PENNY DOLLS

Deep in my memories are times spent listening to my grandmas as they read stories to me.  Some of my favorite books were the ones about Raggedy Ann and Andy.

I remember when I was older seeking out those books by Johnny Gruelle in our little local library so I could read the tales again for myself.

To pass on the tradition I made a set of  Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls for my daughters when they were small. But by then there were plastic dolls that had a bigger attraction. So I saved the ones I’d sewn since I probably made them more for myself anyway.

Raggedy Ann and Andy lived in the nursery with more dolls.  There was a Mama Doll, the French Doll, the little Dutch Doll and a group of tiny penny dolls.  They had all kinds of adventures when their little girl, Marcella, and the people in her house weren’t paying attention.

One story tells of workmen installing a new rain gutter just outside the nursery window.  Andy helped the penny dolls climb out the window so they could slide on the gutter.  They fell down the drain pipe and the adventure was on.

When I cleaned out my parents’ house after their passing, I found some toys, and a small box of keepsakes that I knew belonged to my dad.

Mary Lucinda Hendricks

Among the items were two penny dolls which I guess might have belonged to his mother.

Penny dolls are about two inches high and are made of ceramic bisque.  They were manufactured in large quantities around the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and were sold by the penny along with treats in candy stores.

The penny dolls I found look like they had been someone’s much-loved toys, and are now a prized possession.