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Cabbage Patch Kids are a brand of doll created by Xavier Roberts. First introduced as "Little People", the original dolls were all cloth and were available at local craft shows, and later at Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia. more...

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The dolls attracted the attention of toy manufacturer Coleco, who began mass producing them for the public in 1983. The Coleco Cabbage Patch Kids had large, round vinyl heads and soft fabric bodies, and were produced from 1983-1989. After Coleco's licensed expired, the Cabbage Patch Kids were later mass produced by other companies, including Hasbro, Mattel, Toys R Us, and currently Play Along.

The gimmicks of the dolls are their uniqueness and the fact that they were adoptable. No two were exactly alike; each doll had a different eye color, facial features, hair, and/or outfit. In the mass-produced dolls, subtle differences were introduced with a computer for each run. Each comes with a unique birth certificate signed by their creator, Xavier Roberts.

At the peak of their popularity, the dolls were a must-have toy for Christmas. Parents across the United States flocked to stores to try to obtain one of the Cabbage Patch Kids for their children, with fights occasionally erupting between parents over the hard-to-find dolls. In later years, Coleco introduced variants on the original Cabbage Patch Kids, and derivatives of the original line of dolls continued to be marketed.

Although the Cabbage Patch Kids fad has largely passed, there remain a significant number of die-hard collectors.

Babyland General Hospital is the birthplace of Cabbage Patch Kids located in Cleveland, GA. Roberts converted an old clinic into a facility from which to sell his dolls, originally called "Little People." The facility is presented as a birthing, nursery, and adoption center for premium Cabbage Patch Kids. Although the initial fad surrounding the dolls has largely died down, Babyland General is still heavily trafficked by diehard fans and curiosity seekers.

Birthing Ceremony

Dolls are "birthed" every hour during business hours in a procedure during which one of the resident "nurses" aids the Magic Crystal Tree in producing each doll. With her are the pink and blue bunnybees that pollinate the kids with crystals, determining if the newborn is a boy or girl. The nurse comments on how much the Tree is dilated and injects with "Imagicillin," an "experimental but highly recommended" drug. If the need arises, a "C-section" or "Cabbage section" may be administered. After the doll is successfully birthed, the audience is asked to provide suggestions for the its first two names--the third of which is always that of the adopter. These names are then recorded on its certificate and on a name tag, and the doll takes a place among the hundreds that inhabit the facility's nurseries and play environments. A full-featured Intensive Care Unit is in place to handle premature births and otherwise unhealthy newborns.

Read more at Wikipedia.org