CPKs
A few days ago, Sunni posted about Ava receiving her first Cabbage Patch Kid. That got me to thinking about the years gone by and my time with my "kids". I had two: Amanda, a redhead and Simon, a bald preemie.
Funny how life imitates mass production...
Thankfully my mom held on to Mandy. Avery has added her to her never-ending pile of "special" animals. I think she thinks we are calling them "special" when we are really saying "stuffed". Whatever.
When I was in the third grade, CPK love was at a fever pitch. You could not find the dolls anywhere (excuse my use of the term "doll". Back in the day, I had a few friends that would give it to you if you called them "dolls" and not "kids". I think I've finally outgrown the need to make them happy.). We lived in S. Cali at the time, but it sounds like it was a national crisis. I had a beloved JC Penney catalog that I would pour over day in and day out, dreaming of my sweet kid just waiting for me to bring him/her home. I would wonder what the name was, what they looked like, how sweet they would feel in my arms.
A dream, shattered, day after day. Are you telling me Mattel couldn't up the production just a bit?
Anytime my parents would leave without us I thought for sure they would return home with my precious cargo.
They never did.
Finally, my grandmother back here in the Lone Star state was able to get her hands on one. I think she shipped it. I don't remember if it was for my birthday, Christmas or Yeehaw, we got one!
After the craze tapered off, I added to my CPK family. Simon, the preemie came home. He was a bit special. His buttstitch didn't take, so he had a hemorroid-like string hanging, no dangling from his unsectioned rear. Not sure why I never snipped it. Also, one of his knee stitches came out so he looked like he had a club leg. That poor kid...
He did get married, though. To another preemie. A match made in heaven.
My best friend and I planned an elaborate wedding. We set up a cardboard stage, tossed flower petals and invited other "kids" to be attendents. I have polaroids of it somewhere. I don't remember if we sent them on a honeymoon. We were, what, like eight? The finer workings of wedded bliss were all but lost on us.
Praise the Lord.
I've got to find those wedding pictures.
Got any CPK tales for me?
9 comments:
Okay, I may be the only girl in the world who didn't get into this craze. I did have an E.T. doll that I carried around until his arm fell off. Bless your CPK's little behind. No one should have to experience the roids, especially not a baby!
Ahhhhhh, brings back memories! What a great post.
When we were waiting to get real CPKs my sweet Granmommie made all 7 or 8 of her grandkids homemade CPKs. She even drew up authentic-looking birth certificates and everything. Bless her heart, what a labor of love. Truth be told, I never liked mine much b/c it wasn't "real"...but looking back on it, how precious was it that she did that?? I was so ungrateful. I can't remember what mine was named but I know my brother's was Bubba Jasper.
I eventually got a real CPK preemie (the first of many CPKs) and can't remember her name, either! It started with a J and she was dressed in yellow. I knew I was getting her for Christmas b/c I was with my mom when the store had some in stock, so of course she bought the doll right then and there. Since I already knew what it was she let me wrap it...and boy, did I. I wrapped the Christmas present with a special window of paper that I could pull back to look at the doll whenever I wanted to. I think I went to the presents under the tree several times a day and carefully pulled back the paper to peek into that box at my CPK. What a treasure.
And now I can't even remember her name.
One more thing...I have always been crazy about baby names. So it only made sense to me that I should write to Xavier Roberts (hey, his name was on my doll's bum, I felt like I knew him) and give him special access to the wealth of baby names on my list. I honestly wrote out fifty or so first and middle name combinations for boys and girls and mailed to him. Seriously.
I never heard back. Jerk. As a kid I always wondered if he used them.
Chrys
P.S. Oliver wasn't on my original list.
This is so hilarious! I TOO wrote out a long list of boy and girl name combinations and sent it to Xavier Roberts!!!!!!! How funny! I wonder if a lot of little girls did that?!?!?!?
My 1st CPK was Bruce Kenneth (a cute, little baldie). I loved him so much even though I got a few more (I remember one red-headed one was named Danika, but can't remember the others).
I do remember the long lines and fights and calling store after store to see if they had any CPK's. What a crazy ordeal that time period was!
Thanks for the nostalgia, Sim!
Jen
awww...I had a CPK too! But I think one of the neighborhood boys ended up cutting off her head and burying it somewhere... thus is the story of all my dolls...
I am so disturbed, I just don't know what to say. Elaborate wedding? What? Ok maybe it's because I never owned one, maybe I am bitter deep down or something. I think I was past the doll thing when these things came out, ok maybe that's what's really disturbing me, I feel old. Am I?
Jessica also has a gazzillion stuffed animals or in Avery's words "special" Jessica has named them all and due to my issues with anthropomorphism, I just can't get rid of any of them. I think she counts them all at night and she will never forgive me if any go missing.
Awww, I'm lovin' these stories!
Leray, you were just way too mature and busy checkin' out the skinny 6th grader...gettin' on to me about weddings, you had already found your man!
OK, thank you for reminding me about a CPK wedding. I know I married one of my CPKs off..just can't remember which one. Your poor premie...I guess those complications are just part of the territory of being a preemie mom.
I think my Yolanda and your Mandy would have been best friends. Maybe we can get them together someday.
Lily is already all about the stuffed animals. She must have at least five in her arms before we put her in bed.
I just tucked Jessica in and she has 11 animals with her!! You think that might be too many? I am not sure! They other ones may be feeling left out.
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