Cabbage Patch kids return

One of the biggest-selling toys of the 1980s - the ugly Cabbage Patch Kids -is staging a comeback.

Manufacturers are preparing a relaunch in the hope of repeating the success of their heyday.

The main selling point was that every doll was unique - with variations in clothing, head mould, eyes, hair colour and style. This will stay the same, with each model coming with its own name, 'birth date' and adoption oath to be recited by the owner.

The first Cabbage Patch Kids went on sale in the US in 1983 and sold 3million in the first 12 months.

More than 20million were snapped up the following year. Dolls are already on sale for £20 each and toy firm Play Along is preparing a major push in Britain and the US before Christmas.