"Cabbage Patch" dolls

In 1984 when the Cabbage Patch craze hit, I grit my teeth. First, I tried to convince the girls that we could "adopt" a child in Guatemala for the same amount as the dolls. Then, I told them they could have a doll if they found one with their own name in it (that led to a real frenzy in doll departments everywhere---thank goodness they didn't have the internet then). Finally, I did the same thing my mother did to my sister and me. I got them something better than the fad doll they wanted.
Jane and I had requested "Walking Dolls" for Christmas---we didn't get what all the other kids got, but Madame Alexander Walking dolls which was quite extravagant for our family. Mom was afraid these would be our last dolls and she wanted them special (see post below for photos). Instead of buying the girls Cabbage Patch dolls, I found a woman in Hannibal, Missouri--- Dorothy Billingsly who made dolls. She had "Becky Thatcher" (for Rebecca) available and I ordered a Princess Leia from Star Wars(for Leah) and Alice in Wonderland (for Rachel). The dolls were even better than I had hoped for---I loved the little details liked the striped stockings and Leia's belt. As you can tell by comparing this to the first photo, the girls were not impressed---they immediately put them in "regular clothes".
Now that I have a granddaughter, Libby, who is getting to be the age to appreciate and love dolls, I decided to get these dolls out and give them a good scrubbing.
So, now they are ready for Libby---all fresh and clean. I'm hoping that my daughters now appreciate the extra time and effort that went into buying a doll hand-made especially for them rather than just some plastic manufactured fad. I know I, finally, appreciate Mom's extra effort in buying Jane and I our very special dolls.