Golliwogs

Saw these dolls in a shop window today. These are patterned after the originals from the end of the 19th century. At this time, Australia was occupied by the British and there were Egyptian laborers who wore armbands  with the letters WOGS on them which stood for "Working for Government Service". The British troops called these Egyptian laborers "ghuls" which is the Arabic word for desert ghost. The workers made little dolls like these for their kids then the British started sending them back to their families and called them "Ghuliwogs". That word morphed into the present day word for these dolls: golliwog.