Summary of 500s Series outfits and a list of the outfits: The 500s Series
Description
This outfit consists of a romper that is either striped (heavy denim) or a solid colour (heavy cotton). The front bib is edged in piping and has six decorative buttons. The shirt is made of three solid-coloured sections: the trunk and each sleeve. This outfit came with either regular lace-up shoes or blue striped sneakers. This outfit came exclusively on ‘boy’ dolls.
Coleco started selling this outfit in 1985. It likely ended production no later than sometime in 1986. We know it was sold later, as it has been found packaged. Packaged Button Romper outfits, and those found on later kids, were likely because the company was using up old stock.
Photo courtesy of Rebecca Russell.
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. 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
Long-time collectors believe that this outfit only came in the six versions described below. However, 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
Only two factories have been recorded producing this outfit, and no factory variations have been noted. Some variation can be seen in the logo patch, but I’m not sure if that’s a factory variation or not.
Similar Outfits
I believe that The Button Romper is most closely related to the original jean romper outfit. However, the button Romper doesn’t come with a hat.
Other Information
> Fun fact: A prototype version of this outfit can be found in the 1985 Coleco Catalogue (p. 3, 17). As far as I know, this version of this outfit was never produced. The logo patch looks very different too.
