Little did I know then, but late at night my mom went to every toy store within a 15-mile radius for weeks in vain so I wouldn't be disappointed on Christmas morning. And there was no way she was going to let me open a box with a raincheck in it, so the poor woman finally ordered one from abroad.
The "official" paperwork that came with "Brigitta Sylvia," dated December 25, 1984. I was apparently so excited to start playing mom that I never bothered to add my signature.When I ripped open the wrapping paper that morning, I noticed that Brigitta Sylvia looked slightly different than the *real* Cabbage Patch Kids my friends had. But my mom--clever as always--put on the spin: My doll was WAY cooler than everyone else's because she came all the way from GERMANY, just for me. I was sold.
Me and Brig on Christmas.
I don't know if I ever really told my mom how sweet it was that she went to such great lengths to see me smile. Awhile back, I stumbled onto a set of short films called The Responsibility Project. They're all about doing the right thing. I hadn't thought about ole Brigitta in years, but watching the film called Tony reminded me of what parents are willing to do for their kids. And while we don't always show a lot of appreciation at the time, those gestures stay with us forever.
Me and Brig on Christmas. I don't know if I ever really told my mom how sweet it was that she went to such great lengths to see me smile. Awhile back, I stumbled onto a set of short films called The Responsibility Project. They're all about doing the right thing. I hadn't thought about ole Brigitta in years, but watching the film called Tony reminded me of what parents are willing to do for their kids. And while we don't always show a lot of appreciation at the time, those gestures stay with us forever.
Your mom is the best. But I have to say, I can see why she had to send for a German exchange Cabbage Patch Kid. You were adorable at 6!
ReplyDeleteMine was named Casey... something. I can't believe I don't remember her middle name. But I don't think she came all the way from GERMANY! That is impressive.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE that! I thought the whole "official adoption" was the coolest thing about the cabbage patch kids. I wonder where mine ended up...
ReplyDeleteUGHH, SO STINKIN CUTE I CAN'T STAND IT. My first official-Xavier-Roberts-signed doll was named Anna Corina (which created some confusion for me when presented with the Russian classics in high school - I couldn't look past the cabbage patch when picturing Anna Karenina), but she didn't join the family until the craze had died down enough for my parents to find one locally. Instead, my aunt fashioned homemade dolls for my cousins and me. They looked just like Cabbage Patch dolls, but they were about 1.5x the size, and their faces were made of the same material as their bodies. They came with adoption paperwork, but they all only had first names (which happened to start with the same letters as our names) - mine was "Buffy". At the time, I HATED her and wanted nothing to do with playing with her because she wasn't a REAL Cabbage Patch doll, but over time, I realized that she was truly one-of-a-kind, and she's by far my favorite childhood toy.
ReplyDeleteI loved "Tony", too. I sent the link to my father, and we reminisced together. Parents really will do anything for their kids.
ReplyDeleteThat picture is SO CUTE!! My mom went through the same sort of thing to get me Cathy. I LOVED that doll. Yay for your mom!
ReplyDeleteI am taking early morning French class these days and every day at 7AM Mom packs me breakfast!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post.
So I'm not sure I get it. I've heard of Cabbage Patch dolls of course, but they were big slightly before my time, so I was wondering do they grow in a cabbage patch . . . or do they really like cabbage . . . I need to know.
ReplyDeleteYou say she's German eh? H's father would highly approve of this I think.
ReplyDeletethe story was something along the lines of Xavier Roberts found a special cabbagepatch behind a waterfall in some magical land where they sprinkled some crystals and babies grew instead. you adopted them from the "hospital" and really just made your parents shell out for all their little accessories and clothes.
ReplyDeleteit was a fad. a REALLY popular fad, complete with animated shows, books, and all kinds of other crap we wanted our parents to get us. i can't think of anything later generations that had people in such a frenzy. remember the Furby craze? this one just lasted WAY longer. at least in my recollection. anyone else care to add?
Awwww... :D
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