Hilary's Cabbage Patch Clothes Closet
Learning about 1980's Cabbage Patch Kid clothing.
May your kids get all the candy they can eat!
These lovely outfits were all made by Holly Walls. The ghosts even glow in the dark! The girls are loving them and the candy of course.
May your kids get all the candy they can eat!
Happy Halloween!
Coleco kept your kid in step with the current fashions of the 80’s by offering gorgeous (and warm) fur outfits. Is yours a CPK original, or an aftermarket attempt?
If you have an ‘unidentified’ fur, there are four options:
This specialty line didn’t have different head moulds, hairstyles, gimmicks or anything else related to the doll that was different. The only difference was the fur outfit they wore over top of their ‘regular’ clothes and shoes.
Sold in late 1984 and into 1985, these kids were ONLY sold in Canada. They came standing up in a box with a blue liner, a regular Canadian birth certificate, and hand-tag. When they first came out, Coleco advertised them as ‘standing kids’, which they weren’t! Some collectors were rather upset at the deception. Although they sold well in the beginning, sales trailed off quickly which was ironic, as these fur outfits were one of the only truly limited edition items that Coleco ever produced! (Ref #5, p. 63) By Oct 1987, they were already considered rare by collectors. (Ref #4, p. 3)
These dolls had head moulds #1 to #5. (Ref #5, p. 83) and came wearing a regular 1983 series outfit and shoes; however, over top was a fur coat, fur booties, and either a fur headband or a fur hat. As the fur pieces are not tagged in ANY way, we have no idea which factory produced them, and they are easy to confuse with aftermarket or homemade fur outfits.
They came in four different fur patterns. The Canadian Beaver outfit had a hat and came on boys. The Canadian Lynx, Silver Fox, and Timber Wolf patterns came with headbands and came on girls.
The outfits also came separately packaged, but again, they were only sold in Canada.
Eventually, like the Fun Furs below, these were found on twins when Coleco was getting rid of inventory. However, this was very rare. You’re a lot more likely to find Fun Furs on a twin set than Coutour Furs. Visit The Perfect Mismatch (Matching Pt. 2) for more details. (Ref#3, p.103)
(Ref#3, p. 102 & 103, Ref#2, p.68)
Fun Furs started showing up on store shelves in 1985 and, originally, only came separately packaged. They were made by the SW factory in Korea.
These furs are easy to identify as they are lined with CPK Logo patterned silk and have a large label at the neck that says Fun Fur. Each outfit came with a coat and either a headband or earmuffs. These outfits were intended only for girls, none were designed for boys.
Although there are only six displayed on the back of the box, I think they produced more than that. I have recorded outfits that aren’t in the picture, and I can’t find the dark grey version that is in the picture. Here’s what I have recorded so far:
Eventually, like with so many other specialty outfits, in order to get rid of unsold inventory, Fun Furs were put on Twin sets. It is believed that most of them were sold on Canadian Twin sets. For more details on the inventory sell-off, visit The Perfect Mismatch (Matching Pt. 2).
There were a large number of CPK sized fur outfits produced by other companies during the 80s and early 90s. Some even tried to duplicate the label inside the coat. Here are some examples.
Talented seamstresses also tried their hand at creating these delightful additions to a CPK’s wardrobe. Many used Butterick pattern #374, which was later re-released as #6984.
The smallest of the Coleco kids, Babies have a wide range of adorable outfits to choose from! Find out about BBB’s, their clothing and its care.
General Information
BBB Pacifiers
BBBs and Vinyl Discolouration (Pox)
BBB Clothing Series Summary List
Twin BBB Outfit
BBB or Preemie . . . that is the question
Transitional and Hasbro Outfits
Care of BBB outfits
These 11” dolls were called Babies by Coleco, but most collectors call them Beany Butt Babies or BBB for short. They are the smallest of the Coleco dolls and have bags of ‘beans’ in their bum or tummy. If the bag is in the bum, there is stuffing on top at the neck.
Babies were manufactured by Coleco from 1986 – 1989 and then by Hasbro until 1992. (Ref. #2, p. 14) Early accounts indicate that they sold very well (Ref. #4, May 1986, p.5)
Babies’ boxes are quite different from the other Coleco boxes. The doll itself is laid down on its side, so the box is longer than it is tall. The look of the boxes, where the birth certificate was displayed, and the look of the birth certificate changed over time.
Babies were made predominately by the WS and SS factories. I have seen only two BBBs that were made by the P factory. This may have been a factory mistake, but I have no way of knowing.
Coleco made bald Babies with head moulds 1,3,4, and 6. (Ref. #1, p. 97)
Hasbro later used additional head moulds for their kids. Some of their kids had tufts of hair and they had a wider variety of eye colours and skin tones.
Keep in mind that as Hasbro took over from Coleco some rather strange combinations of kids, outfits and boxes occured. For more information visit Transitional Period CPK Outfits – A Summary.
The pacifiers used by BBBs are significantly different from the original yellow pacifiers. They are made of softer vinyl and are generally translucent. They have a flatter ring for the hand, and the projection for the mouth is shaped differently.
The early pacifiers were the same yellow colour, but later pacifiers came out in a wide variety of colours to match the doll’s outfit. Like the originals, they are marked with the factory, but it is on the flat disc portion. These pacifiers are also used for some transitional Toddlers and for Hasbro Preschoolers.
Finally, Furskin pacifiers look similar to BBB pacifiers, but the mouth protuberance is larger in diameter.
Unfortunately, early SS factory kids are very likely to have developed or to develop vinyl discolouration. They have the dubious honour of being known as the worst for this, as the type of pox they get is generally darker and often more prolific than P factory kids.
BBB pacifiers, because they are made of vinyl, can also get pox. Unfortunately, zit cream treatment doesn’t seem to work very well on them.
For details on vinyl discolouration and how to treat it, visit Hilary’s How-to Videos.
There’s a large catalogue of BBB outfits that were created from 1986 to 1989+.
A: 1986 Knit Series Pt 1. (#191 – 199)
B: 1986 Knit Series Pt. 2 (#200 – 204)
C: 1987 Knit and Terry Series (670s – 680s)
D: Bunting Bag Series (#778 – 781) FUTURE POST
E: 1988 Series (850s 0- 860s) FUTURE POST
F: 1989 100s Series (#100 – 109) FUTURE POST
G: Random BBB packaged outfits, 1989 (#129 – 133) FUTURE POST
H: Random 400s Outfits (#400, #401, #404) FUTURE POST.
There is one very special knit BBB outfit that doesn’t have a regular code. You can learn more about it at PTP: The Twin Outfit That Isn’t
In general, we can say that if the outfit has footies, it’s a BBB outfit. However, a few of the transitional preemie outfits did have footies. So, if it seems too big for your BBB, it may be because it’s actually a preemie outfit. For information on preemie outfits, visit Preemie Outfits – An Overview.
Hasbro manufactured Babies until 1992, and the transitional period (1989-1991) BBB clothing is very interesting. Although Hasbro did start to manufacture their own outfits, they also continued to produce some of the Coleco outfits for a time.
There’s evidence that they intended to take some of the Coleco outfits and make them their own. For example, outfit 682 is almost the same as outfit 400. Why are there two of the same outfit? Because outfit 682 is the original Coleco one, and outfit 400 is the one Hasbro created.
Initially, it appears that Hasbro was going to continue coding their outfits but later changed their mind. Outfit 400 was created during this brief period. Instead of using the original Coleco code, they gave it a new one in the 400s. The outfits themselves are almost identical. The biggest difference is in the hat; one has a large fold-over, and the other does not.
Some Hasbro outfits have tags, generally transitional ones, but most don’t have a tag. In this way, we can determine if an outfit is Coleco or Hasbro, even if they look identical.
The majority of BBB outfits are knit or terry cloth. Both of these fabrics should be hand washed to reduce damage to the fibres/yarn. I also suggest that before washing, you put small pieces of Velcro on the ‘sticky’ Velcro pieces to stop new pulls or damage from developing in the wash.
They can be soaked in oxi-clean and washed with regular laundry detergent. I suggest hanging knit outfits to dry.
You can also bring them back to life by ‘defuzzing’ them. A sweater shaver works well for most outfits. You may find you need to do the edges or decorations by hand with your ‘defuzzing’ scissors.
Your sweater shaver will also work on the cotton-based outfits as it will remove the pills and pulls.
For more information on defuzzing outfits visit, Hilary’s How to Videos.
The last of the 500s series outfits, this jogging suit is perfect for enjoying the outdoors or just lounging around the house. Kids can be comfortable anywhere!
Summary of 500s Series outfits and a list of the outfits: The 500s Series
This outfit consists of a cotton shirt and pants. The shirt has a solid colour tank top style section and a second colour for the sleeves and neck. There is an arched Cabbage Patch Kids patch on the chest. The bottom hem of the shirt feels thinner and less ‘finished’ than the other hems.
The pants are in two sections. The top half is a third solid colour and has a sort of ruffle at the bottom. They look a bit like shorts. The remainder of the leg is the same colour as the sleeves.
This outfit came exclusively on dolls designated as being a ‘boy’.
This outfit came with blue striped sneakers.
Coleco started selling this outfit in 1985. It likely ended production no later than sometime in 1986. If it is found later on a kid or in a package, it’s likely because the company was using up old stock.
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. To understand clothing codes, factories, and variations, please refer to these posts: 1st Blog – Why do this project?, What are Clothing Tag Codes?, Factories and Companies
If you have an outfit that is not recorded here, I would like to hear from you. Information is best sent in the form of pictures. For details, visit Taking Clothing Tag Pics.
It appears that some of the shirts may have come with more than one pair of overalls. This is a problem because it’s the shirts that have the information tag. This could mean that there’s more than one version of some letters. (FB Conversation, May 2020)
Although this outfit was produced by at least three different factories, I cannot find any obvious factory variations.
#8 – 31 Track Suit: Although it does not look very similar it is very easy to confuse the pants for this outfit with the pants for outfit 518. In some cases, it almost looks like they could be swapped out!
> Fun fact: Prototype versions of this outfit can be found in the 1985 Coleco Catalogue, p. 4 and the JC Penny Christmas Catalogue, p. 4. The blue, grey, and white version was never produced; however, the red, gold, and teal version looks a lot like the PMI outfit! In addition, they have iron-on transfers, not embroidered patches for the logos.
One of the more popular and most frequently replicated boys outfits, these overalls look cute on almost any kid! Who wouldn’t want to have their stuffie friend on their overalls!?
Summary of 500s Series outfits and a list of the outfits: The 500s Series
This outfit consists of a t-shirt and a pair of overalls. The shirt always has a striped pattern. The overalls are a solid colour with differently coloured piping around the bib, buttons, and leg cuffs. It also has a large brown teddy bear patch with the Cabbage Patch Kid logo on the tummy, in the middle of the chest. This outfit came exclusively on ‘boy’ dolls.
This outfit came with blue striped sneakers.
Coleco started selling this outfit in 1985. It likely ended production no later than sometime in 1986. If it is found later on a kid or in a package it was likely because the company was using up old stock.
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. To understand clothing codes, factories, and variations, please refer to these posts: 1st Blog – Why do this project?, What are Clothing Tag Codes?, Factories and Companies
If you have an outfit that is not recorded here, I would like to hear from you. Information is best sent in the form of pictures. For details, visit Taking Clothing Tag Pics.
It appears that some of the shirts may have come with more than one pair of overalls. This is a problem because it’s the shirts that have the information tag. This could mean that there’s more than one ‘version’ of some letters. (FB Conversation, May 2020)
Given the large patch on the chest of this outfit, it’s very hard to confuse it with any other outfit. However, if the shirt is separated from the overalls, they could potentially be confused with shirts from other outfits; however, as these shirts are always tagged, so the confusion would be short-lived.
> This outfit is one of the most popular 500s outfits. Consequently, it has been replicated by many talented seamstresses. A pattern has even been created and is available from Diana’s Patch on Etsy. Handmade overalls can be ordered (at the time of this update) from Originals By Sue.
Brazil outfit made by Dianne’s Cabbage Patch Finery (custom order) and the others were made by Leanne Tattersall.
> The red overalls (517?) are generally considered very hard to find.
> Fun fact: A prototype version of this outfit can be found in the 1985 Coleco Catalogue (p. 3, 16). The shirt isn’t striped like the final version, but the overalls are quite similar!
Happy Thanksgiving Canada! Our patch is very thankful for all our cabbie friends.
Caelum, Seiko, Ella, Simone, Evander, and Katie have chosen their donations for our local food bank. We’re very thankful for all that we have and they wished to share. Please remember your local food bank during this holiday and those to come.
I am very thankful for all the wonderful friends that this blog has allowed me to find. It has truly been a blessing in my life. Thank you.
These babies are ready for a wonderful fall day! Windbreakers, sneakers, and leaves – a great combination!
Summary of 500s Series outfits and a list of the outfits: The 500s Series
This outfit consists of a t-shirt, a jacket and pants. The t-shirt is white cotton with an arched Cabbage Patch Kids patch front middle. The pants are pin-striped cotton. The jacket is made of windbreaker material with a zipper at the front. The main jacket is one colour and the inserts across the chest and on the sleeves are two other colours.
This outfit was sold on dolls identified as boys.
This outfit came with blue striped sneakers.
It is believed that the outfit did not start being manufactured until 1986, instead of 1985 like most of the others in this series. Consequently, it has a shorter manufacturing time and is harder to find. There’s no known explanation for this. For details, refer back to the summary post. Generally, this outfit came out on kids, but it can also be found packaged. This was likely done during the ‘inventory clean out’ that happened later.
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. To understand clothing codes, factories, and variations, please refer to these posts: 1st Blog – Why do this project?, What are Clothing Tag Codes?, Factories and Companies
If you have an outfit that is not recorded here, I would like to hear from you. Information is best sent in the form of pictures. For details, visit Taking Clothing Tag Pics.
This outfit was made by the KT and OK factories. I have not recorded one instance where an outfit was made by both factories. I can not see any difference between the outfits made at the KT factory and those made at the OK factory.
#10 Windbreaker Outfit: This is part of the 1983 series and was likely the inspiration for this outfit. The major differences include a sold coloured shirt and jeans, not cotton pants.
Packaged windbreaker Outfit – I do not have code information recorded for this outfit. It’s likely from the transitional 100s series.
> Fun fact: A prototype version of this outfit can be seen in the 1985 Coleco Catalogue (p. 4). Although very similar, the shirt has a larger transfer on it rather than the usual embroidered patch.
Although many Hong Kong outfits are exactly the same as their later counterparts, there are some differences. What are they?
Cabbage Patch Kids were produced in Hong Kong for a short time before production was moved to mainland China. This seems to be well known, but no sources I can find tell us exactly when production moved or how long it lasted in Hong Kong.
Dolls produced in Hong Kong are generally considered to be of higher quality with thicker hair, nicer complexions, and well-made clothes. A double Hong Kong kid has “Made in Hong Kong” on both their neck and their body tag. A triple Hong Kong kid also has it on their clothing tag. For pictures, visit here.
When production shifted to China, it seems that the factories were able to continue acquiring most of the materials they had been using in Hong Kong, but not all. For some outfits, there are some clear differences between the Hong Kong version and the later Chinese one.
In most cases, the differences are slight. The pattern may be slightly different, or the colour is a shade darker.
In other cases, there are extreme differences that make these outfits stand out. In each of these cases, we cannot definitively attribute the difference to being a Hong Kong outfit. These could also be VERY early outfits that came before the final version was decided upon. However, in each case (except the Ducky Dress), I do not have any examples of HK outfits that do not carry these characteristics. Do you?
Button Ducky Dresses: Early Hong Kong Ducky Dresses came with buttons, not Velcro closures, and are structurally different. Visit #11 Ducky Dress for details.
Hong Kong Jean Rompers: The only example of an HK version of this outfit that I’ve seen came with metal fasteners, unlike the later plastic buttons.
Hong Kong Ruffled Overalls: I’ve seen only two HK examples of this outfit, and both came with metal snap closures, not plastic buttons, at both the straps and the inside leg seam.
Hong Kong Striped Jogging Suits: I’ve seen only two HK versions of this outfit, both owned by the same person, who bought them from two different people. Both tops (which have the HK tag) have small patches on the collar. We can assume they weren’t attached by the previous owners as this would be a highly unlikely coincidence. So, is this specific to HK versions of this outfit? More examples are needed to know.
Finally, and just to make things even more complicated, there may have been factory differences amongst Hong Kong outfits! These two early Ducky Dresses, both marked 11D, are from different factories and are obviously different colours.
Interestingly, outfits with clear buttons are also considered to be ‘early’ and were only produced in 1983. Clear buttons were used on HK outfits, but clearly not all of them. When did they switch to clear buttons on outfits like the Ruffled Overalls and Jean Romper? For details on the button debate visit Beneficial Buttons.
Do you have any HK outfits that are slightly different than their later counterparts?
A gift of quick links to help with your searches . . . I hope they help!
I’ve added a list of shortcuts to the sidebar. It’s a list of all the series summaries that have been done so far. The idea’s that looking at pictures of the outfits should make finding yours easier.
I will update the quick links list as a series gets added. I hope it helps those of you searching!
For more ideas about how to find information in this blog, visit How to Search this Blog
P.S. Sorry it took so long for this post to come up. I had to learn how to create a new menu. WordPress ‘legacied’ my old one!
