"The Golliwogg's Bicycle Club" was the title of
Florence Upton's second children's book, which was
published in 1896.
The story starts with the Golliwogg and his five
Dutch doll friends sitting around, feeling rather
bored. Then "With sudden flash a brilliant thought
Disturbs the Goliwogg-", as he then declares "Oh
loveliest girls in all the world, E'den beyond
mortal praise - Listen to me And you will see I've
got the Cycle craze!"
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First edition (1896) of "The
Golliwogg's Bicycle Club" by Florence Upton |
The Golliwogg then proceeds to make some "clever plans"
for a bicycle and other vehicles, made of wood, so that
the six friends can travel the world. On page 8, he tells
the girls "cycle clubs are all the rage; And I am sure
that we Some happy times In foreign climes Can pass right
merrily."
The friends travel together to Paris, Japan, Turkey and
Africa. Alas... the Golliwogg's bicycle and Sarah Jane's
tricycle reach a sticky end when they collide, but they
all hitch a ride on a camel, and after befriending some
cannibal tribesmen, they make their way safely back home
to "Doll-land" - by row boat.
The famous Russian-American author Vladimir
Nabokov recalled reading the scene when they are
attacked by the tribe of cannibals by saying,
“Over the shoulder of my past I admire again the
crucial picture: the Golliwogg, still on his knees
by the pool but no longer drinking; his hair
stands on end and the normal black of his face has
changed to a weird ashen hue.”
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