This Was A Thing: The Retro Podcast

16: Cabbage Patch Riots of 1983; Or, The Genesis of Black Friday (Classic)


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Cyber Monday and Black Friday: the essential American holidays of buying stuff we don't need but really want. Maybe you got yourself something nice (Ray made sure to get his eighth copy of "Liza With a Z", and Daniel bought enough ice cream pints to stay stocked for at least another three months), or maybe you picked up a gift for a friend or loved one, you thoughtful, kind soul. Whatever you did or didn't buy, we can guarantee the day wasn't as crazy as back in the 1980s, when the rush for Cabbage Patch dolls caused literal riots in stores across the country. So in honor of going bananas about a fad that will fade as quickly as it appeared, here's our Cabbage Patch Kids episode from season 1. Enjoy!

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Remember Cabbage Patch Kids..... those odd looking dolls with hard plastic heads that took the 80’s by storm? And how that storm turned into riots? In 1983 Cabbage Patch Mania ruled the holiday season and parents just HAD to get their hands on one for Little Carol and even Littler Patti.

This week, Ray teaches Rob all about Bunny Bees, BabyLand General Hospital, and how creator Xavier Roberts MAY have stolen the idea for these dolls from a woman named Martha Nelson Thomas who he met at a small Kentucky craft fair. Plus discovering that Roberts' signature was on every doll’s bottom.....Yes, you read that correctly… The 80’s were weird…

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TEAM

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

WEBSITES

Cabbage Patch Kids Official Site

 

BOOKS

Fantasy: The Incredible Cabbage Patch Phenomenon

 

ARTICLES

The New York Times 1

The New York Times 2

Time Magazine 1

Time Magazine 2

Consumer Product Safety Commission

Yahoo!

Justia US Law

 

EPISODE CLIPS

American Obsessions - VICE

Riots News Report 1

Riots News Report 2

Totally Obsessed

Garbage Pail Kids Report

ADDITIONAL MUSIC & SOUND EFFECTS

“Wish Background,” “Jingle Bells,” and “Up on a Housetop” by Kevin MacLeod

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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This Was A Thing: The Retro PodcastBy Robert W. Schneider

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