Xavier Roberts Florida in 1978. Going into business as Original Appalachian Artworks, Inc., Roberts hired local seamstresses and started producing his dolls in a converted medical clinic in his hometown of Cleveland. "Babyland General Hospital" still exists today in a new location and is a popular destination for Cabbage Patch kid enthusiasts. By 1982 the Little People had evolved into Cabbage Patch Kids, licensed to a company called Coleco. The Cabbage Patch Kids were a huge hit, quickly becoming a major toy fad. In 1984 alone 20 million were bought, and by 1999, 95 million dolls had been sold worldwide. Roberts never
Living Dead Dolls These custom handmades originally cost $666 each, later increased to $800. In 2004, Long & Glonek announced on the Mezco message boards that they would no longer accept commissions or make handmades to order, but would instead occasionally offer handmade dolls on eBay to the highest bidder. Since their commercial launch by Mezco in 2000, variations have been produced such as miniature dolls, ragdolls and baby dolls, large 18-inch tall porcelain dolls and 13-inch tall fashion dolls called 'Fashion Victims.' A separate line called "Living Dead Dolls Presents" offers dolls based on contemporary and classic movie characters such as Annabelle