This outfit consists of a short sleeve romper with no legs and a white cotton cap. The romper has a white cotton yoke with a white peter pan collar and two white buttons. The sleeves are also white cotton. The rest of the outfit is another solid colour and is either cotton or corduroy.
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.
If you have an outfit that is not recorded here or does not match my information, (e.g. you have a 13A P that is pink, not vivid blue) 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
> As the chart clearly shows, all the P factory outfits are made of corduroy. The rest are all cotton.
> There are some colour differences between the CC (Taiwan) elephant patches and the others. Refer to the picture.
Part 2: Information specific to each embroidered patch (applique) used on CPK outfits.
Please read all of this as if someone was saying “At this point . . . .”, as further information may change these results over time.
For information on any of the outfits mentioned here, jump to the 1983 Series Summary
Teddy Bear Patch
Correct Outfit(s): Sleeper (#2) & Cord Outfit (#5). Most frequently ‘incorrectly’ found on: Elephant rompers (#7), Kitty Track Suits (#6) It has also been found on: Ducky Dress (#11), Bib Dress (#15) (only once)
The Sleeper patches have a yellow and gold colour scheme, whereas the patches on the Corduroy Suit have a brown and dark beige colour scheme.
Sleeper PatchCord Patch
Both versions of the patch were used as ‘incorrect patches on other outfits, but I have a higher percentage of the lighter ones recorded as used in this way.
The Taiwanese factory patches also come in both light and dark, but their patches are generally much darker in colour.
Light coloured bear courtesy of Lynne Finley.
Cat Patch
Correct Outfit: Kitty Track Suits (#6), Most frequently ‘incorrectly’ found on: Ducky Dress (#11) It has also been found on: no other outfits It has NOT been found on: Sleeper (#2), Cord Suit (#5), Elephant Romper, (#7), Bib Dress (#15)
There appear to be two versions of this patch. One has a light-coloured outline and the other a dark outline. There does not seem to be any pattern as to when a factory uses the light or the dark version.
Once again, the only exception is the USA patch. Although there is a USA patch that looks like the others (where the face is badly rendered), another version has a green mouth, black eyes and pink whiskers.
2nd picture is courtesy of Sarah Bennette-Renaud.
Elephant Patch
Correct Outfit: Elephant Romper (#7) Most frequently ‘incorrectly’ found on: none stand out at this time It has also been found on: Kitty Track Suits (#6), Sleeper (#2), Cord outfit (#5) It has NOT been found on: Ducky Dress (#11), Bib Dress (#15) UPDATE: An elephant has been found on a bib, but no details are available on if it’s original or had been added later.
Each factory seems to have produced both a light outline and a dark outline version.
There are two types of trunks, one S-shaped and one C-shaped.
S-shapedC-shaped
The C-shaped trunk has only been found on TSU and OK outfits with the ‘incorrect’ patch (as in, not Elephant Rompers). These OK patches are also lighter than most of the other OK patches. Interestingly, they are also found on aftermarket outfits. Jump to Plentiful Patches Part 1 for more information.
Duck Patch
Correct Outfit: Ducky Dress (#11) Most frequently ‘incorrectly’ found on: Elephant Romper (#7) & Cord outfit (#5) It has also been found on: Sleeper (#2), Bib Dress (#15) It has NOT been found on: Kitty Track Suit (#6)
There appears to be little variation in the appearance of the duck patches. The only differences I can see are in the colour of the thread used to make the feet and bill. Some thread is slightly darker than others.
Giraffe Patch
Correct Outfit: Bib Dress (#15) Most frequently ‘incorrectly’ found on: none stand out at this time It has also been found on: Kitty Track Suits (#6), Cord outfit (#5), Ducky Dress (#11), Elephant Romper (#7) It has NOT been found on: Sleeper (#2)
This patch does not seem to have been used ‘incorrectly’ very often but has been found on almost all the ‘patch’ outfits.
There do not appear to be many factory variations in the appearance of this patch. However, this is very difficult to determine, as bibs are very easy to switch from outfit to outfit. P factory giraffes may have slightly darker dots than the OK factory giraffes.
OK factoryP factory maybe
The only exceptions I’ve found are the USA patch and the TP patch. The USA patches look significantly different with gold edging, a silver tail, and red body dots versus the OK giraffes with orange edging, a yellow tail, and beige dots. The TP patches have very dark orange outlines and very dark spots. The tail is a dark golden yellow and sticks up.
USA PatchTP Patch; Courtesy of Julie Simms Day
Bunny Patch
As noted in Part 1, this patch is very rare. I have only recorded it on Kitty Track Suits (#5), Elephant Rompers (#7), and Ducky Dresses (#11) so far. I have seen it in yellow, red, and blue.
Sheep Applique
As noted in Part 1, this patch is very rare. I have only recorded it on bib dresses. I have seen it in white, yellow, and red. I have three instances of this patch on early Coleco outfits, and one (in red) on a Tsukuda outfit. At this time I have only found it being used by the OK factory.
The 1983 regular kids clothing series uses the cutest patches, but it’s like holiday elves lived in the factory! Sometimes the patches aren’t on the outfits they’re supposed to be!
Informative Note: It turns out I’ve been using the wrong word to describe these things. I have no idea where I learned applique, but they’re actually patches.
Embroidered patch: a piece of embroidery that is created by using a fabric backing and thread. They can be attached with a pin, sewn on, or affixed with more modern methods such as iron-on, dryer heat-activated adhesive, and velcro backing. (Ref) Applique: ornamental needlework in which pieces fabric in different shapes and patterns are sewn or stuck onto a larger piece to form a picture or pattern. (Ref)
There are 6 or 7 PATCHES that were used on six of the 1983 Regular series Coleco outfits.
Each of the outfits that came with a patch generally came with a specific patch on it.
However, occasionally, the patch found on an outfit isn’t the ‘correct’ one. No one is quite sure why this happened, but here are a few theories:
During production, they ran out of the ‘correct’ patch and just grabbed whichever one was closest at hand and used it.
It was done intentionally, for reasons unknown.
Some of the ‘incorrect’ patches may have been replacements for those that had fallen off. However, as so many MIB kids with incorrect patches have been found, this cannot explain all of them.
As button ducky dresses and outfits with transparent buttonshave been located with ‘incorrect’ patches, this practice must have started quite early in production.
The majority of the ‘incorrect’ patches I have recorded are on OK outfits, with a scattering on P outfits. I have only one Taiwanese factory outfit recorded with an incorrect patch, an AX outfit. The rarity of this find can also be attributed to the fact that Taiwanese clothing is not as abundant as China factory clothing.
The ‘Foreign’ Patches
Some of the patches engender questions. The bunny patch and the sheep patch are greatly questioned.
BunnySource of the Bunny picture unknown. Lamb picture courtesy of Cathleen Mary.
I’ve found this patch on early 1983 and 1984 kids, both examples on outfit 15J OK. It has also been seen on a Tsukuda . (Jan 2023)
Courtesy of Holly Spencer.
Almost all the bunny and sheep patches have been found on OK outfits; only one has been found on an AX outfit. It would appear that both have an East Asian influence in look and/or use. Although they appear to be legitimately CPK, the bunny, at least, can also be found on aftermarket outfits.
Courtesy of Callie Anne
As noted above, this does not preclude the outfits from being genuine CPK. There’s evidence of aftermarket outfits using ‘genuine’ CPK patches. For example, this Sunshine Kids outfit, produced by Playmates, has an elephant patch.
Courtesy of Holly Van Warcup
Both the Shilllman Company and Playmates manufactured their toys in Hong Kong (Ref), the same place Coleco could have acquired their patches from. It appears that more than one toymaker used the same supplier!
Interestingly, all of the elephant patches on ‘incorrect’ outfits (aka not Elephant Rompers) have a trunk shape that matches the trunk shape of the Tsukuda and aftermarket outfit patches.
Could all these elephants have come from the same supplier? Maybe the elephants on the ‘incorrect’ outfits were a last-minute order or ordered when their regular supplier ran out. Jump to Part 2 for details
S-shaped trunkC-shaped trunkCoutresy of Shelbie N Gregory and Jenna Kate Parrington.
Either way, the bunny parch is rare on CPK outfits and the sheep patch even more so.
I have never seen an ‘incorrect’ patch on this outfit. This is likely because either by the time it was being produced, they had found a way to stop this problem, or because it was being produced with other preemie clothes, none of which used patches. This meant there were no other patches to draw from if they ran out. Interestingly, all the outfits that I have recorded have the S-shaped trunk patch; none use the C. This strengthens the argument that the C-shaped trunk patches were ‘secondary’ to the S-shaped ones.
Thank you to all those who have sacrificed to keep my cherished friends and family safe and healthy.
Thank you to all those who have sacrificed so that I might live my life as I choose, safe and healthy. Thank you to all those who have sacrificed to keep my cherished friends and family safe and healthy. Thank you. Lest we forget.
There are three pieces to this outfit, and it is made of terry cloth (well most are). The entire outfit is one solid colour except for the underside of the beak of the bonnet and the accents on the bunny top.
The top has a bunny head on the front, which acts as a pouch. The features are done in coloured thread.
Most versions of this outfit were most likely sold only from 1984 – 1985. Some packaged versions may have sold later than that, and the Jesmar versions appeared in 1987 (Refer below).
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.
If you have an outfit that is not recorded here or does not match my information, (e.g. you have a 12D OK that is pink, not yellow, 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
> Jesmar Preemie outfits: There are three versions of this outfit that came out in early to middle 1987 (Ref#4, 1987, Iss. 9, p.4) and came only on what are called Jesmar Preemie. They are velveteen and the only versions of this outfit made in a fabric other than terry cloth. For more information, visit here.
> The bunny face and details of the outfits vary slightly by factory.
The OK factory outfits are very distinctive. The ears are tacked up with an almost invisible stitch, the mouth is badly zig-zagged, the eyes are oval-shaped, and the ears are folded ‘in’ not flat ‘out’.
The P and SS outfits have round eyes, ear folded ‘out’ not ‘in’, and the ears are tacked up with a distinctive stitch.
The WS outfits look a lot like the P and SS outfits except the top of the are sewn all the way across, not just held on by a stitch.
OK DetailsP DetailsSS DetailsWS Details
> Mimic Outfit:25th Anniversary Preemie version – This outfit came out only in white with blue accents. The most noticeable difference is the beak of the hat, which is patterned on the bottom and on top. It is likely that the back closure only extends halfway down, but I have not seen it to know for sure.
