Of all the rag dolls in the world, probably the most famous of all the rag dolls are Raggedy Ann and Andy.  Raggedy Ann first came to life back in 1918 when its writer John Gruelle wrote a book about a rag doll dressed in a blue polka dotted dress, wearing a white duster over it and with red yarn for her hair, comes to life when people are asleep or not around.  The inspiration for the creation of Raggedy Ann as a children’s character is after when his daughter, Marcella, brought and showed him an old ragdoll.  And the name Raggedy Ann was from a combination of two different titles from two different poems from James Witcomb Riley which were “The Raggedy Man” and “Little Orphan Annie.”. Unfortunately, during the debut of Raggedy Ann, John’s daughter, Marcella, died when she was only 13 years old due to a vaccination issued by her school without the knowledge and consent of her parents.  As a protest to this kind of negligence, John Gruelle incorporated his opposition in his following Raggedy Ann books.

Several adaptations such as animated stories and plays have made Raggedy Ann and Andy even today.  With the introduction of the Precious Rag series, Precious Moments also keep John Gruelle’s legacy alive and popular.  Even though the Precious Rag dolls’ now have plastic bodies, they still have the classic yarn as their hairs.   These collection includes Raggeddy Ann and Andy of course.

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