![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
miko2I made pancakes for lunch. Mrs. Butterworth's syrup still comes in the shape of Mrs. Butterworth, and I can't remember, is she supposed to be white or black? She looks black.
Making pancakes made me think of Sambo's the restaurant chain that I remember from when I was a kid. Their theme was based around the children's story, "Little Black Sambo", about a black kid who loves pancakes and outwits some tigers, who run around until they turn into butter.
When the Sambo's chain failed (there were two in Salem that I remember), I always assumed it was because of the negative connotations attached to the name and Sambo image. Curious, I decided to do a little web research.
The book was written in 1899 by a Scottish woman.
It's set in India, but the boy always looked African.
"Sambo" is short for Samuel, just like "Jimbo" is short for Jim. It used to be just another name.
Originally, "Little Black Sambo" wasn't meant as a racial slur. It seems that it became one in the thirties and forties because of the popularity of the book, and that in turn doomed the book. In the sixties they started banning it from libraries. Various attempts have been made to revive the story, including giving the characters authentic Indian names.
The story itself doesn't seem racist. People both white and black come down on both sides of the issue -- older people, both black and white, remember the book fondly. But elements of the book are pretty out of step with modern times, and the name itself, "Little Black Sambo" has been associated with racial stereotyping and discrimination for a long time now.
The restaurant was started in 1957 by two men, Sam Battistone and Newell "Bo" Bohnett. The name and image seemed obvious, and pancakes were their specialty.
At one time the chain numbered 1,200 stores coast to coast. The reason it failed (according to them) was that they expanded too quickly.
One of the original restaurants survives to this day, the first one in Santa Barbara. The owner, a grandson of the original Sam, wants to expand again to it's original glory, but he doesn't want to change the name. That's a problem.
Anyway, that satisfies my curiosity about that old restaurant chain. Personally, I think the guy should just change the name, and let the past remain the past.
Making pancakes made me think of Sambo's the restaurant chain that I remember from when I was a kid. Their theme was based around the children's story, "Little Black Sambo", about a black kid who loves pancakes and outwits some tigers, who run around until they turn into butter.
When the Sambo's chain failed (there were two in Salem that I remember), I always assumed it was because of the negative connotations attached to the name and Sambo image. Curious, I decided to do a little web research.
The book was written in 1899 by a Scottish woman.
It's set in India, but the boy always looked African.
"Sambo" is short for Samuel, just like "Jimbo" is short for Jim. It used to be just another name.
Originally, "Little Black Sambo" wasn't meant as a racial slur. It seems that it became one in the thirties and forties because of the popularity of the book, and that in turn doomed the book. In the sixties they started banning it from libraries. Various attempts have been made to revive the story, including giving the characters authentic Indian names.
The story itself doesn't seem racist. People both white and black come down on both sides of the issue -- older people, both black and white, remember the book fondly. But elements of the book are pretty out of step with modern times, and the name itself, "Little Black Sambo" has been associated with racial stereotyping and discrimination for a long time now.
The restaurant was started in 1957 by two men, Sam Battistone and Newell "Bo" Bohnett. The name and image seemed obvious, and pancakes were their specialty.
At one time the chain numbered 1,200 stores coast to coast. The reason it failed (according to them) was that they expanded too quickly.
One of the original restaurants survives to this day, the first one in Santa Barbara. The owner, a grandson of the original Sam, wants to expand again to it's original glory, but he doesn't want to change the name. That's a problem.
Anyway, that satisfies my curiosity about that old restaurant chain. Personally, I think the guy should just change the name, and let the past remain the past.
