Producer of upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has acquired the TV rights to the Cabbage Patch Kids brand, with plans for a potential animated TV special. According to THR, producer Galen Walker bought the rights on Monday from brand owner Original Appalachian Artworks.
Apparently a script is in progress for an animated TV special featuring the darling, dimple-cheeked Cabbage Patch Kids. Walker obviously has high hopes for the possible commercial success of a TV special showcasing the iconic ’80s doll, as well as a belief in the brand’s message. He commented, “It’s a brand filled with many positive messages for kids.”
Walker’s next project is the live-action feature film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for Paramount. Walker’s Cabbage Patch Kids special won’t be the first of its kind, as there was a well-received Cabbage Patch Kids Christmas Special aired on ABC in the ‘80s. But since this short-lived but intense fad faded in the late 80s, little has been seen of the round-faced dolls on the small screen.
This news comes on the wave of a strange resurgence of nostalgia-fueled movies and TV projects. First the announcement of Hasbro board games getting film adaptations (so far Risk, Ouija, Battleship and Stretch Armstrong in the works), then Mattel’s Major Matt Mason doll getting a movie, and now this. I guess if it’s an iconic toy or game from the ‘80s, it’s fodder for filmmakers.