Assuming the Soapbox. Grrrr....

Some days ya just gotta saddle up and say what needs sayin'. Ya know?

I'm sure all the TLC/Discovery network watchers out there have seen the recent commercials for 'My Crazy Obsession' with the Cabbage Patch obsessed couple being featured for the season premier. The press is all over this couple and portraying them like they're complete whack-jobs. They're doing several spots on other networks/shows as well to promote for TLC. Here's just one of many articles being splashed all over the inter webs about them:

http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=15828541

I have met these folks at the 2009 original soft-sculpture Cabbage Patch gathering/convention for the Official Collector's Club members. I've conversed with them online before I met them in person and I've known of them for many, many years. These are the Prosey's, Joe & Pat. They are collectors of a niche item/brand no different than someone who collects Disneyana, model trains, etc. What sets them apart is that they have the time, space, and funds to create the 'ultimate' collection that a collector of anything would dream about. They are not insane, crazy, or bizarre as these commercials and the press have made them out to be. Joe & Pat are very nice people same as anyone else. It just grinds my tookus to see them portrayed by the press in such a negative way. It's all in the spirit of sensationalizing a topic to draw ratings, but at someone's expense. That's so wrong on so many levels. I just had to say it.

I received my first Cabbage Patch when I was 9. Still have her. I resumed my Cabbage Patch love when I was 26. My current collection has downsized from a high count of just over a hundred to somewhere around 30 or 40. The most I ever paid for a Kid (no, collectors do *not* call them d-o-l-l-s) was $2k. The least I've paid is like $50 or so. I've lost $$ on some and made quite a bit on others. All collectibles are down. On average babies can be readopted on the secondary market for $100 on average. Some are worth virtually nothing while old babies from the 1st editions in the late 70s are valued at tens of thousands of dollars. See? It's not unlike any other collectible. Disney fans should especially 'get it' because Cabbage Patch Kids begin with a story of their creation, have a destination you can visit that's pure immersive, and provides a little escape from the every day. Yeah, not all that crazy.

If you think the Prosey's are the most whack cabbage collectors you've ever seen, well, I could tell you some tales! Trust me!

Okay! Done with my soapbox. Thank you.

:wave:

I agree with you! they´re being compared to someone who has wings for her multiple personalities and someone who has his own oval office... that´s just plain nuts! so these people collect cabbage patch kids... so what? they´re being called hoarders cause they have a lot of ¨kids¨... If they know exactly how many dolls they have then they´re not hoarders, I couldn´t tell you right now what all the shoes I own look like, and I probably have about 45 pairs... does that make me a potential hoarder cause I love to buy shoes and I´m not organized about it? :lookaroun ...ok....

IMO, it's just a collection unless it becomes so uncontrollable that it has a negative impact on your life. That line will vary. But if your collection becomes so extensive that you can't live a normal life in your home (have a place to sit, cook, sleep, etc without having to move things around, or your family members are being made uncomfortable) or is having a negative financial impact on you and your family (can't afford to buy your children new shoes because you spent the money on your collection, can't pay a utility/rent bill, etc) you have become a hoarder, and need professional help.

I have a friend who collects art, antiques, fine rugs, china, etc. Her home is cluttered - the walls are filled with paintings, there are chandeliers in every room, and every surface has expensive figurines, china pieces, sculpture, etc - and too "busy" for my taste, but I don't consider her a hoarder. She is still able to entertain, and her house is immaculate, thanks to a full time cleaning staff. If she had to take care of it all by herself, it would be a different story.

I also have a SIL who is the opposite of a hoarder. As soon as she is finished with something (baby clothes, toys, etc) out they go! She really can't tolerate clutter of any sort - her house is beautiful, but decorated in a minimalist style.

I think I'm in the middle. Some clutter, especially in my back room, but still able to walk around safely, and I do winnow out stuff regularly.

sweetpee_1993 said:

They are not insane, crazy, or bizarre as these commercials and the press have made them out to be. Joe & Pat are very nice people same as anyone else. It just grinds my tookus to see them portrayed by the press in such a negative way. It's all in the spirit of sensationalizing a topic to draw ratings, but at someone's expense. That's so wrong on so many levels. I just had to say it.

Click to expand...

Sadly, that is what reality TV has become. Heck, TV in general. If someone isn't crying, falling or freaking out the producers think people won't watch. What's sad is that they probably weren't aware they would be portrayed that way when they were presented with te opportunity to appear on the show.

The Mom said:

IMO, it's just a collection unless it becomes so uncontrollable that it has a negative impact on your life. That line will vary. But if your collection becomes so extensive that you can't live a normal life in your home (have a place to sit, cook, sleep, etc without having to move things around, or your family members are being made uncomfortable) or is having a negative financial impact on you and your family (can't afford to buy your children new shoes because you spent the money on your collection, can't pay a utility/rent bill, etc) you have become a hoarder, and need professional help.

I have a friend who collects art, antiques, fine rugs, china, etc. Her home is cluttered - the walls are filled with paintings, there are chandeliers in every room, and every surface has expensive figurines, china pieces, sculpture, etc - and too "busy" for my taste, but I don't consider her a hoarder. She is still able to entertain, and her house is immaculate, thanks to a full time cleaning staff. If she had to take care of it all by herself, it would be a different story.

I also have a SIL who is the opposite of a hoarder. As soon as she is finished with something (baby clothes, toys, etc) out they go! She really can't tolerate clutter of any sort - her house is beautiful, but decorated in a minimalist style.

I think I'm in the middle. Some clutter, especially in my back room, but still able to walk around safely, and I do winnow out stuff regularly.

Click to expand...

If it was not for my wife I would be like that. I have always liked clean surfaces. My wife on the other hand is a serous pack rat. We have found a balance that leans just a little to my wife's side. When the needle points a little too far to her end I load up the van and make a Salvation Army run. She gets mad for a day or two, but I keep my sanity.

Master Yoda said:

If it was not for my wife I would be like that. I have always liked clean surfaces. My wife on the other hand is a serous pack rat. We have found a balance that leans just a little to my wife's side. When the needle points a little too far to her end I load up the van and make a Salvation Army run. She gets mad for a day or two, but I keep my sanity.

Click to expand...

I am consistently amazed at how you and I are diametrically opposed in some areas, and completely the same in others. It's as though we are the twin sons of different mothers (yeah, I'm manly enough to pull-off a Dan Fogelberg reference). You have, in the post quoted above, described a chunk of my life. Long live the purgers.

Thanks for the feedback, y'all.

I've never been to the Prosey's home personally but I know many people who have. Until recently they hosted an annual event in the summertime for collector friends to come with some of their CPKs and enjoy some time visiting one another. Seriously, the collector community is somewhat small. I have collector friends I've known for 12 years. We've watched each other's children grow up, etc. The Prosey's have land and built a building (like a metal building or barn thing) then made it into a museum of sorts. They have Kids from every edition, every mass market head mold, merchandise, accessories, etc. etc. I'm sure they have some stuff in their residence but the majority is kept in the other building. If you want to see it, here's a link to their website:

http://www.magiccrystalvalley.com/

It's impressive to say the least. Incredible collection.

I know another collector who has a serious adoration for the oldest, most rare & expensive babies. She has so so many. It's like the ultimate dream for me to be able to obtain even one from the 1st or 2nd edition. They are rare and super expensive. Anywhoo, that lady has so many that another friend once asked her where or how she stores/displays them all. Come to find out, she purchased a second home to keep them all in. talk about pea-green with envy! A whole house for dollies would rock my socks off!

So, no, the Prosey's are in no way hoarder types. The footage on the commercial is clearly in the museum.

Oh! And a few years ago Xavier Roberts actually attended their annual event and OAA (the corporate company who owns the CPK brand) produced a small edition of Kids for the event. Very veeeery cool stuff!

Hey sweetpee,

You seem to have taken this show personally, and I truly understand why. I, for one, dislike TV shows that attempt to capitalize on the perceived pain or oddities of others. I find them distasteful. For what it's worth, everything that I know about you from this forum paints you as a nice lady who loves her family and lives an "normal" life, whatever that actually is. (OK, the tattoo removal pictures are a little gruesome, but hey...)

Don't let these goofy network shows bother you. Their profits will soon be spent, but your joy can not be touched.

Forgot to mention, I'm sorta anxiously waiting to hear what Joe & Pat feel about the way they were depicted, the strange by-lines, and twisted representations of them. They've been off doing the press rounds so nobody's really heard anything yet. I also wonder how OAA (the CPKs mother company) is feeling about it all. They're in many ways like Disney on a much smaller scale. They guard their branding carefully. If you start producing and selling dolls that resemble theirs they will contact you and put a stop to it. I wonder what Xavier thinks. Probably aggravated like the rest of us because he also knows the Prosey's.

sweetpee_1993 said:

Forgot to mention, I'm sorta anxiously waiting to hear what Joe & Pat feel about the way they were depicted, the strange by-lines, and twisted representations of them. They've been off doing the press rounds so nobody's really heard anything yet. I also wonder how OAA (the CPKs mother company) is feeling about it all. They're in many ways like Disney on a much smaller scale. They guard their branding carefully. If you start producing and selling dolls that resemble theirs they will contact you and put a stop to it. I wonder what Xavier thinks. Probably aggravated like the rest of us because he also knows the Prosey's.

Click to expand...

I think it is fairly safe to assume that they will not be thrilled with their depiction but it is somewhat of a case of buyer beware. Shows like this rarely translate the passion that people have for their obsessions in a positive manner. They prey on people like this because they have an almost biological need to talk about their hobbies they have dedicated their lives to. Then through the magic of editing, leading questions and a variety of other underhanded actions they are portrayed to look like nut jobs. If I was to ever interview for a show of this ilk, I would insist on having my own video equipment running during the filming so I could show the unedited reality if I needed to. Of course most film crews would not allow that and they would simply move on the the next candidate who would be all to willing to let a TV crew make them look like they are a couple french fries short of a happy meal.

The moral of the story.....don't feed the trolls.

Master Yoda said:

I think it is fairly safe to assume that they will not be thrilled with their depiction but it is somewhat of a case of buyer beware. Shows like this rarely translate the passion that people have for their obsessions in a positive manner. They prey on people like this because they have an almost biological need to talk about their hobbies they have dedicated their lives to. Then through the magic of editing, leading questions and a variety of other underhanded actions they are portrayed to look like nut jobs. If I was to ever interview for a show of this ilk, I would insist on having my own video equipment running during the filming so I could show the unedited reality if I needed to. Of course most film crews would not allow that and they would simply move on the the next candidate who would be all to willing to let a TV crew make them look like they are a couple french fries short of a happy meal.

The moral of the story.....don't feed the trolls.

Click to expand...

Exactly. You nailed it. And this is exactly why it aggravates me. It's exploitative and wrong. What's so wrong with watching interesting, informative television without all the sensation? That's what networks like TLC & Discover used to be like. More and more they foray into this shock-tv garbage and it's disappointing. No, I don't watch these types of things. I always end up irritated because I'm feeling for the folks that got the shaft for the sake of sensationalizing a story on television. Like you said, there's people chomping at the bit to do it, too. I wouldn't. No way. Well, maybe if I held the rights to complete control over the final product. Sorta like the situation with JK Rowling and Universal. If she doesn't approve, it doesn't happen. Of course that would never be done for the situation(s) we are discussing so I suppose it's safe to say it'd be a cold day in...uh...somewhere very south...before I ever allowed a tv show to feature me or my family in this way.

sweetpee_1993 said:

Exactly. You nailed it. And this is exactly why it aggravates me. It's exploitative and wrong. What's so wrong with watching interesting, informative television without all the sensation? That's what networks like TLC & Discover used to be like. More and more they foray into this shock-tv garbage and it's disappointing. No, I don't watch these types of things. I always end up irritated because I'm feeling for the folks that got the shaft for the sake of sensationalizing a story on television. Like you said, there's people chomping at the bit to do it, too. I wouldn't. No way. Well, maybe if I held the rights to complete control over the final product. Sorta like the situation with JK Rowling and Universal. If she doesn't approve, it doesn't happen. Of course that would never be done for the situation(s) we are discussing so I suppose it's safe to say it'd be a cold day in...uh...somewhere very south...before I ever allowed a tv show to feature me or my family in this way.

Click to expand...

The same thing that was wrong with early 80's Epcot. It was classy, informative and made you think. Unfortunately, those are no longer selling points. People want extremes spoon fed to them and seem to care little if those extremes are manufactured of real. We use to watch all of the extreme cake, sugar, etc challenges on the Food network with an almost religious devotion. Now the most we do is DVR them and watch the last 5 minutes because we are sick of all of the manufactured drama.

This is the same for any collection hobby

The ones that goto extremes pretty much almost always compromise some part of their lives that other people without such passion for their hobby would seem as strange.

It doesn't matter if it's cars, dolls, toys, pinball, whatever... when you collect such things beyond what an average person may have lying around.. you end up either investing time, space, or money (or all three) well beyond what a random person may see as 'normal'.

Often people make compromises that impact them socially or how people perceive them. If you cover every inch of your home in Disney figurines... so much so that the house isn't good for anything but displaying figurines.. people are going to think you have a problem. If people's hobby get so obscessive it inhibits or prevents them from having meaningful relationships... people are going to see it as a problem. For many, over time this social seperation does have an impact their social skills or how they maintain themselves in terms of health, dress, hygiene, etc. It becomes a cycle that some fall into and the isolation feeds the cycle rather than try to break it.

Watch any documentary (not even reality TV) and when you get into the lives of these people no matter how nice and how sincere they are (they often are the most generous with helping others in their hobby!) the extremes often end up leading people to spirals including isolation and what looks like 'odd' behavior to the general population.

The best defense people have against this trap are family and significant others. It's those that are allowed to become isolated and stay within their world that tend to drift further and further away from the median of current society.

I mean.... I have 7 pinball games in my house. Many people would think that is excessive.. they are huge, they cost a lot of money, etc. But I have a basement I keep them in.. they haven't overran my house.. I'm not poor because of them... and I spend time with real people and not just my pinball machines. But in the same respect, I know other pinball collectors who are the opposite of all those things. Every foot in their house is a pinball game, they can't afford a car, they have no significant other, they have no close family, etc. They are very active in the pinball scene, and well known, but at home that is all they are. And it shows significantly.

Basically... what I'm saying is the things depicted are not TV fiction. Now often someone is not presented in the most positive light, and they focus on their 'oddities' instead of their positive values... but usually the oddities aren't made up Sensationalism in TV and media doesn't do much to help combat the stereotypes... but that's for individuals to demonstrate for or against. One must not take offense or raise concern that someone in their hobby has been shown as 'odd' and worry that will make them 'odd' by association. Every type of collector has this extreme.

For those misrepresented in media.. its tough. But that isn't limited to just collectors.. look at any business, accident, etc.

For the few very 'wierd' pinball collectors I know, I know many times over collectors that aren't social outcasts or who have compromised their whole living style because of it. But those eccentric ones are out there... and there has been documentaries covering them

Master Yoda said:

The same thing that was wrong with early 80's Epcot. It was classy, informative and made you think. Unfortunately, those are no longer selling points. People want extremes spoon fed to them and seem to care little if those extremes are manufactured of real. We use to watch all of the extreme cake, sugar, etc challenges on the Food network with an almost religious devotion. Now the most we do is DVR them and watch the last 5 minutes because we are sick of all of the manufactured drama.

Click to expand...

So true! I was the same way with the cake shows! Loved that stuff. Well, then my other issue was the fact that seeing the cakes made me crave cake more than I usually do and the midnight trips down to the kitchen to rummage for anything remotely cake-like were not a good thing....

I miss the old TLC & Discovery, shows that were more documentary than storyline. When hubby & I were first married we lived for Shark Week. Not so much anymore. :lookaroun

Still find good stuff on Nat Geo and some others. Just so sad the way even the "learning" networks are going. Less learning involved unless you want to learn poor behavior. :brick:




BTW, The Prosey's were on Anderson Cooper this morning and supposed to be on Ellen today. Anderson Cooper looks like it went well from what I'm reading on the forums online. He didn't exploit them as whackos. He kept it light and fun as did the Proseys which is what it's about. I'm guessing OAA (remember that parent corporation?) is onboard with the whole media thing. Pat & Joe presented Anderson with a lookalike soft-sculpture original Cabbage Patch dressed like him and with a hangtag displaying the Kid's name as "Anderson Cooper". That's a good sign. That Kid was obviously created for AC and was likely sent along with the Prosey's by OAA. It's not something that Pat or Joe did themselves. The hangtags attached to the clothing are pretty much the original "packaging" you get when you adopt one of the originals. There's no boxes. The paperwork is way more elaborate, too. They've done celeb look-alikes before for promotional purposes. Usually they get auctioned off for charity. I wonder if Joe & Pat will be presenting Ellen with a lookalike, too. I think chances are good. It's nice to see these talk shows not taking the negative, shock-value approach. They just lay it out there and let it be what it is: fun, imaginative, and a creative little escape. Now to just find a full snippet of the Anderson Cooper bit because I totally missed it! Grrrr!

flynnibus said:

I have 7 pinball games in my house.

Click to expand...

You have now caused me to reach a point of envy. Thanks a lot.

rsoxguy said:

You have now caused me to reach a point of envy. Thanks a lot.

Click to expand...

I have friends locally that have upwards of 25-30 in their basements. And these are just 'average guys'. The eclectic guys have like 300-500 games

The irony in what I said about having significant others to help protect against the downward spiral?

Know the most dramatic killers of great collections?? Divorce

I hear ya, Flynn, and I won't argue that there are people who go too far with their interests. However, that does not apply to these people. Seriously. they live in a normal house. Their collection is kept in a separate building. They don't isolate themselves within their interest. If anything, it's a social outlet unto itself. They travel about attending events at the "home" of the Cabbage Patch Kids throughout the year, have hosted more than 10 years of events at their home for friends made thru the common interest. Like I said, I have friends that I've "known" for 12 years all because of my collecting. I've traveled to other states to attend events and have a few friends within a few hours that I've gone to visit at their homes, 1 of them overnight on many occasions. My family is actually sorta "involved" in my collection, too. They've gone to the "home" of the CPKs many times with me and had a great time. We've traveled and visited other collectors' families making life-long friends. It's what you make of it, I think. Sure we could all sit home and surround ourselves with our polyester sculpted darlings but it's waaaaay more fun to take them places and share the fun. If you look at my Jan. '10 trip report in my signature, I took one to WDW with me and it was a blast! We all had a wonderful time talking with other families & CMs about my little cabbage. She was well-appreciated, for sure. Like I said, all what you make of it. For me & my friends, it's about the fun and enjoyment.

:wave:

flynnibus said:

I have friends locally that have upwards of 25-30 in their basements. And these are just 'average guys'. The eclectic guys have like 300-500 games

The irony in what I said about having significant others to help protect against the downward spiral?

Know the most dramatic killers of great collections?? Divorce

Click to expand...

I believe that my wife and I are about as solid in our marriage as we could possibly be. However, I would never allow her to take my baseball cards. By the way, would you like to trade a few cards of your choice for a pinball machine? I have thousands from which you can choose.

flynnibus said:

I mean.... I have 7 pinball games in my house...... But I have a basement I keep them in..

Click to expand...

Please tell me that this basement has black lights and fluorescent airbrushed murals on the wall.:lol:

Oh! Ya know, Flynn, an old discard pinball machine stripped of it's inner-workings but still outfitted with lights on the table top, leveled off, short legs added, no back display, then given a large plate-glass top extending beyond the edges would make a really awesome table. You could do a dining room table, a desk, a coffee table, etc. That would be so neat! I love to repurpose things! Like I sometimes find older soft-sculpture Cabbage Patch dolls (not the ones sold in boxes in stores) that are damaged or discarded and fix them up. I can clean them, apply blush coloring, and freckles. I can make the yarn hair. It's fun to recreate something awesome from something once considered junk. Ya know? When you can do that with your heart because it's what you're interested in it's all the more fun! :wave: