HISTORY OF THE GOLLIWOG (well one version anyway)
The origins of the Golliwog began with the British soldiers who occupied Egypt near the end of the nineteenth century.
The Egyptian labourers working for the British wore the letters W.O.G.S. on their arm bands, indicating that they were Working On Government Service.
These labourers were spoken of as Ghuls – the Arabic word for desert ghosts – by the British troops.
The children of the Egyptians played with black stuffed material dolls. These dolls in turn were given as gifts or purchased by the soldiers retuning home to England.
These dolls became known as Ghuliwogs, a name which would eventually become the Golliwog we know today.