University Daily Kansan, December 6, 1983
Drawing to decide who can buy Cabbage Patch dolls
By LAURETTA SCHULTZ Staff Reporter
The name on the birth certificate is Alane Joelle. She sits with blood hair and big blue eyes in a bank vault while she people await the chance to adopt her.
Alane is a Cabbage Patch Kid dail,
and with six other Cabbage Patch dolls
from the F.W. Woolworth & Co, store.
911 Massachusetts St., she is sitting in
the vault of the First National Bank
across the street from the store.
On Saturday, the store will conduct a drawing to determine the seven lucky people who will be allowed to buy the dolls for £2.99 each.
"Until the drawing, we felt we should move the dolls to the vault for security
purposes," said Bob Ray, Woolworth's manager. "It's been absolute hysteria around here."
THE DOLLS, produced by Coleo,
have become a craze in the United
States during this Christmas season,
causing a shortage of the dolls and
several unusual incidents. As a result,
the Dolls have been received national coverage and have brought Ray and his store more
publicity than he ever imagined.
"I didn't have any idea it would go over like this," he said. "I spend all my time on the phone answering questions about the dolls, and I am pretty wanting to know about the dolls."
According to Ray, people from as far away as Washington, D.C., have called him "a superman."
"I hope to keep the drawing for the
local people," he said. "But I have to be
that much tougher to call in."
LAWRENCE MAYOR David Longhurst will draw seven entries at noon, and the store will post the names of winners. The winners will then have until Dec. 15 to buy the dolls. Ray said he did not contact winners by phone or mail.
Ray said that more than 600 people have entered the contest, and he expected more than 1,000 entrants by Saturday.
"The drawing should be interesting," he said. "I have no idea how many people will be here that day, but I know I'll need security of some kind."
Anne Gifford, a section merchandiser and woolworth, said she was not too interested.
"On the 10th it will be a riot in here"
"Gordan could think of a lot of
Gordon in rather
RAY SAY, "I guess it's because they're all so different. They each have different names, clothes, and faces. Each of them even has a birth certificate, a passport, handprints and the doll's mother's and father's names."
An explanation for the popularity of the dolls is hard to come by.
Motives of the people registering to win the dolls cover a wide range.
Two KU students, however, have different ideas.
**T** **t** **n** **t** **u** **t** **n** **t** **u** **t** **n** **t** **u** **t** **n** **t** **u** **t** **n** **t** **u** **t** **n** **t** **u** **t** **n** **t** **u** **t** **n** **t** **u** **t** **n** **t** **u** **t** **n**
**J** **A** **R** **E** **I** **N** **O** **R
of these dolls because she figures it's cheaper than another kid."
"We're capitalists," said Fred Cornwell, Los Alamos, N.M. graduate student, "We'll resell it for more money."
Dave Griffith, Alexandra, Va, sophomore, said. "I have a niece that wants to take over."
RAY 15 anxious for the drawing to be completed, and had enjoyed the excitement it had caused.
"It's been a lot of fun and I've never done anything like this before," he said.
"But I'll be glad when it's over and we can get back to business as usual."
Though Gifford dreads the day of the
camp, she hopes everything will work out.
"I hope all of the kids who want the dolls get them," she said. "There is nothing more disappointing than to get the dolls wet and swimming and have no Cabbage Patch doll."
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