More than three million Cabbage Patch Dolls were sold in the USA in 1983, with an amazing 20 million selling the next year. Each doll came with an envelope containing its name, birthday and an 'adoption oath' for the new owner. Part of their popularity was that every doll was unique, with variations in features, colouring and clothing. In the early '80s chaos broke out in shops as desperate parents tried to buy a Cabbage Patch Kid buy by 1986 demand was tailing off. The first Cabbage Patch Kids were made from moulded fabric, and later, plastic 'toy' versions and dolls with porcelain heads and fabric bodies were also made. Cabbage Patch Kids were relaunched in 2004.
The image library for the collections of Edinburgh Libraries and Museums and Galleries The image library for the collections of Edinburgh Libraries and Museums and Galleries