John Barton "Johnny" Gruelle, artist, political cartoonist, and above all a family man, gave his young daughter a gift found in an attic. The gift was a rag doll, dusty, faceless and long-forgotten. He drew a new face on the doll and named her Raggedy Ann.

Raggedy Ann, soft, floppy and wearing a perpetual smile, quickly became Johnny's daughter Marcella's constant playmate. Johnny was amazed at the effect such a simple doll had on Marcella and believed that it would only be natural for other little girls to have the same reaction. Johnny sent a hand-drawn illustration of his doll to the US Patent Office and was awarded what amounts to a birth certificate: Patent # 47789, Dated September 7, 1915. A phenomenon was born.

Three years later, in 1918, the PF Volland Company published Raggedy Ann Stories.

Raggedy Ann's popularity was unparalleled at the time. Her fanciful adventures with her other doll friends within the Marcella's nursery captivated every reader. Always trying to do the right thing, and have a little fun along the way, Raggedy Ann and her friends come to life when Marcella leaves them, with Fido, Marcella's dog, often bearing witness. Whether playing make-believe, tumbling down stairs or allowing a bird to use her hair to build a nest, Raggedy Ann, and the stories about her, put forth the values and beliefs that Johnny held dear -- kindness, generosity, cooperation, friendship and love.

Raggedy Ann, kind, good natured and loving was rumored to be sweet to her very core -- literally. Legend has it that the original dolls contained a heart made of candy. Though candy-hearted dolls are hard to come by, each and every Raggedy Ann doll does bear an "I Love You" heart on her chest. The little forgotten rag doll quickly became the doll that nobody could get out of his or her mind.

Building on Raggedy Ann's popularity, Johnny created Raggedy Andy, her brother, in 1920's Raggedy Andy Stories. Raggedy Andy was a mischievous, adventurous and lovable addition to the Raggedy world. Johnny realized that by creating Raggedy Andy, both boys and girls could have a doll they could relate to; dolls that can be impish and kind, careless and caring. What child couldn't' relate, at one time or another, with any of these characteristics?

With her younger brother in tow, Raggedy Ann's adventures became even more wonderful than before, because they were shared.