The strange story of the Cabbage Patch Kid Riots of 1983

In November 1983, America went bonkers for Cabbage Patch Kids. The dolls were so scarce and demand was so high that riots broke out in stores, parents were ready to drive hundreds of miles to buy them, and desperate gift-givers were willing to pay big bucks for a rare doll. At a Zayre department store in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, a riot broke out, with a store manager grabbing a baseball bat to protect himself. “This is my life that’s in danger,” William Shigo was quoted as saying in the New York Times. Archival video of the event, shown in the player above, shows pandemonium at the store, with boxes containing Cabbage Patch Kids being flung about… read more >