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Circa: 1996
Collector Bookstore is a retailer of new books located in Leavenworth, Kansas. We specialize in price guides and reference books for the antiques and collectibles industry. Table of Contents: - RAGGEDY ANN began her career as a storybook doll, but she is now much more than that. Having survived wars, the Great Depression, recessions, Barbie, a t.v. series, and polyester, all with a cheerful smile on her plain, honest face, she is a true classic. As such, she has become a symbol of American childhood, an icon of pop culture. Raggedy Ann's warm persona, her comforting softness, and her candy heart which says "I Love You", have kept her in the forefront of American dolls for over three quarters of a century. Almost everyone recognizes Raggedy Ann and her loyal brother, Raggedy Andy, but few know much about them. What sort of man was their creator, Johnny Gruelle (1880-1938), and why have they remained popular while other characters have come and gone? An almost mythical aura surrounds Gruelle (pronounced Gru-elle) and his Raggedys.
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| Facts and logic often take a It seat to sentimental legends and "improved-upon" versions of history (in discussing the Raggedys' past, Johnny's son, Worth Gruelle, feels he should "stick not only to the truth, but to whatever's magical; not that the truth wasn't magical"). As fancies are told and retold, they become as much a part of Raggedy lore as the facts they sometimes obscure. A Raggedy history must incorporate both documented facts and known legends, along with a dollop of logical deduction. This book is not an in-depth biography of Johnny Gruelle, nor is it a myopic look at his dolls and books as though they existed in a world all their own. Elements of Gruelle's life and career, the times he lived in, popular trends and social history, are interwoven here to tell the story of Raggedy Ann and Andy. |
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