About Us....and, A
Story About Raggedy Ann!
We are
Larry & Bonnie Vaughan
and we began collecting Raggedy Ann and Teddy Bears in the 1980's when we
lived in the Tampa Bay area. My wife, Bonnie had a few Raggedy Ann dolls as
a child (see
hers). I had always been interested in Teddy Bears
(see my
favorite).
Bonnie's employment changed in 1989 and we had to relocate her to
West Palm Beach. I stayed in our home in Tampa while trying to get it sold
during a lousy real estate market that wound up lasting for 3 years. Being
apart is not good for any marriage so, on the weekends Bonnie would drive (4
hrs.) back home or I would go to West Palm. We wanted to make the weekends
something special so, we went to flea markets, antique stores and doll shows
and bought all the Raggedy Ann or Teddy Bear items we could find. We found a
collector book, The Raggedy Ann and Andy Family Album by Susan Ann
Garrison and after looking at all the different versions of Raggedy Ann, we
decided it would be fun to try to find as many of the same dolls and items
as we could.
Soon the house was so full of dolls and bears that we had to decide what we
really wanted to keep and what we really should sell. So, we made up a doll
and bear for sale list and mailed it to all the collectors we had met at
local doll shows and thus began
The Raggedy's & Teddy's Company.
One of our favorite stories involves how we came to get a special
Raggedy Ann from a stranger. We had long since moved to Orlando, Florida (we
now live in Alpharetta, GA, but, I digress) and I had placed an ad in our
local paper that we wanted to buy Raggedy Ann collections. One day I
received a call from a Mrs. Caroline Merritt of Orlando. She said she had a doll that
she wanted us to see and could we come over.
That afternoon we went to her home and met Mrs. Merritt, a gentle, kind
hearted woman with a wonderful soft Southern accent. After some tea and
cookies (a Raggedy tradition!), Mrs. Merritt brought out her doll. This doll
had a the sweetest face of any Raggedy Ann doll we had ever seen. As she
held the doll very carefully in her hands, she began to tell us the story of
how she came to live with her.
Mrs. Merritt said that, as a small child of about 3 yrs. of age
(about 1923), she was with her Mother in a Tampa department store. As any
child would do, her eyes were moving all around and just seeing everything
she could see. When they walked past the toy department her eyes
landed on a doll with a sweet face, dark brown hair, shoe button eyes and red
and white stripped legs. Caroline told her Mother she just had to have that
doll. The Raggedy Ann doll was made by the P. F. Volland Co. and cost about
$1.50 back then, a lot of money. And, that was the beginning of a love
affair that has lasted over 80 years.
Caroline said she kept her Raggedy Ann through all her growing up years
and when she got married, Raggedy Ann moved with her and her husband many
times over the years. She always kept the doll in a safe and dry place in
her home. Her husband of over 50 years died a few years ago and now Caroline, who admitted to "getting on in age", decided she wanted to pass on
her doll to someone who loved Raggedy Ann as much as she did. Her daughter had a separate life of her own and did share the same sentiments
about Raggedy Ann as did her Mother.
She asked us all kinds of questions
about our collection, where we lived and how long and why we collected
Raggedy Ann. It was almost as if we were going through an adoption process.
Well, in the meantime I had been eyeing Raggedy Ann very intently thinking
she wanted to sell it and, trying to decide what would be a fair price and
what we could afford to pay. After a few more moments of her remembering
special things about "her little girl", she did something that I had not
anticipated and, in her soft, very Southern voice asked,
"Young man, do you have designs on my little Raggedy Ann"? I stuttered a
little and said, "I think this is a wonderful Raggedy Ann and we would
surely love to have a doll like this. But, I have no idea how much you want
for your doll"?. Then she said, "Larry, I could never sell this doll. She
has been a member of my family for over 70 years. She is my little girl,
like a child of mine and you do not sell your children"! Then, very slowly
and gently she handed the doll to Bonnie, whose eyes got as big as dinner
plates! Then Mrs. Merritt said, "well, I am getting old and soon may not be
able to care for my little girl. You have passed the test! I am giving you
this "little girl" to love, care for and to make a good home with all the
other Raggedy Ann's. I know she will be among the best of friends".
Needless to say, we were flabbergasted and hardly had the words to express
our gratitude. She will always be the special person in our hearts who gave
us a very
special Raggedy Ann. Update: Sadly, we learned that Mrs. Caroline Merritt passed away in
November, 2004. But, we will always remember her kind generosity, her caring
nature and her friendly attitude. All this, we know she learned as a child
from reading Raggedy Ann Stories and playing with a very special doll. You see, that is what Raggedy Ann is all about.
We have since moved on from the
Orlando area and now live in Alpharetta, Georgia. Our business is home based
and we do most everything over the internet, annually attending the Raggedy
Ann Festivals in Arcola, Illinois. If there is something special you are
looking for, you are welcomed to email me at Raggedyman@aol.com. You never know what we may have in the
warehouse.
Raggedy wishes.......Bonnie and Larry
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