Some say candy; some say wood--Raggedy Ann's early heart, that is. Now doll lovers, collectors and the "just curious" can get the "inside" story on the hidden heart in Raggedy Ann's chest. And this guide alerts even the most casual shopper to check for hearts. If you come across a rag doll in ANY condition with a heart in its chest and priced for a song, grab that doll and don't let go. You may have a found a treasure!

CANDY HEART

Here's what Worth Gruelle, Johnny Gruelle's son, shared with me during our pleasant 1985 visit. While sewing homemade dolls at a furious pace to satisfy the huge demand, his aunts gave him the enviable task of running to a nearby shop for candy hearts to place inside the dolls' chests. He recalled rapidly sorting through a huge jar to pick only the hearts that proclaimed "I LOVE YOU".

He told me children lucky enough to own an early family-made doll would often hug it and eventually be tempted to lick the spot where the sugary heart was tucked away. The chest area would become sticky, discolored and eventually damaged. Unfortunately, I have never had the pleasure to own--or even see--a doll with a candy heart that has survived.

WOOD HEART

When the Volland Company produced the first commercial Raggedy Ann doll, she had the patent date "Sept. 7, 1915" stamped between her shoulder blades AND a very distinct heart placed inside her chest. The doll below does have her original outfit, patent stamp and heart. Since this doll has no damage, I won't tamper with her.*

*No dolls were harmed in the writing of this article, I promise!

In the early 1980s, I discovered a 1919 Volland Raggedy Ann under a pile of stuffed toys at the bottom of a cardboard box. Not being the dealer's speciality, the tag simply read "Rag Doll". Although extremely soiled with major damage just above the chest, this doll was meant to be mine. I quickly paid for her and scurried away for a closer look. When my fingers traced a telltale shape nestled in her chest, I carefully extracted it through the existing damaged area. Now, I'm sharing it with you--an original pressed board heart. Composed of several layers, it is the exact size and shape of the one still beating in the above doll's chest.

As you can see, a layer of glossy paper was glued to the top side of the heart. (See below for another photo of this heart to give you an idea of its thickness.)

CARDBOARD HEART

Around the same time, I purchased a late1920s Volland Raggedy Ann with stenciled features. She had a new, white left arm loosely sewn to her side. When I removed the basting stitches holding the new arm to replace it, I could feel a heart at the edge of the opening. I decided to use a pair of tweezers to check out the heart. The heart was creased just as you see it and appeared to be cut from a cardboard gift box. I believe the person who added the new arm also added this heart. 

. . .  AND THE REAL, LASTING HEART?

Regardless of the actual composition of the early enclosed hearts, the true heart of Raggedy Ann consists of her sweet, sweet spirit that has captivated children of all ages for almost 100 years--and continues to do so whenever a child's face lights up when meeting her for the very first time!