This week we take a brief break in the new saga of our favorite teenage robot. Instead, here’s a glimpse into the not-so-secret origin of Raggedy Android, one of MLaaTR’s most disturbing villains.

As a child, I was fascinated by a memento from my mother’s own childhood  – a Raggedy Ann storybook squirreled away inside an end table in our living room. 

This cover image is actually quite charming in my opinion. But the living rag dolls’ inherent strangeness does seep through. Andy’s bone-white arms and fingerless hands are especially disturbing. 

Ann and Andy seem a little bit zombified here, don’t they? Plus they are totally outclassed by their snazzily dressed animal friends.

And look at this creep. I don’t remember, and don’t want to know, what he has planned for Ann and Andy.

This wonderful combination of creepy and cute would serve as the main inspiration for Jenny’s ill-fated attempt to pass for a normal girl. The original incarnation of her exo-skin was nothing more than a full-body Raggedy Ann costume (albeit with a much skimpier dress.) 

As fans of the show know, “The Return of Raggedy Android” revealed a more sophisticated and evil-minded exo-skin that tried to “normalize” Jenny permanently. I never had the chance to produce the final tale in the Raggedy Android trilogy. Perhaps someday. But until then, you have the chance to meet the character’s distant cousin — Raggedy Albert.

When I started dreaming up terrible things for Zenith Maelstrom to encounter in the bizarre world of GrahBhag, my mind once again turned to giant rag dolls. Raggedy Albert and Raggedy Android would get along beautifully, don’t you think?

I hope you've been enjoying the new MLaaTR story. There’s plenty more to come. While you’re waiting for the next chapter, I invite you to visit the Amazon page for The Horrible Bag of Terrible Things. You can read the first few chapters of my horror story by clicking on the “Look Inside” feature above the book’s image or by scrolling down to Editorial Reviews and clicking on  “Read More.”

Check out the book on Amazon!

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