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If you grew up in the 80’s or the 90’s or even the early 2000’s, chances are you or your sibling loved and cherished a Cabbage Patch Kid. You wouldn’t have been the only kid in your street to be loving your doll though, as these dolls similar to Barbie’s became a global sensation with many keen collectors still holding onto their original dolls 40 years later.

What is a Cabbage Patch Kid?

For those of you who did not grow up in the time of Cabbage Patch Kids, you may have not even heard of them prior to stumbling upon this article. While dolls such as Barbies are recognized globally, what saw the Cabbage Patch Kid stand out against other dolls was their cuddly nature. While the Baby Alive Doll produced around the same time had many interactive features, the simplicity of the Cabbage Patch Kids (CPK) was what little girls during this period were seeking.

The Cabbage Patch Kid is by no means the most valuable collector’s doll to date, although it was their cuddly and soft nature that set them apart from other big brand dolls during their initial production. The original dolls had woolen hair, plush bodies, and somewhat chubby fingers. Xavier Robert’s who was the designer and craftsman of these dolls stitched them in a similar way to how his mother would make quilts.

While the Cabbage Patch Kid may sound like ‘just another doll’, what added to their popularity was the fact that each doll came with their own adoption papers, the dolls were soft, meaning they could be taken to bed just like a fluffy animal and they were somewhat ugly but in a cute way. The legend (story) behind how the dolls had came to be also made it feel as though the adoption process was real for many little girls who had been gifted a Cabbage Patch Kid. In the earlier years of production, the company also stated that no two dolls were identical. This meant every child in the street had their own unique doll.

Recognizing a Cabbage Patch Kid

While the dolls have been around for many decades, they still sport the same look. Cabbage Patch Dolls can be distinguished by their:

Wool or Yarn Hair (depending on when it was produced)
Cubby Face, Arms, and Legs
Soft Cloth Bodies
Vinyl Faces (unless produced in the very early years)
Measure Approximately 16 Inches Tall

In some limited edition makes of the Cabbage Patch Doll, porcelain or an all-vinyl body can be noted.

The History of the Cabbage Patch Doll

The very first Cabbage Patch Dolls were released in 1983. The official Cabbage Patch Dolls came many years after Xavier Robert’s original designs which he handcrafted and titled ‘Little People Originals’. While Xavier’s first creations were popular, the introduction of ‘Cabbage Patch Dolls’ saw 3 million of the dolls being adopted by the end of their first year of production. During late 1983, the doll even makes the front cover of Newsweek due to their popularity amongst young girls and boys alike. While there have been thousands upon thousands of different Cabbage Patch Kids produced over the past 40 odd years, the dolls that represent a person or special event such as the US Olympic Team Mascot Dolls remain among the most valuable. Each of the dolls tells it’s own story and even comes with a birth certificate.

By 1999, 95 million Cabbage Patch Dolls had been sold around the globe.The amount of these dolls that exist globally significantly reduces their overall collectible value.

While the Coleco company produced the dolls between their primitive years, 1982 until 1988, the craze of the Cabbage Patch began to decline and in 1994, many years after Coleco filed for bankruptcy, Mattel began producing Cabbage Patch Kids. Mattel mimicked the original dolls in their re-release of Cabbage Patch Kids. Many mothers and fathers who had fond memories of these dolls during their childhood purchased one for their own children.

The First Cabbage Patch Doll

Cabbage Patch creator Xavier Roberts copyrighted his design in 1976 and sold the rights to company Giant Coleco in 1982. Dolls that were made prior to the Coleco handover are worth the most.

When speaking about the first Cabbage Patch Doll, many refer to the very first dolls produced by Xavier Robert’s which he originally titled ‘Little People Originals’ (1976-1981). The Little People Originals were all hand-crafted by Xavier himself and were signed in permanent marker on their bottoms. As Xavier saw the popularity of his ‘Little People Originals’ grow, he opened ‘Babyland General’, which became the home of the cuddly dolls. He invited the public to come to ‘Babyland General’ where children could adopt out their very own ‘Little People Original’ doll. Similar to his later works of art, ‘The Cabbage Patch Dolls’, the ‘Little People’ came with adoption papers. While the original ‘Little People’ by Xavier were handcrafted, later in 1982 Coleco purchased the rights to start producing very similar dolls under the name ‘Cabbage Patch Kids’. While the ‘Little People Original’ are much rarer than the ‘Cabbage Patch Kids’, both of these dolls produced in the early years are highly sought after and can see their owners being handed quite a sum of cash.

During the 1980’s, a Cabbage Patch Kid sold for $30.00 USD.

The Cabbage Patch Dolls were not only an instant hit during the 1980’s but could also be described as a ‘fad’ within this decade. Every second little girl was asking Santa Claus for one in 1983, even so much so that the shopping centers who sold these were crowded with moms trying to get their hands on one in time for Christmas before they sold out.

Determining the Age of Your Cabbage Patch Kid

Unlike some of the other big brand toys produced during the 80s and the 90s, Cabbage Patch Kids were often well marked with their year of manufacture.

Xavier Robert’s, the founder of the dolls and a craftsman himself, in the early years of the company would use a different color to sign his name. For example, during 1983 a true Cabbage Patch Kid or Little People will have a black signature, green was used in 1984, blue was used in 1985, red was used in 1986, aqua was used in 1987, lavender was used in 1988 and rose was used in 1989. If you have one of the earlier produced dolls, or you are looking to purchase one as a vintage collectible, ensure that the signature color matches up with the proposed manufacture date.

When the Coleco company sold the Cabbage Patch Dolls, the boxes were often marked with the year of manufacture. While the style of the boxes changed over the years, the date was often front and foremost. The Coleco 1983 boxes do not sport a banner while those produced in the years following do.

The original Cabbage Patch Kids stood between 16 and 18 inches tall while the Preemies measured between 14 and 15 inches. The Coleco produced a number of specialty lines of the dolls during their peak time and it is these limited edition style CPK’s that often fetch the highest prices at auction. During 1985, Coleco produced special edition kids such as twins, world travelers, and western kids and later in 1986 specialty kids such as the astronauts and all-stars were released. Following this, in 1987, Coleco released a Cabbage Patch Kid designed to be able to be bathed and another kid that could talk.

What Makes a Cabbage Patch Kid Valuable?

Some of the dolls are more sought after including those with red fuzzy hair known as ‘Red Fuzzies’ and those dolls without any hair known as ‘Baldies’. While many of the Cabbage Patch Dolls can see their owner making back their money or making a small amount of money, those handcrafted by Xavier himself prior to 1982 see the biggest return.

Birth Certificate – Dolls with original birth certificates can be worth upwards of $40.00 USD more than those without.
Original Boxes – While the ‘Little People’ collection did not come with boxes, those produced under the ‘Cabbage Patch Kid’ brand did.

The condition of the doll, the ra

Cabbage Patch Play Along 2004