Cabbage Patch Kids have been around for decades and were the go-to doll of the 1980’s. They have been one of the longest-running doll franchises in the US history with ever changing features and appearances and a wide range of merchandise.

Let’s take a look at what made the Cabbage Patch Kids so memorable.

History

The Cabbage Patch Kids idea is said to have been stolen from American folk artist Martha Nelson Thomas in 1978 by Xavier Roberts, a 21-year-old art student. Roberts alleged he created the plush dolls using the sewing skills he had learnt from his mother and went on to name the material fabric dolls ‘The Little People’. Although these dolls were never available buy, they were the first in a long line of creations that made the Cabbage Patch Kids what we know today.

The Little People were adopted by local children and came with a birth certificate and money was transferred as an and ‘adoption fee’ to complete the process. In 1982 Roberts changed the name to Cabbage Patch Kids to co-inside with the slightly unusual story of how the name of the Cabbage Patch Kids came about.

The story was based on a Bunny Bee (a bunny creature that flew in the air like a bee) who guided him into a cave where the Bunny Bee would sprinkle glitter on cabbages to form babies. The dolls had a fabric soft bodies and hard plastic like heads and were initially sold in nine different variations in America. They were the must have toy for Christmas in the late 1980’s and although the manufacturing was originally solely in the United States, other toy companies around the world jumped on the bandwagon and started producing the dolls to distribute all over the globe. This included Europe, Mexico, South Africa and Asia. Each doll that was produced from each manufacturer had a slightly different look which made them even more unique worldwide.

The Cabbage Patch Collection

There have been several variations of the Cabbage Patch Kids over the years and the dolls have forever evolved to keep up with the latest trends. In 1988, Hasbro bought the rights to the Cabbage Patch Dolls and starting catering for younger children which included dolls which were smaller in size than the originals.

Hasbro failed in its attempt to ‘bring back’ the Cabbage Patch Kids and eventually Mattel took over in 1994, creating the first Cabbage Patch doll in full hard plastic rather than its soft body original. This allowed the doll to be more durable and easier to play with its moving limbs.

Mattel also brought out a new range of dolls including Cabbage Patch Fairies and OlymipKids in 1996 to coincide with the Olympics. Accessorise were also available to buy including pushchairs, outfits, play houses, baby accessories and even pets.

Cabbage Patch Kids Today

Today, the Cabbage Patch Kids are owned by toy manufacturer Wicked Cool Toys and are still available to buy in stores in the UK, but predominantly in the US. The UK collection includes the small plush dolls with hard faces and the larger original variety in several different outfits and styles. The US has a much wider collection including ‘Little Sprouts’ play sets which included small plastic figures in a variety of different settings and scenarios.

Although the Cabbage Patch Kids are still available on the high street here in the UK, the popularity of the dolls has taken a tumble in recent years, we’ll have to wait and see whether they ever come back to be the popular toys that they once were.

*Image Credit – William McKeehan (Pixlr)

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