Author: brekkebenden

Part 2: The Code Addition

What did they add to the code and why?

As noted in Part 1: Tag Codes Continued: A 2nd Theory, I originally thought the first number of the code indicated the year the outfit came out.

E.g. 501 came out in 1985, 630 came out in 1986, 720 came out in 1987

This is true for some outfits, but not for all.

A lot of tags had #- in front of the code and I did not know what it meant, until now.

I believe that starting in 1986 and continuing until 1990, those tags with a #-, indicate the actual year the outfit came out. You can’t use the first digit of the code for these outfits.

This theory answers a few questions.

  1. It confirms that the first BBB series came out in 1986.
    These outfits were among the first to be coded differently.
                         
  2. Why would they put out a second series of BBB outfits in 1986?
    They didn’t, the 670s – 680s series BBB outfits came out in 1987.
                       
  3. Why are there no 1989 outfits with 900 numbers?
    Because they put them all in the 100s! The 1989 Designer Line Kids, Sippin’ Kids, and all the transitional and package outfits that came out in 1989 are numbered 9- 1_ _. I have no idea why they chose to do this.
                       
  4. What do the tags with 0- mean?
    Following the pattern, these are outfits that came out or were slated by Coleco to be produced, in 1990. There are very few outfits with these codes, and all of them are Transitional Hasbro clothing tags. They may have been the last outfits designed by Coleco, or the first designed by Hasbro. Who knows.
                       

Having said all that, not all the factories used this coding innovation equally.

Photos in 1 – 3 courtesy of Jodi’s Punk Patch.

Update: For more information about 0 – tags, and where they fit into the transitional period, see The Transitional Period – A Summary.

Why should you care . . . .

If you have an outfit that has an 8- before the code, you know that it belongs to a kid from 1988 or 1989, nothing earlier. If you have a BBB outfit that has 6- before the number, it has to go on a 1986 BBB kid.  If you have an outfit with a 9- or a 0- , barring some exceptions, it could have come on a Coleco kid or a Hasbro kid as it is a Transitional Outfit.

Preemie Outfit # 9 -Romper with Bubble Bottom

The preemie version of the bubble romper with an adorable bonnet.

Main graphic with a baby blue background, black text that says "#9, Romper with bubble bottom" and a picture of a doll wearing a yellow version of the outfit and shoes.


1984 Preemie Clothing Series Summary

Description

This outfit has two pieces.

  1. Romper. It has one pattern/colour at the top and a solid colour on the bottom. The bottoms and short sleeves are ‘bubbled’. There are lace caps at the shoulders. There is a waist ribbon that is attached at the back on both sides and then ties at the front.
  2. Bonnet. It has a very large lace ruffle that matches the sleeve caps. The colour matches the colour of the bottom half of the romper.

Footwear: Regular shoes and socks

Picture of preemie outfit 9B P. It has a pink top with pink rose buds and pink bottoms and bonnet.

This outfit was most likely sold only from 1984 – 1985. Some packaged versions may have sold later than that.

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 9B P that is green and white gingham, not pink with pink buds) 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

> So far, there are no observable differences between outfits produced at various factories.

> B-Series outfit: #B504 – Blouse with sleeve caps and bubble romper overalls and matching bonnet. Although it is a two-piece outfit, it looks like outfit 9 when on the dolls.  

Picture of outfit B504H. It has a purple blouse, a pink CPK logo on the chest and white bottom with multi coloured hearts. The bonnet matches the bottoms.
Photo courtesy of Jodi’s Punki Patch.

> Mimic Outfit: #Unknown – This outfit looks almost identical to Preemie outfit #9, except it has a white bow at the neck, no bonnet, and came with knit booties. I believe it is a 700s mimic preemie outfit (709 or 713), but I need clothing tag pictures to confirm this.

Preemie with lemon yellow looped tuft in a green box liner with pink Birth certificate. The top of the outfit is white, the bottom is pink and white gingham. It has white knit booties.
Photo source unknown.

> 25th Anniversary Preemie outfit: This outfit appears almost identical to Preemie outfit #9 except I believe that the waist ribbon is attached and does not come undone. It only comes in pink.

A brown eyed preemie doll inside a 25h anniversary preemie box. The outfit is similiar to 9B
Photo source unknown.

Post 1985 Tag Codes and Locations

The continuing saga of the clothing tag codes . . . what happened in 1986? Why are West Hartford, Amsterdam and Gloversville so important?

By going through and comparing the appearance of clothing tags, I discovered that something interesting happened in 1986 and early 1987.

The original theory about the numbers used in the clothing tag codes was that the first digit of the codes from 500 onward indicated which year the outfit came out.  Jump to: What’s With the Numbers?

E.g. 501 came out in 1985
       630 came out in 1986
       720 came out in 1987

A Question . . .

This works most of the time, but some things did not fit the pattern. For example, half of the Talker outfits are 690s, and the rest are 700-710. If the original theory held, they should all be in the 700s as Talking Kids came out in 1987. Another example is the 670s – 680s BBB series. BBB kids came out in 1986; why would they put out a second set of clothing almost immediately? As it turns out, they didn’t!

In 1986, Coleco seems to stop rigidly adhering to the original rule that they had in 1985. They still used it, but not all the time. I do not know why, but the change corresponds to some kind of upheaval in the Coleco Company itself.

Possible Answer . . .

At some point in 1985 or 1986 they started producing tags which printed the location of the Coleco Company in the US. The first tags said West Hartford, CT. Then sometime in 1986, the address changed to Amsterdam, NY. By sometime in 1987, they stopped using the CT tags entirely.

Clothing tag from outfit 706K, OK factory. Copyright date 1985 and located West Hartford, CT.
CT tag
Clothing tag from outfit 706, OK factory. Location Amsterdam, NY.
NY tag
Pictures courtesy of Jodi’s Punki Patch.

If your tag says CT, the outfit is most likely older than one which says Amsterdam, NY. They were likely made in the same place, but the tags were changed. It’s interesting to note that it was around this time that the company’s major financial problems started to become public. It is also interesting to note that some 500s Series outfits have West Hartford, CT tags so they must have been produced into 1986 although, they started production in 1985.

Then in 1989, the company address on clothing tags changed again, from Amsterdam, NY, to Gloversville, NY.

Clothing tag from outfit 9-167A, OK factory. Copyright date 1988 and located in Gloversville, NY.

Coleco had owned buildings in both locations for decades. (Coleco – The Official Book.pdf, p. 33) I theorize that as company assets were closed to save money, the main offices and official registered location of the company was moved from place to place.

1986 and Onward

1986+ clothing codes are all over the place. There were some 1987, and 1988 series that follow the original theory (E.g. Splashing kids, Toddlers). However, it was no longer used consistently. More and more outfits show up with ‘odd’ codes.

In some cases, they put 1987 outfits in the 600s (Example A), in some cases they chose a different hundred for the series (e.g. 400s) (Example B), in other cases, they created an entirely new matrix (Example C), and for still others, they didn’t use a code at all ( Example D)!

Pink and white knit BBB outfit, 7-673D, WS.
A – BBB outfit
Blue cornsilk dress 165J OK, with dark pink striped accents. Has matching bloomers.
B – Cornsilk outfit
Tag for pink and white knit BBB outfit, 7-673D, WS.
A – tag
Tag for a blue cornsilk dress 165J OK, with dark pink striped accents.
B – tag
Pictures A courtesy of Jodi’s Punki Patch.
World Travelers
C – WT matrix
All-Stars Blue Jay outfit with hat, pennent and shoes.
D – All Stars outfit
Side one and side two of the tag from a All-Stars Blue Jay outfit. CY Factory.
D – tag

Another Question

Where are the 1989 outfits? There are no 900s outfits, so how were they coded? I had a theory, but I had no evidence for it. Now I do. To find out, continue to Part 2: The Code Addition

Preemie Outfit #8 – Sundress with Bonnet

A pretty sun dress for a pretty preemie.


1984 Preemie Clothing Series Summary

Description

There are 3 pieces to this outfit

  1. Cotton pinafore type sundress. The sleeves, dress hem, and peter pan collar are one colour, and the remainder of the dress is another. A line of lace runs around the bottom of the pinafore section and around the neck. There is a white satin bow in the front middle just below the collar.
  2. Bloomers that match the colour/pattern of the sleeves.
  3. A bonnet with a bow on top and lace around the fringe. It is the same colour/pattern as the ‘pinafore’ section of the dress.

Footwear: Regular shoes and socks

Picture of preemie outfit #8 in three pieces, the bonnet, dress and bloomers. It is mint green with green rose buds and white pinafore area.

This outfit was most likely sold only from 1984 – 1985. Some packaged versions may have sold later than that.

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 an 8D OK that is pink with pink buds, not yellow with yellow buds) 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

> There are variations in the lace based on the factory. I have found that the P factory uses one lace, the OK and CC factories use another, and the FW and SS factories use another.

P
OK, CC
SS, FW

> Mimic Outfit: #708 – This outfit is structurally identical to outfit #8 but doesn’t come with a bonnet. In addition, the pinafore is the coloured/patterned section, instead of the sleeves, bloomers, and collar, which are white. The pinafore section fabric has flower cutout patterns in it.

Pictures courtesy of Kristi Prieto Sams and Deidra Allen.

Preemie Outfit #7 – Dress with Bloomers

Dressing like the big kids!

Main graphic with a pink background and black text that says "#7 Dress with Bloomers". It has an AA preemie wearing a blue version of this outfit and regular shoes.


1984 Preemie Clothing Series Summary

Description

There are three pieces to this outfit.

  1. Matching bloomers with lace at the leg holes. The lace matches the lace at the sleeves.
  2. Matching bonnet with lace frill. Both types of lace are used in the frill.

** I have found an exception where the lace at the yoke matches the lace on the rest of the dress. It is an FD dress, but I have a second FD dress that is ‘correct’. At this point, this appears to be a factory fluke.

Footwear: Regular white shoes and socks

This outfit was most likely sold only from 1984 – 1985. Some packaged versions may have sold later than that.

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 7F OK that is pink, not mint green) 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

> There are variations across factories in the lace patterns. The OK and P factory used the same lace. The FD factory uses different lace entirely. The SS factory appears to use the large yolk lace from the OK set and the smaller lace from the FD set. These trends were determined using a small sample size and are most likely slightly inaccurate.

FD Big lace frill
FD Small lace frill
OK, P – Large lace fill
FD – small lace frille

> Mimic Preemie Outfit: #707 – The outfits are structurally identical to outfit #7 except that they do not have lace at the leg holes and do not come with a bonnet. They also come in a variety of colours that the #7 outfits did. (e.g. white with multi-coloured hearts)

Picture of a version of outfit 707 that is white with multicoloured heart shaped polka dots. Has a watermarket that says "Kats Cpk"
Photo courtesy of Kat Perhouse.

PTP: Occupation Rompers

“Casual one piece play outfits for your Cabbage Patch Kid”

These adorable rompers were manufactured by the WW factory and came out in either 1984 and/or 1985. I believe they only came out packaged, never on boxed kids. They did not come with any other items like shoes or socks.

There are six different rompers.  Although they each have an official name, most people refer to them by the occupation they portray.

Official Name                    Unofficial Name

Dr. Petvet                           Vet
Goody Gardener                Gardener
Fire Fighter                       Fireperson
Handy Carpenter              Handyperson
Splashy Painter                 Painter
Sassy Sherrif                      Cowboy

  • Cowboy
  • Fireperson
  • Gardener
  • Handyperson
  • Painter
  • Vet
Fireperson pics courtesy of Monica Luckie. Vet pics courtesy of Jenna Kate Parrington.

Preemie Outfit #6: Frilly Gown

A love of lace. The last gown in the series.

Main title graphic that has a mint green background and a doll wearing the #4 filly gown. It has black text that says "#6 Frilly yoke gown".

1984 Preemie Clothing Series Summary

Description

Simple cotton gown with two rows for lace at the neck, about 3″ apart. It also has lace at the bottom hemp and the end of the sleeves. The entire gown is one colour/pattern. The matching bonnet has a different lace around the edge.

Footwear: Knit booties

This outfit was most likely sold only from 1984 – 1985. Some packaged versions may have sold later than that.

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 6E OK that has pink buds, not blue buds) 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

> The OK factory gowns have a small pink flower patch in the front middle of the second line of lace.

Close up of the neck area of the gown and showing the small flower applique found on OK factory gowns.

> 25th Anniversary Preemie Outfit: This gown is entirely purple except where the neck area is enclosed by lace, which is white. It does not come with a bonnet.

25th Anniversary Preemie in a box wearing the purple frilly gown. The doll itself has blue eyes and a tuft of butterscotch hair.

Preemie Outfit #5 – A-Line Gown

A simple, yet pretty gown for your perfect preemie.


1984 Clothing Series Summary

Description

There are 2 pieces to this outfit.

  1. Cotton gown. The top portion is sort of separate from the bottom skirt area and generally a different pattern/colour. The bottom edge of that piece is scalloped and edge in coloured thread. The remainder of the gown and the sleeves are a solid colour. The gown has a peter pan collar. The bottom hem, sleeves, and bonnet are edged in the same lace. It does up with velcro at the back at the top but doesn’t do up past the waist. There is a ribbon that comes from the sides and does up at the back.
  2. Bonnet. It is the same pattern used in the chest area. It is edged with the same colour thread and also had a row of lace along the inside edge.

Footwear: Knit booties

Picture of preemie outfit #5, A-Line gown, that is white and has blue buds on the top section and the bonnet.

This outfit was most likely sold only from 1984 – 1985. Some packaged versions may have sold later than that.

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 5G SS that is green and 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

> There are no observable differences between outfits produced at various factories, yet.

Preemie Outfit #4: Gown with square yoke

The preemie version of the regular kids Yoke dress.

Main graphic with a mauve background that says "#4 Gown with yoke" in black text and has a picture of a Cabbage Patch kid with a preemie wearing a blue version of the outfit.

1984 Preemie Clothing Series Summary

Description

This outfit has two pieces:

  1. Cotton gown. It has a white square yoke at the neck which is trimmed in lace and has a bow bottom centre. The bottom hem of the gown is straight. There are two parallel lines of lace running around the bottom of the gown. The sleeves also have a line of lace parallel to the hem and are trimmed with lace. The lace around the bottom hem is different from the lace everywhere else.
  2. Bonnet. It is the same colour as the gown and trimmed with two lines of lace (which is different from the lace on the dress)

Footwear: Knit booties

Picture of a yellow shadow striped version of the gown with square yoke outfit and matching bonnet,

This outfit was most likely sold only from 1984 – 1985. Some packaged versions may have sold later than that.

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 4F OK that is pink, not baby blue) 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

> There are no observable differences between outfits produced by different factories.

> 25th Anniversary Preemie Outfits: I am unsure how these differ from the originals as I haven’t seen one up close. These outfits only came in one version.

Picture of a 25th Anniversary preemie with blue eyes wearing a pink version of the yoke dress.

PTP: Pretty Patterns – Lacy White Tights

What’s your lace?

Lacy white tights came with outfits in these three series.

  1. 160s – Cornsilk Series 1: Beautiful Dresses
  2. 718-724 – Cornsilk Series 3: Beautiful Dresses Pt. 2
  3. Satin/Damask twin party dresses
         
         Sateen              Non-Sateen

Apparently, the tights come in a variety of patterns. I have found four patterns so far. I named and numbered them to make it easier to distinguish between them.

#1 LINES
#2 SPARSE FLOWERS
#3 TRILLIUM
#4 THICK FLOWERS
#5 MEDIUM FLOWERS
Picture 5 courtesy of Kristi Prietos Sams.

Theories

I have several possible theories regarding why there are so many patterns.

  1. They vary based on the factory of production.
  2. They vary based on when the outfit was produced.
  3. They vary based on the series they came in (somewhat related to the factory, but not quite).

What I Know

  • The 160s series was manufactured primarily by the KT factory, but a few outfits were produced by the OK factory. Most of the twin dresses were produced by the P factory, although a few were made by KT, and the 718-724 series was produced entirely by the KT factory.
  • The 160s Series and the twin outfits came out in 1985 and most likely stopped production in 1986. The 718-724 series came out in 1987 and most likely stopped being manufactured by 1988, if not before.

The Problem

I do not have enough data to even guess which theories (or another unconsidered one) are correct. Can you help?

If you have an outfit with lacy tights, and you know it came together as an outfit, can you please send me the following:

  1. Which lace pattern it is (or a picture if it is a new pattern)
  2. Factory of the outfit
  3. The clothing code of the outfit (e.g. 162H)
  4. If it is a twin outfit, did it comes on a set of twins, or an individually boxed kid?
  5. If it is a twin outfit, is it the sateen version or the non-sateen version?

Extra Bit

One outfit comes with BLACK lacy tights, the Girl’s Spanish World Traveler. This outfit was made by two factories. Do you have an OK version to compare to this PMI version? It looks a lot like #3 Trillium above.
Jump to: World Traveler Wear