At the hand of their creator, cartoonist-illustrator-author Johnny Gruelle, the Raggedys weren't ever simply dolls. They were literary characters as well, possessing attributes and outlooks reflecting trustworthiness, kindness, and spunk. Because Gruelle was a natural born storyteller, it followed that his dolls would star in whimsical, fanciful tales, based on fantasy and make believe. Because of this, Johnny Gruelle's little rag dolls have also found themselves at the center of several legend cycles -- groups of stories that, while containing kernels of truth, are more myth than they are history.
What makes this even more intriguing is that fact that Johnny Gruelle, either unwittingly or with the great sense of humor he was known for, initiated many of these legends, a number of which are continuously repeated as the factual history of Raggedy Ann and Andy. One of the distinguishing features of a legend is that, unlike an out-and-out fairy tale, it is factual-sounding enough to be believable. This especially applies to the Raggedy legends. In the case of Raggedy Ann and Andy, the legends are as important as factual history in telling their story.
Because the Raggedys sprang directly from the rich and embellished world of storytelling -- a world of frolicking fairies; come-alive dolls and talking forest critters -- it makes great sense to not discount legends simply because they are folklore, and therefore, "unprovable. Legends have the power of revealing ethics and values; preferences and motives; emotions and reactions.
And, in the case of the Raggedys, legends have the singular ability to showcase the true personalities of these fanciful dolls, as well as lending insight into the persona of their creator, Johnny Gruelle.
Johnny Gruelle was born in Arcola, Illinois in , the son of landscape and portrait artist Richard R. There, mixing with his parents' artistic and literary friends among them, the poet James Whitcomb Riley young Johnny developed a strong love of region, and a penchant for the fine art of storytelling. By the time Gruelle reached adulthood, he had cast his lot as a political cartoonist, turning out as many as three cartoons a day for several Midwestern newspapers.
In , he acted on his aspirations to become a freelance illustrator, moving to the East Coast, where he accepted a full-time position with The New York Herald turning out weekly pages of his Sunday comic, "Mr. Twee Deedle" as well as several book illustrating commissions. This was during a time in American history when traditional values were being challenged by progress and social change. As a counter-reaction, many were turning back to more nostalgic diversions.
Homemade and hand-crafted objects were popular fare; fairy tales, magic shows, and psychic phenomena became all the rage. All of this fit with what Gruelle was already creating, and set the stage perfectly for the folksy, whimsical doll he designed and patented in -- Raggedy Ann. And, Raggedy Ann's creation set the stage for the legends Panting, she tells Daddy about discovering the faceless doll in Grandmother's attic.
Laying aside his afternoon's cartoon, the father picks up the doll. What makes this even more intriguing is that fact that Johnny Gruelle, either unwittingly or with the great sense of humor he was known for, initiated many of these legends, a number of which are continuously repeated as the factual history of Raggedy Ann and Andy.
According to that site, plans for what would become an extremely popular rag doll were well underway when Marcella becae ill and died of an infection at the site of a previously administered vaccination:. When the real-life Marcella Gruelle died, at age 13, from the ravages of an infected vaccination, her parents were, understandably devastated. Under different circumstances, this would have been a time of great rejoicing for Gruelle and his family.
He was connecting with juvenile publishers, and was working on several sets of illustrated fairy stories. As both doll historians stated, Marcella died not because of a vaccination, but possibly because of an infection related to the vaccination. Antibiotics and sterilization changed dramatically between the 20th and the 21st centuries. No honest comparison could be drawn between medicine in and , as illustrated by Centers for Disease Control statistics unrelated to vaccines :.
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Johnny Gruelle, the creator of Raggedy Ann and Andy, grew up in Arcola, Illinois, which is where he invented these beloved characters and the others that graced his books.
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