Raggedy Ann and her brother, Raggedy Andy, are rag dolls. The original author of the stories, Johnny Gruelle, based Raggedy Ann on a doll that belonged to his daughter, Marcella (or possibly a much older rag doll that had been passed down through the family, the story varies). Soon after the first books were published, Gruelle arranged to have his publisher sell commercially-made versions of the dolls. The real Marcella died young at age 13 in 1915, but the fictional Marcella, based on her, is a regular character in the stories.

In the very first book, Raggedy Ann needs to have her stuffing replaced, and she also receives a special candy heart that says, “I love you.”

At first, the stories were just about Raggedy Ann, but then, Gruelle added a brother for her. Raggedy Andy was not based on an existing male doll.

The dolls usually come to life at night, when Marcella is asleep. Their adventures often take them to magical lands, like Fairyland and Cookie Land, and they often meet magical characters, like fairies and witches.

This series and the characters of Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy have continued long past the death of the original author in 1938, with new authors writing new stories and books. For the moment, I’m just going to concentrate on the original Gruelle books. He both wrote and illustrated the first books. Later, there were books that he wrote and someone else illustrated. A large number of these books were published after his death, and some books published after his death were attributed to him even though he didn’t write them.

Books in the Series:

Original Books Written and Illustrated by Gruelle

Raggedy Ann Stories (1918)

Raggedy Ann arrives in Marcella’s nursery and becomes the leader of her dolls.

Raggedy Andy Stories (1920)

Raggedy Andy arrives by mail to join Raggedy Ann and the other dolls in Marcella’s nursery.

Raggedy Ann and Andy and the Camel With the Wrinkled Knees (1924)

Raggedy Ann and Andy set out to rescue Babette, a French doll who was kidnapped by pirates. They find help from a cloth camel they meet in Fairyland

Raggedy Andy’s Number Book (1924)

Raggedy Ann’s Wishing Pebble (1925)

Raggedy Ann’s Alphabet Book (1925)

Beloved Belindy (1926)

The Paper Dragon: A Raggedy Ann Adventure (1926)

Raggedy Ann’s Fairy Stories (1928)

Raggedy Ann’s Magical Wishes (1928)

Marcella: A Raggedy Ann Story (1929)

Marcella takes her dolls on a trip to the seashore.

Raggedy Ann in the Deep Deep Woods (1930)

Raggedy Ann’s Sunny Songs (1930)

Raggedy Ann in Cookie Land (1931)

Raggedy Ann and Andy fall down a hole and find themselves in Cookie Land, where there are cookie people and a goblin called Hookie.

Raggedy Ann’s Lucky Pennies (1932)

A lucky penny that Raggedy Ann and Andy pick from the Lucky Penny Tree leads them to adventure.

Raggedy Ann Cut-Out Paper Doll (1935)

Raggedy Ann’s Little Brother Andy Cut-Out Paper Doll (1935)

Raggedy Ann in the Golden Meadow (1935)

Raggedy Ann and the Left-Handed Safety Pin (1935)

Raggedy Ann’s Joyful Songs (1937)

Raggedy Ann and Maizie Moocow (1937)

Books Written by Gruelle with Other Illustrators

Raggedy Ann in the Magic Book (1939)

Raggedy Ann and the Laughing Brook (1940)

Raggedy Ann and the Golden Butterfly (1940)

Raggedy Ann Helps Grandpa Hoppergrass (1940)

Raggedy Ann and the Hoppy Toad (1940)

Raggedy Ann in the Garden (1940)

Raggedy Ann Goes Sailing (1941)

Raggedy Ann and Andy and the Nice Fat Policeman (1942)

Raggedy Ann and Betsy Bonnet String (1943)

Raggedy Ann in the Snow White Castle (1946)

Raggedy Ann and the Golden Ring (1961)

Raggedy Ann and the Hobby Horse (1961)

Raggedy Ann and the Happy Meadow (1961)

Raggedy Ann and the Wonderful Witch (1961)

Raggedy Ann and Andy and the Kindly Ragman (1975)

Raggedy Ann and Andy and the Witchie Kissabye (1975)

Companion Books By Other Authors

Raggedy Ann and Andy’s Cookbook (1975)

This children’s cookbook is inspired by the classic Raggedy Ann and Andy stories, and the recipes are accompanied by illustrations from the original books and quotes from the stories. By Nika Hazelton.

Raggedy Ann’s Tea Party Book (1999)

A children’s guide to planning a tea party with Raggedy Ann. By Elizabeth Silbaugh, illustrated by Laura Francesca Filippucci.