"Life is lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road and we stand on the mountain looking back through the valley that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale.” Jill Savage

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Do You Remember Cabbage Patch Kids?

Okay - do you remember the Cabbage Patch Kids? They came out decades ago and they are still in the stores today - but they aren't all that popular anymore. The originator of the Cabbage Patch Doll was from Cleveland, GA and we stopped on the way to Helen.


This is Babyland General Hospital


These are the new babies in the nursery -



These are the premies -




This is the cabbage patch - where the babies are born out of a cabbage every so often and you can name them and of course, buy them -





Here is a cabbage giving birth!



And of course a lot of other things can be bought - kind of pricey.



Triplets -





Let me just tell you that my GS wanted nothing to do with 'Baby' Land General - he complained the whole entire way though - he was sure it was girly and he just couldn't have that. Now who would have put that in his mind - thanks Grandpa!


I have a good memory of cabbage patch dolls concerning my mother in law - she would never ever buy anything for herself - ever. She never drove. They saved every penny they had. Yet one Christmas when these dolls were so incredibly popular - she got Ernie (my father in law) and they went to Wal- Mart at like 3am in the morning and she and Ernie waited in line until the store opened. There was a mob! But my mother in law was one tough cookie and she had made her mind up - she was going to get her granddaughter a doll. And by golly SHE GOT MY DAUGHTER A DOLL! Thank you Anne and Ernie.



Happy Birthday Catherine the Great - Wikipedia
Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great,reigned as Empress of Russia from 1762 until her death in 1796. Under her direct auspices the Russian Empire expanded, improved its administration, and continued to modernize along Western European lines. Catherine's rule re-vitalized Russia, which grew ever stronger and became recognized as one of the great powers of Europe. Her successes in complex foreign policy and her sometimes brutal reprisals in the wake of rebellion.

Catherine took power after a conspiracy deposed her husband, Peter III (1728–1762), and her reign saw the high point in the influence of the Russian nobility.

Catherine's patronage furthered the evolution of the arts in Russia more than that of any Russian sovereign before or after her.

Catherine, throughout her long reign, took many lovers, often elevating them to high positions for as long as they held her interest, and then pensioning them off with large estates and gifts of serfs. After her affair with her lover and capable adviser Grigori Alexandrovich Potemkin ended in 1776, he would allegedly select a candidate-lover for her who had both the physical beauty as well as the mental faculties to hold Catherine's interest.

Some of these men loved her in return, and she always showed generosity towards her lovers, even after the end of an affair. One of her lovers, Zavadovsky, received 50,000 rubles, a pension of 5,000 rubles, and 4,000 peasants in the Ukraine after she dismissed him in 1777. The last of her lovers, Prince Zubov, 40 years her junior, proved the most capricious and extravagant of them all.

21 comments:

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I remember hearing about this place back there during the CK craze! Didn't know where it was.
No surprise Andy didn't enjoy himself. (I don't think he needed Grandpa to tell him it was girly!) I don't think Bill would enjoy this tour, nor any of my sons or grandsons either.

But what a nice memory of your M-I-L; that was a lovely thing for her to do and especially so when you give us the background. Loved this story!

Plus the pictures are cute (I'm girly).

Susan said...

Awwwww, Sandie. Great shots. (Trusty little Kodak, by chance?) Soooooo nice you could visit there. GS didn't look too happy but telling about that gave me a chuckle. Poor Andy! Ha! Take care, Sandie. Sincerely, Susan

Marjorie (Molly) Smith said...

Cabbage Patch Kids are a doll brand created by Debbie Morehead and Xavier Roberts in 1978. The original dolls were all cloth and sold at local craft shows, During the American Folk art movement of the late 1970s, Mr. Roberts fashioned a doll he called "Little People". Roberts and a small group of friends began to travel from state to state in the Southeastern U.S. attending folk art exhibitions. At these exhibitions, Roberts began selling these handcrafted dolls he called "babies." Going into business as Original Appalachian Artworks, Inc, Roberts started producing Little People in his hometown of Cleveland, at a converted medical clinic, which he rechristened "Babyland General Hospital
". The Little People evolved by 1982 into Cabbage Patch Kids
I remember then well, I remember hearing his story and wanted to do that so bad, my MIL bought a Little Peoples pattern and made dozens of them in the late 70's and sold quite a few, never did make one for my kids...lol..all boys. I sure wish I had one of her's to keep.
I would love to visit the Hospital one day.
Molly

Stella said...

I didn't realize they still made Cabbage Patch Dolls. I think my granddaughters would love to visit the hospital all seven of them. I still have 3 dolls I kept from my daughters that my granddaughters play with. Loved hearing about your MIL. There isn't anything us grandmother's won't do for are grandchildren is there?

Linda @ A La Carte said...

I went to Baby Land General Hospital back before the craze of the Cabbage Patch Dolls hit. I remember falling in love with those cute handmade dolls but he prices...whoo hoo too high for me. Sara did have a Cabbage Patch Kid when she was older. I liked the originals with the cloth faces! Cute post and I bet Andy did hate it...lol...Boys!

Cheri said...

Oh my girls had Cabbage Patch dolls or at least great copies. Once when our middle daughter was a very little infant, I had laid her down in the grocery cart on a blanket where a child would sit, the lady at the deli wanted to know if that was our older daughter's Cabbage Patch baby and I assured her that she was indeed "real." Hmm...I wonder if she thought my kid looked like a Cabbage Patch???

Whosyergurl said...

Sandie, I was one of those moms who went to Toys R Us and stood in line and went into the secret room and picked my baby. In the end, we got two and I picked the best baby and best clothes and we sold the other one. My daughter always called her cabbage patch doll her "Patty patch." I loved that. I have a pic of she & her doll in matching dresses! Thanks for the memory. Hugs, Cheryl

Angela said...

Oh yes, I do remember the Cabbage Patch Kids! My mom and me went to a store that early in the morning to try to get one for my sister. We weren't as lucky as your mother in law! Came home empty handed.

That's so neat that you were able to go there and see where they are made! There used to be a store about 2 hours away from my house that had a nursery for a different doll. My daughter loved going there when she was little.

Thanks for sharing your adventure with us!

Hugs,
Angela

Together We Save said...

Oh I love cabbage patch dolls!!

ClassyChassy said...

Never knew there was a store like that! And, glad Kelly got her cabbage baby!

betty said...

does your daughter still have the doll?? what a fun place to visit! I would have enjoyed Babyland General Hospital. I remember all the fuss about it; I didn't have kids to buy for at the time but I remember thinking "gosh, I would never do something like that when I have kids to stress over getting something like this" but of course when the kids came along and they wanted the "in" toys I did my best to accommodate them

hope GS had a good day back at school!

betty

^..^Corgidogmama said...

Have never heard of this place, heavens!! April still has her CP doll, and recently gave it to Emmy.
I didn't even realize that she still had it!

Tanna said...

OMG! I remember the cabbage patch dolls... not in a good way. I wasn't one of the ones who came away with a doll... it was Christmas... well, you know the rest. One unhappy little girl in our house... the one we had made just wasn't a cabbage patch. Later, we had many... I always thought they were particularly unattractive, especially after the bad Christmas experience! LOL!

Melanie said...

Yes, I remember Cabbage Patch dolls!
I had a girl with blond hair, and I had a preemie. :)
That was a long time ago!!

Annesphamily said...

My oldest daughter Noelle had the largest collection of CP dolls ever! I found Avery O'Robinson behind a thrift store one snowy day and I have a coupke CP dolls myself. One named Noelle, do you believe it? I also have one that shares my birthday!
Great memory of the in-laws! I found a preemie for Noelle in the grocery store one holiday and her name was Ivy, the same name that my hubby's paternal grandmother had! I still love the CP dolls and my friend Sharon has Jeffrey an original Cabbage Patch kid crafted in porcelain. He cost a weeks wages back then! She still has him. Thanks for all these sweet memories friend!

Michelle @ Delicate Construction said...

I LOVED my cabbage patch kid!!! I would have loved a trip like that as well!

Unknown said...

i remember standing in line for hours to get a cabbage patch kid for my now 33 year old daughter. we happened to get one at a store and one from germany. we parents are crazy!!!!

Mimi said...

HI!!!
I got a job at a toy store back in 1984 to get my girls a cabbage patch doll, I got tired of fighting the crowds and to the last resort was get a job at the toy store!!! I ended up with one for each of my girls and my nieces!!!!Then oops I got pregnant and I had to quit!!!! It really was better not to work and lift all the heavy toys right at Christmas time!!!!!haha
hugs,
jamie

Lucy said...

LOL! I am so amused imagining your poor dear GS whining during your tour. With certainty you will be forgiven and your trip will become a fabulous family story:-).
You did resurrect memories of a Christmas past...locating my daughter her Cabbage Patch baby, Emma Jean Doria.

ocmist said...

I remember the Cabbage Patch craze and my sister, Mimi, got the girls some... She ended up with a bunch of them and then she started making them. She made a lot of Star Trek ones of each of the main character. I still have my Spock that she made me.

Your pics were great to... even the one of a disgusted GS! LOL

Interesting that even a female ruler would be so... promiscuous (SP?)

Sue said...

We must have 20 or more CPD's in the basement...even the Mets and the Yankees doll...daughter had to have them back in the 80's and now that she has a daughter she wants no part of them...