Dean's Ragbook Company was formed in 1903 by Mr Henry Samuel Dean as a subsidiary of the printing and publishing firm of Dean & Son. The Rag Book Co. itself revolutionised children's books, as they were the first to make them out of cloth. These books proved very popular and were exported all over the world. The success of these books led Mr Dean to produce printed rag dolls on sheets of cloth, these were then patented in 1908 and carried the Dean trademark of an English terrier and an English bulldog having a tug-of-war with a rag book.

Dean's originally produced their dolls flat, printed on sheets and then customers could stuff them at home and sew them up. However they soon began to produce ready made up dolls as well as flat pack ones. Dean's maintained that their dolls were hygienic and this was often written on their labels. It was not until the 1920s though that they produced their first shaped and moulded dolls with 3D faces. They even managed to carry on producing during the war years although at a more limited stock.

One of their most famous dolls is Betty Oxo from the 1930s which was an advertising doll that you could receive after collecting a certain amount of Oxo tokens from the packets. By 1950 Dean's had advanced to produce moulded rubber headed dolls on jointed cloth bodies. During the Queens coronation Dean's produced a special line of patriotic dolls, like so many other doll companies who cashed in on special events. They also produced character dolls based on stars of the period, such as Charlie Chaplin and George Robey, as well as Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Most dolls had mohair wigs and were fashionably dressed.

Dean's still produce dolls and soft toys to this day and are hoping to bring back some of their old designs such as the Charlie Chaplin doll from the 1920s.