November 22, 1963 ....

I was a sophomore in in high school.
We were in home room after an afternoon assembly.
We were young.
Life was good.

Then a couple sentences
changed everything ...
forever .....

Do you remember ...

The story of Raggedy Ann is a sad one.

Johnny Gruelle, a writer and illustrator, created the Raggedy Ann stories when his daughter was ill.  The rag doll may have been inspired by a doll his daughter found in her grandmother's attic.  It was a simple rag doll without a face.  As the story goes, he drew a face on the doll and Grandma made a new dress.  The face he drew on the doll became the face of Raggedy Ann.  Sadly, he daughter died but he did publish his stories and he applied for a patent in 1915 for a doll looking very much like the doll we all know and love. 

I never liked the Raggedy Ann dolls as a child and I never read any of the books.  I actually thought the dolls were a little frightening.  They look like clown faces to me and I do not like clowns.  I was afraid of anyone wearing a mask as a child.  I always felt like there was something to be feared behind the mask.  

But it seems Raggedy Ann and Andy live on in many variations.