Well, today’s video did not go as planned. For the first show’n’tell, I grabbed a box I thought would be easy. When I opened the little paper covered box, I was surprised to see the face inside. I instantly thought of the rebranding announced yesterday for the Aunt Jemima syrup. I thought this was done years ago. So, I was simultaneously surprised it hadn’t been changed earlier and glad it finally was. Looking at the box closer, I saw the lid and bottom had the opposite sides of a topsy turvy doll. I say it made me feel a little better. But, not much. Those dolls have always been unsettling. The whole thing of having a head at each end was/is just plain creepy. The stories I’ve heard over the years just make them more bothersome.
I invite you to learn more about racism in advertising through this virtual tour of the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at the Ferris State University.
Resources on Topsey Turvey Dolls
- “The Topsy-Turvy Doll: An Upside Down History” The New York State Historical Society.
- The Racial Symbolism of the Topsy-Turvy Doll” The Atlantic.
- This paper cem up in my search. While not specifically on topsy-turvey dolls, it gives a better understanding of the racial stereotypes in black dolls and advertising. This is the pdf link from the Google search. I need to back track the source for more info amd context. “Racialized Black Dolls: Compilations from Catalogs and Advertisements“
- Also added to my reading list: ”
Black Girls, White Girls, American Girls: Slavery and Racialized Perspectives in Abolitionist and Neoabolitionist Children’s Literature” byBrigitte Fielder
If I Had My Own Blue Box: 
I just learned about Ferris State yesterday. The websige for the museum they have looks pretty informative though.
A Topsy-Turvy Doll is basically a doll with two heads but no legs. If you go to the link for the first article at New York State Historical Society there are photos.
No. As a kid I thought they were creepy. Now, I think they are tools for institutionalized racisim as well as creepy.
I think I first saw one either at the Strong Museum (which was a doll museum at the time) or in an antique shop.
Anna, I have never heard of the Ferris state university before, can you please tell me what this school is
Anna, when you are a kid, why did you think a toopsy turvy doll is so creepy, when you are a kid
Anna, I have never heard of toopsy turvy dolls, I have heard of Jumeau dolls, american girl dolls, maplelea dolls, and others (which I had at home), can you tell me what a toopsy turvy doll is, I never heard it before.
Anna, did you have any toopsy turvey dolls at your house, or you look this up on your computer
Because it was a doll with two heads on opposite ends. That just didn’t work for me.
No, I did/do not think topsy-turvy dolls are cool. I think they are creepy.
Anna, why are those type of dolls called a toopsy turvy doll
I thought it was because they are flipped over. But some articles say the answer is more complex.
Anna, topsy turvy dolls are so cool, Anna, did you think that toopsy turvy dolls are cool
Anna, did you know why topsy dolls are cool? Because, it is a doll that has no legs, and when you peek inside her skirt, there is another head. This type of doll is magic. And Anna, can you tell me why did you think topsy turvy dolls are not cool