Babyland General Hospital

[WildHearted]

I went for a day trip to Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, GA with some of my family today. It's basically like.. where all of the Cabbage Patch dolls are born. It's a big store full of like everything you could ever want related to cabbage patch kids, TONS OF DOLLS, and they have "nurses" who work there, and there's this big tree in the back surrounded by a cabbage patch, and every hour they "birth" a baby out of Mother Cabbage. The audience gets to name the baby. Then a nurse takes them into a room w/ a viewing window and cleans them up and takes their vital signs and stuff. It's a hoot.

Anyway, the point being that at the entrance they had a wall full of celebrity autographs - although I'm not sure if it was people who had actually visited, or the people had just sent them one. I should have read the plaque on the wall that said what they were but I didn't. Oops.

Either way, Stevie was up there. (Xavier is the man who invented the dolls).



Just thought I would share. I got a kick out of it given her history with baby dolls.

And for the record, I have never wanted a doll so much in my life . If I had an extra $70, you bet your bottom dollar I would be calling one of those dolls my own right now. Maybe for my birthday.

[sleepless child]

that is so cute. I know Stevie is a big doll collector.

[dnightshade]

This is very cool. Not many people know that before the patent for the Cabbage Patch kids was bought by Hasbro (or one of the big toy companies) they were individually hand-made, and autographed, by Xavier Roberts - the creator of these unique dolls. At the time they were called Little People and were a bit larger than the mass produced dolls for kids. They ran about $200 per doll and came with the "adoption" papers, etc. For a matter of fact, someone "adopting" a Little Person had to take an oath that they would care for them and love them, etc. at the time of purchase (adoption).
I got one of these Little Persons as a gift in 1982 (tho I got to pick her out, and swear to love her forever, etc.) ~Deborah Helen. She sits in my bedroom in a place of prominence to this day.

[WildHearted]

Originally Posted by dnightshade

This is very cool. Not many people know that before the patent for the Cabbage Patch kids was bought by Hasbro (or one of the big toy companies) they were individually hand-made, and autographed, by Xavier Roberts - the creator of these unique dolls. At the time they were called Little People and were a bit larger than the mass produced dolls for kids. They ran about $200 per doll and came with the "adoption" papers, etc. For a matter of fact, someone "adopting" a Little Person had to take an oath that they would care for them and love them, etc. at the time of purchase (adoption).
I got one of these Little Persons as a gift in 1982 (tho I got to pick her out, and swear to love her forever, etc.) ~Deborah Helen. She sits in my bedroom in a place of prominence to this day.

Yep. In fact, @ Babyland General, they have dolls in the style of the original ones (larger, all cloth, etc) that you can buy (although I'm sure they were recently made), along with every type of the mass-produced ones you could ever want. They also have a plethora of "exclusive" dolls that are totally unique and only sold there - those are bigger bodied but do have plastic faces [although all of the faces are differently shaped).. They give you adoption papers and all of that when you buy the doll. If you buy a doll there and request it, they will do the birthing ceremony for your doll.

I'm not sure how much they had priced originally styled ones at - I know the exclusive dolls were $70. Those were the ones I liked best, mostly because I liked how their plastic faces smelled.

I've never been much into dolls (although I had some as a child, of course, and even a couple of cheap cabbage patch dolls) but after going there, I'm telling you, I really want a Cabbage Patch doll to keep. There were several that were just crying out to me.
Literally. They had positioned some so that their arms were reaching up over a fence because they wanted to be held.

[dnightshade]

Originally Posted by WildHearted

I really want a Cabbage Patch doll to keep. There were several that were just crying out to me.
Literally. They had positioned some so that their arms were reaching up over a fence because they wanted to be held.

Get one! They love to be held (don't we all) ~ and are so adorable.

[michelej1]

I think I've seen a picture of Stevie when she was carrying a Cabbage Patch doll. I "only" have 6 dolls up in my new place (not counting the Barbies, Sonny and Cher, Michael Jackson, and Mulder and Scully dolls on my closet shelf) and I consider that a great sign of progress on my part. I sold a bunch of "I Love Lucy" dolls and put others in storage and have felt doll addiction free.

If I had been at Babyland General Hospital, I'm sure I would have relapsed big time.

Michele

[dnightshade]

Originally Posted by michelej1

I think I've seen a picture of Stevie when she was carrying a Cabbage Patch doll. I "only" have 6 dolls up in my new place (not counting the Barbies, Sonny and Cher, Michael Jackson, and Mulder and Scully dolls on my closet shelf) and I consider that a great sign of progress on my part. I sold a bunch of "I Love Lucy" dolls and put others in storage and have felt doll addiction free.

If I had been at Babyland General Hospital, I'm sure I would have relapsed big time.

Michele

I could never part w any of my doll collection; they're like my babies. Most are kept in a glass display case, the more cuddlely ones are closer. It can become an obsession, but most all of mine were gifts, which spares me from becoming too manic in buying them, and makes them much more special and personal, too.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by dnightshade

I could never part w any of my doll collection; they're like my babies. Most are kept in a glass display case, the more cuddlely ones are closer. It can become an obsession, but most all of mine were gifts, which spares me from becoming too manic in buying them, and makes them much more special and personal, too.

It was reborn baby dolls that put me over the edge. I had four which I bid on on Ebay and I would set a budget for myself, but would never stay within it. I just couldn't stand to lose the bid. It got crazy. I had this white wicker tea caddy and I made it up into a double decker crib to display the baby dolls. I also used to display other dolls in my china cabinet instead of dishes. But when I moved, I decided to leave most of the dolls out of my new decor.

I remember when someone remade a Barbie doll into Stevie. I would have loved to own that one. The doll sold on Ebay for a high price as I recall. I would have thought that would be an incentive for the maker to create more of them, but she didn't.

Michele

[WildHearted]

Originally Posted by michelej1

I remember when someone remade a Barbie doll into Stevie. I would have loved to own that one. The doll sold on Ebay for a high price as I recall. I would have thought that would be an incentive for the maker to create more of them, but she didn't.

Michele

That's really interesting. If I were very artistic (I am slightly, but not enough lol), handy with a needle, and knew anything about doll re-painting, that would be something I would be into doing for sure. I'd make myself one for each member of the band, for every different "era."

Man, I can't stop thinking about those dolls. I think this isbecming a problem

http://www.cabbagepatchkids.com/

And now I've found the website... oh boy.

[SummerlongBoots]

This doll came home one day when I was five or six. My dad bought her for me and I fell in love with her right away. She had three faces. Sick, sleeping and smiling. My brothers teased "her" unmercifully which only made me love her all the more. Years (okay - decades, ha ha) later I discovered she has relatives out there. I have only purchased one, but I do like to look at them a lot, lol.



http://www.whimsiedolls.com/dolls/index.html

I'm off to find pictures of my Cabbage Patch "son." You might get a chuckle . . .

[vivfox]

Originally Posted by WildHearted

Either way, Stevie was up there.

Based on the publicity photo we can tell she visited in 1989.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by vivfox

Based on the publicity photo we can tell she visited in 1989.

Maybe she just gives people really old publicity photos of herself. Like when she goes to the dry cleaners and they ask if they can hang a picture of her, she probably pulls out a Buckingham Nicks photo and writes, "To Harry, who always gets the barbecue sauce out" across her breast.

Michele

[SummerlongBoots]

Meet Frederick.

[rhiannondontgo]

Too cool! Gotta say - made me laugh considering how entertaining I find Stevie's 'thing' for baby dolls. My stepfather was put on Klonopin recently to get off his antidepressant and I would tease him mercilessly and tell him "any day now you're gonna gain 70lbs and start carrying babydolls around airports!"

You're never too old for dolls anyway. I'm 17 and have a shelf of Dolly Parton and Cher dolls from the 70's. My mom got me a Johnny Cash 'action figure' (he's way too manly to be a doll) for Christmas too.

[WildHearted]

Originally Posted by SummerlongBoots

Meet Frederick.

These pictures are golden. Frederick seems to be a mischievous tyke.