Raggedy Ann is a good-natured rag doll who springs to life whenever no one's looking, sharing the wonders of the outside world with her brother Raggedy Andy and the other playroom toys. She is the title character of the wider Raggedy Ann franchise and easily the franchise's most recognizable character.
Background
Raggedy Ann is a fictional character created by John Barton "Johnny" Gruelle (1880 - 1938), a comic strip writer and artist who achieved fame for his comic strip "Mr. Twee Deedle" (1911 - 1914). By 1914, his daughter Marcella Gruelle (1902 - 1915) had grown increasingly sick after receiving a smallpox vaccination at school. Johnny was searching for ways to cheer up his daughter during her expected recovery period. Retrieving "a dusty, faceless rag doll" once belonging to his parents from the attic, Johnny painted a new face for it and offered it to Marcella.
The name Raggedy Ann was inspired by the poems "The Raggedy Man" and "Little Orphan Annie" by James Whitcomb Riley (1849 - 1916). Marcella was delighted by the doll and even more delighted by the fictional stories narrated to her by her father—stories with the doll as their protagonist. Figuring that whatever appealed to Marcella might appeal to other children, Johnny converted some of the stories to comic strip form. With Raggedy Ann sufficiently well-received by the public, Johnny started considering marketing a toy line based on her. He received the necessary patent in November 1915. That same month, Marcella died.
The toy line was a success and would stay in production for decades. Gruelle then turned his attention to writing a children's book starring Ann. The result was "Raggedy Ann Stories" (1918), a success in its field. Also introduced with it was a fictional version of Marcella, ensuring Marcella would live on as a literary figure. The book was followed by "Raggedy Andy Stories" (1920), introducing Ann's brother and new co-star. These were only the first two books of a long-running series. While Gruelle died in 1938, new books kept being published under his name for decades. Altogether, 45 Raggedy Ann books were published between 1918 and 1977.
Personality
Books
Raggedy Ann is a very heartwarming and loving doll who cares deeply for herself, Andy, and the other toys.
Film & TV
In the 1977 film, Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure, Raggedy Ann is portrayed as compassionate, good-hearted, and highly empathetic. She cares immensely for her friends, particularly her brother Raggedy Andy, and is willing to risk her own wellbeing to keep them safe. Despite her childlike curiosity for the outside world, she remains humble and eternally grateful for the life she currently has. She is rather naive, however, and doesn't quite pick up on social cues, which can unintentionally put herself and others in danger. Even still, she loves everyone and everything unconditionally and has nothing but good intentions in everything she does.
This is very similar to how she acts in the Chuck Jones shorts, The Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile and The Great Santa Claus Caper. However, she is a lot more focused, and butts heads often with her brother Andy. She is also highly empathetic and has a friendly relationship with the dolls' dog, Raggedy Arthur.
Ann's personality stays generally the same in both The Adventures of Raggedy Ann and Andy and Snowden: Raggedy Ann & Andy's Adventure. She's sweet, lovable, and spends a good chunk of her time keeping Andy out of trouble. Although Ann tends to bicker with her brother more often in these two incarnations, she still loves him and does her best to ensure he's safe and happy.
Raggedy Ann (Musical / Rag Dolly)
Raggedy Ann in the Raggedy Ann / Rag Dolly musical is much more spunky and street-smart than her counterparts. Musical Ann is incredibly protective of her friends and her Marcella, and not afraid to hurt anyone who threatens them. She’s not afraid to put evil doers, or her little brother, in their place. But she’s still got her candy center, and does it all out of love, despite her creeping insecurities regarding her ability to protect those closest to her.
Physical Appearance
Raggedy Ann is physically built with rags, buttons, different types of fabric, red yarn, and a sweet candy heart. She possesses a round face made of stuffing-filled rags, black or blue shoe buttons to resemble eyes, followed with a big smile, a reddish triangle nose, thin eyebrows, and blush cheeks painted on to create a face. She sports red yarn for hair woven into a bow-shaped topknot with messy strands of bangs falling over her forehead. Her typical wardrobe consists of a blue dress adorning either floral patterns or a red dot pattern depending on the adaptation, high-neck ruffle hems, long sleeves, and a ruffle dress apron and chiffon pants with lower ruffle hems, red striped stockings, and black "shoes".
Trivia
- From 1984 to 1986, Raggedy Ann appeared as a giant balloon in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, previously appearing on a regular float from 1975 to 1977. She reappeared in 1991.
- In the 1977 animated musical, Raggedy Ann's voice actress Didi Conn had laryngitis when recording her voice lines.
