Johnny Gruelle

Raggedy Ann Stories (King's Classics) Johnny Gruelle

Raggedy Ann is a rag doll with red yarn for hair and has a triangle nose. The stories describe a smart, kind, and generous rag doll who comes to life with other dolls when the owner is not in the nursery. Whenever a doll is on the floor in the morning, it is because it just didn't quite make it back to bed in time.

The Raggedy Ann character was created in 1915 as a doll, and was introduced to the public in the 1918 book Raggedy Ann Stories. When a doll was marketed with the book, the concept had great success. Over 75,000 handmade dolls were made by the Non-Breakable Toy Co. of Muskegon, Michigan between 1918 and 1926. The doll and the stories have been used for generations as a way to teach children virtues and values.