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1. Obama Doll Post from Racialicious « Immigration, Assimilation, Ethnicity and All That Jazz on 02 Jul 2008 at 8:35 am

   […] by chinesecanuck on July 2, 2008 A German toymaker launched an Obama doll recently, and people are saying that the doll is too dark, looks stereotypical etc. What they (or at least […]

2. German toy maker is ultra-clueless « Clueless White Woman on 04 Jul 2008 at 9:26 am

   […] pm Tags: 2008 election, cluelessness, international, racism, stereotypes No, really, it’s Obama Präsidentschaftskandidaten Barack Obama has a new commemorative doll. Made in Germany. And this is what it looks […]

Comments

1. cosmicsistren wrote:

   Are you fucking kidding me? When I first saw that ugly doll I thought I had clicked on the wrong website. It reminds me of the caricatures of blacks with the dark skin and pink - red lips depcited in the early 1900’s. This just shows me that “some” white people can be so ignorant and racist.

   Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 8:13 am ¶

2. Alexandra wrote:

   Ugh, I saw this posted somewhere else, I feel if you can’t do it right just don’t do it particularly if you admire someone. With maybe the exception of the hair texture it doesn’t come close to looking like Barack Obama. Calling it “symbolic” sounds like a pretty excuse for inadequacy or outright obliviousness.

   Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 8:13 am ¶

3. JJH13 wrote:

   Terrible. And the designers gave him a flag pin to boot. Try again! Next time, with some effort.

   Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 8:23 am ¶

4. brad wrote:

   I guess Obama should be grateful that unlike the Dalai Lama, Obama hasn’t lost any of his non-white ancestry.

   But, come on! This is ridiculous. How could a lighter colored doll not look more like Obama than than this one?

   This guy is a hack!

   Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 8:27 am ¶

5. Persia wrote:

   This is unfortunately all too common with designer dolls– often the ‘big names’ like Madame Alexander have one or two faces to choose from, and they’re generally ‘white’ faces.

   Do most European dolls have so little diversity in color, I wonder? Is ‘black’ always so black?

   Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 8:43 am ¶

6. Safiya Outlines wrote:

   1 - No black person has lips that colour and that includes Barak Obama.

   2 - It looks nothing like him! Is it meant to be Obama as a child or something?

   Very dodgy.

   Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 8:43 am ¶

7. Dan wrote:

   Jesus Christ. First the Germans start a World War because they believe that white Aryan’s are a superior race, now they’re making little dolls representing minorities that are nothing more than white dolls dressed up in religious garb, or painted black. Are they now saying that deep inside all blacks and Buddhists there is a white person trying to get out?

   haha just kidding.

   These dolls are really weak. Commemorative my ass…satirical maybe. And insensitive at the very least.

   On a side note, the whole flag pin on the lapel deal was hilarious. I’d be willing to bet that if you flipped that pin on McCain and Clinton’s lapel upside down, it would read ‘Made in China’.

   Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 8:49 am ¶

8. bertie wrote:

   Well…I take issue with the doll being called “ugly.” It just doesn’t represent a good likeness of Barak Obama. Aside from the weird lip color, there is nothing inherently ugly about the doll itself.

   Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 8:59 am ¶

9. Tinkerbella wrote:

   I usually dont respond to stuff, (I just come along for the ride), but this is just inexcusable. Expert doll maker? I think not. Expert Jackass? Maybe..

   Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 9:06 am ¶

10. Angel H. wrote:

    For fuck’s sake, even Mattel caught on and made two or three different colors for their black dolls.

    I miss Shani and her friends.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 9:06 am ¶

11. Treacle wrote:

    That doll looks like a Little Black Sambo caricature.

    If you can’t do something right, don’t do it at all.

    He’s not interested in honoring anyone except himself (”Look! Aren’t we awesome! We made a black doll!”) as evidenced by his constant patting himself on the back for being so “progressive.”

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 9:08 am ¶

12. gothic guera wrote:

    it does look like those caricatures of blacks in the early 1900’s. when I looked at it I was in WTF? mode. Also why does the Dalai Lama doll look like a baby doll?

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 9:18 am ¶

13. Latoya Peterson wrote:

    Two notes -

    1. I am not familiar with Germany’s history with Sambo/Darkie imagery, so I left any discussion of that dynamic out. I just focused on the comments from the doll maker.

    2. I love how you can make something so awesomely inaccurate and call it a symbolic gesture. (This guy also made a Princess Di doll, which I could not find a picture of, but I saw a lot of “worst Di doll ever!” comments)

    3. I’m pissed that people are actually buying it.

    4. Dolls kind of creep me out, and all their offerings look like re-imaged Cabbage Patch Kids. *shudder*

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 9:24 am ¶

14. gatamala wrote:

    Notice anything?

    Flag pin!!!

    I CAN’T.

    I WON’T.

    *drops mic, walks off stage*

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 9:28 am ¶

15. Abu Sinan wrote:

    At first thought I would have expected more from a German doll/toy maker. Germans make the best toys in the world. Disclaimer, I was born in Germany and have German ancestry.

    But then I thought about it, this is the same country that for years had a candy called “Neggerkussen”.

    The German version of the “N-Word” is close enough for everyone to get it, the “kussen” means “kisses”. So in German this candy meant “N-Word Kisses”

    You might think this is bad, but it gets worse. the candy were designed in the shape of a pair of big giant red lips.

    Germans really can be clueless sometimes! If they couldnt do the doll right, they should not have done it at all.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 9:32 am ¶

16. cosmicsistren wrote:

    @ bertie - I don’t understand why you would take issue on “my” opinion that the doll is ugly. I am disgusted with the way it looks and people are supposed to believe that is Barack Obama? Get outtta here!! And before you go and say that I have issue with the complexion because it is dark you would be wrong because I am a dark skinned woman.

    @ Latoya - The sambo reference is EXACTLY what I was referring to. I was just to angry to remeber the name of the character. I just get angry looking at that thing.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 9:38 am ¶

17. Philly Phil wrote:

    ** And what do you mean “even lighter?”

    oh man! you made me laugh out loud at work with that one…

    and i’m with LaToya on this one. Dolls, in general, are freaky as shit. Ever since that Talking Tina episode of Twiligh Zone.

    my sisters used to have a Baby Skates doll when we were kids… a doll that rollerskated and giggled simultaneoulsy. but at 6 years old, when you see a cackling, erkin’-jerkin’ and gliding doll coming at you, who wouldn’t run?

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 9:38 am ¶

18. dave wrote:

    yeah. not obama. pretty pathetic showing, offermann.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 9:42 am ¶

19. Lyonside wrote:

    Treacle - Sambo, indeed, or rather, the freaking LAWN JOCKEYS… My first thought was, “what, no johdpers and lantern?”

    You know, I’ve seen quite a few of them in the burbs in historic homes ( or homes attempting to be historic) - most literally whitewashed “white” so as to not offend (the tell-tale is when the paint starts to chip).

    Reminds me of the Jemima/Mammy figurines that I can STILL find at local rummage sales, out there as “collectors items.” And it takes every ounce of self-control to not stumble over invisible rocks and crash the table… or let my todder do the same.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 9:50 am ¶

20. Genevieve wrote:

    Uh, he’s not Little Black Sambo, people. If he was Sambo, he’d have pancakes, helloooo.

    The worst atrocity here isn’t the skintone– it’s Obama’s stylist! Shoulder pads would make his head-to-shoulder-width ratio much more flattering. And methinks Barack could use some mattifying foundation, or the like. Alas! He chose the “reflective flaw-hiding” foundation, and made the classic mistake of going a shade too dark. Combine this with the matching of lipstick to accessories; tacky, Obama! You should draw attention to the eyes, not the mouth!

    @gothic guerra: ….because the Dalai Lama wants children to get involved with the liberation of Taiwan from China?? Maybe babies just love Buddhism. BABIES FOR BUDDHA

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 10:08 am ¶

21. cosmicsistren wrote:

    @philly phil - “my sisters used to have a Baby Skates doll when we were kids… a doll that rollerskated and giggled simultaneoulsy. but at 6 years old, when you see a cackling, erkin’-jerkin’ and gliding doll coming at you, who wouldn’t run?”

    @lyonside - “And it takes every ounce of self-control to not stumble over invisible rocks and crash the table… or let my todder do the same.”

    …..lmao….these had me cracking up. (invisible rocks…lol)

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 10:09 am ¶

22. Genevieve wrote:

    @Lyonside: I didn’t want to say anything, because I wasn’t sure if the doll’s ugliness was just making me think about the lawn jockeys, or if there was an actual resemblance. They are all over the place where I live… Does the doll come with a little lamp to hold to light your walkway?

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 10:12 am ¶

23. Slush wrote:

    Well, it looks about as much like Barack Obama as I do. But good thing he’s got that American flag lapel pin!

    The color is way off, but it was the chubby cheeks I somehow found more jarring. I guess that seems the be the only mold this dollmaker has.

    Here’s what I’m left wondering: does this doll represent an “all black people look the same, so this doll looks like Barack Obama” attitude, or is it more of a “all people look the same but come with slightly different hair, skin tone, and accessories” suggestion?

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 10:21 am ¶

24. OTM wrote:

    Okay, I will just share the comment a friend made when I sent him a link to this blog, because it sums up my reaction as well:

    “That’s a lovely tar baby Offerman made.”

    Let’s make this easy: everybody just stop making Obama dolls.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 10:24 am ¶

25. Latoya Peterson wrote:

    *smacks the side of the doll head and gets stuck*

    Hmm…

    Somehow, I feel Br’er Rabbit isn’t on his way though.

    I wonder if the Republicans would fall for it? It could be the first Trojan Tar Baby, set up at one of those Town Halls that McCain keeps proposing…

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 10:28 am ¶

26. Sanguinity wrote:

    @abu: At least from my experience tracking European representations of Native Americans, I have the strong impression that the U.S. has done a DANDY job exporting all its cultural racism, without exporting the “polite” veneer that you’re supposed to cover it with. (But more bluntly, Europe has seen all the John Wayne movies, but hasn’t been made to take any of the “these representations are impolite” corporate diversity trainings.) The result is that Europeans use the stereotypes / images / language of fifty to a hundred years ago, and they’re completely bald-faced about it.

    As I said, I’m used to watching Europe do this with representations of Native Americans, but this doll — and your story about the lip candy — makes me think that the U.S’s export of its cultural racism (and Europe’s carcicature-bold re-expression of that racism) has been happening across the board.

    (By the way, I should make the note that it’s not just in Europe that I see this. Representations coming out of Asia are every bit as bad. Have you seen how Hong Kong action films portray American Blacks?)

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 10:35 am ¶

27. Cara wrote:

    it actually looks like a cross between a Golliwog and Picanniny charicatures. Google Ferris State U’s “Jim Crow Museum”; it’s full of examples and explainations of racist memorabelia.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 10:38 am ¶

28. Winn wrote:

    @ Philly Phil - “My name is Talking Tina…and I’m going to kill you!” I must confess, there were times growing up that I wish I had my own Talking Tina. But I also confess, she (like almost all dolls) was pretty creepalicious. Surely this “Obama” jock…I mean, commemorative doll, will cause just as many nightmares!

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 10:59 am ¶

29. Slush wrote:

    @Sanguinity
    On exporting American racism - Eish, when I was in Indonesia I was asked several questions about Blacks in America, all to the tune of “isn’t it true that Blacks commit all the crime” or something like that.

    And what was painfully worse was that even when I was prepared enough to give a simple and lucid explanation that no, that perception was completely mistaken (maybe going into where that idea would going from, maybe not, depending on the person), I got the strong impression that they just did not believe me. Presumably this was because most American media they consumed told them otherwise, and any explanation or information I gave did not conform to reality as it was marketed to them.

    But I doubt they were so innocent about it all as to have asked the same questions of Black American travelers directly….

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 11:03 am ¶

30. gatamala wrote:

    *smacks the side of the doll head and gets stuck*

    Hmm…

    Somehow, I feel Br’er Rabbit isn’t on his way though.

    I wonder if the Republicans would fall for it? It could be the first Trojan Tar Baby, set up at one of those Town Halls that McCain keeps proposing…

    *shrieks*

    you are a damn fool!

    Can you see McCain struggling in the briar patch with those arms….

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 11:05 am ¶

31. Averagebro.com wrote:

    Well, at least he’s wearing the lapel pin.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 11:05 am ¶

32. Roni wrote:

    Aside from the obvious features (The red lips!) it’s the extreme glossiness that cements the doll in Sambo iconography for me. That visually ties the doll to the look of the offensive, frequently porcelain figures, like the doll maker is more focused on making the doll BLACK rather than making the doll look like a person. Not even Obama specifically, just a plausible human. Also, the reflections in the glossiness do a lot to freakishly distort the doll’s face. I’m incredulous anyone thought this was good idea.

    Good call on the tar baby.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 11:12 am ¶

33. Philly Phil wrote:

    glad to see my childhood trauma with Baby Skates is a source of amusement for us all…

    in another note, has anyone seen the National Black Republican Association’s political ads attacking Obama? oooooooh! the shit is about to hit, what we call, the fan…

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/30/black-republicans-launch_n_110042.html

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 11:13 am ¶

34. gatamala wrote:

    Hey PhillyPhil! Click on this:

    http://www.puppenklinik.biz/

    Mod Note - That was dead wrong, g. Now I’m going to have nightmares for a week. Chuckie was less scary! - LDP

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 11:16 am ¶

35. Lyonside wrote:

    All you people with Evil Doll stories, just stay back! (between Twilight Zone, X-Files, and Tales from the Dark Side, there’s a reason all dolls I buy are cloth).

    >I have the strong impression that the U.S. has done a DANDY job exporting all its cultural racism, without exporting the “polite” veneer that you’re supposed to cover it with.

    I hear you about Native American stereotypes, but I think Europeans are just as good at coming up with black and Asian stereotypes and imagery all on their own. After all, the English, Dutch, French, German, among others, were all colonialist powers in the African sub-continent and South/Southeastern Asia, through the mid-late 1900s - and still exert considerable influence in many areas today.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 11:34 am ¶

36. Philly Phil wrote:

    @gatamala - completely not cool of you…

    i clicked on the Impressionen link and those images are enough to make me regress and run to my mom…

    just to give you a hint of the terror lying behind the dead, cold eyes of baby skates, here’s the old school commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdEfcuxZz6Y

    what’s also scares me is that i spotted harriet from “Small Wonder” in that commercial… freaky.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 11:36 am ¶

37. Zora wrote:

    @Abu Sinan: I’ve never seen “Negerküsse” in the shape of red lips. The standard “Negerkuss” (yeah, “Negro kiss”) is a chocolate-covered marshmallow-puff-like thing. (Like the one here, with new, more PC name “choco-kiss” (which may be official, but Negerkuss is still the more familiar description): http://de.wiktionary.org/wiki/Bild:Schokokuss2.jpg) However, I recall from my childhood that not only were they called Negerküsse, they featured basically a Sambo figure on the box, complete with the big red lips (which may be what you’re thinking of?). I think that Sambo figures disappeared from the boxes in the past 10 years, but the name still seems to stick. (In some regions, like where my mom’s from, they were called “Mohrenkopf” instead - which, given that it translates as “Moor’s head,” is just a different, but still totally racist, variant on the theme.)

    As far as German history with that kind of Sambo image, I’ve got a few old German postcards of and books on the former German colonies in Africa, and they are pretty similar to the racist images of Africans and African Americans that you get in Britain & America. Whether they were influenced by British depictions or just paralleled them, I have no idea. I also recall some pretty offensive drawings in some children’s books my German cousins had that really echoed the Little Black Sambo imagery.

    Unfortunately, to me, this doll is not at all surprising. My only surprise comes from the fact that the company owner didn’t respond to the criticism with “What? All Black people look alike anyway.”

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 11:56 am ¶

38. Sean wrote:

    This is definetely more in the vein of early 20th century “tar baby” symbolism than anything remotely progressive.

    Either that or it’s the ol’ saw about “all black people look alike”.

    Progressive is the LAST thing that comes to mind.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 12:01 pm ¶

39. Sean wrote:

    …besides isn’t this doll sort of like dressing Uncle Ben up as a CEO or giving Aunt Jemima a perm?

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 12:03 pm ¶

40. cosmicsistren wrote:

    @gatamala - thanks for the laugh!! That doll with the angry and scary eyes had me laughing and scaried at the same time!!!

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 12:06 pm ¶

41. Abu Sinan wrote:

    @Zora,

    You are indeed right. My memory of those come when I was a child living in Germany. You have sorted it out.

    I was there from 71-76, then off and on again until now, but I hadnt seen the candy since I was a kid.

    I have seen the racist type Sambo stuff in Germany as well, usually historical in nature.

    Germans have had 50 years to try and get a grip on their very large Turkish community and they still have a long way to go. In many places in Germany there just are not many people of African background, outside of the American soldiers in many areas.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 12:17 pm ¶

42. Persia wrote:

    You know, I’ve seen quite a few of them in the burbs in historic homes ( or homes attempting to be historic) - most literally whitewashed “white” so as to not offend (the tell-tale is when the paint starts to chip).

    To go slightly off topic: There was a lawn jockey in a town I was living near that was there historically- it was (ironically) used as a signal on the Underground Railroad, and the owners had passed on that information and kept the jockey up. The town had been a significant spot, and after someone complained about the jockey, the local Historical Society decided to do an entire Underground Railroad tour of the town. It was a really cool thing in the end.

    No idea if the jockey’s still up!

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 12:24 pm ¶

43. Rob Schmidt wrote:

    The doll doesn’t look anything like Barack Obama. It does look a little like Gary Coleman. But then, “All black people look the same.”

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 12:31 pm ¶

44. NancyP wrote:

    both tar baby and old German illustrations of the Sambo type.

    This is Obama’s version of the Hillary thigh-nutcracker - the “can’t believe anyone is that crass” objet de merde made for the Republicans.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 12:41 pm ¶

45. Ron wrote:

    I really do not take offense to the doll. I think sometimes for white people it may be hard to identify skin tones, hair textures, facial features among people with African ancestry

    For example, I have been called LeRoy or Tyrone more times than I can count. I have been mistaken for their other black friend.

    I must admit sometimes I cannot distinguish between whites because it all becomes a blur.

    I think its is quite funny though.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 12:49 pm ¶

46. Rob Schmidt wrote:

    I see a bright future for this doll. He’s already wearing a suit, so he could be Martin Luther King Jr., Colin Powell, or Clarence Thomas. Put him in gym shorts and he could be Wilt Chamberlain, Muhammad Ali, or Michael Jordan. Put a script in his hand and he could be James Earl Jones, Denzel Washington, or Spike Lee. Put a wig on him and he (er, she) could be Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg, or Tyra Banks. Etc.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 1:03 pm ¶

47. sfsinger wrote:

    That doll is just all kinds of wrong! And it is an ugly doll to boot. The dark skin with the pink lips -ooooh that just burns me up. It is totally Sambo and all the other examples. Just because that doll maker says it’s connected to Obama doesn’t make it so. Not when it looks like that. That is some very blatant reverse psychology and lying going on! Don’t believe the hype!!

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 1:05 pm ¶

48. Renee wrote:

    There is something creepy about this doll. He claims to have made it out of respect but if that case why is it such a mocking representation of him. I can maybe forgive him for messing up the skin pigmentation but the facial features in no way look like Obama. This is simply a case of any dark representation will do.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 1:17 pm ¶

49. Phil Deeze wrote:

    The doll looks like a chubby-cheeked R. Kelly sans Pied Piper mask. Adolescent girl in “Black Snake Moan” garb sold seperately. Will not testify at trial.

    Sheesh! The Germans just love them some us, don’t they? Not.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 1:19 pm ¶

50. Genevieve wrote:

    I remember seeing on the Colbert Report that a German newspaper ran a cover feature on B.O. titled “Onkel Obama’s Hutte” (or something similar; ich sprache deutsche nicht) that translated to “Uncle Obama’s Cabin”. Apparently it was an attempt at satire, to which Colbert responded “Germans shouldn’t do humor” and said Nosferatu was the most popular German comedy to date. This just reminded me of that…

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 1:39 pm ¶

51. Sanguinity wrote:

    @Lyonside: You’re right; Europe doesn’t need any help generating racist imagery of blacks and Asians.

    …and upon further exploration, it looks as if some of the racist imagery of Blacks that I’ve seen unremarked-upon overseas, imagery that I had assumed was American in origin, was actually a joint U.S. / English creation. (The specific case I was thinking of was golly-doll patterns posted on Ravelry by Australians.)

    Which raises the question of exactly how separate are the U.S. and English traditions of racism against Blacks? I’m guessing not very.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 1:50 pm ¶

52. SAH wrote:

    All it needs is an open mouth and biggers lips and it would look like a minstrel character.

    It’s ashame that they don’t have different shades of plastic.

    I wonder what the reaction would’ve been if he made the doll look more white. I think people would’ve been equally upset, like “that man made Obama look white! They’re trying to erase his heritage!!”

    p.s. @Latoya- dolls give me the creeps also

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 2:07 pm ¶

53. Franziska wrote:

    On the one hand, the doll looks like any other generic doll, just with dark skin. I looked at the company’s other offerings and they are just as unrecognisable. Lady Di? Female doll with a hideous hair cut.

    On the other hand, his comments make me cringe. Offermann thought nothing of using a 60-year old form to model his Obama after, because it was cheaper. That’s what he meant by “off-the shelf”. [German source: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/artikel/749/179200/

    I guess this is one of those cases where people think they’re being all progressive and supportive, but because of their ignorance they come out the other way.

    It could be worse, at least doll-Obama doesn’t look like the damn Sarotti-Moor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarotti

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 2:38 pm ¶

54. foreverloyal wrote:

    I had a black Baby Skates doll back in the day. I loved that doll and will brook no opinions to the contrary!

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 2:39 pm ¶

55. gatamala wrote:

    yall don’t like my doll link!

    & yes Philly, baby skates was ridiculous!!

    My cousin had a baby doll the company named…

    Amosandra

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 3:05 pm ¶

56. Jennifer wrote:

    The issue I have with the doll is that it reminds me of how accomplished people of African descent are portrayed as 100% African in drawings and movies. As a darkskinned person who loves black history, I am always shocked when I learn the true complexions/racial heritage of black heroes and pioneers. Billie Holliday did not look like Diana Ross who portrayed her on film. Madam Leveau did not look like the brownskinned woman on the cover of her biography. Thurgood Marshall did not look like Laurence Fishburne who is currently playing him on stage. Blacks and mixed race people are not interchangeable and neither are their respective history, therefore I do not think it is fair to hi-jack the history of one to placate the other. Barack Obama is the first mixed race man to clinch the democratic nomination. A black american man, descended from slaves, has not accomplished that goal yet so he should not have a doll to commemorate him before he exists.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 3:13 pm ¶

57. Beth wrote:

    I’m with Safiya Outlines (#6) and Roni (#32)… it isn’t the darkness of the skin that makes it offensive. Actual dark skin is beautiful–that just makes the doll not look like Obama. The fact that it doesn’t look a think like Obama aside, it is offensive b/c of the way it depicts dark skin.

    It’s the lips–no one has lips like that w/o lipstick, and certainly not black folk, light or dark. It is also the uniformity of the skin–the Dali Lama doll has a bit of rosiness in the cheeks, so clearly they are capable of making a face that has a bit more detail.

    As others have suggested, it seems like the doll was modeled after racist figures, like the sambo, as opposed to Obama, or any real, living black person.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 3:22 pm ¶

58. Philly Phil wrote:

    @forever loyal

    i was looking for an image or commercial with the black Baby Skates doll! my sisters had that one! alas, there were none… conspiracy?

    My sisters, whom from now on will be known as the Shining Twins (note: not twins), found her a few years ago and decided to prank me by having her skate towards me…. the horror…

    When Baby Skates perished in a garage fire in April of ‘07, I was not saddened in the least.

    Latoya - no NBRA post?

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 3:28 pm ¶

59. msday wrote:

    Some of you guys are crazy! Especially the one who said,
    *smacks the side of the doll head and gets stuck*
    I hate to say it but it does look like the tar baby! That doll is ridiculous and they claim that only 10% think that it doesn’t resemble Obama. He should have just made it with some cut off high water pants and put a huge piece of watermelon in his hand complete with straw hat.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 4:07 pm ¶

60. deb wrote:

    WTF?! I guess the Michelle Obama doll would look something like this.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 7:34 pm ¶

61. deb wrote:

    Treacle - Sambo, indeed, or rather, the freaking LAWN JOCKEYS… My first thought was, “what, no johdpers and lantern?”

    I love checking out the Jim Crow Museum’s “Question of the Month.” And wouldn’t you know it…July’s question is about “lawn jockeys.”

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 8:30 pm ¶

62. Bob Simpson wrote:

    When I saw it I kept looking for a bridle ring in the outstretched hand. I haven’t seen one of the horse jockey lawn sculptures in years but they were quite common in segregated white neighborhoods back in the 1950’s. It was creepy to reminded of those days.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 8:36 pm ¶

63. Jeremy wrote:

    When I first saw the doll I was angry and irate. Then I took the time to read the article and think about cultural differences and caricatures. And it dawned me; becoming irate and writing an angry post would do nothing. What we all must realize is that the same racial cues that occur to us do not necesarily occur to someone in another culture. We have years of racial caricature to base this doll on. The artisan does not. He seems like a nice man who is sincere. He just needs someone to be honest with him a non-confrontational way. Being angry helps no one.

    Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 10:41 pm ¶

64. Dan wrote:

    Jeremy, if you are even serious in trying to pass this off to a German not understanding racial cues, you might want to inform yourself of German history in regards to it’s portrayal of blacks.

    http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/golliwog/

    http://tinyurl.com/6dd79z (Germany, early 20th century)

    http://tinyurl.com/5hlun2 (Germany, early 20th century)

    A brief history lesson:

    In Germany in the 30’s and 40’s, the Nazis banned jazz music because it was invented by blacks. They thought that the “Black race” was inferior. In their eyes the “Aryan” race was superior.

    In 1933 around 5,000 Black people, mainly men, lived in Germany. Most of them came from German colonies in Africa. The Nazis were unsure of how to treat their Black subjects. Although they were considered inferior, they only formed a small group who did not represent a threat to Germany. The Nazis also wanted to show that blacks were treated better in Germany than in the USA. For a time young black men were even allowed to join the Hitler Youth. Eventually more than three thousand Black Germans were put into concentration camps.

    After WW1, France occupied the German Rhineland. The French army of occupation included Black soldiers from the French colonies. Some of them had children with German women. These children were known as the “Rhineland Bastards.” The Nazis thought it was a scandal that White German woman had children with Black soldiers from an enemy army. In 1937, 385 of these children were rounded up and sterilized in clinics. They would never be able to have children of their own.

    Here’s a Wikipedia article on ‘Rhineland Bastards’.

    So the idea that Germany is somehow more evolved in regards to it’s view of blacks, and that the artist of the doll doesn’t have any racial caricatures or general German prejudice against blacks is completely absurd and historically inaccurate. Because since the mid 1800’s, blacks have been treated as second class citizens in Germany. The Nazi’s were just up front about their racism and blacks KNEW that wasn’t a place they wanted to move to.

    That is where the anger comes from. This nonsense has roots over 150 years ago. This man should have known better.

    Posted 03 Jul 2008 at 7:16 am ¶

65. Dan wrote:

    Oops, forgot the link the wikipedia article on Rhineland Bastards:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhineland_Bastard

    Posted 03 Jul 2008 at 7:17 am ¶

66. gatamala wrote:

    bravo Dan!

    Posted 03 Jul 2008 at 8:07 am ¶

67. Treacle wrote:

    Jeremy,

    Please don’t tell us to “watch our tone.”

    Stereotypes are stereotypes and stereotyping is bad.

    In today’s global community, you cannot make a convincing argument that someone from a Western nation doesn’t know what black people look like and/or isn’t aware of the global history of caricaturing black people.

    People not only have a right to their anger, they have no obligation to explain anything to anyone. Were he really interested in making a culturally appropriate doll, he would have exerted some energy to do so.

    Posted 03 Jul 2008 at 8:13 am ¶

68. DiosaNegra1967 wrote:

    *headdesk*

    *shaking my head* ….no words….

    but, since y’all are talking about scary dolls…..how could you ever forget the Zuni doll from “Trilogy of Terror” starring Karen Black?

    Shame on y’all…..LOL

    Posted 03 Jul 2008 at 9:00 am ¶

69. coco wrote:

    this is what the editor at the Jim Crow Museum wrote about dividing caricatures from stereotypes in comics. I think it is a good commentary on our dissatisfaction with this “Obama” doll.

    Caricatures become racist stereotypes, though, when instead of exaggerating an individual’s particular features to bring out his or her unique humanity, the cartoonist suppresses the individuality of a person’s appearance to bring the portrait into conformity with a preexisting racial stereotype.

    Jim Crow Museum

    Posted 03 Jul 2008 at 9:27 am ¶

70. Kamika wrote:

    He should have just left well enough alone! He could’ve gotten abetter match by using the skin tone from the Dali Lama doll. Excuses excuses! Maybe when he pictures Obama, whom he admires, in his mind his hands are thinking WOG.

    Posted 03 Jul 2008 at 9:50 am ¶

71. red wrote:

    The doll works more on a symbolic level

    Symbolising what? Centuries of racist imagery? Symbolising how easy it is to reduce someone to a crude stereotype? Symbolising the fact that racism is still thriving in Germany?

    I’d like to second Dan’s points in reply to Jeremy. Germany is not a place where the population is unfamiliar with either black people or racism.

    My first thought was that last time I saw dolls like this they were in Spike Lee’s film Bamboozled.

    Only Spike Lee was making a harsh satire. The doll-maker is not. But at €139 ($216) a shot, he is making a pile of cash…

    Posted 03 Jul 2008 at 10:43 am ¶

72. Nicole wrote:

    This doll would not sell well in the US. I’ve never been to Germany, but I know black people , who come in many different shades of brown, live there; and so, I just excepted more from a country that is supposedly progressive. I guess I was dead wrong. This doll is random. According to the two shade rule, it could be Michael Jackson, Will Smith, Denzel Washington, or Samuel L. Jackson. Slap a microphone in its hand and it’s Chris Rock. The doll is not symbolic of anything but a marketing scheme to bamboozle ignorant folks out of money.

    Posted 03 Jul 2008 at 2:31 pm ¶

73. Clueless WW wrote:

    Sheeeee-it. That is the dumbest commemorative doll I’ve ever seen. And he basically says straight out that he didn’t put in thht to get the skin tone right, but expects people to pay €139? Crazy.

    I passed the article on to a German friend of mine who’s an expert in neo-Nazism and white supremacist groups in Germany, I’m quite curious about his take on it.

    Posted 03 Jul 2008 at 4:37 pm ¶

74. Clueless WW wrote:

    (correction to prev. comment — “he didn’t put in the time”… don’t know how that messed up!)

    Posted 03 Jul 2008 at 4:47 pm ¶

75. socstudent wrote:

    @ Jennifer:

    What?

    You are totally conflating “accomplished people of African ancestry” with mixed race people as if the two were automatically the same and as if the former automatically excluded “non- mixed race” black people. Notice that I put “non-mixed race” black people in quotation marks. Contrary to the way that you framed it, black Americans who are not identified as mixed race are also not 100% African.

    If you haven’t noticed, Obama self identifies as a black man so it is entirely appropriate for “non-mixed race” black people to feel pride in his candidacy. Furthermore, the three people you expressed dismay about being portrayed by “non-mixed race” black people: Billie Holiday, Thurgood Marshall, and Madame Leveau, were all people who self identified as black people, not mixed race, and likely would not have batted an eye themselves about being portrayed by ordinary black actors. Their accomplishments are as much a matter of black history as they are the history of mixed race people.

    You really need to think about the racial assumptions you packed into that comment. Because it sounds a lot like you’re saying not just that mixed race people and ordinary black people are different, but that the former is better than the latter.

    Posted 03 Jul 2008 at 5:02 pm ¶

76. Kap wrote:

    The doll really should be white to make a point. Obama is a sellout like 99 % of politicians. Just like the Dalai Lama (who loves to bow and kiss the white man’s hand), the only thing dark about Obama is his soul — for lying. Not to mention he’s extremely boring. He wants to expand the death penalty. Bomb Iran. Increase border security (aka-point guns at workers).

    To be considered a good politician: you have to be slick and cunning Is GW Bush slick? Nah. Hitler? The best. Bill Clinton? Yep.

    Read: Fuck Obama!

    http://www.pressaction.com/news/weblog/full_article/obamabusinessasusual06222008

    Posted 03 Jul 2008 at 5:30 pm ¶

77. Paul wrote:

    a. The Germans started several world wars.
    b. “Ho dair Missa Mccain, I’s be pushin’ fo changes,” says the Kingfish Obama Doll.

    Posted 03 Jul 2008 at 7:07 pm ¶

78. Jessica Bird wrote:

    Oh boy, this is awful. I would love to buy my son a Barack Obama doll but certainly not one out of the 19th century with a suit and flag pin slapped on it.

    What’s worse, based on the article on http://www.mixedracefamilies.com, it claims the toy is selling well…! WTF?

    Posted 03 Jul 2008 at 9:18 pm ¶

79. Abu Sinan wrote:

    @ Paul,

    The Germans started “several” world wars? I am aware of only two, was there another that I missed?

    I will go with you on WW2, but I think there would be a good argument that Germany shared equal blame for WW1 with the British Empire and the French. It was a war of Empires and colonies, each angling for more land and more resources. The Germans were simply trying to play catch up for their late start, the French and Brits were looking to keep out the competition.

    Posted 04 Jul 2008 at 1:10 am ¶

80. Fiqah wrote:

    @socstudent: EXCELLENT response. Thank you, that comment was sticking in my craw for real.

    Posted 04 Jul 2008 at 4:19 am ¶

81. red wrote:

    @ Jessica Bird
    (and anyone else who wants an Obama doll)

    I thought I’d try Google. Because how hard is it to make a doll that at least vaguely resembles a bloke who is on telly and all over the papers every day?

    Not that hard, it seems. Go here:
    http://www.imaginegate.com/obacfiandbo.html?gclid=CLK-ju2SppQCFSLmlAodlCumtA

    (Hope putting a URL in a comment will work…)

    See, three kinds of fairly Obama-like Obama toys.

    Although I’m not sure the advertising line “six inches of plastic freedom” comes across in quite the way it was intended…

    Posted 04 Jul 2008 at 6:46 am ¶

82. Mel wrote:

    Have they ever seen a picture of Obama? Or are they treating him like a mythical Black hero from America? Because the doll looks amazingly generic. Almost like a facial composite sketch. I can imagine the design process now…
    “Okay! What does this Obama guy look like?”
    “He’s black!”
    “Skin tone?”
    “um… black?”
    “Right. Nose?”
    “Well. You’ve seen black noses. Tee hee.”
    “Okay done!”

    Posted 04 Jul 2008 at 11:11 am ¶

83. Kaonashi wrote:

    Oh dear, they didn’t even try, did they?

    Posted 04 Jul 2008 at 3:04 pm ¶

84. Kap wrote:

    [Mod Note - See our comment moderation policy. Talk about what’s on this thread or skip it, those are your options. - LDP]

    Posted 04 Jul 2008 at 8:44 pm ¶

85. Korolev wrote:

    Not a good product. It’s sheer laziness - making a Barack Obama doll is okay (as long as you make dolls of other political candidates, although I don’t think a McCain Doll or a Gordon Brown doll would sell well), but they should at least have put some effort into it.

    If I was in Germany, I would have been insulted by this product - it insults the intelligence of consumers, to think they’d by an Obama doll that is just another doll in a suit.

    Posted 05 Jul 2008 at 7:07 am ¶

86. red wrote:

    @ Korolev

    I don’t think a McCain Doll or a Gordon Brown doll would sell well

    You’d have to pay someone money to take a Gordon Brown doll off your hands.

    Posted 05 Jul 2008 at 8:39 am ¶

87. Mickle wrote:

    “When I first saw the doll I was angry and irate. Then I took the time to read the article and think about cultural differences and caricatures. And it dawned me; becoming irate and writing an angry post would do nothing.”

    So instead I decided to lecture people who are obviously more informed than me on why they were wrong to do something they really didn’t do in the first place.

    (not that letter writing wouldn’t be appropriate, but I can’t remember anyone even mentioning contacting the maker of the doll, so scolding people for scaring him with their anger isn’t just stupid, it’s stupid on several levels)

    Posted 11 Jul 2008 at 2:53 pm ¶

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