Hall further explains that according to an oft-repeated myth, Gruelle's daughter, Marcella, brought from her grandmother's attic a faceless cloth doll on which the artist drew a face, and that Gruelle suggested that Marcella's grandmother sew a shoe button for a missing eye. What makes this even more intriguing is that fact that Johnny Gruelle, either unwittingly or with the great sense of humor he was known for, initiated many of these legends, a number of which are continuously repeated as the factual history of Raggedy Ann and Andy.' Gruelle biographer and Raggedy Ann historian Patricia Hall notes that the dolls have 'found themselves at the center of several legend cycles-groups of stories that, while containing kernels of truth, are more myth than they are history. The exact details of the origins of the Raggedy Ann doll and related stories, which were created by Johnny Gruelle, are not specifically known, although numerous myths and legends about the doll's origins have been widely repeated. Further characters such as Beloved Belindy, a black mammy doll, were featured as dolls and characters in books. A sequel, Raggedy Andy Stories (1920), introduced the character of her brother, Raggedy Andy. When a doll was marketed with the book, the concept had great success. The character was created in 1915, as a doll, and was introduced to the public in the 1918 book Raggedy Ann Stories. Gruelle received US Patent D47789 for his Raggedy Ann doll on September 7, 1915. Raggedy Ann is a rag doll with red yarn for hair and a triangle nose.

Raggedy Ann is a character created by American writer Johnny Gruelle (1880–1938) that appeared in a series of books he wrote and illustrated for young children. Raggedy Ann meets Raggedy Andy for the first time illustrated by Johnny Gruelle

Raggedy ann and andy story book