This column originally ran in the Hamilton County Herald on Sept. 13, 2013.
Cabbage Patch Kids dolls are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. I can remember when those fat-cheeked little dolls first started production. I can’t believe it was 30 years ago.
In honor of this little baby, which you can name and that has its own birth certificate, I have found a few facts you might not know about them. See how well you do.
1. What makes each Cabbage Patch doll unique? Shoes and birthdate; hair and eyes; outfit and name; all of the above.
2. Xavier Roberts, the creator of Cabbage Patch kids, originally called them Little People. The Little People were somewhat different from the toys they eventually sold in stores. What technique was used to create these Little People? Stiff needle; needle point; soft sculpture; face sculpture.
3. True or false: The Cabbage Patch Kids went out of production, but then started back into production in 2005.
4. What does the color of the signature on the left butt cheek of each mass market Cabbage Patch Kid mean? If they were a twin or triplet, or even a quadruplet; the year they were manufactured; the country in which they were manufactured; all of the above.
5. In 2005, which of these editions of Cabbage Patch Kid was worth the most money? Tsukuda Wedding Kids; Chimney Mountain Edition; Helen Blue edition; Hasbro Kissing Kids.
6. True or false: There’s a museum in Maryland dedicated entirely to Cabbage Patch kids that has an annual event for collectors.
7. What was the original name for Cabbage Patch Kids? Lollipop Kids; Little People; Wonder Kids; Adoptable Babies.
8. What is the name of the tree the Cabbage Patch dolls are born under? Juniper Tree; Babyland Oak; Magic Crystal Tree; Cabbage Garden Tree of Life.
9. What year did the Cabbage Patch U.S. Postal stamp go on sale? 1983; 1994; 2000; 2005.
10. True or false: Since 2008, all U. S. presidential and vice presidential candidates have had a Cabbage Patch doll based on them.
ANSWERS
1. All of the above. Each Cabbage Patch doll, even if it had the same hair and eye color as the next one, had a different outfit as well as a unique name and birthdate. 2. Soft sculpture is a German technique Roberts perfected in 1976 and sold at toy fairs. He apparently copyrighted all forms of soft sculpture doll making. 3. They never went out of production. They changed companies a few times (Coleco-Hasbro-Mattell-Toys-r-Us), but were always, and still are, being made. 4. The year they were manufactured. The color tells what year they were manufactured. Blue is the most common color, which means they were made in 1985. Green is 1984, along with black. Sometimes they have the year on the signature. 5. Helen Blue Edition is highly sought after by true collectors. One of the earliest editions, even in horrible condition, it’s highly valuable. 6. True. Prosey’s Museum has an annual event where collectors meet each other and see the various dolls and rare CPKs! 7. Little People. The name was changed to Cabbage Patch Kids in 1982. 8. Magic Crystal Tree. Bunnybees sprinkle the patch with “magic crystals” which will determine whether the baby will be a boy or a girl. There are nurses to deliver the babies, and normally, a child in the audience can name and adopt the newborns. One of the announcements normally made when a baby is about to be born is “Code Green – Mother Cabbage has dilated a full 10 leaves.” 9. January 2000 – .33 postal rate. 10. True. Barack Obama was depicted with a blue suit. John McCain was depicted in a suit with grey hair. Joseph 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.