BSeries Preemie Outfit #506 – Kitty PJ’s

Let your preemie curl up like a cat in this cute onesie.

Main graphic with mint green background and black text that says "BSeries Preemie outfit - B506 Kitty PJ's". there is also a peach version of the outfit on it.

B Series Preemie Outfits Summary

Description

This is a footed velveteen onesie. The yoke is coloured/patterned and quilted, with lace running along the bottom and a cat patch on the left breast. The feet are also coloured and have a pom-pom. There is an arched Cabbage Patch Kids patch on the left leg. It closes down the front with a long strip of Velcro.

Footwear: n/a

White version of outfit B506 with a red and white striped yoke and feet.
Photo courtesy of Kat Perhouse.

This outfit was sold only on dolls manufactured in 1985 and later.

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 B505D SS that is purple, not pink) 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 Preemie Outfit Series: #716 – Terry Cloth Preemie PJ’s. These are structurally the same as the Kitty PJ’s but have no cat patch, are not coloured at the feet, do not have pom poms, and, of course, are made of terry cloth.

Picture of outfit 715. It is pink with a white with pink rosebuds yoke.
Photo courtesy of Felisa Ruth Echevarria

> Outfit #136 – This outfit is structurally the same, except that the yoke has two bows, there is only a small square CPK patch on the left side, and it is made of cotton.

Picture of outfit 136. It is blue with white with blue rose buds at the yoke and feet. It has the water mark "Kat's CPK' on it.
Photo courtesy of Kat Perhouse.

> BBB Outfits – There are several terry-cloth BBB outfits that look very similar to this outfit.

CPK Shoes: An Overview and Links

Are these shoes CPK? What kids did they come on? Which shoes go with which outfit? Some answers to your CPK shoe questions . . . with more to come!

To find out more about a specific kind of footwear, click on the links included throughout.

Table of Contents

Factory labels on shoes
Shoe Type by Outfit (Summary List Here)
Exceptions
Cleaning Shoes
25th Anniversary Shoes (Play Along)
Aftermarket and Fakes
Jesmar Shoes

Edit: Lacing CPK Shoes

Factory labels on shoes

Almost all Coleco shoes produced between 1983 and 1986ish were labeled with the factory of manufacture inside by the heel. These shoes also said, Hong Kong, even after they were no longer manufactured there. It’s thought that they chose not to remake the molds. Specialty outfit shoes like clown shoes and cowboy boots are also factory marked.

Later, sometime around 1986 or 1987, they stopped putting the factory and HONG KONG inside the shoes. Instead, some say CHINA, some have just a number, and some are entirely blank. I believe that they showed up in that order but have no proof of it, except that the coloured toddler shoes have CHINA in them and the only coloured Mary Janes I’ve seen have nothing in them.

The numbers that can be found in the shoes are a mystery. I believe they are a mould number but again, I have no proof. A ‘pair’ of shoes do not need to have the same number.

.Shoe Type by Outfit

Cabbage patch kids came with various types and colours of footwear. The type of shoes that an outfit came with changed as time passed.

In 1983 and 1984 there were only four options. They were worn by regular kids and preemies. For more details on each type of shoe click on the links below.

  1. Regular ‘lace up’ shoes Part 1 & Part 2
  2. Mary Jane Shoes
  3. Sneakers
  4. knit booties

Information on which shoes went with which outfits in the 1983 Regular kids outfits, or the 1984 Preemie outfits are available on their individual posts.

Special Note: During the first few months of production, the kids manufactured in Hong Kong came out with shoes like those described above, but which had slightly different characteristics (at least long-time collectors think so). For details on how to identify Hong Kong Kid shoes go to each of the shoe types using the links near the top of this post. . Click here for a definition of Triple and Double Hong Kong Kids.

Starting in 1985, other footwear options became available, and three of the original four options began showing up in a rainbow of colours. The new options included:

Type of ShoeOutfits they belong with 
Ballet FlatsSome Cornsilk Series 2: Wacky and Layered
Some 500s series outfit
Some 800-815 series Regular kid outfits
BootsSome Cornsilk Series 2: Wacky and Layered
Some poseable kid outfits (transitional)
 
Chunky SneakersDesigner Line Kids 
Chunky Toddler SneakersSome toddlers; transitional and later Hasbro toddlers
Saddle ShoesSome regular kid transitional outfits (800s)
May have come on some later Designer Line Kids.
Transitional Poseable Kids (specifically the Cheerleader outfit)
 
WeeboksBlue Saddle Shoe Version – Coleco
Generally came hanging on the arm of Poseable kids. Some were wearing them.

White Toddler Version – Coleco
Generally, came as a second pair of shoes hanging off the kid’s arm. Some were wearing them.
 
SandalsSplashin’ Kids 
Slippers (matching)BBB Outfits, toddler outfits, Splashin’ Kid outfits, 25th Anniversary Preemies (only came in white) 

Most series did not come with only one type of footwear.
For example, the second series of Cornsilk outfits (Jump to Cornsilk Series 2: Wacky and Layered Pt. 1) came with the following:

  • #321  – Boots
  • #322 – Boots, almost all white
  • #323 – Boots
  • #324 – Boots
  • #325 – Ballet Flats
  • #326 – Boots

#327 – Ballet Flats
#328 – Boots
#329 – Ballet Flats
#330 – Ballet Flats
#331 – outfit unidentified
#332 – White Boots
#333 – Boots

Some outfits came with shoes that were unique to that outfit.

  • Talker Outfits
  • World Travelers (China, Holland, Russia, Spanish Boy)
  • Western Wear – brown boots
  • Astronauts – a sort of bootie
  • Circus Kids – clown shoes
  • Ringmaster – black boots
  • 600s PJ Series (slippers and booties)

Most of the early packaged outfits came with shoes, as did many of the packaged outfits that came with unique shoes (e.g., Western Wear). However, many packaged outfits, especially those sold after 1985, did not come with shoes included. Starting in 1985, shoes become available separately packaged with socks and other accessories. This continued until 1989.

.Exceptions (this is Coleco after all)

Like with other outfits, during transitional periods or when they were trying to get rid of excess product, occasionally you can find a MIB doll with the ‘wrong’ footwear. As long as the footwear was in production before the doll was issued, it could be a possible combination.

I have even recorded one example of a transitional regular kid wearing Hasbro Kissin’ Kid shoes!

Cleaning shoes

I clean shoes with a toothbrush and a bar of Sunlight Soap. Sticky shoes are cleaned with Magic Eraser or Bar Keeper’s Friend.

Marks made from markers, pens, and other such things that do not come out with regular cleaning can be treated with zit cream, just like a doll’s head.

Early shoes were made of the same type of vinyl as the doll heads. As such, they can get pox. They can be treated the same way as doll heads. (Videos about pox and treating pox are available here.)

The inside of a white regular, high top Cabbage Patch shoe in which you can see brown spots of 'pox'.

Shoes that are yellowed or discoloured can sometimes be treated by soaking in Polident (water-soluble, not toothpaste). I’ve found it often takes multiple soakings and doesn’t always work perfectly.

25th Anniversary Shoes

The 25th Anniversary kids came with regular shoes, Mary Jane’s, and sneakers. They are easy to distinguish as they have the Cabbage Patch logo and 1893-2008 on the bottom. The preemies came with these shoes or white slippers/booties with a white bow.

Picture of a pair of 25th Anniversary high top Cabbage Patch shoes. One shows the side and top, and the other is up on end, showing the bottom of the shoe.

.Aftermarket and Fake Shoes

There are MANY types of aftermarket CPK shoes. To learn more, jump here: Aftermarket Shoes.

Jesmar Shoes

All of the foreign factories produced CPK shoes. I do not have enough information to discuss most of them. For information on Jesmar shoes, visit Shoes: Jesmar Shoes

BSeries Preemie Outfit #505 – Teddy PJ’s

All ready for bed! What a cute set of Pajamas for a special overnight.

Main graphic with purple background and black text that says "b Series Preemie Outfit, B505-Teddy PJ's". There is also a picture of a preemie cabbage patch kid wearing a blue PJ set with pink accents and a teddy patch.

B Series Preemie Outfits Summary

Description

Cotton two pieces PJ’s – The top closes up the front and has a bow in the middle and one at the neck. The front closure, neck, and sleeve hems are all white. Coloured rick rack runs up either side of the front opening, and the left side has a teddy patch and an arched Cabbage Patch kids patch. The bottoms have footies and rick rack around them. The entire thing is the same colour.

Footwear: n/a

Set of light blue cotton PJ's consisting of a top and bottom. The accent rick rack is pink, the bows white. It has a teddy patch and a CPK patch.

This outfit was sold only on dolls manufactured in 1985 and later.

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 B505D OK that is purple, not pink) 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 Preemie Outfits: #715 – Plain cotton preemie PJ’s. The most obvious differences are the lack of a teddy patch and rick rack. In addition, there is only one bow at the neck.

Picture of a bald preemie wearing a mint green plain set of PJ's.
Photo courtesy of Donika Jordan.

PTP: An abundance of patterns – PMI swing dresses

There are more than two PMI swing dresses, like there should be. Just how many are there??

In general, there is one fabric pattern/colour per letter in an outfit code.

Occasionally, a factory used a second fabric of a different colour/pattern for a letter, presumably because the original fabric was no longer available. Typically, one of the colours/patterns is harder to find than the other, as it was used for a shorter amount of time.

For example, Twin outfits T3C – There is a burnt orange version and a burgundy version. It is believed that the burgundy version is the rarer version.

However, the PMI factory swing dresses take this to an extreme! I have identified both an S and a T version of the PMI swing dress, along with THREE other patterns. That means, at the very least, one letter used three different patterns!

I wonder how many other patterns they may have used? How many other outfits did this happen with? I’m constantly being surprised by exceptions like this one.

Head Mold Reference Page

Using my own collection, I have created a pictorial reference to the Coleco and Play Along head molds I have access to. It covers:

  • Regular Coleco Kids
  • Growing Hair Kids
  • Talking Kids
  • 25th Anniversary Play Along Kids
  • Regular Play Along Kids
  • Play Along Newborns

Head Mold Reference Page

Please feel free to reference it as you need. It can always be found in the PAGES list, on the right side of the website, under “Other Information Pages”.

Just a sample of the pictures.

BSeries Preemie Outfit #B504 – Bubble romper and blouse

This outfit is one of the finest among this series but it can be confusing to match the pieces.

Main title graphic with a picture of the outfit on it, in purple with hearts. The text is black and says "B Series Preemie Outfit, B504 - Bubble Romper and Blouse". The background is light blue.

B Series Preemie Outfits Summary

Description

This outfit consists of three pieces. The first is the cotton bubble romper with overall type top half. The overall bib has three horizontal ribbons running across the bottom and a bow on the right side. An arched Cabbage Patch Kid patch is on the right side of the bib as well. The second is a blouse with a single large ruffle at the shoulder. Finally, the bonnet matches the pattern/colour of the bottom of the bubble romper and is edged with lace.

Many of them are patterned and coloured in various shades of purple, making it difficult to make sure they actually go together.

Footwear: Regular white shoes and socks

Photo courtesy of Jodi Punki Patch.

This outfit was sold only on dolls manufactured in 1985 and later.

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 B504D SS that is not the same as mine) 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

> 1984 series preemie outfit #9, Bubble bottomed romper (one piece)  

> 700 – Series Mimic Preemie Outfit: This outfit is structurally the same but did not come with a bonnet and has no ribbon decoration. Instead, it comes with the arched CPK logo centred on the overall bib. In addition, the blouse is a solid colour with no shoulder ruffle.

Picture of a diamond gingham version of the romper with a plain white blouse underneath. The pattern is in light purple.

Note: I do not have the code for this outfit verified. If you have it, I would very interested in pictures!

> Outfit 135: This is a one-piece outfit that LOOKS like it is two pieces. There are no ribbon accents and no arched patch, only a small square CPK patch indicative of the later outfits. It comes in many different patterns and colours.

This outfit looks to be two pieces but is one piece. The bottom, shoulder ruffles, straps and neck are dark red, the bib is a vibrant blue and the 'blouse' sleeves and chest area are white with a pattern fo red, blue and green objects.
Photo courtesy of Jodi’s Punki Patch.

BSeries Preemie Outfit B503 – Fancy gown with hooded blanket (that ties)

Very similar to preemie outfit #3, this one is fancier and much harder to find!

Title graphic with a picture of a doll wearing the outfit adn the text "B Series Preemie Outfit, B503 - Fancy Hooded Blanket and Gown". It has a mint green background.

B Series Preemie Outfits Summary

Description

This outfit consists of a cotton gown with a high-low bottom and matching blanket. There is a line of lace down the middle front of the gown and at the neck and armholes. The bottom has a single line of lace around the front and a double set that is visible from the front, running along the back half. There is an arched Cabbage Patch Kids patch on the right breast.

It comes with a matching cotton blanket that has a lace-edged hood sewn into it. The lace around the hood area is very large. The hood can be tied closed around the doll’s neck with two ribbons. The blanket is edged with lace and can also be tied around the doll’s waist with white ribbons.

Footwear: Knit booties

Picture of a preemie with lemon looped tuft and green eyes wearing a purple version of the outfit. It is sitting on a couch.

This outfit was sold only on dolls manufactured in 1985 and later.

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 B503G SS that is pink, not purple) 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

> 1984 Series outfit #3 Gown with a hooded blanket 

Other Information

> Although I do not have enough of these outfits recorded, I think there may be variations in lace and structure between factories.

PTP: Bountiful Blue (windbreakers)

Do you have a kid wearing a blue windbreaker outfit? Wouldn’t be surprised if the answer was YES! There are so many of them . . . so how do yo know that you’ve got yours paired correctly? Find out!

The #10 Windbreaker Outfit, from the original 1983 series, has been one of the hardest to get concrete information on for various reasons:

  1. The outfit is easily mixed up. If it is not MIB or the owner can confirm they took the kid out of the box and never redressed the kid, I can’t be positive that it all came together.
  2. The shirt (the tagged piece of the outfit) is often the same colours across different outfits! For example, numerous shirts are ‘blue and white striped’, but they are actually from different outfits.
  3. Factory variation means that I think there are more outfits with a certain colour of jacket than there really are.

Finally,
4. Numerous outfits have similarly coloured jackets! Actually, that isn’t the case. I only have one colour recorded, other than blue, that is used for more than one outfit, pink (baby pink and deep rose). However, blue is enough of a problem!

Blue windbreakers are a pain

It has taken a while, but I have identified three different outfits that have blue windbreakers AND most also have blue and white striped shirts. The ONLY differences are in the shade of blue!

Without having the jackets beside each other, the colour differences are hard to see. At least the ‘blue and white striped shirts are tagged so that if you know the outfit code, you can find the right jacket!

However, that might not hold completely true. I only have one example of each outfit, and for G and H, I have only IJ (Korean factory) versions that came packaged. I do not have Primary Factory versions recorded, so there could be additional variations in jacket colour by factory.

The striped shirts don’t help

The blue and white striped shirts do not help matters much! Not only do two of the three outfits have a blue and white shirt, so do at least THREE other outfits!

10A has a blue and white striped shirt with a RED jacket.

10T (PMI) has a blue and white striped shirt, but I do not know the colour of the jacket (could be another blue one).

#100 – This mimic outfit has a blue and white stripe shirt and red jacket; however, there are visible differences.

To determine if you have an outfit that I need to record, please visit the #10 Windbreaker Outfit post to see my most up-to-date record. Now, what are you waiting for . . . go check out all those windbreaker outfits you have to make sure they match properly!