Cabbage Patch Kids: 20 fun facts you may not know

Cabbage Patch Kids were born in 1976

In 1976, 21-year-old Xavier Roberts discovers a German technique of fabric sculpture, which dates back to the early 1800s. The resulting "babies" are a combination of his interest in sculpture and the quilting skills passed down for generations in the Appalachian Mountains.

Xavier Roberts wins first place for 'Dexter' in 1978

For a $40 "adoption" fee, consumers provided homes for the soft-sculpted babies. In 1978, Roberts wins a first-place ribbon for "Dexter" (pictured) at the Osceola Craft Show in Florida. Along with five friends, he renovates his factory, the Neal Clinic, and opens BabyLand General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia.

Cabbage Patch Kids are born at BabyLand General Hospital

Located in Cleveland, Georgia, BabyLand General Hospital is where Cabbage Patch Kids are "born." It is also one of Georgia's top tourist attractions and is featured on Travel Channel's "Top 10 Toylands."

Cabbage Patch Kids originally had a different name

Cabbage Patch Kids were originally named Little People, adoptable dolls with birth certificates. In 1982, their name is changed to Cabbage Patch Kids. Pictured here are two of the original 'Kids,' Otis Lawton (1982) and Delila Lorinda (1983).

Customers wait hours to pick up one Cabbage Patch doll per person

The "deliveries" of the Cabbage Patch Kids couldn't keep up with demand. In fact, pictured here are shoppers at the Toys 'R Us in Commack on Nov. 25, 1983, who waited three hours in the rain to pick up the rare Cabbage Patch dolls. The Kids go on record as the most successful new doll in the history of the toy industry.

In 1981, Newsweek features a new cover model

Roberts' "adoptable babies" were featured in The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Atlanta Journal-Constitution Sunday Magazine, Atlanta Week and more. By the end of 1983, almost three million of the Cabbage Patch Kids were adopted. Here, one 'Kid' was featured on the cover of Newsweek.

A Cabbage Patch Kid went to space

In 1985, Christopher Xavier became the first Cabbage Patch Kid to fly aboard a U.S. space shuttle mission. He now lives at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington. What's more, on July 4, 1997, the Mars Sojourner, an exploratory, six-wheeled robot with infrared vision, was the first mechanical visitor to land on Mars. Two weeks later it explored an area of the planet scientists named the Cabbage Patch.

Cabbage Patch Kids were U.S. Olympic mascots

Cabbage Patch Kids became the first-ever mascots of the U.S. Olympic Team in 1992 for the Barcelona Games. They were again chosen to be the U.S. Olympic Team mascots in 1996.

The 'Kids' made it on a stamp

In 2001, Cabbage Patch Kids were elected by popular vote to adorn a U.S. postage stamp, representing an icon of the 1980s in the "Celebrate the Century" stamp program.

More than 250,000 people visit BabyLand each year

BabyLand General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia, celebrates the holidays, from the lighting of BabyLand for Christmas to an egg hunt featuring 30,000 eggs -- all of which were found in just 82 seconds in 2015.

Cabbage Patch Kids were inspired by some celebrities

Al Roker from NBC's "Today" show was surprised when he received this delivery from the Cabbage Patch.

Celebrity kids love the dolls

Celebrities, they're just like us! Pictured here, Suri Cruz takes her Cabbage Patch Kid doll with her around town.

The 'Kids' make a comeback

Cabbage Patch Kid Bruce Ashley, who was featured in The Wall Street Journal on August 21, 1981, was reintroduced at the BabyLand General Hospital Archives in 2014, during the 36th annual Appalachian Christmas celebration.

Cabbage Patch dolls debuted on the big screen

Cabbage Patch Kid Carlyn Jocasta joined Jennifer Garner in the movie "13 Going On 30."

Every Cabbage Patch Kid has two names

Artist and entrepreneur Xavier Roberts' hand-made Little People were given two names, according to southern tradition.

Even Ellen DeGeneres has a Cabbage Patch doll look-alike

The Ellen DeGeneres Kid met her namesake during an airing of the "Ellen DeGeneres Show." The star put her Kid up for sale on eBay and raised more than $15,000 for the American Red Cross and Noah's Wish.

Cabbage Patch Kid twins were born in 2002

Cabbage Patch Kid twins were born one minute after midnight on Jan. 1, 2002, at Toys 'R Us Times Square. Bonnie Ellen and Geoffrey Wallace (named in honor of the Toys R Us mascot, Geoffrey the Giraffe), weighed in at 7 pounds, 4 ounces and 18 inches in length (not pictured). Nine-year-old Hallie Kate Eisenberg, a child actor who starred in movies including "The Insider" with Al Pacino and "Bicentennial Man" with Robin Williams, adopted the twins, then took the official Oath of Adoption.

The crave remains, 32 years later

Mass-market Cabbage Patch Kids dolls similar to the ones that sparked a frenzy 30 years ago are still available, but collectors still come from all over the country several times a year to snag a limited edition, hand-stitched doll.

A Cabbage Patch Kid is born every 6.8 seconds

If all the Cabbage Patch Kids that have been adopted were to form their own country, it would be the 10th most populous country in the world. And with more than 130 million Kids "born" in the past 32 years, it averages one birth every 6.8 seconds.

The newest line features adoptable pets

The new line of Cabbage Patch Kids from Wicked Cool Toys comes with a key, which is used to unlock the heart collar on an Adoptimal, a plush pet of their very own (sold separately). There is also a Dancing Toddler doll that dances around the room and sings "I Feel Good."