Cabbage Patch Kids is a row of gentle doll-like creatures sold by Xavier Roberts and registered at the US copyright office in 1978.
The idea was stolen from North American folk artists by the name of Martha Nelson Thomas.
The doll brand is one of the most popular toy modes of the 1980s and one of the oldest doll franchises in the United States. Characters appear in many Cabbage Patch merchandising products ranging from animated cartoons to recording albums to game boards.
Video Cabbage Patch Kids
Production history
Creation and development
The idea was stolen from North American folk artist Martha Nelson Thomas.
According to Roberts, as a 21-year-old art student, he utilizes the quilting skills he learned from his mother and historic "needle molding" techniques to develop his own line of sculptures. He calls these softly hand-stitched fabrics, "The Little People". (Other soft sculptures dating from the nineteenth century were created using similar needle-printing techniques.) His Little People were not offered for sale but were "adopted" each with their respective birth name and deed. Instead of paying the purchase price, those who adopt the Little Person have to pay the adoption fee.
Little People were first offered for adoption at an arts and crafts exhibition, then at Babyland General Hospital, an old medical clinic transformed by Roberts and his friends into a toy store, in Cleveland, Georgia.
An early transaction at Babyland General Hospital to note was the application of the only quintuplets Little People had ever born in the facility. Bennie and Jeannie Shelton from Cumming, Georgia paid $ 5,000 to adopt a set of one in five identical dolls. Also noteworthy is one of Roberts' first Little People dolls he once made for sale at an auction in Virginia in the early 80s for $ 3,000. Examples like this are one of the reasons why Roberts was a homemade millionaire by the time he was 26 years old.
Here is a shortened version of Roberts' original story for Little People:
"Xavier Roberts is a ten-year-old boy who invented the Cabbage Patch Kids by following BunnyBee behind the waterfall to the magical Patch Cabbage, where he found the babies of the born Cabbage Tap to help them find the good home he built at BabyLand General in Cleveland, Georgia where Kids Cabbage Patch can live and play until they are adopted.
BunnyBees are bees like bees with rabbit ears they use as wings. They inflate cabbage with their magical crystals to make baby Cabbage Patch.
Colonel Casey is a large heron who oversees the Babyland General Hospital. He is the story narrator of Cabbage Patch Kids.
Otis Lee is the leader of the Cabbage Patch Kids gang who is friends with Xavier. "
(The legend of this invention will be reproduced on every Cabbage Patch Kids product from 1983 onwards.)
Coleco years
The change of name to Cabbage Patch Kids was made in 1982 when Xavier's company, Original Appalachian Artworks, began licensing a smaller version of handmade creations to a toy manufacturer called Coleco that started mass production that same year. The Coleco Cabbage Patch Kids have large round vinyl heads (originally from different plastics, hard), and soft fabrics, and were produced from 1982 to 1989, many in factories in Amsterdam, New York. The first two years of production are from the Far East, with nine variations of heads manufactured and computer-fit bodies to ensure each doll is "different". Actually, this is a marketing tactic that works well because of the various variations produced. (Source: Larry Moniz, then senior account supervisor for the Coleco account at Richard Weiner Public Relations in NYC.)
At the height of their popularity, the dolls are the toys that must be Christmas. Parents across the United States flocked to the store to try to get one of the Patch Children's Cabbages for their children, with fights that sometimes erupt between parents over tough puppets. In the next few years, Coleco introduced variants on the original Patch Cabbage Kids, and derivatives of the original line of dolls continued to be marketed.
International variation
In the 1980s when Coleco produced dolls for the North American market, global passions were fulfilled by other companies:
- Jesmar Toy Company creates dolls for the European Market, Including Spain, Italy and Germany.
- Lili Ledy Toy Company makes dolls for Mexico and South America.
- The Triang-Pedigree Toy Company makes a doll for South Africa.
- Tsukuda Toy Company produces dolls for Japan and Asia.
The dolls produced by each of these companies, and together with the factories that produce the dolls for North America, produce dolls that are slightly different from each other. Dolls made for consumers in other countries than the United States have a higher value in the eyes of some American collectors.
Hasbro years
Hasbro took over the right to produce a Cabbage Patch doll in 1988 after Coleco filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and continued to make dolls with various gimmicks, including dolls that played kazoos. Some of the more popular puppet lines to come out under the name of Cabbage Patch Kids include "Birthday Kids", "Splash 'n' Tan Kids", and "Pretty Crimp and Curl". Hasbro gradually began making dolls for younger children, which led to smaller and smaller puppets. Although Cabbage Patch dolls still sell the best toys, Hasbro never really revitalized the Cabbage Patch market. In 1994, Mattel acquired the license rights for the puppet from Original Appalachian Art Work.
Mattel Year
In 1994, Mattel took over the Cabbage Patch brand, including production. The first Mattel Cabbage Patch doll hit the stores in 1995.
The Mattel Cabbage Patch dolls are not limited to the fabric body and include dolls made of vinyl, which produces more durable playing dolls. Mattel dolls are mostly 14 "or smaller, and most of the variations are tailored to the gimmick to increase the collectibility, such as some dolls played on water toys, swimming, eating, or brushing.
Some of Mattel's memorable lines include an updated children's line of basic rag dolls that come with birth certificates, OlympiKids made to coincide with the 1996 Olympics, and the Cabbage Cabbage Fairy. In addition, to celebrate the doll's 15th anniversary, Mattel created an exclusive female doll line with new cloth faces, dressed in custom clothing and packed in collectible boxes. It is 16 inches tall, the same measurement of the first Coleco Cabbage Patch Kids.
"Kids" R Toys
In 2001, the Toys "R" Us retailer took over the Cabbage Patch brand from Mattel, producing a 20-inch Child and an 18-inch baby, both with a cloth body and a vinyl head. They are packed in cardboard cabbage leaf chairs. In 2001, the 20-inch doll debuted in the Times Square main store. This was made to celebrate the 20th anniversary of that line, and is available online and in stores across the US.
Play Shared Toy
The Toys "R" Us line lasts until the Play Along toy gets exclusive license rights to produce the Cabbage Patch Kids doll line. In 2003, Play Along unveiled the Cabbage Patch Kids 25th Anniversary collection using some of the original head sculptures of the first Coleco edition. Play Along also partnered with Carvel Ice Cream in a co-branding campaign. Coupled Kids Cabbage Patch Kids are packed with Carvel branded ice cream cones.
Jakks Pacific
JAKKS Pacific acquired Play Along Toys and assumed the master toy license (c2011) for Cabbage Patch Kids. Jakks introduced the 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.
Evil Cool Toys
Wicked Cool Toys is now the current master license toys for Cabbage Patch Kids.
Maps Cabbage Patch Kids
Cabbage Patch Children's Brands
The original 1982 Kubbage Patch Kids license agreement with Coleco Industries was negotiated by Roger L. Schlaifer on behalf of Schlaifer Nance & amp; The company, the exclusive global licensing agent for Roberts company at the time.
Following Schlaifer Nance & amp; The signing of the company Coleco Industries, SN & amp; C signed over one hundred and fifty licenses for branded products ranging from children's first licensed children's diapers and low-sugar cereals to clothing, backyard ponds, and thousands of other children's products - generating over $ 2 billion in retail sales for 1984 , alone. Total sales during Schlaifers tenure exceed $ 4.5 billion. While sales of dolls and other licensed products dropped dramatically in the late 1980s, the dolls became the mainstay of the toy industry, and one of the few long-lived doll brands in history.
Porcelain Cabbage Patch Kids
These dolls are available via direct mail from Danbury Mint. They have a body of stiff fabrics with porcelain feet, arms, and heads.
Talking Cabbage Patch Kids
The extension to the line is "Talking Cabbage Patch Kid" introduced by Coleco, equipped with sound chip, touch sensor, microphone, transmitter and receiver 49 MHz MHz short range to communicate with other similar dolls. The touch sensor in hand allows the toy to detect when and how it is played by responding to vocalizations. For example, the doll might say "hold my hand" and give the right speech response when the touch sensor in both hands detects pressure. It also has a motion detector to show the position of the doll and whether it feels to be in his stomach, back, or even upside down. A special plastic drinking cup contains a hidden magnet, which can be identified with the help of a small reed relay in the toy head above the mouth, to indicate when to look 'drink'. A more remarkable effect occurs when one doll detects the presence of another person through a 49 MHz AMMHz transmitter/receiver. The dolls are programmed to signify their "awareness" to each other with short phrases, such as "I think there are others to play here!", And then starting a simple conversation between the doll itself with enough randomness sounds rather natural. The joint chorus of 'rounds' becomes very impressive. The inclusion of a microphone is to delay search and communications with others of its kind when ambient noise is above a certain level.
Babyland General Hospital
Babyland General Hospital is the "birthplace" of the Cabbage Patch Kids and is located in Cleveland, Georgia. Roberts transformed an old clinic into a "hospital" to sell his dolls, originally called "Little Men". This facility is presented as a center for childbirth, nursery, and adoption for Children's Cabbage Patch. True to the theme, employees dress and act part of doctors and nurses looking after dolls as if they were real. Babyland General moved to a new facility on the outskirts of Cleveland, Georgia in 2010 and has been selected as one of the 10 best toys on the Channel Channel.
Controversy
Product security
One line of Cabbage Patch Kids dolls, Cabbage Patch Snacktime Kids, is designed to "eat" plastic snacks. The mechanism that allows this is a pair of fine metal rollers one direction behind the plastic lip. Snacks will come out of the back of the doll and "magically" appear into the backpack. This mechanism can be disabled by removing the backpack. They were very popular during Christmas 1996. This 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 to the doll's mouth leading to a safety warning. from Connecticut's consumer protection commissioner, Mark Shiffrin.
Timeline
- 1977: Xavier Roberts introduced to the concept of "Baby Doll" Martha Nelson Thomas
- 1978: "Original Little Person" first delivered by Xavier Roberts, which combines Original Appalachian Artwork, Inc...
- 1981: There is coverage of the popularity of dolls in Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal and Atlanta Weekly.
- 1982: Original Appalachian Artwork, Inc. signed a long-term licensing agreement with Coleco Industries to produce dolls in August 1982.
- 1983: Cabbage Patch Kids is introduced with great fanfare at the International Toy Fair in NYC. In October, riots occurred in stores across the country. The doll made a cover of Newsweek before Christmas and their success stories are touted around the world.
- 1984: Sales for Cabbage Patch Children-branded products, from toys to children's clothing, are close to a record $ 2 billion set. The CPK record, titled Cabbage Patch Dreams , produced by Chapin Brothers for the music of Parker Brothers, became Gold and Platinum. Video game Cabbage Patch Kids: Adventures in the Park was released.
- 1985: Cabbage Patch Children breakfast low-sugar cereal and children's children's children's art nappies are introduced. The Cabbage Patch Special Christmas Kids is number one in the time slot on ABC.
- 1986: The first talks Cabbage Patch Kids.
- 1988: Coleco Industries, filed for bankruptcy, but the puppet continues to be created, with license rights granted to Hasbro Industries and then to Mattel.
- 1992: Cabbage Patch Kids was named the official mascot of the 1992 US Olympic team and team members were given their own dolls to take to the match.
- 1996: The Cabbage Patch Snacktime Kids is released.
- 1999: In popular voice, the doll was chosen as one of the 15 US memorial stamps representing the 1980s. They were elected fifth behind E.T, the Vietnam Veterans Washington Memorial, the end of the Berlin Wall and Video Games.
- 2008: All US Presidential Candidates and Vice Presidents have their own Kubis Patch Son. Barack Obama is portrayed in a blue suit. John McCain is depicted wearing a suit with gray hair. Joe Biden is also depicted wearing a suit with his hair slicked. Sarah Palin is depicted in a suit and a trademark skirt with a high-heeled pump. Also, Palin's typical hair and eyeglasses are featured.
References
Further reading
- Hoffman, William (1984). Fantasy: The Extraordinary Tomb Hole Phenomenon . Dallas: Taylor Publishing. ISBN: 9780878333868. OCLCĂƒ,10996773.
External links
- Cabbage Patch Kids Official Site
- Cabbage Patch Kid Restoration Official Site
- Cabbage Patch Kid mania - Digital Archive of the CBC
- Legend Town Reference page on Cabbage Patch Legends children
- Urban Legend Reference page on Cabbage Patch death certificate
- What Happens At Cabbage Patch Dolls?
- Secret History of Kids Cabbage Patch
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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