Cabbage Patch Kids (1983-Present)

Cabbage Patch Kids

The Coleco Cabbage Patch Kids, launched in 1983, were the definitive "must-have" toy of the 1980s, sparking unprecedented retail riots as parents fought over limited shipments in department store aisles. Originally created by Georgia artist Xavier Roberts as hand-stitched "Little People," the mass-marketed Coleco versions featured unique, soft-sculpted bodies and vinyl heads with randomized features—hair color, eye shape, and even dimple placement—ensuring that no two dolls were exactly alike. Every "Kid" came nestled in a box with an adoption certificate and a birth certificate featuring a unique, computer-generated name like "Otis Lee" or "Sybil Maude," a masterstroke of marketing that encouraged children to "adopt" rather than simply buy a toy. Each doll also featured the printed signature of Xavier Roberts on its left buttock, a mark of authenticity that changed color each year to indicate the production run. While they originally retailed for roughly $25, the 1983 holiday shortage drove black market prices into the hundreds, making the Cabbage Patch Kids the first post-industrial toy to turn the scarcity of "one-of-a-kind" variety into a global cultural phenomenon.

Donated by: Robyn Babina, Jonathan Sacks