Rereading and Learning from the Classics: Raggedy Ann
Did you ever own a Raggedy Ann doll? If you're female, I'm betting you did. I live in Wilton, CT. I've lived here for almost 30 years, but it wasn't until recently that I discovered that Ann -- and her equally raggedy brother, Andy -- were created right here in my home town. The duo's creator, Johny Gruelle, was born in Illinois. He eventually moved his family to the East Coast, where he'd accepted a full-time position with The New York Herald, turning out a weekly comic strip - "Mr. Twee Deedle" - about a sprite who lived in an old gnarled apple tree, befriended a small boy named Dickie and sometimes Dickie's sister, Dolly, and dispensed homilies about proper behavior. Around 1912, he built a house in the Silvermine area of Wilton -- home of Mr. Deedle's tree. Somewhat of a pioneer, he included amenities most homes didn't have: electricity, running water and -- ta dah - indoor plumbing. There are several versions of the sto...