Latex Dog Toy

While racist stereotypes have harmed the Chinese in America by fueling racial violence and policy, especially during the era of Chinese Exclusion, they have proven beneficial to companies in the form of profitable merchandise. This American-produced latex dog toy, made for a “very important pet,” depicts a slant-eyed Asian character in a vague karate uniform and pose. Products of this kind reduce Chinese personhood to a monolithic Asian stereotype and literally objectify and demote Asians to a status below that of an animal. While the production date of the toy is unknown, racist stereotypes of Asians and other races persist in merchandising, such as the notorious Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirts of 2002. These shirts included Asian caricatures like Wong Brothers Laundry Service, which featured the tagline “two Wongs can make it white.”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀