Cabbage Patch Kids - wikipedia Cabbage Patch Kids Cabbage Patch Kids Type Dolls Company Coleco ( 1982 -- 1988 ) Hasbro ( 1988 -- 1994 ) Mattel ( 1994 -- 2003 ) Toys `` R '' Us ( 2003 ) Play Along ( 2004 -- 2011 ) Jakks Pacific ( 2011 -- 2014 ) Wicked Cool Toys ( 2015 -- present ) Country United States Availability 1978 -- present Official website Cabbage Patch Kids are a line of soft sculptured doll - like creatures sold by Xavier Roberts and registered in the United States copyright office in 1978. The idea was stolen from a North American folk artist by the name of Martha Nelson Thomas. The doll brand was one of the most popular toy fads of the 1980s and one of the longest - running doll franchises in the United States. The characters appeared in many other Cabbage Patch merchandising products ranging from animated cartoons to record albums to board games. Contents 1 Production history 1.1 Creation and development 1.2 Coleco years 1.3 International variations 1.4 Hasbro years 1.5 Mattel years 1.6 Toys `` R '' Us Kids 1.7 Play Along Toys 1.8 Jakks Pacific 1.9 Wicked Cool Toys 2 Cabbage Patch Kids brand 3 Porcelain Cabbage Patch Kids 4 Talking Cabbage Patch Kids 5 Babyland General Hospital 6 Controversies 7 Timeline 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External links Production history Creation and development The idea was stolen from North American folk artist Martha Nelson Thomas. ( 1 ) According to Roberts, as a 21 - year - old art student, he utilized the quilting skills he learned from his mother and the historic technique of `` needle molding '' to develop his own line of fabric sculptures. He called these hand - stitched, one - of - a-kind, soft fabric sculptures `` The Little People ''. ( Other soft sculpture dolls dating back to the 19th century were created using similar needle molding techniques. ) His Little People were not offered for sale, but were `` adopted '' each with their own individual name and birth certificate. Instead of paying a purchase price, those adopting Little People would have to pay an adoption fee. The Little People were first offered for adoption at arts and crafts shows, then later at Babyland General Hospital, an old medical clinic that Roberts and his friends - turned - employees converted into a toy store, in Cleveland, Georgia. An early transaction at Babyland General Hospital worth noting is the adoption of the only Little People quintuplets ever born at the facility. Bennie and Jeannie Shelton of Cumming, Georgia paid $5,000 to adopt the one - of - a-kind set of five identical dolls. Also worth noting is one of Roberts ' very first Little People dolls he ever created sold at an auction in Virginia in the early 80 's for $3,000. Instances like this are among the reasons why Roberts was a self - made millionaire by the time he was 26 years old. The following is an abbreviated version of the origin story Roberts came up with for his Little People : `` Xavier Roberts was a ten - year - old boy who discovered the Cabbage Patch Kids by following a BunnyBee behind a waterfall into a magical Cabbage Patch, where he found the Cabbage Patch babies being born. To help them find good homes he built BabyLand General in Cleveland, Georgia where the Cabbage Patch Kids could live and play until they were adopted. BunnyBees are bee - like creatures with rabbit ears they use as wings. They pollinate cabbages with their magic crystals to make Cabbage Patch babies. Colonel Casey is a large stork who oversees Babyland General Hospital. He 's the narrator of the Cabbage Patch Kids ' story. Otis Lee is the leader of the gang of Cabbage Patch Kids that befriended Xavier. '' ( This discovery legend would be reproduced on every Cabbage Patch Kids product from 1983 onward. ) Coleco years The name change to Cabbage Patch Kids was made in 1982 when Xavier 's company, Original Appalachian Artworks, began to license a smaller version of the handmade creations to a toy manufacturer named Coleco which began mass production the same year. The Coleco Cabbage Patch Kids had large, round vinyl heads ( originally of a different, hard plastic ), and soft fabric bodies, and were produced from 1982 to 1989, many at a factory in Amsterdam, New York. The first two years production was all from the Far East, with nine head variations produced and computer - matched with bodies to ensure each doll was `` different ''. It was, in fact, a marketing ploy that worked quite well as a wide range of variations resulted. ( Source : Larry Moniz, then senior account supervisor for the Coleco account at Richard Weiner Public Relations in NYC. ) 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. International variations In the 1980s when Coleco was producing the dolls for the North American market, the global craze was fulfilled by other companies : Jesmar Toy Company made the dolls for the European Market, Including Spain, Italy and Germany. Lili Ledy Toy Company made the dolls for Mexico and South America. Triang - Pedigree Toy Company made the dolls for South Africa. Tsukuda Toy Company manufactured the dolls for Japan and Asia. The Dolls manufactured by each of these companies, and along with the factories that produced the dolls for North America, produced dolls that were slightly different from one another. Dolls that were made for consumers in other countries than the United States hold a higher value in the eye of some American collectors. Hasbro years Hasbro took over the rights to produce Cabbage Patch dolls in 1988 after Coleco filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and continued to make the dolls with various gimmicks, including dolls that played kazoos. Some of the more popular doll lines to come out under the Cabbage Patch Kids name included the `` Birthday Kids '', `` Splash ' n ' Tan Kids '', and `` Pretty Crimp and Curl ''. Hasbro gradually began making the dolls for younger children, which led to smaller and smaller dolls. Although Cabbage Patch dolls were still best selling toys, Hasbro never really revitalized the Cabbage Patch market. In 1994, Mattel acquired the licensing rights to the dolls from Original Appalachian Artworks. Mattel years In 1994, Mattel took over the Cabbage Patch brand, including production. The first Mattel babies and ' Kids hit the stores in 1995. The Mattel Cabbage Patch dolls are not limited to cloth bodies and included dolls made from vinyl, which produced a more durable play doll. The Mattel dolls are mostly sized 14 '' or smaller, and most variants were individualized with a gimmick to enhance their collectibility, e.g. some dolls played on water - toys, swam, ate food, or brushed their teeth. Some memorable Mattel lines include the updated Kids line of basic cloth dolls that came with birth certificates, the OlympiKids that were made to coincide with the 1996 Olympics, and the Cabbage Patch Fairies. Additionally, to celebrate the dolls ' 15th anniversary, Mattel created a line of exclusively female dolls with a new molded fabric face, dressed in a custom outfits and packaged in collectible boxes. These were 16 inches tall, the same measurement of the first Coleco Cabbage Patch Kids. Toys `` R '' US Kids In 2001, retailer Toys `` R '' Us took over the Cabbage Patch brand from Mattel, producing 20 - inch Kids and 18 - inch babies, both with cloth bodies and vinyl heads. They were packaged in cardboard cabbage leaf seats. In 2001, the 20 - inch dolls debuted in the Times Square flagship store. These were created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the line, and were available both online and in stores around the US. Play Along toys The Toys `` R '' Us line lasted until Play Along toys obtained exclusive licensing rights to produce the Cabbage Patch Kids doll line. In 2003, Play Along launched a Cabbage Patch Kids 25th Anniversary collection using some of the original head sculpts from the very first Coleco editions. Play Along also partnered with Carvel Ice Cream in a co-branding campaign. The resulting co-branded Cabbage Patch Kids were packaged with a Carvel - branded ice cream cone. Jakks Pacific JAKKS Pacific acquired Play Along Toys and assumed the master toy licensee ( c2011 ) for the Cabbage Patch Kids. Jakks introduced a 14 - inch Cabbage Patch Kids Fashionality ( TM ) line and other Cabbage Patch Kid products. In 2013 Jakks Pacific released the Celebration edition to commemorate the 30th Birthday of the licensed Cabbage Patch Kids. Wicked Cool toys Wicked Cool Toys is now the current master toy licensee for the Cabbage Patch Kids. Cabbage Patch Kids brand The original 1982 Cabbage Patch Kids license agreement with Coleco Industries was negotiated by Roger L. Schlaifer on behalf of Schlaifer Nance & Company, the exclusive worldwide licensing agent for Roberts ' company at the time. Following Schlaifer Nance & Company 's signing of Coleco Industries, SN&C signed over one hundred and fifty licenses for branded products ranging from the first children 's licensed character diapers and low - sugar cereal to clothing, backyard pools, and thousands of other children 's products -- generating over $2 billion in retail sales for 1984, alone. Total sales during the Schlaifers ' tenure exceeded $4.5 billion. While sales of the dolls and other licensed products declined precipitously in the late 1980s, the dolls have become a mainstay of the toy industry, and one of the few long - running doll brands in history. Porcelain Cabbage Patch Kids These dolls were available by direct mail from the Danbury Mint. They have a rigid fabric body with porcelain legs, arms, and head. Talking Cabbage Patch Kids An extension to the line was the `` Talking Cabbage Patch Kid '' introduced by Coleco, equipped with a voice chip, touch sensors, a microphone, short range 49 MHz AM transmitter and receiver for communicating with other such dolls. Touch sensors in the hands enabled the toy to detect when and how it was being played with in response to its vocalizations. For example, the doll might say `` hold my hand '' and give an appropriate speech response when the touch sensor in either hand detected pressure. It also had a movement detector to show the positioning of the doll and whether it was sensed to be on its belly, back, or even upside down. A special plastic ' drinking ' cup containing a hidden magnet, which could be identified with the aid a small reed relay in the built into the head of the toy above the mouth, to signify when it should be seen to be ' drinking '. A more remarkable effect occurred when one doll detected the presence of another through its 49 MHz AM transmitter / receiver. The dolls were programmed to signal their `` awareness '' of each other with a short phrase, e.g. `` I think there 's someone else to play with here ! '', and then to initiate simple conversations between the dolls themselves with enough randomness to sound somewhat natural. The joint synchronised singing of ' rounds ' being particularly impressive. The inclusion of the microphone was to delay the search and communication with another of its type when the ambient noise was above a certain level. Babyland General Hospital Babyland General Hospital is the `` birthplace '' of Cabbage Patch Kids and is located in Cleveland, Georgia. Roberts converted an old clinic into a `` hospital '' from which to sell his dolls, originally called `` Little People ''. The facility is presented as a birthing, nursery, and adoption center for the Cabbage Patch Kids. In accordance with the theme, employees dress and act the parts of the doctors and nurses caring for the dolls as if they are real. Babyland General moved to a new facility on the outskirts of Cleveland, Georgia in 2010 and has been voted one of the Travel Channel 's top 10 toylands. Controversies See also : Cabbage Patch riots Martha Nelson Thomas, a Western Kentucky soft sculpture artist, created `` Doll Babies '' a facially - expressive children 's doll series for local craft shows, complete with an adoption certificate format ; Martha Thomas ' Baby Dolls were bought and resold by Xavier Roberts prior to his forming Original Appalachian Artworks, Inc.. Martha Nelson Thomas sued Xavier Roberts on Jan. 29, 1980 for intellectual property infringement ; later she successfully settled with Xavier Roberts based upon unfair competition practices. Cabbage Patch Kids were parodied by the Garbage Pail Kids trading cards. The parody led Xavier Roberts to sue Topps, the maker of Garbage Pail Kids, for trademark infringement. One line of Cabbage Patch Kids dolls, the Cabbage Patch Snacktime Kids, was designed to `` eat '' plastic snacks. The mechanism enabling this was a pair of one - way smooth metal rollers behind plastic lips. The snacks would exit the doll 's back and `` magically '' appear into a backpack. The mechanism could be de-activated by releasing the backpack. They were extremely popular during Christmas 1996. The line was voluntarily withdrawn from the market following an agreement between Mattel and the Consumer Product Safety Commission in January 1997 following several incidents where children got their fingers or hair stuck in the dolls ' mouths leading to safety warnings from Connecticut 's consumer protection commissioner, Mark Shiffrin. Timeline 1977 : Xavier Roberts is introduced to Martha Nelson Thomas ' `` Doll Babies '' concept 1978 : The first `` Little People Originals '' were delivered by Xavier Roberts, who incorporated Original Appalachian Artworks, Inc. 1981 : There was coverage of the dolls ' popularity in Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, and Atlanta Weekly. 1982 : Original Appalachian Artworks, Inc. signed a long term licensing agreement with Coleco Industries to produce the dolls in August 1982. 1983 : Cabbage Patch Kids were introduced with great fanfare at the International Toy Fair in NYC. By October, riots were occurring in stores around the country. The dolls made the cover of Newsweek before Christmas and stories of their success were heralded around the world. 1984 : Sales for Cabbage Patch Kids branded products, from toys to children 's apparel, came close to the record setting $2 billion mark. The CPK record produced by the Chapin Brothers for Parker Brothers ' music went Gold and Platinum. The video game Cabbage Patch Kids : Adventures in the Park was released. 1985 : Cabbage Patch Kids low - sugar breakfast cereal and real children 's character art diapers were introduced. The Cabbage Patch Kids Christmas Special was number one in its time slot on ABC. 1986 : The first talking Cabbage Patch Kids. 1988 : Coleco Industries, filed for bankruptcy, but dolls continued to be made, with the licensing rights being granted to Hasbro Industries and later to Mattel. 1992 : Cabbage Patch Kids were named the official mascot of the 1992 US Olympic team and members of the team were given their own dolls to take to the games. 1996 : The Cabbage Patch Snacktime Kids were released. 1999 : By popular vote the dolls were selected as one of the 15 commemorative US postage stamps representing the 1980s. They were voted fifth behind E.T, Washington 's Vietnam Veterans Memorial, The end of the Berlin Wall and Video Games. 2008 : All US Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates had their own Cabbage Patch Kids. Barack Obama was depicted with a blue suit. John McCain was depicted in a suit with grey hair. Joe Biden was also depicted in a suit with his hair slicked up. Sarah Palin was depicted in a trademark suit and skirt with high heeled pumps. Also, Palin 's signature hair and eyeglasses were featured. References Jump up ^ http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/01/cabbage-patch-kids-inventor-stole-idea/ Jump up ^ `` Top 10 Toy Crazes ''. Time. 2009 - 12 - 14. Retrieved 2010 - 03 - 03. Jump up ^ https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/the-cabbage-patch-kids-twisted-history-117266351832.html Jump up ^ `` Our History ''. Babyland General Hospital. Archived from the original on February 18, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Cleveland 's Cabbage Patch Kids turn 25 ''. AccessNorthGA.com. 2008 - 09 - 07. Retrieved 2010 - 08 - 07. Jump up ^ DeMott, John S. ; Bureaus, Other ; Byrnes, Rosemary ( 1984 - 12 - 10 ). `` Booming Sales in Toyland ''. Time. Retrieved 2010 - 03 - 03. Jump up ^ `` TOYS : Trouble in the Cabbage Patch ''. Time. 1988 - 05 - 16. Retrieved 2010 - 03 - 03. Jump up ^ `` Collector information, identification - My Cabbage Patch Kids ''. Mycpkcollection.weebly.com. Retrieved 2016 - 03 - 19. Jump up ^ `` Cabbage Patch Doll Maker Is Bankrupt ''. Los Angeles Times. 1988 - 07 - 12. Retrieved 2013 - 11 - 12. Jump up ^ `` Archive '' Wicked Cool Toys adopts Cabbage Patch Kids ``. Kidscreen. 2015 - 02 - 10. Retrieved 2016 - 03 - 19. Jump up ^ `` Harry Potter : The Story of a Global Business Phenomenon ''. Susan Gunelius. ISBN 978 - 0 - 230 - 59410 - 4. Retrieved August 31, 2016. Jump up ^ `` The Secret History of Cabbage Patch Dolls '' May 10, 2015 Vice. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/8gk4dk/the-secret-history-of-cabbage-patch-kids-011 Jump up ^ Piro, Lauren. `` The Not - So - Sweet Truth About Cabbage Patch Kids : Behind those iconic chubby cheeks is a disappointing story '' Apr 21, 2015. Good Housekeeping. http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a32201/cabbage-patch-dolls-history/ Jump up ^ `` Baby Snatcher : He Stole Her ' Doll Baby ' Concept To Make Iconic Cabbage Patch Kids '' Apr 20, 2015. Women You Should Know. http://womenyoushouldknow.net/baby-snatcher-he-stole-her-doll-baby-concept-to-make-iconic-cabbage-patch-kids/ Jump up ^ Joyce, Fay S. `` CABBAGE PATCH KIDS SPUR A BATTLE OVER PARENTAGE '' December 6, 1983. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1983/12/06/us/cabbage-patch-kids-spur-a-battle-over-parentage.html Jump up ^ Original Appalachian Artworks v. Toy Loft, 489 F. Supp. 174 ( N.D. Ga. 1980 ) U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia - 489 F. Supp. 174 ( N.D. Ga. 1980 ) May 2, 1980 https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/489/174/2394655/ Jump up ^ `` Copyrights : Trouble in the Garbage Pail ''. Time. 1986 - 03 - 17. Retrieved 2010 - 03 - 03. Jump up ^ `` AROUND THE NATION ; Judge Rules in Case Of Garbage Pail Kids ''. The New York Times. 1986 - 08 - 30. Retrieved 2010 - 08 - 07. Jump up ^ `` $40 Refund Is Offered for Hair - Eating Dolls ''. The New York Times. 1997 - 01 - 07. Retrieved 2010 - 08 - 07. Jump up ^ `` Mattel and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Announce Voluntary Refund Program for Cabbage Patch Kids & Snacktime Kids Dolls ''. United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. 1997 - 01 - 06. Retrieved February 22, 2008. Jump up ^ Joyce, Fay S. `` CABBAGE PATCH KIDS SPUR A BATTLE OVER PARENTAGE '' December 6, 1983. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1983/12/06/us/cabbage-patch-kids-spur-a-battle-over-parentage.html Jump up ^ `` Americans Pick Stamp Symbol For ' 80s : Video Games ''. Post-Tribune. April 14, 1999. Retrieved November 5, 2016 -- via HighBeam Research. ( Subscription required. ) Jump up ^ `` Sarah Palin becomes a Cabbage Patch Kid ''. MSNBC. Retrieved 2010 - 03 - 03. Further reading Hoffman, William ( 1984 ). Fantasy : The Incredible Cabbage Patch Phenomenon. Dallas : Taylor Publishing. ISBN 9780878333868. OCLC 10996773. External links 1980s portal cinema of the United States portal Cabbage Patch Kids Official Site Cabbage Patch Kid Restoration Official Site Cabbage Patch Kid mania - CBC Digital Archives Urban Legends Reference Page on Cabbage Patch Kids legends Urban Legends Reference Page on Cabbage Patch death certificates Whatever Happened To Cabbage Patch Dolls ? 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Circus World Litigation `` Barbie Girl '' song case Barbie 's Restaurants trademark dispute View - Master factory lawsuit Other The Toy Box Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cabbage_Patch_Kids&oldid=831536067 '' Categories : 1980s fads and trends 1980s toys 1990s toys Doll brands Media franchises Products introduced in 1978 Hidden categories : Pages containing links to subscription - only content All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from January 2015 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español Italiano Suomi Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 21 March 2018, at 02 : 17. About Wikipedia

Question: when did cabbage patch dolls first come out
Answer: 1978