"Raggedy Ann brought me"
Posted by s2 | Labels: Creepy, Kid Stuff, Narcotics | Posted On Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 8:38 AM
I was at our local mall last weekend, and in the family bathroom area they always show cartoons from the "golden age" of animation, namely the 1940's. The cartoon that usually plays is an old Popeye, which I enjoy greatly due to how decidedly un-PC it is by today's standards. Popeye liberally made use of racial stereotypes, especially during the war time. Classic stuff. This weekend however we were treated to a cartoon I did not even know existed. Raggedy Ann.
Raggedy Ann is a timeless childhood icon. My daughter has a Raggedy Ann doll, which my son seems to like more than she does (hmmmph). I knew the toy was old, but I didn't know that there were even cartoons that accompanied the toy back then. Perhaps it's better that these cartoons are left forgotten, because even after moments of watching this one last weekend, I am left rattled and disturbed.
A fool's quest led me to find said cartoon on youtube. Unfortunately, youtube did not fail me. I quickly found out that it was way worse when watched all the way through. I will do my best to summarize the plotline, then let you subject yourself to a 9 minute trip through world of Raggedy.
The cartoon opens up with the title character being apprehended by the police whilst rummaging through the garbage. We don't know the back story to this, but we can only assume that she had been a fugitive for some time. The stereotypical irish cop then get's into an argument with a stereotypical italian hurdy-gurdy man. This scene does well to emphasize the racial tensions that existed between these early american immigrant groups.
After the mick cop escapes the close call with the dago musician, his interests turn lustful. He sees a young, presumably single mother harmlessly sweeping her stoop. Seeing vulnerability and a chance to flaunt his power, he shamelessly harrases her. This act is made even more disgusting when taken into account that he does this in front of the woman's blind daughter. Either out of guilt or an attempt to win points with the mother, the cop tosses filthy Raggedy Ann to the blind girl "Billie", who almost immediately drops the foul thing out of instinct. After an awkward and tense moment where she "blindly" feels around for the doll, she retrieves it. This signifies the formal kickoff to the "magical ride". (Jeez this is only 2 minutes in. There are still seven more minutes!!!)
I suppose what follows could be open to interpretation, but let me save you time and tell you what happened. The doll, from her time in the garbage has soaked up various toxic chemicals and most likely narcotic substances. When Billie stroked the doll's face, she unwittingly absorbed these chemicals triggering a hallucinogenic episode, at which reality became very subjective. These hallucinations convince the child that she has gained her sight and after little prompting from Ann, she begins to explore the "city" for the first time. The viewers are painfully aware that the child is in grave danger as she is led around the city by the unnatural warbling of a filthy rag doll. Her death is almost assured as she leans over the train tracks to get a better "look". Somehow she narrowly avoids danger after danger.
It just continues to get weirder as she dances, skips, and tumbles her way through the ghetto, while encountering various strange people. The final scene is especially heart-wrenching as she wants to see her mother's face. Perhaps this is the only mercy that Raggedy offers...as imagination is better than reality in this case. As her mother escorts her back to their slum, they encounter the irish cop again, who aggressively manages to relay the entire message of this depressing cartoon.
ugh...just watch it for your self
Mother: "How did you get over here?"
Billie: "Raggedy Ann brought me...."
Raggedy Ann is a timeless childhood icon. My daughter has a Raggedy Ann doll, which my son seems to like more than she does (hmmmph). I knew the toy was old, but I didn't know that there were even cartoons that accompanied the toy back then. Perhaps it's better that these cartoons are left forgotten, because even after moments of watching this one last weekend, I am left rattled and disturbed.
A fool's quest led me to find said cartoon on youtube. Unfortunately, youtube did not fail me. I quickly found out that it was way worse when watched all the way through. I will do my best to summarize the plotline, then let you subject yourself to a 9 minute trip through world of Raggedy.
The cartoon opens up with the title character being apprehended by the police whilst rummaging through the garbage. We don't know the back story to this, but we can only assume that she had been a fugitive for some time. The stereotypical irish cop then get's into an argument with a stereotypical italian hurdy-gurdy man. This scene does well to emphasize the racial tensions that existed between these early american immigrant groups.
After the mick cop escapes the close call with the dago musician, his interests turn lustful. He sees a young, presumably single mother harmlessly sweeping her stoop. Seeing vulnerability and a chance to flaunt his power, he shamelessly harrases her. This act is made even more disgusting when taken into account that he does this in front of the woman's blind daughter. Either out of guilt or an attempt to win points with the mother, the cop tosses filthy Raggedy Ann to the blind girl "Billie", who almost immediately drops the foul thing out of instinct. After an awkward and tense moment where she "blindly" feels around for the doll, she retrieves it. This signifies the formal kickoff to the "magical ride". (Jeez this is only 2 minutes in. There are still seven more minutes!!!)
I suppose what follows could be open to interpretation, but let me save you time and tell you what happened. The doll, from her time in the garbage has soaked up various toxic chemicals and most likely narcotic substances. When Billie stroked the doll's face, she unwittingly absorbed these chemicals triggering a hallucinogenic episode, at which reality became very subjective. These hallucinations convince the child that she has gained her sight and after little prompting from Ann, she begins to explore the "city" for the first time. The viewers are painfully aware that the child is in grave danger as she is led around the city by the unnatural warbling of a filthy rag doll. Her death is almost assured as she leans over the train tracks to get a better "look". Somehow she narrowly avoids danger after danger.
It just continues to get weirder as she dances, skips, and tumbles her way through the ghetto, while encountering various strange people. The final scene is especially heart-wrenching as she wants to see her mother's face. Perhaps this is the only mercy that Raggedy offers...as imagination is better than reality in this case. As her mother escorts her back to their slum, they encounter the irish cop again, who aggressively manages to relay the entire message of this depressing cartoon.
ugh...just watch it for your self
Mother: "How did you get over here?"
Billie: "Raggedy Ann brought me...."
Wow its beautiful and sad. Nice blog