Raggedy Ann Discovers a Wrinkle-Kneed Camel in Ashland (Ore.) Woods

Before Barbie, Raggedy Ann was the most popular doll in America. The floppy rag doll with red hair and painted smile was first stitched together for his daughter in 1917 by Johnny B. Gruelle [grew-el] of Norwalk, Conn.
A children’s book author and illustrator, Gruelle spent 1923 in Ashland, Ore., where he completed work on an illustrated book titled “Raggedy Ann and Andy and the Camel with the Wrinkled Knees,” published in 1924.
When Gruelle and his family arrived in Ashland on Aug. 28, 1923, they had been on the road for 120 days, having traveled from Connecticut in a Larrabee “Coach de Lux,” a six-cylinder bus custom outfitted as a motor home with “Coast-to-Coast” painted on its sides.
The Gruelle family stayed in a Granite Street guest house belonging to a friend, Emma Oeder. The Ashland book’s illustrations were completed at Oeder’s cabin at Lake of the Woods. The story was set in what Gruelle called “deep, deep woods,” at least partially inspired by his Southern Oregon surroundings.
Gruelle once wrote that “… Oregon seemed to contain a part of the best of every state through which we passed” on the bus trip across the country.
Today’s episode of As It Was was written by Kernan Turner, the program producer is Raymond Scully. I’m Shirley Patton. As It Was is a co-production of JPR and the Southern Oregon Historical Society. To share stories or learn more about the series, visit asitwas – dot.org.
Source: Hall, Patricia, Johnny Gruelle, Creator of Raggedy Ann and Andy. Pelican Publishing Company, Inc. Gretna, La., 1993/1998; Lavoie, Denise “Raggedy Ann celebrates 75th birthday” The Associated Press, published in The Freelance-Star, Fredericksburg, Va., July 1, 1992.