Japanese Celluloid

Description:

This plastic toy of a black child and dog is part of Black Americana, a genre of objects reflecting African American history. Interestingly enough, this toy was made in Japan during the 1940s. This toy is a crying child wearing red polka dotted overalls and holding a watermelon slice and a brown dog bitting the child's backside. Unfortunately, Black Memorabilia like these figurines personify negative stereotypes of African Americans by utilizing humor as a vehicle for racial oppression. Elements such as the child's big red lips speak to stereotypes perpetuated by minstrel shows and the child's love for watermelon references how southern whites following the Civil War caricatured free blacks as unclean, lazy, ignorant people inordinately fond of watermelon. While this derogatory toy is inaccurate, its existence speaks to American race relations and the prejudice African Americans encountered daily in their struggle for equality.