Month: January 2021

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
25^th 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 labelled 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 Shoe	Outfits they belong with
Ballet Flats	Some Cornsilk Series 2: Wacky and Layered Some 500s series outfit Some 800-815 series Regular kid outfits
Boots	Some Cornsilk Series 2: Wacky and Layered Some poseable kid outfits (transitional)
Chunky Sneakers	Designer Line Kids
Chunky Toddler Sneakers	Some toddlers; transitional and later Hasbro toddlers
Saddle Shoes	Some regular kid transitional outfits (800s) May have come on some later Designer Line Kids.
Weeboks	Blue 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.
Sandals	Splashin’ Kids
Slippers (matching)	BBB Outfits, toddler outfits, Splashin’ Kid outfits

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:

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.)

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.

25^th Anniversary Shoes

The 25^th 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.

.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