Cabbage Patch Kids
In the early 1980s, Cabbage Patch Kids occupied a substantial portion of my waking thoughts. My grandparents stood multiple times in line at a toy store to get me my baby-powder-scented doll, and I loved that toy with all of my heart.
And then I mostly forgot about them, even though the twins liked playing with our old dolls when they were young.
Fast-forward to this week and I was speechless when I learned about the existence of BabyLand in Georgia. I didn’t believe the first story I read about it, and I had to keep Googling because I couldn’t wrap my brain around its existence. Or the fact that the dolls were still around.
I don’t know when I will ever be in Cleveland, Georgia, but I think I may need to go and see it with my own eyes if I’m ever in the state.
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I was in graduate school (journalism) when Cabbage Patch Kids hit the big time (Christmas 1983) — I remember it well, because some of my classmates did stories on the phenomenon. They were exceedingly hard to find, and reselling at exorbitant prices, if you could find one! When I finished school that spring and came home to my parents, they’d recently moved. The neighbours across the street had a new baby — now 40 years old! I refer to her in my blog as “Parents’ Neighbours’ Daughter (PND)” — and we quickly “adopted” her into our family. Later that year, my mom bought a ticket in my name for a charity draw she’d bought some tickets for, and lo and behold I won a prize! — a Cabbage Patch Doll (!). I was 23 years old, engaged but not planning to have kids anytime soon (and who knows, they might have all been boys…!). What was I going to do with a Cabbage Patch Doll? My mom suggested I give it to PND, so that’s what I did. Her name was Rosabelle Hester (!). And she STILL has the doll and a suitcase full of clothes she subsequently got!! Her two older daughters have played with Rosabelle and I imagine her youngest (9 months old now) will too. 🙂