Happy Cabbie Halloween!
Month: October 2020
Lions, tigers, and . . .bunnies? Costume Sleepers
Well, this isn’t candy, but they’re still sweet!
Happy Halloween!
There are six costumes sleepers that were produced by Coleco.
Bear 
Rabbit 
Lamb/Sheep 
Lion 
Mouse 
Reindeer
These cute outfits came out in 1985 and were only sold separately packaged until . . .
. . . later, in 1986, as Coleco was clearing out stock, they could be found on boxed kids. (Ref#2, p. 90, Ref#4, 1986 Iss. 3, p.5)
They are two versions of each sleeper. The first set that came out had only the green Cabbage Patch Kids logo on the right breast. They were all made by the IJ factory in Korea. The second set also had an embroidered crest of their animal on the breast under the logo. These were made by the LF (China) and IJ (Taiwan) factories. The LF version of the second set is easier to find. I’m not even sure if IJ made all of the second set.
The ‘double tag’ seems to be the earliest. The square version is most likely the newer one. I am unsure why some were coded with a sticker.
Tag with sticker 
Double tag
The most obvious difference between the IJ and LF versions is the crest. On the IJ version, it is embroidered directly to the fabric. In the LF version, it is an applique that is glued on.
IJ crest 
LF applique
Spooktacular Video Up!
This was taped as part of the 2020 online Spooktacular Cabbie Event.
I discuss my project, my final goal, how you can help, and how it helps you. I then answer questions on a variety of topics including cornsilks, twins, factory codes, and more.
Spooktacular Session Part 1
Time and Topic Index:
3:00 – Explanation of clothing tags and clothing codes
5:30 – Variations in outfits
6:40 – Why this information is useful to you
7:50 – Ultimate goal of the project
9:15 – How you can help
10:40 – HTF kids and valuation – Why I don’t record this
11:50 – Disclaimer
21:40 – Tour of ‘Cabbie Closet’ and how I store clothing
19:05 – Accessories with codes
21:30 – Twins (more at 22:50)
24:40 – Specialty Kids
25:00 – Cornsilk outfits (more in Part 2)
28:20 – Glasses
28:25 – USA Outfits
Time and Topic index
0:00 – Button duck dresses
1:50 – HTF and Rare discussion continued
4:00 – Cornsilk and Homophone outfits continued
7:50 – How the numbers work, other matrices, and missing numbers
14:10 – Matching factory codes – dolls and clothes
18:00 – Codes on stickers (P, PMI, IC)
20:30 – Value and HTF discussion continued
24:20 – Defuzzing clothes (continues at 27:15)
25:00 – HTF BBB outfits from Thailand (Visit for updated information)
28:25 – How to search the blog (there’s a page too)
Preemie Outfit #11: Romper with Vest
What a dapper young man in his vest and cap!
1984 Preemie Clothing Series Summary
Description
This is a three-piece outfit. It comes with a one-piece short-sleeved romper that is white on top and patterned at the bottom, a sleeveless vest that matches the romper pattern and has two ties at the front, and (generally) a white cap.
Footwear: Regular shoes and socks
This outfit was most likely sold only from 1984 – 1985. Some packaged versions may have sold later than that.
Version Information
My goal is to find every version of every outfit that was produced. Below is a record of each version of this outfit that I have, up to the date indicated. To understand clothing codes, factories and variations, please refer to the suggested readings below.
Suggested readings: 1st Blog – Why do this project?, What are Clothing Tag Codes
If you have an outfit that is not recorded here or does not match my information, (e.g. you have a 11 B that is pink and white gingham, not green and white gingham) I would appreciate hearing from you. Information is best sent in the form of pictures. For details on the pictures required, jump to Taking Clothing Tag Pics.
Variations
> Mimic Outfit: #711 – This outfit is structurally identical to outfit #11 except that there are no ties on the vest. It doesn’t come with a bonnet but did come with knit booties instead of shoes and socks. Special thanks to Sarah Galt for first bringing this outfit to my attention.
> So far, the P and FD factory outfits have the clothing tag in the vest. The OK, WW, and SS factory outfits have the clothing tag in the romper.
> I have only one example where the hat is made of the same pattern fabric as the romper, an FD factory outfit. All the rest are plain white.
Preemie Outfit #10: One-Piece
A one-piece outfit that’s perfect for play time.
1984 Preemie Clothing Series Summary
Description
This is a two-piece outfit.
- One-piece outfit. It has a white yoke and sleeves while the remainder of the outfit is patterned, generally vertical stripes but not always. There’s lace around the yoke, sleeves, and leg holes. There is a small white ribbon bow in the middle bottom of the yoke.
- Bonnet. It is the same pattern as the majority of the outfit with a lace frill running inside the bonnet about 3″ back from the front edge.
Footwear: Regular shoes and socks
This outfit was most likely sold only from 1984 – 1985. Some packaged versions may have sold later than that.
Version Information
My goal is to find every version of every outfit that was produced. Below is a record of each version of this outfit that I have, up to the date indicated. To understand clothing codes, factories and variations, please refer to the suggested readings below.
Suggested readings: 1st Blog – Why do this project?, What are Clothing Tag Codes
If you have an outfit that is not recorded here or does not match my information, (e.g. you have a 10C P that is pink and white stripes, not purple and white stripes) I would appreciate hearing from you. Information is best sent in the form of pictures. For details on the pictures required, jump to Taking Clothing Tag Pics.
Variations
> There are differences in the lace based on the factory. The OK and WS factories used the same lace, but the SS lace used different lace on the one-piece but the same lace as the others on the bonnet.
> Mimic Outfit: # 710 – This outfit is almost identical to Preemie outfit #10. I cannot see any differences except that some may have come without the small bow. This came with knit booties I think, not shoes. I’m unsure as I do not have tags for those outfits.
> 25th Anniversary Preemie outfit: Appears almost identical to Preemie outfit #10. I have not handled the outfit and cannot observe any differences from a picture. This outfit is pink and white striped.
Happy Thanksgiving to my Cabbie Family
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving everyone! I have much to be thankful for this year ; your support and encouragement are near the top of the list. May you experience health and happiness with your family and friends (in whatever format is safe for you).
Part 2: The Code Addition
What did they add to the code and why?
As noted in Part 1: Tag Codes Continued: A 2nd Theory, I originally thought the first number of the code indicated the year the outfit came out.
E.g. 501 came out in 1985, 630 came out in 1986, 720 came out in 1987
This is true for some outfits, but not for all.
A lot of tags had #- in front of the code and I did not know what it meant, until now.
I believe that starting in 1986 and continuing until 1990, those tags with a #-, indicate the actual year the outfit came out. You can’t use the first digit of the code for these outfits.
This theory answers a few questions.
- It confirms that the first BBB series came out in 1986.
These outfits were among the first to be coded differently.
- Why would they put out a second series of BBB outfits in 1986?
They didn’t, the 670s – 680s series BBB outfits came out in 1987.
- Why are there no 1989 outfits with 900 numbers?
Because they put them all in the 100s! The 1989 Designer Line Kids, Sippin’ Kids, and all the transitional and package outfits that came out in 1989 are numbered 9- 1_ _. I have no idea why they chose to do this.
- What do the tags with 0- mean?
Following the pattern, these are outfits that came out or were slated by Coleco to be produced, in 1990. There are very few outfits with these codes, and all of them are Transitional Hasbro clothing tags. They may have been the last outfits designed by Coleco, or the first designed by Hasbro. Who knows.
Having said all that, not all the factories used this coding innovation equally.
Photos in 1 – 3 courtesy of Jodi’s Punk Patch.
Update: For more information about 0 – tags, and where they fit into the transitional period, see The Transitional Period – A Summary.
Why should you care . . . .
If you have an outfit that has an 8- before the code, you know that it belongs to a kid from 1988 or 1989, nothing earlier. If you have a BBB outfit that has 6- before the number, it has to go on a 1986 BBB kid. If you have an outfit with a 9- or a 0- , barring some exceptions, it could have come on a Coleco kid or a Hasbro kid as it is a Transitional Outfit.
Preemie Outfit # 9 -Romper with Bubble Bottom
The preemie version of the bubble romper with an adorable bonnet.
1984 Preemie Clothing Series Summary
Description
This outfit has two pieces.
- Romper. It has one pattern/colour at the top and a solid colour on the bottom. The bottoms and short sleeves are ‘bubbled’. There are lace caps at the shoulders. There is a waist ribbon that is attached at the back on both sides and then ties at the front.
- Bonnet. It has a very large lace ruffle that matches the sleeve caps. The colour matches the colour of the bottom half of the romper.
Footwear: Regular shoes and socks
This outfit was most likely sold only from 1984 – 1985. Some packaged versions may have sold later than that.
Version Information
My goal is to find every version of every outfit that was produced. Below is a record of each version of this outfit that I have, up to the date indicated. To understand clothing codes, factories and variations, please refer to the suggested readings below.
Suggested readings: 1st Blog – Why do this project?, What are Clothing Tag Codes
If you have an outfit that is not recorded here or does not match my information, (e.g. you have a 9B P that is green and white gingham, not pink with pink buds) I would appreciate hearing from you. Information is best sent in the form of pictures. For details on the pictures required, jump to Taking Clothing Tag Pics.
Variations
> So far, there are no observable differences between outfits produced at various factories.
> B-Series outfit: #B504 – Blouse with sleeve caps and bubble romper overalls and matching bonnet. Although it is a two-piece outfit, it looks like outfit 9 when on the dolls.
> Mimic Outfit: #Unknown – This outfit looks almost identical to Preemie outfit #9, except it has a white bow at the neck, no bonnet, and came with knit booties. I believe it is a 700s mimic preemie outfit (709 or 713), but I need clothing tag pictures to confirm this.
> 25th Anniversary Preemie outfit: This outfit appears almost identical to Preemie outfit #9 except I believe that the waist ribbon is attached and does not come undone. It only comes in pink.
