Oprah Makes Australian Store Remove Racist Mamee Dolls

An Australian store was forced to remove seemingly racist dolls called “Mamee Dolls” to prepare for a visit from Oprah Winfrey.

As previously reported, Winfrey and her audience on an eight-day Aussie adventure as part of her ‘Favorite Things’ segment give-away.

According to the Herald Sun, the talk show mogul and her 300 guests were scheduled to visit The Dafel Dolls And Bear Shop in Melbourne when her producers requested that the store’s “Mamee” dolls be removed from the shelves.

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The Mamee dolls show a dark skinned African-American woman with red lipstick, wearing a maid costume and a scarf around her head.

The store owner reportedly obliged and the dolls were removed.

The word “Mammie” is similar to “Mammy”, an archetype of a domestic Black servant who is cheerful, loud and overweight.

 

Mammy characters were often used in Minstrel shows and in many films.

In 1939 actress Hattie McDaniel won an Oscar for her performance as “Mammy” in Gone with the Wind.

Australia’s “Mammie” or “Golliwog” dolls are not meant to carry the same negative connotation as the one they do in America.

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