And that was before the holidays. The craze would foreshadow the stampedes that would come in the decades that followed for other commodity-of-the-moment items like iPhones and game consoles. It would later trigger a phenomenon that will become a normal occurrence every year: Black Friday.
Marketing would have a field day and then some. But nothing can compare to the potato-faced angels targeted to young children around the country. But, how exactly did it come to be? The story behind the Cabbage Patch Kids went a little something like this: Behind a magical waterfall, a little BunnyBee would fly around a cabbage patch and sprinkle magic crystals over an open field. Thus, a Cabbage Patch Kid was born. They are then loved and cared for by innocent-eyed children all over the US.
Xavier Roberts, patented the doll in and made his millions in the years that followed. This bearded man wearing a cowboy hat would enter the hearts of millions as he holds a doll in his hand and tells the same story before the media over and over again. Roberts never realized that out of those millions, many were fuming over what will be one of the biggest scandals in toy history.
Until that reared its ugly head, Roberts was living in the lap of luxury, that is until of course, the impending scandal broke out. Cabbage Patch Kids creator Xavier Roberts claims that he was inspired in his earlier years as an art student by the folk-art movement and experimented with hand-stitching and quilting techniques to create soft sculptures. He claims that after several modifications, he found his niche in giving his sculptures a human shape.
That was around the same time he decided to take his creations to the next level and toured craft shows around the country.
He wanted to showcase his little miracles. His creations caught the eyes of many. He transformed what was once a nursery for live infants, into a nursery for his Cabbage Patch Kids. And instead of salesclerks, Roberts turned his employees into nurses and doctors, giving them uniforms. He also requested that they interact with the dolls. Roberts knew how to market his creations. A simple product for playful minds. The best part is no two dolls looked the same, each one had a unique name and characteristic that would appeal to each child.
Do you want a little red-head with blue eyes wearing a pair of overalls named Jimmy? You got it. How about a freckled face school-girl named Sara h? Why not! The possibilities were endless. There was something familiar about the round-faced babies.
What was thought to be a lightning strike of genius would soon turn to a farce when one woman stepped forward claiming that Xavier Roberts was a fraud. According to her, it was she who was the original creator of the very beloved soft-plush toys that had graced our childhood for more than a decade. Soon, legal conflict would arise as Thomas sought to claim what was once a craft belonging solely to her. However, both parties would find dissatisfaction in the result. In the early s, Martha Nelson Thomas was an art student who had a knack for soft sculpture.
Hailing from Mayfield, Kentucky, she went to art school in Louisville where she eventually created Doll Babies. She was shy and gentle in nature. For Thomas, Doll Babies were as much her blood as her own children. In her own way, the dolls were a form of self-expression and a way to communicate with strangers — a way to reach out and express and communicate her love for her work and conveying her passion as a sculptor.
After all, much can be said about a doll maker. With nimble and careful hands, Thomas would win over many when she showcased her Doll Babies. No, they meant much more to her than that. She would shop for them and dressed them. She made every expression and stitched every thread. Thomas even met her husband though her dolls when she showcased them at a Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen, a fair where she would show the world her creations. Thomas communicated through her dolls — her love, her passion, and her craft.
They were her contribution to the world. She wanted them to each have a personal touch. When she sold a doll, she would have a little note tucked into their clothes with a personal message. Each message gave the doll an identity, which included a name and what the doll liked to do. This ranged from climbing trees, eating apples, laughing, and catching butterflies. A sentimentalist, Thomas believed there was a bit of life in her dolls.
She believed they should be taken care of, loved, and cherished. However, things would soon take a turn. Thomas was a part of an intimate community, and though her dolls were becoming popular, she never wanted to mass-produce her creations or exploit them to the ravaging world of American consumerism.
She wanted her work to carry a sense of integrity, and with that integrity: love. She was a humble artist who loved to create, and so with every stitch, and with every sewed eye, she repeatedly created a new life with a sense of purpose — to bring joy to those who valued her Doll Babies. But in a crowd of friendly and encouraging faces, lurked an unseen force that would take away the integrity of her Doll Babies. Gender Girl Boy.
Size 17 Inches 20 Inches. Skin Tone Light Medium Dark. Your Selections: Clear All x. Sort By:. Access Denied. Enable Customer Accounts. Fun is delivered daily at BabyLand! Variant Title has been added to your shopping cart. View Cart or Checkout Now. Variant Title has been removed from your shopping cart. Skip to content. Find your baby! Let's get started! Find Your Unique Match Toy Cabbage Patch Kids Vinyl and soft sculpture or all vinyl toys in a variety of sizes.
Hand-stitched Original Cabbage Patch Kids Each one is an individual hand-stitched work of soft-sculpture delivered by local artists. Accessories Toy Accessories Shop Accessories. Cutie s Cutie s Shop Cutie s.
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