Those who were around the 80s would remember the popular Cabbage patch dolls or kids. Most parents in America bought such dolls for their children like a compulsory one. During those times, one can see shopping malls full of parents searching for dough-faced and chinless dolls.
What Are Cabbage Patch Dolls?
Cabbage Patch dolls are popular dolls that are having plastic heads with fabric bodies. Coleco Industries are the first to produce these types of dolls. These dolls actually had a real story behind their name, as they were born in Cabbage Patch according to Xavier.
What Is Special About Cabbage Patch Dolls?
In the olden days, everyone loved these dolls, as you can’t find two similar dolls and all are different. Each doll is customized to change its appearance in terms of
- Eyes color
- Hair
- Smile
- Freckles
- Outfit
- Skin
- Dimple location
In addition to the above fact, people didn’t buy these dolls normally. But they need to sign the adoption papers inside the cabbage patch box before buying them. So, it is like adopting a kid for those who buy the dolls.
In the June of 1983, these dolls were first invented. Then, the company arranged the press conference at the Boston Children’s Museum. After the introduction of these dolls, a mass adoption ceremony was arranged and many kids got free cabbage patch dolls as a gift. It was that time one can see these dolls on the cover of newspapers and magazines.
The True Story Behind The Cabbage Patch Dolls:
The real story of the Cabbage Patch Dolls began with Xavier Roberts, who was 21 years old. He got this idea when he was an art student in 1976. Then, in 1978, Roberts along with his five school friends initiated a firm named ‘Original Appalachian Artworks.’ They sold out all the hand-made little dolls at $100 and more. Xavier even traveled to art and craft shows to sell the cabbage patch dolls.
The interesting fact about these dolls is that each cabbage patch doll box had
- Birth certificate
- Official adoption papers
- Name of dolls
Furthermore, the consumers will get a birthday card on the first-anniversary date of the dolls. With so many unique features of these dolls, Robert could not handle the huge demand for these dolls. Thus, he signed a contract with Coleco, a toy manufacturer in 1982.
After this manufacturer started manufacturing the dolls, they designed them with plastic heads. Coleco started to sell these dolls for $35 to $45. But the next following year, even Coleco couldn’t handle the demands for these dolls. And there was a great demand for these dolls from kids at the end of 1983.
The Interesting Birth Of The Cabbage Patch Kids:
Robert toured several craft shows to design his craft shop. But he ended up with a different idea of opening a clinic in Cleveland, GA. The name of this clinic is Babyland General Hospital. Here the sales girls dressed in nurse uniforms and interacted nicely with cabbage patch dolls. Such dolls slept in cribs and incubators.
In such a cabbage patch hospital, people visited to buy dolls along with adoption papers and birth certificates. All those dolls had a random name using Georgia’s 1938 birth records list. But in 1982, he licensed this doll shop to Coleco. It is where these dolls got the name ‘Cabbage Patch Kids.’ According to Xavier, these doll babies were born in Cabbage gardens.
What Happened To The Cabbage Patch Dolls After 1983?
During the 80s, cabbage patch dolls were in great demand and became a gold mine for businesses. By 1985, Coleco sold each doll for $35 which is equal to $75 today, and earned a good fortune of around $600 million. But soon everyone owned these dolls, and their interest in buying these dolls reduced a lot. As a result, sales of these dolls got affected a lot and Coleco lost $250 million in 1986.
Though Coleco tried new attempts to bring back the sale, they all didn’t work out at all. In 1988, due to bankruptcy, the rights of Cabbage Patch kids went back to its owner ‘Original Appalachian Artworks.’ Then, it went to Hasbro, a gorilla toy company and they sold all the toys to kids.
Even Hasbro couldn’t improve the sales of these toys. Then, the rights of these toys went on changing with different companies. They even changed the brand of these toys and tried them for sale. But sadly, no technique works like a Cabbage Patch Doll as in 1983. This is all about the story of the Cabbage Patch Kids.
How Much Are Cabbage Patch Dolls Worth?
In the 1980s, Xavier sold these dolls for $10 to $30. But later on, Coleco increased the price even up to $100. But today, one can buy this cabbage patch doll only for $140 or more.
Are Cabbage Patch Dolls Worth Anything?
During the 80s, it is worth buying these cabbage patch dolls, as they are affordable but good quality. But today, you should consider its quality and other factors before buying these dolls. Check for its price tag and also its origin in the manufacturing country. These factors of buying will decide whether it is worth buying these dolls or not.
The Bottom Line:
This is all about the Cabbage Patch Dolls and its history. Read through the article to get some interesting facts about Cabbage Patch Kids.
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