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A review by manwithanagenda
Raggedy Ann Stories by Johnny Gruelle
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It's amazing to think this was such an instant phenomenon and that, to an extent, the phenomenon has lasted over a hundred years. The original 'Raggedy Ann Stories' are loosely connected stories concerning what the dolls and toys in Marcella's nursery get up to when their mistress is gone or asleep. The stories are straight-forward and feature strong moral lectures that are bound to make even the most dewey-faced child's eyes roll.
I've been collecting these for some time for my husband, but never got more than a few pages into them until I picked up a Raggedy Ann and Andy pair from the early 1940s up at a doll show. They were such a good price I thought they were homemade, but they are authenic war-era Georgenes (the fourth, but only third official, manufacturer of the dolls). With their washed-out faces, dark button eyes and hair that's distinctly more brown than red, I wanted to get to the source and read the original stories as published by Volland in 1918.
They are very simple. A few stand out, and these are ones that have filtered down to modern collections and adaptions. There's the story of how Raggedy Ann rescues Fido from the dog-catcher with the other dolls, how she gets her candy heart, and, of course, when she is taken away by a friendly man and copied and meets all of her lovely sisters who are just like her and available at a store near you! From the beginning Raggedy Ann was a clever bit of marketing. This doesn't take away from the charm of the illustrations or the original dolls themselves. America had been through a generation or two of rapid industrialization and a World War and desperately wanted some nostalgia. So a story of an "authentic" homemade rag doll found in an attic, returning to spread joy to little ones struck the right notes. It's interesting to find out that Gruelle's publisher, Volland, was known at the time for their high-end and expensive children's books and the dolls were sold to bookshops and priced for that market.
If you read these original stories with their original illustrations you'll notice that Raggedy Ann looks very different from the ones of our childhood whether from the toy store, craft fairs, or television. The doll evolved over time, matching Gruelle's own changes to his illustrations. He wasn't a stickler for continuity. There's a lot to love here and a lot to understand about how different America was a hundred years ago. Marcella's parents employ a black servant named Dinah who is portrayed as dim and childlike and speaks in broken English. This portrayal, on top of all the lectures a child will receive about being patient, not being cross, doing what you're told, etc. makes this a hard sell for parents.
My advice for parents wanting to share these with their children is to enjoy these stories in their proper context and heavily edit while you read, or, even better, pick up one of the modern adaptations that keeps the spirit of Raggedy Ann alive with all the joy and none of the headaches.
Raggedy Ann
Next: 'Raggedy Andy Stories'
I've been collecting these for some time for my husband, but never got more than a few pages into them until I picked up a Raggedy Ann and Andy pair from the early 1940s up at a doll show. They were such a good price I thought they were homemade, but they are authenic war-era Georgenes (the fourth, but only third official, manufacturer of the dolls). With their washed-out faces, dark button eyes and hair that's distinctly more brown than red, I wanted to get to the source and read the original stories as published by Volland in 1918.
They are very simple. A few stand out, and these are ones that have filtered down to modern collections and adaptions. There's the story of how Raggedy Ann rescues Fido from the dog-catcher with the other dolls, how she gets her candy heart, and, of course, when she is taken away by a friendly man and copied and meets all of her lovely sisters who are just like her and available at a store near you! From the beginning Raggedy Ann was a clever bit of marketing. This doesn't take away from the charm of the illustrations or the original dolls themselves. America had been through a generation or two of rapid industrialization and a World War and desperately wanted some nostalgia. So a story of an "authentic" homemade rag doll found in an attic, returning to spread joy to little ones struck the right notes. It's interesting to find out that Gruelle's publisher, Volland, was known at the time for their high-end and expensive children's books and the dolls were sold to bookshops and priced for that market.
If you read these original stories with their original illustrations you'll notice that Raggedy Ann looks very different from the ones of our childhood whether from the toy store, craft fairs, or television. The doll evolved over time, matching Gruelle's own changes to his illustrations. He wasn't a stickler for continuity. There's a lot to love here and a lot to understand about how different America was a hundred years ago. Marcella's parents employ a black servant named Dinah who is portrayed as dim and childlike and speaks in broken English. This portrayal, on top of all the lectures a child will receive about being patient, not being cross, doing what you're told, etc. makes this a hard sell for parents.
My advice for parents wanting to share these with their children is to enjoy these stories in their proper context and heavily edit while you read, or, even better, pick up one of the modern adaptations that keeps the spirit of Raggedy Ann alive with all the joy and none of the headaches.
Raggedy Ann
Next: 'Raggedy Andy Stories'