Visiting Babyland General Hospital
By SHERRI SMITH BROWN
Adopted in 1985 at Babyland General Hospital, Cabbage Patch Kid Nell Nessie resides in Brianna’s playroom, waiting for another brother or sister to join her.
I admit that I’m one of those parents who traveled all the way to the North Georgia mountain town of Cleveland in the mid-1980s and stood in line to adopt a Cabbage Patch Kid for my daughter, Ashley.
Back then, artist Xavier Roberts had been making and adopting his handmade soft sculpture Little People Originals® for about a decade from Babyland General Hospital, a turn-of-the-century medical facility in Cleveland that Roberts had renovated and opened to the public. In 1982, he had decided to license his dolls with a major toy manufacturer to produce toy replicas, changing their name to Cabbage Patch Kids®—a name that would identify the toy dolls as well as the handmade originals.
This is where the trouble began for moms and dads across the country. The “Kids” were so popular that supply simply could not keep up with demand. The Kids flew off toy store shelves. In fact, CPK went on record as the most successful new doll introduction in the history of the toy industry and were featured on the cover of Newsweek in December 1983. It was extremely difficult to even find one—unless you made the trek to Babyland General Hospital. Thank goodness, we at least lived in the state of Georgia. It was just a two-hour drive!
Today, all four of the Cabbage Patch Kids that Ashley eventually “adopted” still reside at my house, strewn on the floor of Brianna’s playroom. They have birth certificates ranging from 1985 to 1987, and they are just as well used and loved as they were more than 20 years ago. Santa brought Brianna a new Cabbage Patch Kid, Emma Brianna, two years ago; but I have yet to make the trip to Cleveland with Brianna for an official adoption.
That changes this weekend. We missed the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the “Kids” in October, but this Saturday, November 22, we will attend Appalachian Christmas at Babyland General. Activities are free. There will be arts and crafts, prizes, the lighting of a 65-foot tree, snow flurries and, of course, the arrival of Santa. There’s also a drawing for a hand-stitched Cabbage Patch Kid, valued at $350. Whether or not we’re lucky enough to win the drawing, we’ll probably pick out a new “Kid” to adopt, one that Santa will deliver in a few weeks when “it’s old enough to travel.” (If I’m able to maneuver that one.)
I think Brianna will love the trip, just as Ashley did many years ago. Some things about little girls never change. I’ll let you know how our visit goes, and if you decide to venture to Cleveland for an adoption, send me an email and let me know how your little one enjoyed the experience.
Click Cabbage Patch Kids to read how BG has selected the dolls as part of its 2008 Christmas Gift Guide of Georgia products or Babyland General Hospital for specific information on that destination.
Tags: Cabbage Patch Kids, Cleveland, dolls, Xavier Roberts