Cabbage Patch Dolls

January 26, 2020

Cabbage Patch Dolls were supposed to be found under a cabbage leaf in the garden. Based on this the Cabbage Patch Dolls were created by Coleco in 1982 and they were supposed to be in the Garden. The line of clothes for Cabbage Patch Dolls by Totsy was called Garden Dolls. The packages were often knitted clothes, but sometimes regular clothes like dresses and rompers worn by baby dolls. The outfits were called Garden Dolls Needs or Garden Doll Knits because they could not use the name Cabbage. This interesting line (of what looks to be well made clothes) for Cabbage Patch Dolls but would likely fit other baby dolls. Cabbage Patch Dolls are still being made today in new incarnations. But, doll clothes have gone way down in quality since the early 80’s when Cabbage Patch Kids created riots. I would suggest you are better off buying the older outfits based on the higher quality provided there is little aging or wear and tear. There are a number of outfits for sale on Ebay or other type sites still in the packages. Here are a few examples I found.

Cabbage Patch Dolls were created by an Artist named Martha Nelson Thomas. The rights to Cabbage Patch Dolls were bought by Hasbro in 1988 from the original company which had gone bankrupt. Mattel bought them in 1994. But, in 2003 they moved to a series of different companies. I am not a fan of the dolls themselves so the timeline of the dolls is not that important to me. If not for the wildly popularity of the original dolls this line of clothes would not have been created. Cabbage Patch Dolls are not likely to make a profit ever again, as most children play less with physical toys and more with digital toys.

I found some interesting information about the artist online. Martha was a self-employed artist whose work emphasized the importance of families and the joy of childhood. She was one of the first people to employ the technique known as soft sculpture. In the 1970’s and 80’s her hand crafted Doll Babies were sold around the country and helped inspire the Cabbage Patch Dolls. Children and adults alike invited these dolls into their homes and corresponded regularly with Momma Martha.