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Cabbage Patch Kids® were created by Xavier Roberts and became popular in 1983. Coleco produced them until 1989, and other companies have since taken over production. The dolls are unique and adoptable, with variations in facial structure and gender. They remain popular for their friendly faces and adoption concept. Urban legends about the dolls have been debunked. Cabbage Patch Kids® have been featured in space missions, Olympics, and US postage stamps. They have also been parodied, such as with the Garbage Pail Kids trading cards.
Cabbage Patch Kids® are the design of Xavier Roberts, who first created cloth dolls with uniquely dented faces for sale at craft fairs and fairs. Toymaker Coleco quickly noticed their appeal, and the toys underwent some minor modifications before being sold to the public in 1983. Roberts’ major design change was to make the heads out of vinyl, keeping the fleece for the bodies. Cabbage Patch Kids® were marketed as unique and adoptable, causing a storm of demand for them especially in 1983.
Coleco made the dolls until 1989, then the Cabbage Patch Kids® design was picked up by other companies such as Mattel. Each doll had its own clothing, an adoption certificate, and slight variations in facial structure so that each was essentially “unique.” Cabbage Patch Kids® were also produced at Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia. This remains a popular spot for visitors to get a doll for their children and to see some of the previous doll collections.
Cabbage Patch Kids® had both male and female dolls, perhaps reflecting 1980s trends of more unisex playware for children. For a while, they remained in great demand, but their popularity gradually faded. Since other companies have resumed their production after the bankruptcy of Coleco, the dolls have gone in and out of fashion. What makes them particularly appealing to children are their friendly faces and the sense that the child has “adopted” the doll. They are often a great choice for children who may have a new sibling on the way.
There have been some interesting urban legends associated with Cabbage Patch Kids® that are relatively entertaining if morbid. One was that children who sent the dolls back to the manufacturers received a death certificate. This has not occurred and has never been verified.
The charm of Cabbage Patch Kids® remains. Some traveled on a 1985 space shuttle mission. The dolls played as mascots for the 1992 US teams participating in the Olympics and were celebrated as a symbol of the 1980s, appearing on US postage stamps. Some times, the dolls have been made fun of, as is the case with the Garbage Pail Kids cards used for trading. These were relatively grotesque knockoffs of Cabbage Patch Kids® produced in 1985 and remain quite popular as collectors’ items.
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