The author with her friends at Babyland General Hospital.
Courtesy of Jamishia J.J. Smith
Every Cabbage Patch Doll I received as a kid had a birth certificate that cited its place of birth as Babyland General Hospital.
At 42 years old, I decided to finally visit the hospital in Cleveland, Georgia, along with a few of my friends.
It was worth the visit, which was a nostalgic trip back to my '80s childhood.
Throughout my childhood in Detroit, Michigan, I received many different Cabbage Patch Dolls, usually on special occasions like Christmas.
Childhood photos of the author's Cabbage Patch Dolls at Christmas.
Courtesy of Jamishia J.J. Smith
I had the original yarn-hair doll, the one with the 'cornsilk' hair that you could comb, the 'crimp & curl', the one that could 'drink milk', and, of course, all of the accessories including a big wheel, baby swing, and pampers.
The one thing I never got to do as a kid was officially change my dolls' names or visit the hospital plastered all over the paperwork inside every box.
The author as a child with a Cabbage Patch Doll.
Courtesy of Jamishia J.J. Smith
Nearly three decades later, at the age of 42, I decided to travel to Cleveland, Georgia, to Babyland General Hospital, the 'birthplace' of all Cabbage Patch Dolls.
The author at Babyland General Hospital
Courtesy of Jamishia J.J. Smith
Every doll is accompanied with a birth certificate that cites its place of birth as Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia. Due to my Midwestern roots, for years, I assumed the hospital was located in Ohio.
When I first entered the 'hospital' I was greeted by a 'nurse'. She encouraged us to browse and see different versions of the doll over the years and to learn more about the origin of the brand.
A display at Babyland General Hospital
Courtesy of Jamishia J.J. Smith
The soft-sculpted dolls were first created by 21-year old art student Xavier Roberts in the late 1970s. Instead of a price tag, he asked for an 'adoption fee'.
Roberts' Cabbage Patch Toys Kids went on to break records as the most successful new doll introduction in history, selling almost 3 million dolls by the end of 1983, the first year they were commercially launched.
Roberts' name is scribbled on the backside of every doll. As a child, I always thought of him as the dolls' "father."
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my trip to Babyland had been postponed a number of times. My friends Jenn and Candice chose to join me on my trip.
The author with her friends at Babyland General Hospital
Courtesy of Jamishia J.J. Smith
Jenn and I decided to 'adopt' babies since I no longer have any of my Cabbage Patch Dolls from my childhood.
The author and her friend adopting Cabbage Patch Dolls
Courtesy of Jamishia J.J. Smith
Jenn was adamant about adopting a baby whose 'hue' was similar to hers. She asked the nurse if they had any dolls that had a darker skin complexion in stock and although the nurse tried her best, she was unable to find any.
One of the major highlights of my visit was witnessing a 'live birth'. The hospital conducts them a few times a day but luckily for us, we got to witness a personalized one thanks to a fellow Cabbage Patch fan who paid extra to have one catered specifically for her.
A live birth at Babyland General Hospital
Courtesy of Jamishia J.J. Smith
I watched like a proud family member as her 'baby girl' was delivered by an LPN (Licensed Patch Nurse). After the delivery, the baby was immediately taken to be cleaned, weighed, and fingerprinted. I was smiling like a proud aunt!
A doll being cleaned at Babyland General Hospital
Courtesy of Jamishia J.J. Smith
After spending over an hour at the hospital, we decided to adopt our own new babies and pay to change their names.
The author and her friend adopting a Cabbage Patch Doll
Courtesy of Jamishia J.J. Smith
As a kid, I never got the chance to mail my money order and adoption card back to officially change my Cabbage Patch Dolls' names. After making the trip to the hospital, I thought, why not spend an extra $3 on it!
My doll's original name was Aubrie Erin, but thanks to two consultation Facetime calls to my mom, Jacqueline, and my 5-year-old niece, Blair, her name was changed to Diamond Alexa.
The author with her Cabbage Patch doll's birth certificate
Courtesy of Jamishia J.J. Smith
I also changed my doll's birthday to August 28th in honor of my late brother, Jerrell, who passed away suddenly in May 2020 at the age of 42.
The author's Cabbage Patch Doll
Courtesy of Jamishia J.J. Smith
The staff at the hospital made the whole experience seem magical and allowed us to relive our '80s childhood for a few hours.
The author with her friends at Babyland General Hospital
Courtesy of Jamishia J.J. Smith
It was also fun to see how many celebrities from our childhood had personalized, autographed messages displayed on the walls of the hospital.
Autographed photos at Babyland General Hospital
Courtesy of Jamishia J.J. Smith
As I shared photos from my visit on social media, many of my friends reached out with their own memories of Cabbage Patch Dolls. A few even sent photos of their childhood dolls.
Photos of the author's friends with their childhood Cabbage Patch Dolls
Courtesy of LaToya Green/Jennifer Earley
Some even sent photos of the original paperwork that came with their dolls.
Childhood photo of the author's friend with their Cabbage Patch doll and paperwork.
Courtesy of Shelby Wilder
If you're like many of us kids born during the height of the Cabbage Patch craze in the 1980s, a visit to Babyland General Hospital is a great, nostalgic escape.
«Абзац»: Валерий Меладзе отказался давать концерты в РФ
Marins Park Hotel Новосибирск – место, где сбываются мечты!
Московские врачи провели младенцу сложнейшую операцию на поджелудочной железе
Ускоряя эволюцию автомобильного интеллекта: Группа Geely и StepFun представляют совместную экспозицию на Всемирной конференции по искусственному интеллекту 2025 года
«Деньги не пахнут»: Как Blox World наживается на доверии игроков Roblox
Bungie continues to fire into its feet with both barrels: A new armor set in Destiny 2 has just been disabled because it makes the player who wears it completely invisible
If you'd like to see Meta's AI gunk purged from WhatsApp, a new antitrust investigation in Italy might just do the trick
Разработчики The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin ответили на частые вопросы игроков
