Main content

Cabbage Patch Kids

In the 1980s, Cabbage Patch Kids became a worldwide sensation. They were also the subject of a legal battle.

In 1983, all hell broke loose when a new toy hit stores in the United States.

Cabbage Patch Kids were so popular that people were getting injured when they tried to buy them.

But Martha Nelson Thomas, whose original design she said inspired the dolls, received little credit.

She watched on as sales of the toys generated hundreds of millions of dollars.

Martha’s close friend, Meredith Ludwig, told Madeleine Drury the story of how the strange-looking dolls became such a sensation.

This programme has been updated since it was first broadcast.

(Photo: Martha Nelson Thomas with her doll babies. Credit: Guy Mendes)

Available now

9 minutes

Last on

Tue 28 Nov 2023 03:50GMT

Broadcasts

  • Mon 27 Nov 2023 08:50GMT
  • Mon 27 Nov 2023 12:50GMT
  • Mon 27 Nov 2023 18:50GMT
  • Mon 27 Nov 2023 23:50GMT
  • Tue 28 Nov 2023 03:50GMT

Podcast