Showing posts with label Raggedy Ann. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Raggedy Ann. Show all posts

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Following the Birth Day

Today is my oldest niece’s birthday. Back then, we didn’t know if my sister was having a girl or boy until Leasa arrived late that Thursday night. The next day, my daddy took me exactly where I wanted to go!

Before visiting my sister and Leasa, we parked at the hospital and Mother went on upstairs, but Daddy & I walked to my favorite toy store, Toy World. To this day, some forty plus years later, I clearly remember our handholding stroll down Gaston Avenue. I was on a mission to buy Leasa her first doll: a Raggedy Ann.

(I love e-bay!)

I was almost sixteen at the time, and I’ve almost always held my daddy’s hand whenever I’ve had the opportunity. It’s a blessed time for me. 
I haven't a clue why I had such a mindset to get Leasa a Raggedy Ann. It became a tradition I continued a couple of years later with my second niece, Leslie. She was born on a Friday night, so the next day I entered another Toy World store!
NOTE: During the interim, I also wanted my own Raggedy Ann. My loving parents gave me (for my sweet-sixteen) a LARGE Raggedy Ann. She’s about four feet tall… and lives in Dallas. I’ll have to get a picture of her & post an update the next time we are in the city!
Indeed, Raggedy Ann is the ultimate soft-cloth doll. I had never thought about researching the history behind Raggedy Ann until this morning! A true ~ Made in America ~ doll, she’s been with us since 1915. At age 38, Johnny Gruelle – a renowned artist, illustrator, and writer – introduced to the world his “whimsical design” creation, and the rest is history! Read his full story here

Has a Raggedy Ann or Andy doll ever been among your treasures?