Career
His story begins by placing him near the American Folk art movement of the late 1970s, Roberts observed techniques involving the making of dolls from various materials. Influenced by the quilts that his mother made, he began experimenting with a quilted doll. After much experimentation, Roberts created a type of doll he called "Little People".
Roberts and a small group of friends began to travel from state to state in the southeastern United States. attending various folk art exhibitions.
At these exhibitions, Roberts began selling these handcrafted dolls he called "babies". Going into business as Original Appalachian Artworks, Incorporated., Roberts started producing Little People in his hometown of Cleveland, at a converted medical clinic, which he rechristened "Babyland General Hospital".
The Little People evolved by 1982 into Cabbage Patch Kids, which quickly became a major toy fad. In 1984 alone, 20 million dolls were bought, and by 1999, 95 million had been sold worldwide.
Roberts would later create a series of country-inspired toy bears called the Furskin Bears.
