Cabbage Patch Kid Dolls
Cabbage Patch Kids
In 1978, Debbie Morehead and Xavier Roberts created the Cabbage Patch Kids, which has been a fairly popular doll for decades (even though the dolls did have their tough times). These Cabbage Patch dolls were sold at various craft shows before Roberts and Morehead opened Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, GA.
The Cabbage Patch Kids were initially thought of as a strange looking doll with their fat, chubby cheeks and tiny, pudgy arms, but throughout the years different toy companies have manufactured the dolls in varying sizes from the original 15- to 16-inch doll.
Coleco was the first to mass produce the Cabbage Patch dolls in 1982. The dolls were created with plastic, vinyl heads and cloth bodies, arms, and legs. In 1989, Hasbro took over the production of the Cabbage Patch Kids, and created several lines of the dolls, such as Birthday Kids and the Pretty Crimp and Curl dolls.
Mattel, then, bought the rights to the dolls in 1994, still keeping its rights to date. The company worked on 14-inch and smaller Cabbage Patch Kids; Mattel produced a number of Cabbage Patch lines such as the OlympiKids and the Cabbage Patch Fairies. In 2003, Toys R Us Kids and Beyond then took over the line, creating the 20-inch Kids and the 18-inch babies. Currently, Play Along produces the traditional 16-inch Kids, babies, and newborns.
To date, the dolls are still pretty popular among young girls, and even some adults who collect the dolls. Although, the hobby of collecting the Cabbage Patch Kids, babies, and newborns is not quite as large as that of Barbies or even paper dolls, there is still a decent sized market for rare, limited edition, and original Cabbage Patch dolls.
Cabbage Patch Doll Value
The prices and current value on the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls will vary depending on the age and maker of the doll. You'll probably find that the values of the dolls in the secondary market are generally low, although that secondary market is pretty large.
You'll find that you can purchase vintage and limited Cabbage Patch Kids dolls in a variety of places, eBay being probably the more popular place to start your search, as you'll find decent prices on the older dolls.
If you are interested in starting or continuing your collection of Cabbage Patch dolls, you'll find that some of the lines are more valued than others. The "Baldies," "Red Fuzzies" (those dolls with red yarn-like hair), and some of the original dolls produced by Coleco will value at or around $100.
The original dolls produced by Roberts and Morehead can value at over $1,000, but you'll find that most of the dolls value around $10 to $30.
In some cases, if you have the original papers for the Cabbage Patch dolls in your collection, you may find that the value of the dolls may potentially rise a little, of course that all depends on the doll.
Collecting Cabbage Patch Dolls
Like with any collection, you want to make sure that you shop around when adding new dolls to your Cabbage Patch collection. The more you shop around, the better deals you will find.
Sometimes you can find Cabbage Patch dolls at flea markets, yard sales, and various online websites, but you will find that your best bet is looking on eBay for the best deals and the best dolls to add to your collection.
eBay is a great place to find original Coleco dolls and even Xavier Roberts creations for prices that you can afford to add to your group.
Just remember that you don't want to stick with just one series or line of Cabbage Patch dolls. In order to have the best and highest valued collection, your best bet is to keep a varied collection.
Buy what you like, don't necessarily buy what you think will make you money in the end. If you want to be happy and entertained with your collection and hobby, then make it fun and entertaining by collecting those dolls that you like and those that appeal to you.
