Xavier Roberts, the manufacturer of Cabbage Patch Kids, is an American artist and businessman. During the American Folk art movement of the late 1970s, Roberts observed several techniques involving the making of dolls from various materials, including the dolls of Martha Nelson Thomas of Louisville, Kentucky. Influenced by the quilts that his mother, Eula, made, he began experimenting with a quilted doll. After much experimentation, Roberts created a type of doll he called "Little People". Roberts and a small group of friends began to travel from state to state in the southeastern U.S. attending various folk art exhibitions. At these exhibitions, Roberts began selling these handcrafted dolls he called "babies". Going into business as Original Appalachian Artworks, Inc., Roberts started producing Little People in his hometown of Cleveland, at a converted medical clinic, which he rechristened "Babyland General Hospital". The Little People evolved by 1982 into Cabbage Patch Kids, which quickly became a major toy fad. In 1984 alone, 20 million dolls were bought, and by 1999, 95 million had been sold worldwide. [More at Wikipedia]

October 31st, 1955 in Cleveland (Age 69)