The musical Annie is based on Harold Gray's comic strip "Little Orphan Annie," which was based on an 1885 poem originally named "The Elf Child." At the third printing of the poem, author James Whitcomb Riley changed the title to "Little Orphan Allie" to honor the real-life orphan who served as... James Allen Gray was an American cartoonist who created the comic strip Little Orphan Annie from 1924 to 1971. The original character was an 11-year-old girl named Annie who lived with her aunt after her parents were killed by a train. She was given her own daily newspaper comic strip that was popular among children throughout the world. Annie has been interpreted by various authors and artists since her creation. One such interpretation is that of Hollywood actress and singer Shirley Temple, who claimed while promoting her film career that she had always wanted to be Annie when she grew up. Another popular version is that of Gabrielle Aplin, daughter of musician David Aplin. When he died in 2003, she inherited his estate, including the rights to his characters. In 2005, she began publishing her own version of Little Orphan Annie called "Goosebumps" that has been very successful. Both versions have been adapted into songs, books, and other forms of entertainment.