Steve and I are long past the age of playing with dolls. But when we learned that Cabbage Patch Babyland in Cleveland GA was just a few minutes drive from Helen, we knew we had to go.
Welcome to Babyland
Honestly, I had never heard of Babyland General Hospital before Eve told us about it. She said she was planning on visiting this unique attraction while she and Brian were camping in Helen. But I had no idea as to what to expect. I thought it was just a place to take Cabbage Patch Kids to be repaired. I was wrong. It’s where they are born!
Cabbage Patch Babyland Cleveland GA
Stork delivering a Cabbage Patch baby to Babyland General Hospital
Just one of the many “cabbages” on the lawn of Babyland General
Babyland General Hospital sits up on a hill surrounded by beautiful landscape and mountains. Babyland looks more like a sprawling plantation than a hospital.
Photos of celebrities who have visited Babyland
The first thing you see when you enter Babyland General is photo after photo of famous fans of Cabbage Patch Kids lining the walls of the lobby. Then there are cases of these adorable babies on display. From there you arrive at the visitors’ desk to check in and you’re greeted by “nurses” who tell you about your free self-guided tour.
Cabbage Patch Kids and stuffed animals in a crib at Babyland General
Steve and I were like a couple of children with silly grins on our faces the entire time we were there! The “hospital rooms” are filled with cribs containing lots of napping Cabbage Patch Kids of all shapes, sizes and nationalities. It was amazing, sweet, and hilarious all at the same time.
Mother Cabbage under the Magic Crystal Tree
Mother Cabbage lies beneath the branches of the Magic Crystal Tree. There the cabbages are pollinated by fanciful Bunnybees®. This magical Cabbage Patch is cared for by their Licensed Patch Doctors and Nurses. Babyland General Hospital is the only place on Earth where you can witness the birth of a hand-sculpted Cabbage Patch Kid.
Do you need a hug?
There are thousands of Cabbage Patch Kids on display throughout the hospital, and, though it was the last thing we thought we would do, we found a perfect match and just had to adopt a “swaddler”. We found Winter Kora who was on a play date with a whole bunch of other swaddlers. And we knew we had to adopt her and bring her home, because she was born on October 29, the same date as Steve.
History of Cabbage Patch Kids
Now for some history. Many moons ago a young boy named Xavier Roberts conjured up an image of a Bunnybee. It looked like a bunny, but it flew through the air and buzzed like a bumble bee. His vivid imagination led him on adventure.
“Amazing! Bunnybees were flying all around sprinkling magic dust from the crystals onto the cabbages. Rows and rows of cabbages were everywhere. But, there was something different about them. Xavier blinked his eyes and squinted at what he thought was movement among the cabbage leaves. Xavier moved closer and soon could see that there were lots of small kids and babies sleeping and playing among the cabbages.”
Room full of Christmas Trees and Holiday Decor
And in 1976, a 21 year old Xavier was an art student. He rediscovered the art of needle molding, which is a German technique for fabric sculpture dating back to the early 1800s. So Xavier combined his interest in sculpture with quilting skills that had been passed down from him mother, and created his very first soft sculptures.
A couple of years later, his soft sculpture named Dexter won him a first place ribbon at the Osceola Art Show in Kissimmee FL. Following that, he began delivering his hand made Little People Originals. He exhibited and sold them at arts and crafts shows in the southeast and found that many parents were happy to pay a $40 “adoption fee for one of his hand signed sculptures.
Babyland General Hospital
Cabbage Patch Schoolhouse
Once he was back home in Georgia, he enlisted 5 of his school friends and incorporated a company named Original Appalachian Artworks, Inc. Xavier and his friends renovated the L.G. Neal Clinic, a turn of the century medical facility in Cleveland, Georgia, opening the original “BabyLand General® Hospital” to the public.
By the end of 1983 close to 3 million Cabbage Patch Kids had been adopted. The demand was greater than production! Cabbage Patch Kids went on record as the most successful new doll ever introduced in the history of the toy industry. They were even featured on the cover of Newsweek.
Cabbage Patch Kids go the outer space and the Olympics
In 1985 the dolls joined the Young Astronaut Program and a Cabbage Patch Kid named Christopher Xavier became the first Cabbage Patch Kid to journey into outer space as a passenger on the U.S. Space Shuttle.
Cabbage Patch Kids are honored in 1992 by being named the first official mascot of the U.S. Olympic Team. The dolls travel with the athletes to Barcelona for the games; and many of the dolls stay behind as “Friends For Life” with patients of a local children’s hospital.
Cabbage Patch Kids even got their own stamp, which when on sale in January of 2000.
The Babyland Stork
Cabbage Patch Kids move into their new home, the facility that we visited, on November 21, 2009. The new Babyland has over 70,000 square feet of space and features a Magic Crystal Tree where guests can watch a “live” delivery of a Cabbage Patch Kid.
Celebrating over 40 years of adoptions
In 2018 The Little People and Cabbage Patch Kids celebrated 40 years of adoptions in Cleveland, Georgia.
Nurse Tina weighing newborn Maddie Raine
Please welcome baby girl Maddie Raine to the world
This is a truly magical place. Steve and I watched enthralled, along with other parents and children, as a new baby was born. This new baby girl was named for two of the tiny tots that were in the “delivery room”. Thus she was named Maddie Raine, born on December 5, 2023, weighing in at one and a half pounds and 17-inches long.
Steve and this cutie Winter Kora share the same birthday
If you are visiting anywhere near Cabbage Patch Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland GA, you owe it to yourself to visit!!!
