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)