Zayre’s Department Store is seen on Nov. 27, 1983 during the Cabbage Patch incident. Photo published in the Times Leader, Nov. 28, 1983.
File photo
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WILKES-BARRE — This year’s Black Friday marked the 40th anniversary of the infamous ‘Zayre’s Cabbage Patch Riot’ and for those looking to relive the retail pandemonium, a new documentary film chronicling the rise and fall of the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls — featuring one local resident’s firsthand experience of the riot — will be shown downtown this month.
“Billion Dollar Babies: The True Story of the Cabbage Patch Kids” will be screened at R/C Wilkes-Barre Movies 14 on Dec. 8, 9 and 10.
Showtimes are: 4:35, 7:05 and 9:20 p.m. on Dec. 8, 2:00, 4:35, 7:05 and 9:20 p.m. on Dec. 9, and 2:00, 4:25 and 7:05 p.m. on Dec. 10.
“We are excited to be able to offer this film that has such a special connection to Wilkes-Barre at our beloved theatre in downtown Wilkes-Barre. We hope people embrace the film and are entertained and enlightened by it,” R/C Theatres CEO Scott R. Cohen said in a press release.
The new documentary film tells the story of the Cabbage Patch doll craze of 1983, from the design and production of the dolls to the riots, and the eventual legal dispute over who exactly came up with the idea for the dolls in the first place.
Included in the film is a segment on the riot that took place on Nov. 27, 1983 at Zayre’s Department Store on Spring Street in Wilkes-Barre, one of several that occurred that year across the country after supply for the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls could not keep up with buyers’ demand.
An estimated crowd of 1,000 stood outside the department store that morning, some having camped out since midnight. The ensuing riot led to five women being injured, including a Kingston woman who suffered three broken ribs and a broken right leg, and had to spend several weeks in a wheelchair.
The Wilkes-Barre segment of the film features an interview with Executive Director of Visit Luzerne County and longtime newspaper columnist, Alan K. Stout, who was 16 at the time. Stout accompanied his mother to Zayre’s that day in hopes of getting one of the dolls for his younger sister for Christmas.
Fifteen years later, Stout wrote a Black Friday column for The Times Leader detailing his experience. Producers for the documentary found the article online and approached Stout in 2021 about sharing his story in the film.
“I’ve seen the film, and it’s really well done,” Stout said in a press release. “It also features a lot of cool, ’80s-era music and pop culture and it does a great job detailing the entire ‘Cabbage Patch’ phenomenon. Wilkes-Barre is only in the film for a few minutes, but we’re there. They even have old news clips and video of Zayre’s in the film. If you were there that morning, it’s not something you’ll ever forget.”
Following the 7 p.m. screening on Dec. 8, Stout will host a Q&A session with those in attendance where he will share his story of the Cabbage Patch Riot and how he ended up in the documentary. Those who also witnessed the riot are welcome to share their stories as well.
Narrated by Emmy Award winning actor Neil Patrick Harris, the film also includes news clips of several prominent journalists and commentators of the time including Tom Brokaw, Ted Koppel and Dan Rather.
For tickets visit rctheatre.com.
More information about the documentary can be www.cabbagepatchfilm.com.