Johnny Gruelle was an extremely talented cartoonist, illustrator, and storyteller. He had already written and illustrated a book of original fairy tales before creating the Raggedy Ann and Andy stories es. Raggedy Ann, heroine of the first book, was the favorite doll of his daughter, Marcella, who died after a long illness at the age of thirteen. Johnny Gruelle eventually created over forty Raggedy Ann and Andy books, all capturing his unique vision of childhood. Overwork and copyright disputes led to his untimely death in 1938.
The Gruelle family — Johnny's widow, Myrtle, and sons Worth and Richard — soon created the Johnny Gruelle Co., which carries on his work. Today Worth and his own son, Kim, run the Last Great Co.® in Cashiers, North Carolina, and still have a hand in overseeing Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls, books, and related products.