Is Buckwheat (the character, not the grain) offensive?

I haven’t watched the original Our Gang stuff since I was a kid and completely unaware of this sort of thing. I did own the Little Rascals movie, but I don’t remember anything racist in that version of Buckwheat.

That said, the way Eddie Murphy portrayed him, it definitely seemed like he was known for at least one racist stereotype: the one where the black kid is constantly laughed at because he doesn’t speak “proper.”

Other than that, I simply note that racism isn’t an on/off thing. And I ask if any African American Dopers have chimed in, or if anyone has looked for quotes from black people. (I note MrDibble is black, but he says he’s not very familiar with the show, and I note that the stereotypes are different in different countries.)

What I saw on a quick Google says that it played to “pickaninny stereotypes,” with one article specifically citing the hair and speech impediment as clear examples. I also noted many examples of the name being used in a contemptuous way towards black people, and such usage being decried as racist.

(And yes, it does seem Buckwheat, despite being portrayed by the same actor, was originally treated as a girl. So it would have been a crossdressing role originally.)

So, if what I saw on Google is representative, it seems that the portrayal is seen as at least somewhat racist today, but also recognized as being progressive for the time. And that fits my perception of how Murphy portrayed the character.