MUSKEGON, Mich. (WZZM) -- One of the most popular children's dolls ever made got its start nearly 100 years ago in West Michigan.
Who knew Raggedy Ann has a Muskegon connection? Ann Dake did, and she's organized an exhibit running at the Muskegon Heritage Museum through Saturday to tell others about the connection
The character and doll were created around 1915 by a Chicago illustrator.
"Raggedy Ann started because the author Johnny Gruelle and his daughter found a rag doll in her grandmother's attic," explained Drake.
The author's publishing firm hired the Non Breakable Toy Company in Muskegon to produce dolls based on Gruelle's books. The company was named Non Breakable because they made doll heads from composite materials.
75,000 hand sewn Raggedy Ann dolls were made in Muskegon from 1918 to 1926. The factory once stood near the new Muskegon Farmer's Market.
The Muskegon Heritage Museum, Lakeshore Museum Center, and Muskegon Museum of Art each have Raggedy Ann events planned for Saturday, displaying original Raggedy Anns and others made elsewhere.
