I mentioned here that I was working on a post about somewhere I was able to go. In December, I got to go to Babyland General Hospital while visiting a client.
I heard it was close by and I had to visit it on my way home. Babyland is the only place where you can get (“adopt”) soft-faced Cabbage Patch Dolls. There is a small museum (four large cases) when you first enter the hospital that has Cabbage Patch archives.
This is the museum.
There were archives like these dolls.
Their dolls come in baby and toddler size. In the toddler room they had full-sized Cabbage Patch woman doll.
She’s not creepy at all.
To find the babies, you enter their nursery.
You also find a “nurse” that “rocks the babies” in the nursery. She was very sweet but it was a little unnerving to find her in the corner. She saw me first and said, “You’re wearing a dress. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen any girls wearing a dress.” She was concerned that I was traveling alone and “so far from home.” She asked for name (I only told her Rachael) and wrote it in a little notepad that she called her Prayer Journal. Then, I asked her how much the babies were. She said I could “adopt a baby” for $199. This was the preemie price. She encouraged me to hold them. Here are some of the dolls I touched/held in the nursery.
Holding them was a little embarassing/awesome.
The nursery and the toddler room both have Andy Warhol art.
In the gift shop they sell more soft faced dolls and hard faced dolls.
They also had this display of charms.
Momma Cabbage gives birth to a doll while you’re there. She gives birth in the gift shop by a huge tree. A bunch of babies coming of cabbage and BunnyBees hang around for it.
The birth was creepy. I had expected the guy dressed up as a doctor to come out from behind the tree and simply present the baby. Oh no. The doctor preformed an ultrasound and talked about dilation. He brought out something to measure it. He gave her a shot of TLC and had all the kids yell “push.” Then, he pulled a baby out while they kept saying “Push Momma Cabbage! Push!” It was too much. It made me uncomfortable.
I asked the nurse in the nursery (the one with the Prayer Journal) who bought the dolls. Once again, she corrected me and told me that many people “adopted the babies.” She went on to say they were doll collectors or parents, especially parents that have adopted. Immediately, I thought that would be a special trip for a family. If The Mister and I adopt, a likely option, we would go back. Beyond that, I can’t say I’d make the drive for it again. However, I’m glad I went while I was there and could share these images and stories with you. Plus, I need all the prayer I can get so I’m glad I made it in her journal.
The Lovely Lifestyle 