Hey, ’80s kids: Remember Cabbage Patch Kids? Those bright-eyed, chubby-faced dolls that were born from cabbages and put up for adoption on a toy shelf near you?
Of course you do. And if the memories of your beloved Cabbage Patch doll still hold a special place in your heart, you may want to put Babyland General Hospital at the top of your travel list.
This Cleveland, Ga.“hospital” and retail outlet takes its Cabbage Patch Kids seriously. Here, each hand-stitched doll is treated as a real child, and staff members dress as nurses and doctors to care for the newborn dolls.
Beyond the nurseries and cribs filled with baby Cabbage Patch Kids, Babyland General Hospital is known for the live “births” it displays throughout the day. When “Code Green” is called over the loudspeaker, a Mother Cabbage is in labor and it’s time for visitors to head to the Magic Crystal Tree to watch the miracle of a Cabbage Patch Kid-style birth.
A fully costumed nurse walks the audience through the process, explaining that the Mother Cabbage has dilated 10 leaves apart before administering a dose of “Imagicillin” and reaching in to gently remove a “newborn” Cabbage Patch Kid. The nurse then asks the kids in the audience for first and middle name suggestions — the newborn will later take on its adoptive parent’s last name, of course.
Once the doll is named, it’s wrapped in a blanket and rushed off to Babyland’s Recovery Room, where it gets a full check-up and is ready for adoption.
Can you stand the cuteness? If so, take note that admission to Babyland General Hospital is free, while the original, hand-stitched dolls available for adoption at Babyland start at $199. For more information, check out the Babyland General Hospital website.
(All images courtesy of Babyland General Hospital)
