Way Back WhensDay: Cabbage Patch Kid Koosas

Koosas

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents

It's hard to believe that 2013 marks the 30 year anniversary of the Cabbage Patch Kids.  I never owned one of the human versions of the doll, but I did have one of their pets, known as Koosas.  Yes, I'm actually admitting to that.  I'm going to probably embarrass my brother with this story too, but here goes.

Growing up, I loved stuffed animals.  It only seemed natural that I would add one of the popular Koosas to my collection.  Our dad won a cat Koosa in some kind of drawing at the bank we used.  For whatever reason, my brother and I both wanted it, but somehow he ended up getting it.  So I asked for one for Christmas.  That year, I opened up my very own dog version of the Cabbage Patch Kid pet.  Since it was the holiday, I opted to name him Starr (yes with two R's).

Not the real Starr, but it's his twin.

Starr had short brown hair on the top of his head with brown skin.  He had big blue eyes and came with a pair of red overalls.  Like I mentioned, I was already into stuffed animals, so he just joined the dozens of other ones in my collection.  I can remember attaching a dog leash to his collar and dragging him around the house.

These animals looked just like their Cabbage Patch Kid counterparts, but somehow it seemed more masculine to have a dog or cat instead of the baby doll.  I don't know what, but there was something alluring about the Koosas.  I don't remember them ever having their own cartoon or cereal like their counterparts, but they were a fun part of my childhood.

Cats to go

I kept Starr for years, stowed away with my other stuffed animals.  A few years ago, in a purge, I put him in a garage sale.  I had checked out eBay to see if the Koosas were selling, but they really weren't, plus it had years of wear and tear from the many adventures we'd gone on.  (Did I just say that outloud?)  None-the-less, I'm confident Starr found a good home with another kid in my community who may someday grow up to write about his fondness for this blast from the past.