These outfits were made in Thailand . . .what the heck? (Extensive revisions made Nov 2021)
Courtesy of Sarah Ransom
So far I have found six different outfits that have the AF factory and were Made in Thailand, all of them 1986 BBB outfits. The outfits in the 190s have the AF factory label, the 200s outfits do not. I’m not sure why. For my speculations, visit 1st BBB Outfits – Pt. 2 – 200s. For a list of known manufacturing locations, visit Factories and Companies.
AF factory picture courtesy of Zoe Milburn
Based on the look of the tag and the 6- in the code, I believe that these outfits were manufactured in 1986 with the rest of the outfits, or very soon thereafter.
Why did they hire another factory to produce these outfits?
Why pick a factory in Thailand?
How long did it manufacture CPK BBB clothes?
Did it produce more than just the 6 I’ve already discovered?
This series of outfits came out in 1986 on the first Babies. (The 6- in their clothing codes indicate the date they came out. For details, visit Tag Codes Continued: A 2nd Theory.) They were made by the SS, WS, and AF factories. There doesn’t appear to be a primary factory for this series. Also, I’m unsure if all three factories produced all of the outfits but there’s a chance that most were produced by the WS and SS factories. I’m not sure about the AF factory.
Each Baby comes with an outfit with footies, a bonnet, a white felt diaper, and a blanket. The blanket trim matches the dominant colour of the outfit.
There are eight outfits in this series. I have assigned outfit names as I am unaware of any conventionally accepted ones. I think there are between six and eight versions of each outfit.
191 – Large Ruffle192 – Onsie with Booties193 – Dress194 – Waist Ruffle195 – ‘Baby’ Sweater196 – Overalls197 – Sailor Collar199 – ‘Hearts’ SweaterPictures courtesy of Jodi’s Punki Patch.
Unlike other series, in this series, the letters in the clothing code (A – G) are associated with a specific colour. For example, if you have an A, the outfit will be mint green no matter the number. Well, mostly . . . keep reading.
A – Mint Green D – Baby Pink G- Peach B – Baby Blue E- Yellow C – Purple F- White
A – Mint GreenB – Baby BlueC- PurpleD – PinkE – YellowF – WhiteG – PeachPictures courtesy of Jodi’s Punki Patch.
There are some differences between the letters H, N, P, and Q.
Outfits #196 & #197 – It is the only two outfits with the letter H, and they’re both blue. I haven’t located a letter B (also normally blue) for outfit #196 so I wonder if this H was produced to replace B, which for some unknown reason was not produced? Do you have a blue 196B?
Outfit #199 – This is the only outfit, so far, that has the letters N, P, and Q. It is odd in several ways. I haven’t recorded many of this outfit, odd code letters have been used, and it’s a mimic of another outfit in the same series. Is it possible that this outfit belongs to PT 2, the 200s series? There is no #198, so maybe the 190s (PT. 1) went from #191 – #197, and Pt. 2 started at #199. For more information visit 1st BBB Outfits Pt. 2 – The 200s.
Version Information
My goal is to record every version of every outfit that was produced. Below is a record of the outfits in this series that I have recorded. To understand clothing codes, factories, and variations, please refer to What are Clothing Tag Codes? and 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.
Factory Variations
I cannot see any consistent factory variations. The SS factory may have used darker richer yarn colours, but that could also be the light when the pictures were taken in or a change in the batch of yarn being used. Collector Zoe Milburn noted that the WS yarn is somewhat itchier/scratchy than the SS and AF yarns (Messanger, Dec 2021). If you observe any others, please, let me know.
Similar Outfits
The 670s series is what I call a ‘mimic series’ as many of the 670s outfits look similar to those in the 190s series. It came out in 1987.
#201 and #674 look similar to #195 and #199. They are two-piece outfits with sweaters and footie pants. The hat and the pattern on the sweater are the most visible differences.
#203, #672, and #681 are similar to #193. They are all dresses.
#671 is similar to #192. There are no holes in the sleeves and booties of #671 and the necks are very different.
#673 is similar to #194. The chest area is the most obvious difference.
#676 is similar to #197. The collar style is the most obvious difference.
> HTF Info: White (F) is either the most difficult colour to find, or not all of them were produced. In general, outfit #199 is the most difficult to find.
> The ribbon in these outfits can be easily removed and replaced. Refer to the Babies summary post for additional information on cleaning and care.
> Fun fact: Prototype versions of these outfits can be found in the 1986 Coleco Catalogue, p. 86 & 87. None of these outfits were actually produced as we see here, although the yellow looks quite a bit like outfit #191.
