Babyland celebrates 40 years of delivering and adopting babies

Celebration planned for Saturday, Sept. 8 at Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, GA

Teagan Abbey Handmade Little People Grand Prize, Sept 8, 2018.

(Cleveland)- Xavier Roberts’ Little People® and Cabbage Patch Kids have been a part of northeast Georgia for 40 years and they are ready to celebrate.

Xavier’s efforts were aided by his experience in quilting, learned from his mother at an early age.

Xavier’s first creations were called The Little People and he offered them for “adoption” at regional craft fairs. Prospective parents were told he had found them in a Cabbage Patch and they had to take an oath to be a good parent before adopting.

By 1978, he opened his own small company, Original Appalachian Artworks, Inc. He and a few close friends set about to offer soft sculpture versions of kids and babies through mom and pop gift stores throughout the country. Each of the Little People came with a birth certificate and adoption papers.

In 1982, Original Appalachian Artworks granted a licensing agreement to Coleco Industries of Hartford, Connecticut. With this licensing agreement came the first use of the trademark “Cabbage Patch Kids”.

In 2018 Original Appalachian Artworks continues the tradition of offering hand stitched one-of-a-kind soft sculpture kids and babies from Cleveland.

This Saturday, Original Appalachian Artworks and Wicked Cool Toys – the current licensee for the toy version of Cabbage Patch Kids – will be celebrating the birthday of the Cabbage Patch Kids at BabyLand General Hospital in Cleveland. Admission is free. There will be lots of fun and free activities for children as well as free cupcakes and ice cream while they last. Prizes will be awarded all day and the grand prize will be a one of a kind soft sculpture Little Person signed by Xavier Roberts, commemorating 40 years of delivering babies.

Babyland General Hospital is located at 300 NOK Drive, Cleveland, GA  30528.