Collection Close Up: Cabbage Patch Kids Through the Ages
Very few doll lines have lasted my entire life. Off the top of my head, I can think of only two: Barbie and Cabbage Patch Kids. This post will focus on Cabbage Patch Kids! My mom and I decided it was prime time to show you all the Cabbage Patch Kids in our collections. (We were cleaning and figured, why not!) When researching, it dawned on me that the Cabbage Patch Kids brand has been brought to life by seven different companies over the years. Remarkably, they haven’t changed as much as you’d expect as they were handed down from company to company. That’s an amazing feat!
The majority of our Cabbage Patch Kids are from the Caleco and Hasbro years. It makes sense, as that was the real ‘hey day’ of the brand and I was the target demo for much of those years. Other companies to own the brand included Mattel, Toys R Us, Play Along, Jakks Pacific and finally the current manufacturer, Wicked Cool Toys.
To see our collections, check out the video embedded above. It’s a little long, but we have a lot to show you (though not as many as you’d probably expect). Do you have a Cabbage Patch Kid that is special to you in your collection? What era is your favorite? Share your thoughts in the comment area!
Dolly Review: Always Artsy Lottie and Birthday Girl Sophia
The good folks behind the “quintessentially British” doll line Lottie were kind enough to send me a box of samples recently. You’ve seen Mia. Here are two more: Always Artsy Lottie and Birthday Girl Sophia.
Always Artsy Lottie is very cute (and I’m not just saying that because she looks similar to myself). She has a rooted short brown bob and brown eyes done in the usual Lottie style. She wears a simpler outfit than most in the line, which consists of a long sleeve shirt with pink stripes, blue pants, blue shoes, a yellow polka-dotted scarf and a blue beret.
Always Artsy Lottie comes with some fantastic accessories, including three ‘paint’ cans, an artist palate and paintbrush (with thumb holes), an easel and some completed works of art. The easel is a great accessory. And one of my favorite touches? The cardboard artwork included with this doll feature pictures that actual kids drew and submitted to various Lottie competitions.
Birthday Girl Sophia introduces us to Lottie’s kid sister! Because she has the same body as Lottie and friends, Sophia can fit all of cute looks worn by the other dolls in the line. Birthday Girl Sophia wears an outfit perfect for a party. Her long sleeve shirt has a cupcake decoration and is paired with a stylish silver tutu and striped leggings. She has a fancy pink drawstring purse that can go across her body, over her shoulder or worn like a backpack. (Not pictured, sorry!) Converse style shoes complete the look.
Her extra accessories are doll sized paper cards: a party invitation, birthday card and thank you card. Sophia has long golden blonde hair, no bangs. It looks great with the blue eyes and pale skin.
You can watch the video reviews below, including Junior Reporter Sammi.
It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Lottie and friends. These releases are no exception. You can get your own Lottie online or at various mom and pop stores. Like them on Facebook or Instagram to stay up to date with Lottie’s competitions and promotions! What do you think of Always Artsy Lottie and Birthday Girl Sophia? Share your thoughts below!
Dolly Review: Hearts for Hearts Girls Consuelo (2017 Release)
Sent for review recently was Consuelo, one of the recently re-released Hearts for Hearts Girls. (Read about Rahel here.) Consuelo hails from Mexico City, Mexico. The way she’s trying to help her world is by solving the hunger problem that plagues her city.
As you may know, Hearts for Hearts Girls are 14″ tall and made of vinyl. They have limited articulation in their shoulders and hips. Of course, their neck turns, as well. These dolls are made of a nice, smooth vinyl. The best feature on Hearts for Hearts Girls have to be their eyes. Each doll has inset eyes that make their pretty faces stand out among other doll lines.
Consuelo’s outfit is a mix of colorful greens, blues and pinks. She wears a cute green top, paired with a blue skirt, pink ballet flats, earrings and three bracelets. Consuelo’s collar is decorated with cute printed flowers.
Consuelo has a head of soft, black hair that is nicely rooted. To accent her simple side part, she wears a pink ribbon and flower headband.
Watch the video review below
You can find Hearts for Hearts Girls at your local Target, as well as other locations. One dollar of the purchase price is donated to World Vision. What do you think of Consuelo? Share your thoughts in the comment area.
Dolly Review: Cabbage Patch Kids Little Sprouts
Cabbage Patch Kids Little Sprouts are new miniature kids, babies and pets to collect! With 120 different characters, Little Sprouts plays on the ‘blind bag’ trend that has swept the toy industry. There are a number of ways to collect. Besides single packs enclosed in plastic green cabbages, you can buy these in both four and eight pack sets. These are miniatures and, by nature, are very small and not appropriate for kids under 3. Kids are 1.2″. Babies are 1″. Pets are .75″. Some accessories are even smaller than the pets.
The eight pack includes two Kids, two Babies, one mystery pet and three accessories. The four pack includes one Kid, one Baby, one pet and a mystery accessory. Single packs come with one Kid figure or one Baby and pet. Figures can stand or sit. Because of how they’re put together, figures who are in pants/shorts can be pulled apart. Kids in skirts don’t seem to do that.
Available at most major retailers, Cabbage Patch Kids Little Sprouts are definitely something to look into if you are a fan of miniatures or, of course, Cabbage Patch Kids! Check out Wicked Cool Toys site to see all their CPK releases or follow the iconic brand on social media. Check out the video review below for a look at their traditional Cabbage Patch Kids!
What do you think of Little Sprouts? Share your thoughts in the comment area!
“Doll House” Estate Sale Loot/Haul/Goodies
Estate sales around my house are never super exciting. Rarely do they have any items that would fit into my doll collection. However, we recently found one that did. So much so that the actual sale was called “The Doll House”. The estate belonged to a couple that seemed like they had to have been lifelong collectors. With no children of their own, their estate was passed to a family member, who most likely had no interest in keeping the hundreds (probably thousands) of dolls that filled the couple’s home.
I didn’t expect to find anything at the sale, to be honest. The collector mostly concentrated on older bisque and french dolls. But, of course, it’s me, so inevitably, I left with something, or somethings.
Grandma and Grandpa troll, made by Thomas Dam, were the first two items I picked up. They’re about 14″ tall. Prior to this, I had never seen an elderly looking troll! The molds have wrinkles and everything. They were just too cute to not pick up.
I usually don’t pick up Cabbage Patch Kids at sales or second hand shops. I am perfectly content with the Cabbage Patch Kids I have. I couldn’t pass up these two soft sculpture Little People, though! They’re from somewhere between 1978-1980, judging by the tag. Meaning, these two Little People were made before the Cabbage Patch Kids even existed. It’s always been a goal of mine to make it to Babyland General to get a soft sculpture doll for myself. Picking these guys up for $8.00 seemed like a no brainer. Even with the less than flattering beginnings of the Little People/Cabbage Patch Kids line, I’m very happy with my purchases.
On the Cabbage Patch Kids shelf was also this girl. I wasn’t sure if she was a Xavier Roberts soft sculpture, but she was cute, so she came home with me, too. It turned out that she was not from Babyland General. She’s a custom Cabbage Patch Kid from 1984, crafted by Janet Waters (edition number 720/1000).
Upon googling, I didn’t learn anything about Janet, other than she worked on a lot of Cabbage Patch Kids. eBay is littered with her work, calling it by the name TJ Tots. All her kids seem to have very unique eyes, when compared to Xavier Roberts soft sculptures. I would love to know more about her, if you have any information.
Last, I picked up these two chairs. They’re perfect for SD sized dolls.
My mom picked up a few goodies, too, including a reproduction Lenci, a My Size Barbie, two bisque dolls in need of TLC and a 27″ composition Shirley Temple from the 30’s. Half of these were purchased on 1/2 price day.
The redhead is a bisque doll with an adorable expression. She needs some work on her arms, as the previous owner may have tried to repair her and didn’t do a wonderful job. This doll isn’t marked anything but “made in Germany”.
The doll below has eyes. They just decided to fall into her head after bringing her home. She’s the first of the dolls to go to Dr. Noreen for restoration. She’s marked “Alt, Beck & Gottschalk”.
Watch the videos here:
Prices were good at the estate sale, which is one reason we were able to pick up these great new additions to our collection. What do you think of these finds? Have you found anything cool recently? Share your thoughts in the comment area!
Confessions of a Doll Collectors Daughter 