1983 Holiday Toy Trends – Cabbage Patch Craze

Cabbage Patch Kids dolls flew off stores’ shelves in 1983.  “Nightline” visited the delivery room at BabyLand General in Cleveland, Ga., where the doll trend was born.  Art student Xavier Roberts created the Cabbage Patch Kids in 1978, envisioning a unique personality for each doll.  Visitors to BabyLand General could witness the baby dolls’ “birth” process in the cabbage patch delivery room, and then adopt one for a hefty price, averaging $125.  The Cabbage craze began after the  Coleco corporation began mass producing the dolls in 1982.  The Cabbage Patch Kids appeared at the International Toy Fair in 1983 and began popping up in toy stores across the nation.  Several other toy manufacturers have carried on the brand over the years, including Hasbro, Mattel, Toys “R” Us and Play Along Kids.

1990 English-French Tunnel

The “chunnel” is a tunnel underneath the English Channel linking Great Britain to France and the European mainland.   On Dec. 1, 1990, Channel Tunnel workers established the first ground connection between both sides.  When the connecting hole was drilled, English and French workers celebrated with champagne and exchanged their countries’ flags.  The tunnel officially opened for service on May 6, 1994.

1992 Amy Fisher Sentenced to Prison

In New York, 18-year-old Amy Fisher was convicted for shooting her lover’s wife, Mary Jo Buttafuoco.  Fisher claimed her affair with Joey Buttafuoco began when she was 16.  Fisher was sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison.  She was released on parole in 1999.  Joey Buttafuoco served six months for statutory rape.

Famous Birthdays

1935 Woody Allen

1940 Richard Pryor

1945 Bette Midler

1949 Pablo Escobar

1970 Sarah Silverman

1971 Emily Mortimer

1976 Laura Ling

1976 Matthew Shepard

1977 Jarde Fogle

1990 Chanel Iman

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