Raggedy Ann Doll History + Rare Volland Doll Unboxing

Raggedy Ann is a beloved children's character that has enchanted generations since she was first introduced in 1915. Created by author and illustrator Johnny Gruelle, Raggedy Ann has become an icon of American popular culture and an enduring symbol of childhood innocence and wonder.

The story of Raggedy Ann begins with Johnny Gruelle, who was born in 1880 in Arcola, Illinois. As a child, Gruelle was fascinated by the world of imagination and storytelling, and he often spent hours lost in his own daydreams. After graduating from high school, he began working as a cartoonist and illustrator, creating advertisements and comic strips for various newspapers and magazines.

Marcella with her mother, Myrtle.

In 1915, Gruelle's daughter Marcella fell ill with diphtheria, a serious infectious disease that can cause difficulty breathing and even death. While Marcella was recovering in bed, Gruelle decided to create a doll to help lift her spirits. Using an old rag doll that his grandmother had made for him, Gruelle crafted a new toy with a simple design and a friendly smile. He also added a few personal touches, such as a heart-shaped nose and a hand-stitched message that read, "I love you."

To Gruelle's delight, Marcella loved the new doll, which she named Raggedy Ann. She spent hours playing with her new friend, dressing her up in different outfits and telling her stories. Inspired by his daughter's enthusiasm, Gruelle decided to create a series of stories featuring Raggedy Ann and her adventures.

In 1918, Gruelle's first book, "Raggedy Ann Stories," was published by P.F. Volland & Co. The book was an instant success, and it helped to launch Gruelle's career as a children's author and illustrator. Over the years, he went on to write and illustrate dozens of books featuring Raggedy Ann and her brother Andy, as well as other characters like Beloved Belindy, Uncle Clem, and Henny.

Gruelle's books were notable for their whimsical storytelling, colorful illustrations, and gentle humor. They also reflected Gruelle's deep love for his daughter, who had inspired the creation of Raggedy Ann. In many of the stories, Raggedy Ann is portrayed as a kind and compassionate friend, always ready to help those in need and to spread joy and happiness wherever she goes.

Raggedy Ann dolls were originally made by hand by Gruelle and his family, but they soon became so popular that toy manufacturers mass-produced them, starting with P.F. Volland. You can see many videos from our shop with doll history, and special dolls on permanent display in our shop.

Today, Raggedy Ann remains one of the most beloved characters in children's literature. She has been featured in countless books, movies, and TV shows, and she has become a cultural icon in her own right. Despite the many changes in popular culture over the years, Raggedy Ann's enduring appeal is a testament to the enduring power of imagination, creativity, and the simple joys of childhood.

Join Rachel as she unboxes a fabulous antique Raggedy Ann by the P.F. Volland Company, made in 1920! This special doll is a permanent addition to the doll shop Raggedy Ann Collection. Also, share in thoughts and memories about Jonathan Green. If you have or know of rare Raggedy Ann dolls, you can email photos and connect with us through our website or via email at rachel@rachelhoffmanappraisal.com

Announcing Our 2023 Jonathan Green Kathe Kruse Event

We are excited to invite you to the upcoming UFDC doll convention in August 2023! As one of the premier events in the doll-collecting community, this convention is a must-attend for enthusiasts and collectors alike.

As an event sponsor of the convention, we are especially excited to announce that we will host a special lunch in honor of our dear friend and fellow doll enthusiast, Jonathan Green. We would be honored if you would join us for this special occasion and celebrate the life and legacy of one of our community's most beloved members. Please listen to what I have to say in this new YouTube video.

This lunch will surely be a highlight of the convention, featuring a program by me (Rachel Hoffman) about Kathe Kruse through the lens of Jonathan Green, delicious food, lively conversation, and plenty of dolls to admire and cherish. We are going "all out" for our beloved friend with an extra doll manufactured by our shop (in addition to the event Kathe Kruse doll), custom-created centerpieces, paper dolls, gifts, and a Jonathan Green special exhibit.

It's a fantastic opportunity to connect with other collectors, share stories and tips, and expand your knowledge of the fascinating world of doll collecting. We hope to see you.

So mark your calendars and plan to attend the UFDC doll convention in August 2023. We can't wait to see you there and share this special experience together.

Rooting for You and Your Joy

When Mom first started with her Alzheimer’s and then during the rocky years until she passed, it was the scariest and most uncertain time of my life.

In the beginning, the dolls really confused me, and I remember once calling my dad and bawling as I was driving down the road, having just picked up a doll collection that I knew Mom wouldn’t be able to help with. I was overwhelmed and honestly thought there was no way I would make it. This was all too grown up for me.

I never knew a doll shop without my Mom in charge. It didn’t matter what mistakes I made because Mom was there, and everything would be figured out.

It’s been six years since I took over here and almost three since she went to Heaven. I miss her terribly and so grateful she left us this place to make our own.

I still make mistakes with dolls. And some days, I struggle a lot emotionally.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that you don’t have to be all the things. You just have to be. Do the best you can with what you’ve been given, and that’s enough. Extend kindness and grace to you, too.

I often need this reminder and thought maybe you did, too.

VINTAGE BARBIE HAUL AND CATCHING UP ABOUT LIFE

Hi Dear Friends,

A lot had happened in the last couple of weeks. The biggest thing is that I have been grieving the loss of my dear friend, Jonathan Green. In addition, Holland Diane has been sick, and we have been trying to hang in there. Part of getting back into life for me is creating videos because we love sharing and having you in our shop. Join me for a chat about life, and join Christopher for a vintage Barbie doll and clothing unboxing. It is outstanding just how much Christopher knows about vintage Barbie. He did not see these items before filming this video! This is a fun video to have on in the background if you are working on something. Pull up a chair and come hang out!

Holiday Chat

Hi Sweet One,

It’s already Christmas Week, and we have a beautiful video coming for you that is a tour of our Christmas Display for 2022. Before we filmed, I had some thoughts on navigating the sometimes challenging feelings around the Holidays that I want to share with you. Pull up a chair and join me if you like. I would love to see you.

XOXO,

Rachel

Teddy Bear and Toy Tour with John Port

Do you remember two years ago when we built a Teddy bear Den for John Port right inside the entrance of the doll shop? It was a blast! Here is the video in case you missed it. I have such wonderful memories of this day! It felt like a great time to release our latest video with John Port inside the newly renovated doll shop. You will see all kinds of new critters and creatures in this “shop-along” style video.

John Port has been an incredible friend to us over the years. We are so grateful for him!

We hope you enjoy it.

XOXO,

Rachel

Filming Teddy Bear Repair in 2021 with John Port

Robert Tonner Visited MY Doll Shop!

I think in every career, you have special “moments to remember,” Can I share a recent one with you? 

It was when Robert Tonner and his husband Harris visited my doll shop this year. We toured the shop, played doll collector bingo, and hung out. It was magical and memorable, and we filmed it all for you!

Robert’s latest release of Ellowyne Wilde and Neema sold out in a matter of hours. While they are undisputedly gorgeous dolls (even the most die-hard antique collectors have said so), they also come from a special person. It is important also to like the maker, and anyone that knows Robert knows what an open, caring, approachable, and generous person he is. He is eager to share his knowledge and love of all kinds of dolls, making doll collecting so much more interesting. 

At 70, he is running races, baking up a storm, and has so much work to do in future dolls that he can barely leave his studio. (I know I am ready for the next adventure, are you?!)

Thank you for visiting Denver, Robert and Harris. We can not WAIT to have you back and maybe pack the doll joint for an in-person event, too!

Also, scroll to the next video so you can see Robert work his magic in a new hairstyling tutorial on a vintage Miss Revlon doll, you can buy the products at DollsPart!

Stanley

My Mom hired Stanley for the doll shop when he was 19.

He picked me up from school, helped with all my school assignments (I had the coolest science projects, thanks to him), and took my friends and me on summer adventures.

I had been running the shop for a while once my Mom got Alzheimer’s, but it wasn’t until she passed that I asked Stanley what felt like every other minute, “Hey, Stan, how do we do this, where do we order this, who do we call for this.”

Stanley’s wife Pam worked here for almost 20 years, and she was one of the best things to happen to our company.

When she passed in January of 2020, we were at her bedside together. It was devastating to us all, and shortly after, we lost Mom.

I didn’t see Stanley smile again until Holland Diane. Now, he smiles every day. They enjoy lunch, she refuses to nap anywhere else but his chest, and they have their little routines.

He sacrifices what he used to enjoy watching over lunch for her favorite cartoons on his lap while they eat lunch.

They are the best thing to happen to each other, and I’ll never get tired of seeing this smile.

We've been through a lot. Stanley is part of the reason I care about keeping this shop so much, and we will be working together until the very last day.

Rare Mystery Madame Alexander Ladies of Fashion Dolls

My mother, Diane Hoffman, loved two things most - her family and dolls.

She spent her life chasing after her dream dolls and the result is a collection that we love to share with the world at the doll shop.

Her Madame Alexander Mystery Ladies of Fashion dolls are among the prizes of her lifetime, and it is with great joy that I continue to share. We hope you enjoy this video that we made special for the Virtual Doll Convention.

If you haven’t seen it, take a peek. I hope you enjoy.

Love,
Rachel

New Shop, New Virtual Event - Join Us!

We have been busy getting ready for the upcoming Virtual Doll Convention! Our doll shop is the Virtual Doll Convention's home office, a sister company to Turn of the Century Antiques.

In the last week, we have hosted multiple experts in dolls and bears, AND Robert Tonner visited our shop. It was a thrill! We hope you will join us for this completely online event, August 26-28, 2022.

All of the videos and content stays up forever, so you do not have to be present to enjoy it down the road.

There will be over 25 programs spanning a variety of subjects, from early antique wooden dolls to vintage to modern.

Part of the 'secret sauce' of the Virtual Doll Convention videos is they are FUN and entertaining! So, if you are not necessarily interested in the dolls in a particular video, you will still enjoy the video, we promise!

Registration is a 'tip jar' with you choosing your contribution level. Select the amount, add it to your cart, and then click the cart to check out on the website. All the money goes to our shop and the people that work with us to help us organize this event. (Our editors especially thank you!!)

One of the programs you will LOVE is an updated shop tour. As you know, we have been working around the clock to give our shop a newly updated look and it looks GREAT. We can’t wait for you to experience it all at the Virtual Doll Convention.

Opening New Doors at the Doll Shop

We noticed subtle things at first.

Mom would pay way too much for dolls that we didn’t need or hang up the phone without saying goodbye or when she forgot Valentine’s Day for the first time.

I’ll never forget the day that I was packing for a doll convention, and instead of her telling me what to do, she came over and asked me if she could help.

Dad and I eventually switched off days with Mom, and she never was alone or afraid. She came to work with me up until just a couple of months before her passing.

She always knew who we were, and even when she couldn’t speak anymore, and she would rub my cheek and squeeze my hand when I did things for her.

If you are living with a broken heart from a loved one having dementia, and it feels so lonely and hard some days - you are not broken.

You are not broken, love. You are never broken.

Caregiving calls us to lean into love that we didn’t know was there, that we didn’t know was possible. And those years prepared me for anything I could ever face now.

I think about my Mom every single day. I thank her for the space she gave us to create, to make a living, and to share joy with the world.

I’m building new doorways in the shop, and this is what you’ll find walking through them: Healing. Reclaimed hope. A new future.

Sometimes the doors we want to stay open shut for a long time. Sometimes they don’t open at all.

And sometimes, we need to find the courage to open a new one.

And sometimes, just when we think we can’t keep hoping, life surprises us.

Transformation is Possible

I have a full-time 8-month-old, 25 more pounds that I’m trying to lose, currently undergoing a second shop renovation, a doll business to run, and just announced a VDC event with over 1,000 dolls on their way to my shop.

Life is wild and absolute magic.

To those of you who ever doubted that transformation was possible, I’m living proof. To those who ever felt stuck or trapped, or confused about what your next step should be, can I share what has worked for me? Honesty. Looking into the mirror, locking eyes with the life I am leading, and asking myself those tough questions that are sometimes terrifying to ask…and then clawing my way to the answers.

And all of those answers lead me right back here to this sweet shop where I grew up and continuing to create and present online content. Content that inspires, entertains and makes my viewers feel seen and loved.

I know I’m good at this, and so, I’m going to keep going.

I can’t wait to share all that we are building and doing and if you’re reading this, know how grateful I am to have you along for the ride.

A special shout out to my brother Paul and our INCREDIBLE carpenter, David, for working with me all weekend.

Here's the Thing About Loving Someone

Two years ago today, Derek was grilling dinner out on our patio, and I got the call that my Momma had passed away at 5:53 PM.

I remember several things about that night, and one of them is Derek holding me tight as I took the call and then called Dad next door.

I called Dad this morning, and he joined us on our walk in the Hot Rod. You should have seen him strolling her around, showing her off like his little Ferrari with his wrench jingling out of the front of his overalls pocket.

As silly as it may seem, I giggle when I see that wrench in his pocket every time. And I know that wrench would drive my Mom crazy, especially eating out.

Here's the thing about loving someone - we get to miss them. We miss the memories we had, the memories we could have had. Time doesn't heal all wounds, but it makes the stories more special and the memories that much more alive.

It makes me weep to know that she will never know Holland Diane, show her around her doll shop and hold her sweet little hand, but I also know she knows her, and on the best days, I see little flickers of my Mom right in her face.

It's the best.

Mom lived her life caring for her family and chasing after dolls. She was loving, brave, and kind, and she was mine.

She'd be proud of us.

She was the best mother, and I am so thankful that she is the beginning of my story.

Her Grandma Diane Would Have Loved Yesterday in the Doll Shop

Her Grandma Diane would have loved yesterday in the doll shop.

We laughed, fixed dolls, discovered new ones coming through the door, filmed videos where we ended saying, "that was fun!" and ordered a fancier-than-usual lunch because we had a coupon.

I walked around her shop with her grandbaby strapped to my chest, and she grabbed at everything, which made work more complicated and so much more wonderful at the same time.

Through the hard, I am living proof that Dreams DO Come True.

So many of you found me broken from losing my mother to Alzheimer's and Covid, and you carried me more than you'll ever know. You lifted me up by reaffirming my words and letting me support you on your journey.

Now we walk together, we've been together for so long that it feels like we are good friends - and we are.

So, Sweet One, if you are walking through the mud right now and the steps feel impossible, just focus on pulling out of that one and taking ONE more step and then do it again. You are stronger than you even know.

And your story is still being written, and you have a community here willing to listen to that story unfolding.

Love you,

Rachel and Holland Diane

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