My Vintage Tudor Doll House

A Rich Keystone Dollhouse with gypsum hardboard walls.  There are six rooms but it came with none of it's original furnishings.

       I found a gem today at resale. This Rich Toys, printed particleboard Tudor, I believe from 1938. I paid $9.99! The house will need very careful cleaning and a great deal of research put into it's period furnishings.

• A wonderful collection of more Rich Toy Dollhouses here  
• Some history behind the Rich dollhouses

The rooms look lonely and dark. These cry out for a little girl's affection I think.

Here you can see where time has taken it toll on the particleboard edges.
The printed checkerboard floors and carpets were once a bright Kelly green.

The color is still brilliant on the outside of the doll's house. Brilliant evergreens, ivies, tulips and window
 boxes cheerfully decorate this popular period doll house.

The wooden trim and steps are still intact. The doorway is flanked by red vases and narrow
 casement windows. I love the diamond shaped window panes.

Here you can see the bright red shutters with tiny pine tree carvings depicted in the upper panels.
There is a solitary louvered shutter in the dormer of the roof as well.

The stone printed chimney is still intact! But like many doll houses from this era,
there are no curtains or window panes included.

Detail of the painted shingles on the roof in red on a green background.

The designs for dollhouses manufactured in the 30s and 40s were very contemporary
 to the popular home designs of their day, particularly in the United States.

The original furnishings were plastic and the figures were usually dressed in suits. Yes, even the
mother wore a plastic molded suit! However, I have not begun to look for these figures.

A photograph of my vintage Tudor from above.

The wall are different in that they are mounted at a distinct angle inside of the frame.

Find More Tudor Doll Houses:

• Free Plans For A Tudor Doll House
• The Tudor Era - Living the Tudor Life from DollsHouse & Miniature Scene
• Tudor Doll House Kits from Canada
• Posts from Dollhouse Project
• The Ward Parkway Tudor Dollhouse from 1971

Raggedy Ann And The Kittens

Raggedy Ann And The Kittens

       Raggedy Ann had been away all day.

       Marcella had come early in the morning and dressed all the dolls and placed them about the nursery.

       Some of the dolls had been put in the little red chairs around the little doll table. There was nothing to eat upon the table except a turkey, a fried egg and an apple, all made of plaster of paris and painted in natural colors. The little teapot and other doll dishes were empty, but Marcella had told them to enjoy their dinner while she was away.

       The French dolly had been given a seat upon the doll sofa and Uncle Clem had been placed at the piano.

       Marcella picked up Raggedy Ann and carried her out of the nursery when she left, telling the dolls to "be real good children, while Mamma is away!"

       When the door closed, the tin soldier winked at the Dutch-boy doll and handed the imitation turkey to the penny dolls. "Have some nice turkey?" he asked.

       "No thank you!" the penny dolls said in little penny-doll, squeaky voices, "We have had all we can eat!"

Color Uncle Clem as he plays a tune.

       "Shall I play you a tune?" asked Uncle Clem of the French doll.

       At this all the dolls laughed, for Uncle Clem could not begin to play any tune. Raggedy Ann was the only doll who had ever taken lessons, and she could play Peter-Peter-Pumpkin-Eater with one hand.

       In fact, Marcella had almost worn out Raggedy Ann's right hand teaching it to her.

Fido has a secret

       "Play something lively!" said the French doll, as she giggled behind her hand, so Uncle Clem began hammering the eight keys on the toy piano with all his might until a noise was heard upon the stairs.

       Quick as a wink, all the dolls took the same positions in which they had been placed by Marcella, for they did not wish really truly people to know that they could move about.

       But it was only Fido. He put his nose in the door and looked around.

       All the dolls at the table looked steadily at the painted food, and Uncle Clem leaned upon the piano keys looking just as unconcerned as when he had been placed there.

       Then Fido pushed the door open and came into the nursery wagging his tail.

       He walked over to the table and sniffed, in hopes Marcella had given the dolls real food and that some would still be left.

       "Where's Raggedy Ann?" Fido asked, when he had satisfied himself that there was no food.

       "Mistress took Raggedy Ann and went somewhere!" all the dolls answered in chorus.

       "I've found something I must tell Raggedy Ann about!" said Fido, as he scratched his ear.

       "Is it a secret?" asked the penny dolls.

       "Secret nothing," replied Fido, "It's kittens!"

       "How lovely!" cried all the dolls, "Really live kittens?"

       "Really live kittens!" replied Fido, "Three little tiny ones, out in the barn!"

       "Oh, I wish Raggedy Ann was here!" cried the French doll. "She would know what to do about it!"

       "That's why I wanted to see her," said Fido, as he thumped his tail on the floor, "I did not know there were any kittens and I went into the barn to hunt for mice and the first thing I knew Mamma Cat came bouncing right at me with her eyes looking green! I tell you I hurried out of there!"

       "How did you know there were any kittens then?" asked Uncle Clem.

       "I waited around the barn until Mamma Cat went up to the house and then I slipped into the barn again, for I knew there must be something inside or she would not have jumped at me that way! We are always very friendly, you know." Fido continued. "And what was my surprise to find three tiny little kittens in an old basket, 'way back in a dark corner!"

       "Go get them, Fido, and bring them up so we can see them!" said the tin soldier.

       "Not me!" said Fido, "If I had a suit of tin clothes on like you have I might do it, but you know cats can scratch very hard if they want to!"

       "We will tell Raggedy when she comes in!" said the French doll, and then Fido went out to play with a neighbor dog.

       So when Raggedy Ann had been returned to the nursery the dolls could hardly wait until Marcella had put on their nighties and left them for the night.

       Then they told Raggedy Ann all about the kittens.

       Raggedy Ann jumped from her bed and ran over to Fido's basket; he wasn't there.

       Then Raggedy suggested that all the dolls go out to the barn and see the kittens. This they did easily, for the window was open and it was but a short jump to the ground.

       They found Fido out near the barn watching a hole.

       "I was afraid something might disturb them," he said, "for Mamma Cat went away about an hour ago."

       All the dolls, with Raggedy Ann in the lead, crawled through the hole and ran to the basket.

Waiting to see

       Just as Raggedy Ann started to pick up one of the kittens there was a lot of howling and yelping and Fido came bounding through the hole with Mamma Cat behind him. When Mamma Cat caught up with Fido he would yelp.

       When Fido and Mamma Cat had circled the barn two or three times Fido managed to find the hole and escape to the yard; then Mamma Cat came over to the basket and saw all the dolls.

Raggedy Ann and a kitten

       "I'm surprised at you, Mamma Cat!" said Raggedy Ann, "Fido has been watching your kittens for an hour while you were away. He wouldn't hurt them for anything!"

       "I'm sorry, then," said Mamma Cat.

       "You must trust Fido, Mamma Cat!" said Raggedy Ann, "because he loves you and anyone who loves you can be trusted!"

       "That's so!" replied Mamma Cat. "Cats love mice, too, and I wish the mice trusted us more!"

       The dolls all laughed at this joke.

       "Have you told the folks up at the house about your dear little kittens?" Raggedy Ann asked.

       "Oh, my, no!" exclaimed Mamma Cat. "At the last place I lived the people found out about my kittens and do you know, all the kittens disappeared! I intend keeping this a secret!"

       "But all the folks at this house are very kindly people and would dearly love your kittens!" cried all the dolls.

       "Let's take them right up to the nursery!" said Raggedy Ann, "And Mistress can find them there in the morning!"

       "How lovely!" said all the dolls in chorus. "Do, Mamma Cat! Raggedy Ann knows, for she is stuffed with nice clean white cotton and is very wise!"

       So after a great deal of persuasion, Mamma Cat finally consented. Raggedy Ann took two of the kittens and carried them to the house while Mamma Cat carried the other.

       Raggedy Ann wanted to give the kittens her bed, but Fido, who was anxious to prove his affection, insisted that Mamma Cat and the kittens should have his nice soft basket.

       The dolls could hardly sleep that night; they were so anxious to see what Mistress would say when she found the dear little kittens in the morning.

       Raggedy Ann did not sleep a wink, for she shared her bed with Fido and he kept her awake whispering to her.

       In the morning when Marcella came to the nursery, the first thing she saw was the three little kittens.

       She cried out in delight and carried them all down to show to Mamma and Daddy. Mamma Cat went trailing along, arching her back and purring with pride as she rubbed against all the chairs and doors.

       Mamma and Daddy said the kittens could stay in the nursery and belong to Marcella, so Marcella took them back to Fido's basket while she hunted names for them out of a fairy tale book.

       Marcella finally decided upon three names; Prince Charming for the white kitty, Cinderella for the Maltese and Princess Golden for the kitty with the yellow stripes.

       So that is how the three little kittens came to live in the nursery.

       And it all turned out just as Raggedy Ann had said, for her head was stuffed with clean white cotton, and she could think exceedingly wise thoughts.

       And Mamma Cat found out that Fido was a very good friend, too. She grew to trust him so much she would even let him help wash the kittens' faces.

Color Fido guarding the baby kittens.

Back to the original stories index by Johnny Gruelle

Raggedy Ann And The Fairies' Gift

 Raggedy Ann And The Fairies' Gift

       All the dolls were tucked snugly in their little doll-beds for the night and the large house was very still.

       Every once in a while Fido would raise one ear and partly open one eye, for his keen dog sense seemed to tell him that something was about to happen.

Fido wakes Raggedy Ann

       Finally he opened both eyes, sniffed into the air and, getting out of his basket and shaking himself, he trotted across the nursery to Raggedy Ann's bed.

       Fido put his cold nose in Raggedy Ann's neck. She raised her head from the little pillow.

       "Oh! It's you, Fido!" said Raggedy Ann. "I dreamed the tin soldier put an icicle down my neck!"

       "I can't sleep," Fido told Raggedy Ann. "I feel that something is about to happen!"

       "You have been eating too many bones lately, Fido, and they keep you awake," Raggedy replied.

       "No, it isn't that. I haven't had any bones since the folks had beef last Sunday. It isn't that. Listen, Raggedy!"

       Raggedy Ann listened.

       There was a murmur as if someone were singing, far away.

       "What is it?" asked Fido.

       "Sh!" cautioned Raggedy Ann, "It's music."

       It was indeed music, the most beautiful music Raggedy Ann had ever heard.

       It grew louder, but still seemed to be far away.

       Raggedy Ann and Fido could hear it distinctly and it sounded as if hundreds of voices were singing in unison.

       "Please don't howl, Fido," Raggedy Ann said as she put her two rag arms around the dog's nose. Fido usually "sang" when he heard music.

       But Fido did not sing this time; he was filled with wonder. It seemed as if something very nice was going to happen.

Color the fairies bringing a gift.

       Raggedy Ann sat upright in bed. The room was flooded with a strange, beautiful light and the music came floating in through the nursery window.

       Raggedy Ann hopped from her bed and ran across the floor, trailing the bed clothes behind her. Fido followed close behind and together they looked out the window across the flower garden.

       There among the flowers were hundreds of tiny beings, some playing on tiny reed instruments and flower horns, while others sang. This was the strange, wonderful music Raggedy and Fido had heard.

       "It's the Fairies!" said Raggedy Ann. "To your basket quick, Fido! They are coming this way!" And Raggedy Ann ran back to her bed, with the bed clothes trailing behind her.

       Fido gave three jumps and he was in his basket, pretending he was sound asleep, but one little black eye was peeping through a chink in the side.

       Raggedy jumped into her bed and pulled the covers to her chin, but lay so that her shoe-button eyes could see towards the window.

       Little Fairy forms radiant as silver came flitting into the nursery, singing in far away voices. They carried a little bundle. A beautiful light came from this bundle, and to Raggedy Ann and Fido it seemed like sunshine and moonshine mixed. It was a soft mellow light, just the sort of light you would expect to accompany Fairy Folk.

       As Raggedy watched, her candy heart went pitty-pat against her cotton stuffing, for she saw a tiny pink foot sticking out of the bundle of light.

       The Fairy troop sailed across the nursery and through the door with their bundle and Raggedy Ann and Fido listened to their far away music as they went down the hall.

       Presently the Fairies returned without the bundle and disappeared through the nursery window.

       Raggedy Ann and Fido again ran to the window and saw the Fairy troop dancing among the flowers.

       The light from the bundle still hung about the nursery and a strange lovely perfume floated about.

       When the Fairies' music ceased and they had flown away, Raggedy Ann and Fido returned to Raggedy's bed to think it all out.

       When old Mister Sun peeped over the garden wall and into the nursery, and the other dolls awakened, Raggedy Ann and Fido were still puzzled.

       "What is it, Raggedy Ann?" asked the tin soldier and Uncle Clem, in one voice.

       Before Raggedy Ann could answer, Marcella came running into the nursery, gathered up all the dolls in her arms, and ran down the hall, Fido jumping beside her and barking shrilly.

       "Be quiet!" Marcella said to Fido, "It's asleep and you might awaken it!"

       Mamma helped Marcella arrange all the dolls in a circle around the bed so that they could all see what was in the bundle.

       Mamma gently pulled back the soft covering and the dolls saw a tiny little fist as pink as coral, a soft little face with a cunning tiny pink nose, and a little head as bald as the French dolly's when her hair came off.

       My, how the dollies all chattered when they were once again left alone in the nursery!

       "A dear cuddly baby brother for Mistress!" said Uncle Clem.

       "A beautiful bundle of love and Fairy Sunshine for everybody in the house!" said Raggedy Ann, as she went to the toy piano and joyously played "Peter-Peter-Pumpkin-Eater" with one rag hand.

Color the dolls talking about the new baby.

Back to the original stories index by Johnny Gruelle

Raggedy Ann And The Chickens

 Raggedy Ann And The Chickens

       When Marcella was called into the house she left Raggedy sitting on the chicken yard fence. "Now you sit quietly and do not stir," Marcella told Raggedy Ann, "If you move you may fall and hurt yourself!"

       So, Raggedy Ann sat quietly, just as Marcella told her, but she smiled at the chickens for she had fallen time and again and it had never hurt her in the least. She was stuffed with nice soft cotton, you see.

       So, there she sat until a tiny little humming-bird, in search of flower honey hummed close to Raggedy Ann's head and hovered near the tall Hollyhocks.

       Raggedy Ann turned her rag head to see the humming-bird and lost her balance - plump! she went, down amongst the chickens.

       The chickens scattered in all directions, all except Old Ironsides, the rooster.

       He ruffled his neck feathers and put his head down close to the ground, making a queer whistling noise as he looked fiercely at Raggedy Ann.

       But Raggedy Ann only smiled at Old Ironsides, the rooster, and ran her rag hand through her yarn hair for she did not fear him.

       And then something strange happened, for when she made this motion the old rooster jumped up in the air and kicked his feet out in front, knocking Raggedy Ann over and over.

       When Raggedy Ann stopped rolling she waved her apron at the rooster and cried, "Shoo!" but instead of "shooing," Old Ironsides upset her again.

       Now, two old hens who had been watching the rooster jump at Raggedy ran up and as one old hen placed herself before the rooster, the other old hen caught hold of Raggedy's apron and dragged her into the chicken-coop.

       It was dark inside and Raggedy could not tell what was going on as she felt herself being pulled up over the nests.

       But, finally Raggedy could sit up, for the old hen had quit pulling her, and as her shoe-button eyes were very good, she soon made out the shape of the old hen in front of her.

       "My! that's the hardest work I have done in a long time!" said the old hen, when she could catch her breath. "I was afraid Mr. Rooster would tear your dress and apron!"

       "That was a queer game he was playing, Mrs. Hen," said Raggedy Ann.

       The old hen chuckled 'way down in her throat, "Gracious me! He wasn't playing a game, he was fighting you!"

       "Fighting!" cried Raggedy Ann in surprise.

       "Oh yes, indeed!" the old hen answered, "Old Ironsides, the rooster, thought you intended to harm some of the children chickens and he was fighting you!"

       "I am sorry that I fell inside the pen, I wouldn't harm anything," Raggedy Ann said.

       "If we tell you a secret you must promise not to tell your mistress!" said the old hens.

       "I promise! Cross my candy heart!" said Raggedy Ann.

       Then the two old hens took Raggedy Ann 'way back in the farthest corner of the chicken coop. There, in back of a box, they had built two nests and each old hen had ten eggs in her nest.

       "If your folks hear of it they will take the eggs!" said the hens, "and then we could not raise our families!"

       Raggedy Ann felt the eggs and they were nice and warm.

       "We just left the nests when you fell into the pen!" explained the old hens.

       "But how can the eggs grow if you sit upon them?" said Raggedy. "If Fido sits on any of the garden, the plants will not grow, Mistress says!"

       "Eggs are different!" one old hen explained. "In order to make the eggs hatch properly, we must sit on them three weeks and not let them get cold at any time!"

       "And at the end of the three weeks do the eggs sprout?" asked Raggedy Ann.

       "You must be thinking of eggplant!" cried one old hen. "These eggs hatch at the end of three weeks - they don't sprout - and then we have a lovely family of soft downy chickies; little puff balls that we can cuddle under our wings and love dearly!"

       "Have you been sitting upon the eggs very long?" Raggedy asked.

       "Neither one of us has kept track of the time," said one hen. "So we do not know! You see, we never leave the nests only just once in a while to get a drink and to eat a little. So we can hardly tell when it is day and when it is night."

       "We were going out to get a drink when you fell in the pen!" said one old hen. "Now we will have to sit upon the eggs and warm them up again!"

       The two old hens spread their feathers and nestled down upon the nests.      

       "When you get them good and warm, I would be glad to sit upon the eggs to keep them warm until you get something to eat and drink!" said Raggedy. So the two old hens walked out of the coop to finish their meal which had been interrupted by Raggedy's fall and while they were gone, Raggedy Ann sat quietly upon the warm eggs. Suddenly down beneath her she heard something go, "Pick, pick!" "I hope it isn't a mouse!" Raggedy Ann said to herself, when she felt something move. "I wish the old hens would come back." But when they came back and saw the puzzled expression on her face, they cried, "What is it?"

Color Raggedy Ann as she sits on eggs to keep them warm.

       Raggedy Ann got to her feet and looked down and there were several little fluffy, cuddly baby chickies, round as little puff-balls.

       "Cheep! Cheep! Cheep!" they cried when Raggedy stepped out of the nest.

       "Baby Chicks!" Raggedy cried, as she stooped and picked up one of the little puff-balls. "They want to be cuddled!"

       The two old hens, their eyes shining with happiness, got upon the nests and spread out their soft warm feathers, "The other eggs will hatch soon!" said they.

       So, for several days Raggedy helped the two hens hatch out the rest of the chickies and just as they finished, Marcella came inside looking around.

       "How in the world did you get in here, Raggedy Ann?" she cried. "I have been looking all about for you! Did the chickens drag you in here?"

       Both old hens down behind the box clucked softly to the chickies beneath them and Marcella overheard them.

       She lifted the box away and gave a little squeal of surprise and happiness.

       "Oh you dear old Hennypennies!" she cried, lifting both old hens from their nests. "You have hidden your nests away back here and now you have one, two, three, four - twenty chickies!" and as she counted them, Marcella placed them in her apron; then catching up Raggedy Ann, she placed her over the new little chickies.

"Come on, old Hennypennies!" she said, and went out of the coop with the two old hens clucking at her heels.

       Marcella called Daddy and Daddy rolled two barrels out under one of the trees and made a nice bed in each. Then he nailed slats across the front, leaving a place for a door. Each Hennypennie was then given ten little chickies and shut up in the barrel. And all the dolls were happy when they heard of Raggedy's adventure and they did not have to wait long before they were all taken out to see the new chickies.

Color Raggedy and her Hennypennie chicken friends.

Back to the original stories index by Johnny Gruelle

Introducing Raggedy Ann...

"Marcella like every child, searches for friends and a safe haven. And her friends are not far . . .
She will find them in the attic of her grandmother. In her grandmother's home;
she is kept safe while growing up." Kathy Grimm

 Introducing Raggedy Ann...

       Marcella liked to play up in the attic at Grandma's quaint old house, 'way out in the country, for there were so many old forgotten things to find up there.

       One day when Marcella was up in the attic and had played with the old spinning wheel until she had grown tired of it, she curled up on an old horse-hair sofa to rest.

       "I wonder what is in that barrel, 'way back in the corner?" she thought, as she jumped from the sofa and climbed over two dusty trunks to the barrel standing back under the eaves.

       It was quite dark back there, so when Marcella had pulled a large bundle of things from the barrel she took them over to the dormer window where she could see better. There was a funny little bonnet with long white ribbons. Marcella put it on.

       In an old leather bag she found a number of tin-types of queer looking men and women in old-fashioned clothes. And there was one picture of a very pretty little girl with long curls tied tightly back from her forehead and wearing a long dress and queer pantaloons which reached to her shoe-tops. And then out of the heap she pulled an old rag doll with only one shoe-button eye and a painted nose and a smiling mouth. Her dress was of soft material, blue with pretty little flowers and dots all over it.

       Forgetting everything else in the happiness of her find, Marcella caught up the rag doll and ran downstairs to show it to Grandma.

       "Well! Well! Where did you find it?" Grandma cried. "It's old Raggedy Ann!" she went on as she hugged the doll to her breast. "I had forgotten her. She has been in the attic for fifty years, I guess! Well! Well! Dear old Raggedy Ann! I will sew another button on her right away!" and Grandma went to the machine drawer and got her needle and thread.

       Marcella watched the sewing while Grandma told how she had played with Raggedy Ann when she was a little girl.

       "Now!" Grandma laughed, "Raggedy Ann, you have two fine shoe-button eyes and with them you can see the changes that have taken place in the world while you have been shut up so long in the attic! For, Raggedy Ann, you have a new playmate and mistress now, and I hope you both will have as much happiness together as you and I used to have!"

       Then Grandma gave Raggedy Ann to Marcella, saying very seriously, "Marcella, let me introduce my very dear friend, Raggedy Ann. Raggedy, this is my grand-daughter, Marcella!" And Grandma gave the doll a twitch with her fingers in such a way that the rag doll nodded her head to Marcella.

       "Oh, Grandma! Thank you ever and ever so much!" Marcella cried as she gave Grandma a hug and kiss. "Raggedy Ann and I will have just loads of fun."

       And this is how Raggedy Ann joined the doll family at Marcella's house, where she began the adventures of Raggedy Ann, told in the following stories.

• Back to the original stories index by Johnny Gruelle

This is the full length feature, musical about Johnny Gruelles'

famous dolls. Read more about the modern retelling of these

adventures on film by The Bobbs-Merrill Company in 1977.

Raggedy Ann Learns A Lesson

Raggedy Ann Learns A Lesson

  One day the dolls were left all to themselves.

       Their little mistress had placed them all around the room and told them to be nice children while she was away.

       And there they sat and never even so much as wiggled a finger, until their mistress had left the room.

       Then the soldier dolly turned his head and solemnly winked at Raggedy Ann.

       And when the front gate clicked and the dollies knew they were alone in the house, they all scrambled to their feet.

       "Now let's have a good time!" cried the tin soldier. "Let's all go in search of something to eat!"

       "Yes! Let's all go in search of something to eat!" cried all the other dollies.

       "When Mistress had me out playing with her this morning," said Raggedy Ann, "she carried me by a door near the back of the house and I smelled something which smelled as if it would taste delicious!"

       "Then you lead the way, Raggedy Ann!" cried the French dolly.

       "I think it would be a good plan to elect Raggedy Ann as our leader on this expedition!" said the Indian doll.

       At this all the other dolls clapped their hands together and shouted, "Hurrah! Raggedy Ann will be our leader."

       So Raggedy Ann, very proud indeed to have the confidence and love of all the other dollies, said that she would be very glad to be their leader.

       "Follow me!" she cried as her wobbly legs carried her across the floor at a lively pace.

       The other dollies followed, racing about the house until they came to the pantry door. "This is the place!" cried Raggedy Ann, and sure enough, all the dollies smelled something which they knew must be very good to eat.

       But none of the dollies was tall enough to open the door and, although they pushed and pulled with all their might, the door remained tightly closed.

       Raggedy Ann can think clearly now.

       The dollies were talking and pulling and pushing and every once in a while one would fall over and the others would step on her in their efforts to open the door. Finally Raggedy Ann drew away from the others and sat down on the floor.

       When the other dollies discovered Raggedy Ann sitting there, running her rag hands through her yarn hair, they knew she was thinking.

       "Sh! Sh!" they said to each other and quietly went over near Raggedy Ann and sat down in front of her.

       "There must be a way to get inside," said Raggedy Ann.

       "Raggedy says there must be a way to get inside!" cried all the dolls.

       "I can't seem to think clearly to-day," said Raggedy Ann. "It feels as if my head were ripped."

       At this the French doll ran to Raggedy Ann and took off her bonnet. "Yes, there is a rip in your head, Raggedy!" she said and pulled a pin from her skirt and pinned up Raggedy's head. "It's not a very neat job, for I got some puckers in it!" she said.

       "Oh that is ever so much better!" cried Raggedy Ann. "Now I can think quite clearly."

       "Now Raggedy can think quite clearly!" cried all the dolls.

       "My thoughts must have leaked out the rip before!" said Raggedy Ann.

       "They must have leaked out before, dear Raggedy!" cried all the other dolls.

       "Now that I can think so clearly," said Raggedy Ann, "I think the door must be locked and to get in we must unlock it!"

       "That will be easy!" said the Dutch doll who says "Mamma" when he is tipped backward and forward, "For we will have the brave tin soldier shoot the key out of the lock!"

       The Brave Tin Soldier

       "I can easily do that!" cried the tin soldier, as he raised his gun.

       "Oh, Raggedy Ann!" cried the French dolly. "Please do not let him shoot!"

       "No!" said Raggedy Ann. "We must think of a quieter way!"

       After thinking quite hard for a moment, Raggedy Ann jumped up and said: "I have it!" And she caught up the Jumping Jack and held him up to the door; then Jack slid up his stick and unlocked the door.

       Then the dollies all pushed and the door swung open.

       My! Such a scramble! The dolls piled over one another in their desire to be the first at the goodies.

       They swarmed upon the pantry shelves and in their eagerness spilled a pitcher of cream which ran all over the French dolly's dress.

Having tea

       The Indian doll found some corn bread and dipping it in the molasses he sat down for a good feast.

       A jar of raspberry jam was overturned and the dollies ate of this until their faces were all purple.

       The tin soldier fell from the shelf three times and bent one of his tin legs, but he scrambled right back up again.

       Shame on you, Raggedy Ann!

Color Raggedy with jam smudged all over her face.

       Never had the dolls had so much fun and excitement, and they had all eaten their fill when they heard the click of the front gate.

       They did not take time to climb from the shelves, but all rolled or jumped off to the floor and scrambled back to their room as fast as they could run, leaving a trail of bread crumbs and jam along the way.

       Just as their mistress came into the room the dolls dropped in whatever positions they happened to be in.

       "This is funny!" cried Mistress. "They were all left sitting in their places around the room! I wonder if Fido has been shaking them up!" Then she saw Raggedy Ann's face and picked her up. "Why Raggedy Ann, you are all sticky! I do believe you are covered with jam!" and Mistress tasted Raggedy Ann's hand. "Yes! It's JAM! Shame on you, Raggedy Ann! You've been in the pantry and all the others, too!" and with this the dolls' mistress dropped Raggedy Ann on the floor and left the room.

       When she came back she had on an apron and her sleeves were rolled up.

       She picked up all the sticky dolls and putting them in a basket she carried them out under the apple tree in the garden.

       There she had placed her little tub and wringer and she took the dolls one at a time, and scrubbed them with a scrubbing brush and soused them up and down and this way and that in the soap suds until they were clean.

       Then she hung them all out on the clothes-line in the sunshine to dry.

Hanging in a row.

       There the dolls hung all day, swinging and twisting about as the breeze swayed the clothes-line.

       "I do believe she scrubbed my face so hard she wore off my smile!" said Raggedy Ann, after an hour of silence.

       "No, it is still there!" said the tin solder, as the wind twisted him around so he could see Raggedy. "But I do believe my arms will never work without squeaking, they feel so rusted," he added.

A proper tea-party

       Just then the wind twisted the little Dutch doll and loosened his clothes-pin, so that he fell to the grass below with a sawdusty bump and as he rolled over he said, "Mamma!" in a squeaky voice.

       Late in the afternoon the back door opened and the little mistress came out with a table and chairs. After setting the table she took all the dolls from the line and placed them about the table.

       They had lemonade with grape jelly in it, which made it a beautiful lavender color, and little "Baby-teeny-weeny-cookies" with powdered sugar on them.

       After this lovely dinner, the dollies were taken in the house, where they had their hair brushed and nice clean nighties put on.

       Then they were placed in their beds and Mistress kissed each one good night and tiptoed from the room.

       All the dolls lay as still as mice for a few minutes, then Raggedy Ann raised up on her cotton-stuffed elbows and said: "I have been thinking!"

       "Sh!" said all the other dollies, "Raggedy has been thinking!"

       "Yes," said Raggedy Ann, "I have been thinking; our mistress gave us the nice dinner out under the trees to teach us a lesson. She wished us to know that we could have had all the goodies we wished, whenever we wished, if we had behaved ourselves. And our lesson was that we must never take without asking what we could always have for the asking! So let us all remember and try never again to do anything which might cause those who love us any unhappiness!"

       "Let us all remember," chimed all the other dollies.

       And Raggedy Ann, with a merry twinkle in her shoe-button eyes, lay back in her little bed, her cotton head filled with thoughts of love and happiness.

Color the dollies feeding themselves without permission.

Color the good dollies eating under the trees.

Back to the original stories index by Johnny Gruelle

Raggedy Ann And The Washing

Raggedy Ann & The Washing    

  "Why, Dinah! How could you!"

       Mamma looked out of the window and saw Marcella run up to Dinah and take something out of her hand and then put her head in her arm and commence crying.

       "What is the trouble, Dear?" Mamma asked, as she came out the door and knelt beside the little figure shaking with sobs.

       Marcella held out Raggedy Ann. But such a comical looking Raggedy Ann!

       Mamma had to smile in spite of her sympathy, for Raggedy Ann looked ridiculous!

       Dinah looked a bit worried, for Marcella had snatched Raggedy Ann from her hand as she cried, "Why, Dinah! How could you?"

       Dinah did not understand and, as she dearly loved Marcella, she was troubled.

       Raggedy Ann was not in the least downhearted and while she felt she must look very funny she continued to smile, but with a more expansive smile than ever before.

       Raggedy Ann knew just how it all happened and her remaining shoe-button eye twinkled.

       She remembered that morning when Marcella came to the nursery to take the nighties from the dolls and dress them she had been cross.

       Raggedy Ann thought at the time "Perhaps she had climbed out of bed backwards!" For Marcella complained to each doll as she dressed them.

       And when it came Raggedy's time to be dressed, Marcella was very cross for she had scratched her finger on a pin when dressing the French doll.

       So, when Marcella heard the little girl next door calling to her, she ran out of the nursery and gave Raggedy Ann a toss from her as she ran.

       Now it happened Raggedy lit in the clothes hamper and there she lay all doubled up in a knot.

       A few minutes afterwards Dinah came through the hall with an armful of clothes and piled them in the hamper on top of Raggedy Ann.

       Then Dinah carried the hamper out in back of the house where she did the washing for Marcella's Mamma.

       Dinah dumped all the clothes into the boiler and poured water on them.

       The boiler was then placed upon the stove.

       When the water began to get warm, Raggedy Ann wiggled around and climbed up amongst the clothes to the top of the boiler to peek out. There was too much steam and she could see nothing. For that matter, Dinah could not see Raggedy Ann, either, on account of the steam.

       So Dinah, using an old broom handle, stirred the clothes in the boiler and the clothes and Raggedy Ann were stirred and whirled around until all were thoroughly boiled.

       When Dinah took the clothes a piece at a time from the boiler and scrubbed them, she finally came upon Raggedy Ann.

       Now Dinah did not know but that Marcella had placed Raggedy in the clothes hamper to be washed, so she soaped Raggedy well and scrubbed her up and down over the rough wash-board.

       Two buttons from the back of Raggedy's dress came off and one of Raggedy Ann's shoe-button eyes was loosened as Dinah gave her face a final scrub.

       Then Dinah put Raggedy Ann's feet in the wringer and turned the crank. It was hard work getting Raggedy through the wringer, but Dinah was very strong. And of course it happened! Raggedy Ann came through as flat as a pancake.

       It was just then, that Marcella returned and saw Raggedy.

       "Why, Dinah! How could you!" Marcella had sobbed as she snatched the flattened Raggedy Ann from the bewildered Dinah's hand.

       Mamma patted Marcella's hand and soon coaxed her to quit sobbing.

       When Dinah explained that the first she knew of Raggedy being in the wash was when she took her from the boiler, Marcella began crying again.

       "It was all my fault, Mamma!" she cried. "I remember now that I threw dear old Raggedy Ann from me as I ran out the door and she must have fallen in the clothes hamper! Oh dear! Oh dear!" and she hugged Raggedy Ann tight.

       Mamma did not tell Marcella that she had been cross and naughty for she knew Marcella felt very sorry. Instead Mamma put her arms around her and said,

       "Just see how Raggedy Ann takes it! She doesn't seem to be unhappy!"

       And when Marcella brushed her tears away and looked at Raggedy Ann, flat as a pancake and with a cheery smile upon her painted face, she had to laugh. And Mamma and Dinah had to laugh, too, for Raggedy Ann's smile was almost twice as broad as it had been before.

       "Just let me hang Miss Raggedy on the line in the bright sunshine for half an hour," said Dinah, "and you won't know her when she comes off!"

       So Raggedy Ann was pinned to the clothes-line, out in the bright sunshine, where she swayed and twisted in the breeze and listened to the chatter of the robins in a nearby tree.

       Every once in a while Dinah went out and rolled and patted Raggedy until her cotton stuffing was soft and dry and fluffy and her head and arms and legs were nice and round again.

Coloring page of Raggedy Ann hanging on the wash line.
See how to hang clothes on a wash line properly.

        Then she took Raggedy Ann into the house and showed Marcella and Mamma how clean and sweet she was.

       Marcella took Raggedy Ann right up to the nursery and told all the dolls just what had happened and how sorry she was that she had been so cross and peevish when she dressed them. And while the dolls said never a word they looked at their little mistress with love in their eyes as she sat in the little red rocking chair and held Raggedy Ann tightly in her arms.

       And Raggedy Ann's remaining shoe-button eye looked up at her little mistress in rather a saucy manner, but upon her face was the same old smile of happiness, good humor and love.

Coloring page of Raggedy coming through the wringer as flat as a pancake!
See a wringer from 1920 and another one that is working with water from 1912.

Color Marcella as "She sat in the little red rocking chair and held Raggedy Ann tightly in her arms."

Back to the original stories index by Johnny Gruelle

Make a pom-pom dollhouse rug

A finished pom pom rug for a doll's house.

       What doll wouldn't enjoy such a fun, bumpy rug to decorate her home with? 

       This little miniature doll house rug is a simple and entertaining first sewing project for a nine to ten year old student.

       He or she will need to learn how to thread a needle and control it while stringing together a whole fist full of colorful pom-poms.

Supply List:

• multiple colored, small pom-poms
• needle and thread

Step-by-Step Directions:

1. First you will need to select a colorful thread and needle to work with. 
2. Thread the needle and knot the end of your thread so that thread will get caught up inside your first pom-pom. This requires a bit of trail and error. Sometimes the threads will not catch properly as you string the pom-poms and you will need to repeat the process. 
3. Soon you will have a long string of pom-poms to wind up together. 
4. Work your threaded needle between the chain of pom-poms, from side to side so that these butt up next to each other to form a soft round rug.
5. As you work, you may need to sew in a loose pom-pom here and there to make the rug stiffer.
6. The more pom-poms you add, the bigger the miniature rug becomes! Measure it against a doll's chair, sofa, or even a bed in order to determine just how large you would like the rug to be.
7. Work the threaded needle back and forth into the last pom-pom on the chain before trimming the needle off the thread.

These are miniature pom-poms that you can purchase from most any dollar store or hobby shop.

Older kids may like to try making a life-sized pom-pom 

rug for their room after successfully finishing the 

miniature project above.

Crush & Craft Pretend Potatoes

Our pretend potatoes for the market stall.

       Any child can craft pretend potatoes with very little effort! After your small one has mastered this easy craft, challenge him or her to sculpt something a bit more difficult. 

       Place fruits and veggies in on a table and have the him touch and explore the organic shapes and textures. Next ask him shape the aluminum foil into more advanced shapes such as carrots or turnips or maybe even a pumpkin. 

       Before you know it, you'll have plenty of veggies for an entire pretend veggie stand to play with!

Supply List:

• aluminum foil
• masking tape
• brown paper bags
• white school glue
• Mod Podge optional
• stapler
• recycled netting from potato bag

Step-by-Step Directions:

1. Tear off large 12"x12" squares of aluminum foil.
2. Shape the foil into silver potatoes, you won't need to crush these down so much!
3. Leave the bumpy parts of the potatoes alone, when these are covered with brown paper, they will look more realistic.
4. Cover these shapes with masking tape.
5. Now cover the shapes with white school glue and shredded, brown grocery bags.
6. Let the pretend potatoes dry over night.
7. Save the netted bag that comes with your real potatoes at the grocery bag.
8. Fold, mask and staple some of the printed grocery bags to seal the pretend bag of potatoes inside of their very own netting. (photos of this process below)

Left, Shape foil into potatoes shapes. Middle, cover these with masking tape. Right,
Now cover the shapes with white school glue and shredded, brown grocery bags.

Cut, fold, tape, staple and trim the paper ends of your potato prop.

Cut the top handle of a brown grocery bag off, tape and staple the top end of the potato net into it as shown above.

Make More Pretend Foods:

• DIY American Girl doll popcorn
• DIY pretend/play toy repurposed canned food for child grocery store
• Sculpt pretend food from salt dough

Crafting burlap coffee bean bags and purchasing a burr mill...

Pretend burlap bags are stuffed with cotton and used for play
in a children's market stall.

       Our family nursery has so many old-world props for grandchildren to play with while learning about Midwestern history and culture. Below are directions for making very simple burlap bags to contain pretend food stuffs like coffee, flour, potatoes and rice. And I have also purchased a coffee grinder at resale for $3.00 to teach the kids how coffee and flour were processed in small amounts prior to the invention of electric grinders.

       Burlap is processed from jute or hemp. Before the Civil War, my family farmed hemp in Missouri. Hemp is like the industrial version of jute. Hemp was sometimes used to make bags for storing and transferring all kinds of food product to market. It is most often used now to make rope and durable carpets. Jute, which is a similar plant, was used to make fabric for ticking (a utility fabric). Over time, paper bags, tin cans and foil bags replaced burlap in the shipping and storing of coffee to the general public, because these were much cheaper to manufacture.

       Although the early burlap bags were printed in mass manually with the use of a silk screen, our simple process will achieve a similar result with art supplies easily found in every American home.

The coffee grinder in our family nursery is new but it's design
dates back to those burr mills manufactured just after The
Civil War. It is one of many interesting kitchen tools that is
displayed in my old-fashioned, play kitchen.

 Supply List:

• Off-white burlap fabric, 3/8 yard (Use scraps if you have them instead)
• a black permanent Sharpie marker with a wide tip
• dental floss
• embroidery needle
• heavy twine or a red yarn alternative
• a plastic bag or tin foil
• cotton batting
• paper grocery bag with red printing (optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Cut the burlap to whatever size you would prefer for this easy sewing craft. Mine are approximately 12" x 6".
2. Use a sheet of plastic or tin foil to protect whatever drawing surface you wish to work on top of. This is because the weave of burlap is very loose and the permanent ink marker may transfer to the surface beneath the burlap while you are lettering your design.
3. I drew my letters with a soft number 2 pencil before tracing over these with a black, permanent ink marker.
4. It's important to use a wide tip marker so that this tip will stand up to the rough surface of the burlap while you press into it.
5. It is also important to work on top of a off-white colored burlap in order for your ink based lettering to show up well.
6. I also added a few, small coffee bean graphics to my sample, burlap bag shown above. I also stapled a strip of paper trim to the rice bag version, just to add a bit of color to it.
7. Sew around the circumference of of each bag several times with a machine straight stitch, leaving a big enough opening to turn the bag right sides out.
8. Stuff your bags with cotton batting and then use a whip stitch with dental floss to seal them up. This floss is very durable and will keep the loose burlap threads tightly bound together.
9. Now add a bit of red thread trim using an embroidery needle if you'd prefer.

       Burr mills were commonly used in early American kitchens. A burr mill, or burr grinder, is a mill used to grind hard, small food products between two revolving abrasive surfaces separated by a distance usually set by the user. When the two surfaces are set far apart, the resulting ground material is coarser, and when the two surfaces are set closer together, the resulting ground material is finer and smaller. Often, the device includes a revolving screw that pushes the food through. It may be powered electrically or manually.

       Burr mills do not heat the ground product by friction as much as do blade grinders ("choppers"), and produce particles of a uniform size determined by the separation between the grinding surfaces.

       Food burr mills are usually manufactured for a single purpose: coffee beans, dried peppercorns, coarse salt, spices, or poppy seeds, for example. Coffee mills are usually powered by electric motors; domestic pepper, salt, and spice mills, used to sprinkle a little seasoning on food, are usually operated manually, sometimes by a battery-powered motor.

Left, The first coffee-grinder patent in the United States was issued to Thomas Bruff, Sr. in 1798.
 Right, English and French coffee grinders in the nineteenth century.

The photograph above shows coffee grinders or burr mills kept in a Museum in Wisconsin.
The photo itself was taken in 1873. On the far right you can see a burr mill similar to the one
we have on display in the Grimm nursery.

• If you like, you could add stenciled images to your burlap bags. This process from a crafter at YouTube achieves a similar effect to those older designs  using a silk screen, without the equipment needed to develop  that printing process.