What was it about those dolls?

Question: What brand scored a marketing coup in 1985, when little "Christopher Xavier" hitched a ride on the Space Shuttle?

I was one of those kids in the early 80s who HAD to have a Cabbage Patch Doll for Christmas that year parents were getting into fist fights over those toys. Why in the world were they so popular? I still have all three of my Cabbage Patch Dolls, as a matter of fact. My original, Bianca Wendaline, is a blonde doll with blue eyes and looks nothing like me. She is from that first batch before the signature on the butt had the year written in it. I imagine she'd be worth a fortune now if she wasn't so "well-loved" when I was a kid. My second doll was named Debbie Autumn and I got her because she had the same middle name as I do. She's got brown hair and brown eyes and came with a pacifier, so her mouth is stuck permanently open even though the pacifier was lost in a mattter of days. The final Cabbage Patch Doll I received was from the "World Traveler" series of dolls. Her name was Joyvita Heddy from Holland and she had red hair and even came with wooden shoes (that were made of plastic).

I was in first grade and had a "boyfriend" named John. He had a Cabbage Patch Doll too (I think its name was David). He told me that his Cabbage Patch Doll liked my Cabbage Patch Doll and that's how we started "dating". We would set up our Cabbage Patch Dolls in between us on the couch and then hold hands behind them so no one would know. If only dating was always that easy, but I digress.

I remember proudly signing the adoption papers and sending them back in. I was so excited that first year when I received a birthday card for my dolls on their birthdays. Of course that was only for their first birthdays and then the company forgot about them. Over time, so did I and they were relegated to the attic. That's where they are today--in my dad's attic. Maybe if I have a daughter, she will inherit those dolls that were so popular long ago.



Answer: Cabbage Patch Kids