Cabbage Patch riots

Last updated

The Cabbage Patch riots were a series of violent customer outbursts at several retail stores in the United States in the fall and winter of 1983. That year, the Cabbage Patch Kids toy line had been released for sale in the United States, causing a tremendous demand for the product. Most stores at the time typically only stocked between two and five hundred of the product, yet with thousands of customers surging the store attempting to obtain one of the dolls, many fought with other customers in order to obtain one of the products. [1]

The holiday season of 1983 saw several violent occurrences in such major retail stores as Sears, JCPenney, Wards and Macy's. In smaller retail sales, such as Kmart and the now-defunct Zayre, retailers attempted to control crowds by handing out "purchase tickets" to the first several hundred customers, leaving hundreds, if not thousands, empty-handed after standing in line for several hours. [2]

Reports of violence included hitting, shoving, and trampling, as well as some customers attacking others with weapons such as baseball bats in order to obtain a Cabbage Patch Doll. [3] [4] By 1984, with more supply of the dolls and demand dropping, violence declined.

The Cabbage Patch riots foreshadowed subsequent holiday toy crazes, such as for the Tickle Me Elmo doll in 1996 and Hatchimals in 2016. The riots also inspired the plot of the 1996 Christmas film Jingle All the Way .

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coleco</span> American manufacturer of consumer electronics

Coleco Industries, Inc. was an American company founded in 1932 by Maurice Greenberg as The Connecticut Leather Company. It was a successful toy company in the 1980s, mass-producing versions of Cabbage Patch Kids dolls and its video game consoles, the Coleco Telstar dedicated consoles and ColecoVision. While the company ceased operations in 1988 as a result of bankruptcy, the Coleco brand was revived in 2005, and remains active to this day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabbage Patch Kids</span> American doll brand

Cabbage Patch Kids are a line of cloth dolls with plastic heads first produced by Coleco Industries in 1982. They were inspired by the Little People soft sculptured dolls sold by Xavier Roberts as collectibles. The brand was renamed 'Cabbage Patch Kids' by Roger L. Schlaifer when he acquired the exclusive worldwide licensing rights in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inventory</span> Goods held for resale

Inventory or stock refers to the goods and materials that a business holds for the ultimate goal of resale, production or utilisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Retail</span> Sale of goods and services

Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and then sells in smaller quantities to consumers for a profit. Retailers are the final link in the supply chain from producers to consumers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toys "R" Us</span> American international toy, clothing and baby product retailer

Toys "R" Us is an American toy, clothing, and baby product retailer owned by Tru Kids and various others. The company was founded in 1957; its first store was built in April 1948, with its headquarters located in Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ten Thousand Villages</span> Nonprofit fair trade organization

Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit fair trade organization that markets handcrafted products made by disadvantaged artisans from more than 120 artisan groups in more than 35 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tickle Me Elmo</span> Muppet character childrens plush toy

Tickle Me Elmo is a children's plush toy from Tyco Preschool, a division of Tyco Toys, of the Muppet character Elmo from the children's television show Sesame Street. When squeezed, Elmo recites his trademark giggle. When squeezed three times, Elmo shakes and vibrates.

<i>Jingle All the Way</i> 1996 film by Brian Levant

Jingle All the Way is a 1996 American Christmas family comedy film directed by Brian Levant. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad as two rival fathers, mattress salesman Howard Langston (Schwarzenegger) and postal worker Myron Larabee (Sinbad), both desperately trying to purchase a Turbo-Man action figure for their respective sons on a last-minute shopping spree on Christmas Eve. The film's title is borrowed from the lyrics of the popular Christmas song "Jingle Bells".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Retail loss prevention</span> Practices to reduce loss of goods in retail stores

Retail loss prevention is a set of practices employed by retail companies to preserve profit. Loss prevention is mainly found within the retail sector but also can be found within other business environments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glo Worm</span> Line of stuffed toys introduced in 1982

Glo Worm is a stuffed toy for young children, designed by Hasbro's Playskool division, and made in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Introduced in 1982, the plush, pajamaed worm body contained a battery-powered device that when squeezed would light up the toy's vinyl head from within, creating a soft glow.

Arnold Greenberg is an American businessman best known as the CEO of Coleco in the 1970s and 1980s. He began his career in law but joined Coleco, a family toy business, in 1966. He worked aggressively to gain a large share of the video game market while maintaining Coleco's position as a manufacturer of other toys. Greenberg's drive to develop and market the Adam Computer in 1982 and 1983 eventually led the company into bankruptcy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talkboy</span> Voice recorder and sound novelty toys

Talkboy is a line of handheld voice recorder and sound novelty toys manufactured by Tiger Electronics in the 1990s. The brand began as a result of a promotional tie-in with the 1992 film Home Alone 2: Lost in New York; the most well-known product was the Deluxe Talkboy, a cassette recorder and player with a variable-speed voice changer that caused toy crazes over several holiday shopping seasons beginning in 1993.

The Cabbage Patch is a hip-hop dance move which involves moving ones clenched fists together in front of the body in a horizontal, circular motion. The hips may be gyrated in sync with these arm movements.

In retail, a doorbuster or door crasher deal is an offer that is handed out early into the business's opening hours; this offer almost always is promoting a good in limited supply. These deals are designed to attract large numbers of shoppers into the business.

Superdrug Stores plc is a health and beauty retailer in the United Kingdom, and the second largest behind Boots UK. The company is owned by A.S. Watson Ltd which is part of the A.S. Watson Group. It was acquired as part of the buyout of Kruidvat BV in October 2002. The A.S Watson Group is itself part of the Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Schlaifer</span> American writer and artist

Roger L. Schlaifer is an American graphic designer, writer, inventor and licensing agent. He is best known for his creative development and worldwide licensing of Cabbage Patch Kids and the name and works of Andy Warhol.

Scarcity, in the area of social psychology, works much like scarcity in the area of economics. Scarcity is basically how people handle satisfying themselves regarding unlimited wants and needs with resources that are limited. Humans place a higher value on an object that is scarce, and a lower value on those that are in abundance. For example diamonds are more valuable than rocks because diamonds are not as abundant. These perceptions of scarcity can lead to irregular consumer behavior, such as systemic errors or cognitive bias.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 Gujarat riots</span> 1985 communal violence in Gujarat State

The 1985 Gujarat riots began in February 1985 and lasted till August, in the Indian state of Gujarat. Most of the rioting occurred in the city of Ahmedabad; some other cities, including the state capital of Gandhinagar, were also affected. Between 220 and 275 people were killed in the violence, while several thousands of others were injured, and tens of thousands were displaced. The riots also caused widespread property damage.

Hatchimals is a line of mini-figures produced by Spin Master. The flagship toys are mini-figures that feature an egg, in which you press your finger on the heart of the egg to "hatch" the animal/fairy inside. When the line was introduced, the toy was a robotic animal—representing one of various species—that "hatch" themselves from an egg.

Martha Nelson Thomas was an American folk artist, known for her work in soft sculpture. Thomas was the creator of "Doll Babies," later plagiarised as Cabbage Patch Kids.

References

  1. Friedrich, Otto (12 December 1983). "The Strange Cabbage Patch Craze". Time .
  2. "Cabbage Patch Riot: The Original Black Friday". November 26, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  3. Cabbage Patch Kids Cause Near-Riots (Retrieved 12 Nov 13)
  4. Memories of a Doll Riot Veteran (Retrieved 12 Nov 13)