- Ben Wilson spotted the dolls at the Candy Time store in Westfield Carindale
- He said they are offensive to Aboriginal people as well as many other races
- But the owner of Candy Time has insisted that the dolls ‘originated from love’
A lolly shop has sparked outrage after an Aboriginal man found golliwogs for sale there.
Ben Wilson spotted the dolls on display at the Candy Time store in Westfield Carindale when he visited his family in Brisbane last week, news.com.au reports.
‘I was absolutely appalled to see these dolls on display,’ he told the website.
A lolly shop has sparked outrage after an Aboriginal man saw golliwogs on display. Stock picture
‘These dolls do not only offend Aboriginal people such as myself, but a number of different races from all over the globe.’
He made a complaint to a shop assistant and then sent one to Candy Time’s head office.
But Candy Time owner Tanya Jones insisted that the ‘dolls originated from love’ and described them as ‘beautiful.’
The Gold Coast-based company has sold the dolls at all 10 of its stores for the past two years.
The store owner insisted that the ‘dolls originated from love’ and described them as ‘beautiful.’ File photo
Although she admitted that some customers have noted the dolls’ connection to black slavery, she insisted that was not the case.
‘A lot of people get misinformed about the dolls’ heritage and I think it is sad that people in society have turned something that is loving to something that has this stigma … to something hateful,’ she said
‘As a company, we stand by the sentiment that these dolls originated from love and people adore them for how beautiful they are.’