My thoughts about the bottle are irrelevant. What is even inside?

I was intrigued by the notes and did an eBay search and found a dupe company that makes their version of this. I’ve never smelled the original but my God this clone is amazing. I’ve never smelled anything like it, it’s not like No 5. It’s bright and floral but has vanilla and spice and maybe something aromatic. It’s gorgeous.

Welcome to a new offshoot of Fragrantica called Bottlecapica. Where you don't have to have, actually, smelled the fragrance. You can just express yourself and tell everybody what you are all about, via the gift of your opinion about a 103 year old lid.

According to Cleopatra's Boudoir, the following are the notes: aldehydes, bergamot, clove violet, jasmine, rose, orris, lily of the valley, ylang ylang tonka, styrax, civet, vetiver, vanilla, amber, sandalwood, patchouli, oakmoss, musk

Get this racist funky ahh bottle outta here. Like literally remove this from Fragrantica. It is extremely offensive. I'm shocked you still have it up honestly.

Although the bottle is cringe, I’m really curious what the fragrance smells like.

Bottle is hilarious, white women with a savior complex be tripping

The bottle is so ugly that I even like it! =) It is funny.

I will pay very handsomely for a bottle of this.