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Black Friday is believed to have started in Philadelphia during the 1960s, with the city’s police department using the term to describe the disorder that occurred when many people from the suburbs came downtown to shop on the day following Thanksgiving. This American tradition grew significantly in the early 1980s, with footage of citizens pushing each other becoming a regular feature on local news during holiday weekends.
The enthusiastic customers eagerly purchased Atari gaming systems, Swatch timepieces, and Cabbage Patch Kids, which were soft dolls with small eyes and the name of Xavier Roberts printed on their bottoms. The documentary Billion Dollar Babies, directed by Andrew Jenks and narrated by 80s child actor and Doogie Howser, M.D. star Neil Patrick Harris, explores a peculiar aspect of recent history, showcasing a time when children were obsessed with unattractive, dimpled toys that made Raggedy Ann dolls seem like supermodels in comparison.
However, the Cabbage Patch Kids had a certain charm, with unique features and adoption documents included. According to Jenks, the use of technology in production ensured that each doll was one-of-a-kind during the height of the Cabbage Patch craze. Additionally, their appearance made them seem fragile and in need of care, which made owners want to take care of and protect their dolls.
Jenks’s movie takes viewers on a trip down memory lane to the 1980s under the Reagan administration, while also providing an informative overview of the history and impact of a peculiarly popular toy. Rather than simply reiterating information from Wikipedia, Jenks aimed to add depth by interviewing numerous designers, doll enthusiasts, and even Connie Chung, whose news segments played a role in the idolization of the toy during its peak.
In 1986, Jenks was born a few years after the peak of the Cabbage Patch craze. He has faint memories of the frenzy surrounding the popular toy. However, when Believe Entertainment asked him to be the director for a film centered around the Cabbage Patch phenomenon, he saw it as a chance to shed light on the excessive marketing and excitement of American consumerism. The film would join other works that examine nostalgic objects such as Beanie Babies, BlackBerries, and Barbie.
The speaker expressed interest in the drama and conflicts surrounding Cabbage Patch Kids. Further research revealed a darker story involving the creator, Roberts, who was heavily influenced by a folk artist named Martha Nelson Thomas. Her similar dolls caught the attention of Roberts, who had previously met her at an art fair. He later faced legal battles against other brands, including the Garbage Pail Kids, for similarities in their products.
To find Roberts, Jenks went through old high school yearbooks and was able to locate some of Roberts’s former classmates. After some searching, he finally found Roberts himself. According to Jenks, Roberts had not given an interview in over 25 years and was somewhat of a mysterious figure. There were rumors that he lived in France, but in reality, he still lived in America. Despite his lavish lifestyle, which included a mansion with a waterslide connecting a jacuzzi to an indoor pool, Roberts agreed to an extensive interview. During the interview, he acknowledges the significance of Thomas’s role in his success and appears to be comfortable with the fact that he took her idea and adapted it for the Reagan era.
Roberts was not only a skilled sculptor and successful entrepreneur, but also a skilled storyteller. According to Cabbage Patch legend, the dolls he sold were not simply manufactured in a store. Instead, it is said that a group of BunnyBees, flying creatures with rabbit ears, flew over a cabbage patch and used magic crystals to transform the leafy vegetables into fully grown babies. These babies then emerged from the cabbages through soft flaps.
At Baby Land General Hospital, located in Georgia, children who were enchanted by the Cabbage spell could witness the delivery of babies by staff dressed up as doctors and nurses, similar to a Disney theme park. The doll hospital is still operational. A set of rules was in place, with the top rule being not to refer to the babies as “dolls,” but rather as “babies.”
After purchasing the copyright to her invention, Roberts added a captivating backstory and branding to it. In just a couple of years, he managed to sell 20 million units, valued at $1.2 billion, as Harris informs the audience in a state of disbelief.
Furthermore, Harris was raised during the Cabbage Patch craze and was recognized by former owners of the popular dolls as the child doctor Doogie Howser. Jenks saw this as a rebellious quality that would complement the project. The director explained, “I believed a narrator would be effective if they added to the story without overshadowing it. Some narrators make it about themselves, but he was focused on moving the story along.”
According to Jenks, the Cabbage Patch craze demonstrates the irrational nature of supply and demand economics. He believes that the frenzy around the dolls exemplifies the concept of scarcity leading to fear and increased desire for a product. This mindset of scarcity was ultimately the cause of the riots that occurred when consumers were desperate to obtain the dolls at any price.
Thomas had no interest in wealth. The dolls were her companions. Upon her passing from ovarian cancer in 2013, her Little People filled the front row at her funeral.
In the movie, Roberts openly acknowledges that she was his teacher. Jenks, the director, shared that audiences have had mixed reactions, with half accusing him of outright stealing and the other half seeing it as inspiration, which is a common occurrence in art. Roberts appears to have no qualms about how things unfolded and made him a multimillionaire. According to Jenks, Roberts admitted that she was the source of his idea and they compensated her for it, resulting in the creation of a fantastic film. He expressed pride in their collaboration.
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Billion Dollar Babies will be released in US theaters on November 24th and in the UK at a later time.
Source: theguardian.com
