Suggested reading: An explanation of the 1983 series of outfits that the shoulder-tie dress belongs to. Jump to: 1983 Series – The 1st CPK Clothes
Original Name: Summer Sweetie
Description: Cotton dress with a peter pan collar, ties at the shoulder, attached ‘blouse’ top, and bloomers. The blouse is one colour/pattern and the remainder of the dress and the bloomers are another pattern/colour. The hem of the leg holes and sleeves have matching cotton lace. It generally came with white socks and regular shoes. Very occasionally, they came with Mary Janes.
Outfit 3C, OK
This outfit was sold from 1983 until 1985, most likely longer. It was sold both on kids and packaged, starting in 1984.
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.
If you have an outfit that is not recorded here or does not match my information, (e.g. you have a 3C OK that is pink and white gingham, not yellow and white gingham) 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.
Produced for only a short time, sleepers are adorable!
Suggested reading: An explanation of the 1983 series of outfits that this outfit belongs to. Jump to: 1983 Series – The 1st CPK Clothes
Original Name: Nightie-Night (Ref#4, Vol 3 Iss. 9, p. 6)
Description: Terry cloth sleeper that velcros up the front, a bear patch on the left breast, and a pom-pom at the toes (generally). Many also have some form of lace decoration (refer to variations below).
Outfit 2J HK
Originally Sleepers were sold in 1983 on boxed kids. Around June of 1983, they started being sold packaged, with socks and shoes. Presumably, they were sold until the stock ran out. They were no longer being produced by early 1984 at the latest. (Ref#4, Vol 3, Iss.8, p. 4; FB conversation with Leah Salt, April 2019) However, there is evidence that some stock of this outfit was still being sold off as separately packaged outfits as late as 1987. (Ref#4, Iss. 5, p.4)
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 the suggested readings below.
If you have an outfit that is not recorded here or does not match my information, (e.g. you have a 2D OK that is pink, not purple) 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.
For more information on my completed sleeper collection visit: My Little Dreamers
Sleepers were not manufactured by the primary factories CC, SS or PMI. The PMI and foreign factories did not start manufacturing until after production of the Sleepers ceased.
Variations:
> There appear to be three lace patterns used on Sleepers. The pattern appears to be factory specific, rather than gender-specific, as many collectors have speculated.
Version 1: Full – KT factory and P Factory – lace down either side of the velcro and around the collar Version 2: Partial – KT Factory – lace around the collar and sleeve hems Version 3: No lace – OK Factory – They used no lace at all.
FullPartialNo LaceMiddle picture courtesy of Erin Cavill.
> Mimic Outfits: Similar footed sleeper-type outfits were created for preemies, Sipping Kids, and BBB‘s but this is the only 16″ outfit of its type.
> The crotch closure depends on the factory. The OK and KT factories do not open where the crotch meets the front closure, whereas the P factory outfits open entirely.
Other Information:
> The patches used can vary. The teddy bear patches on the sleepers are yellow and gold colours whereas the teddy bear patches on the Cord Suit(#5) tend to be in shades of brown and dark beige. > Sleepers were sold on bald dolls, both boys and girls. This was one of the only outfits that had bald girls. (Ref#4, Vol 3, Iss. 8, p. 4)
The first outfit, the Swing Dress. There’s so many different patterns!
Suggested reading: An explanation of the 1983 series of outfits that the swing dress belongs to. Jump to: 1983 Series – The 1st CPK Clothes
Original Name: School Days Alternate Name(s): A-line Dress, Sailor Dress (Ref#4, Vol 3, Iss. 8, p. 3)
Description: Cotton A-line dress with a sailor collar and long cotton ties. The collar and sleeves are edged with white lace. The dress was paired with either white or red tights (Ref#4, Vol 3, Iss. 8, p. 3) and generally came with white Mary Jane shoes. Very occasionally, they came with lace-ups.
Outfit 1H, IC factory
This outfit was sold from 1983 to at least 1985. I believe it may have been found on kids later, but this was most likely the company using up old stock.
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.
If you have an outfit that is not recorded here or does not match my information, (e.g. you have a 1D OK that is pink and white gingham, not green and white gingham) 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.
I have not recorded any primary factory CC versions of this outfit.
Variations
> The following are observable differences between outfits produced at various factories.
When Cabbage Patch Kids came out in 1983, each was wearing one of 18 outfits. These outfits came in a variety of colours and patterns, but there were only 18 to choose from. (Ref #4, Vol. 3 Issue 9/10/11, p. 6)
The 1983 Series outfits.
A 1983 catalogue that appeared to have prototype outfits in it named each outfit. However, over time collectors have created new names that better describe the outfit, allowing for easier identification. For example, the outfit below was originally called the Snuggle Suit but is generally called a Bubble Romper by collectors. (Ref #4, Vol. 3 Issue 9/10/11, p. 6)
As explained in an earlier post ( What are Clothing Codes?), each outfit came with a code that consists of a letter and a number. The numbers represent the outfit type, and the letters represent a specific fabric pattern or colour combination. With this series, certain letters seem to have been produced primarily by certain factories. I call these the Primary Factory for each letter. For example, the KT factory produced the letters A and B for all 18 outfits, I think. Here are the primary factories, as proposed, at this point:
However, outfits were often produced by multiple factories, not just the Primary Factory. For example, I know that outfit 7A was produced by primary factory KT, and also by the LF, P, and OK factories. Below, we know that 2C was produced by two factories. Can you figure out which ones?
Sample layout showing which ‘versions’ of the outfit that I have recorded. Make sure your outfit matches both code and factory. If it doesn’t, I likely need to record it. ANSWER: 2C is produced by both the OK and KT factories. It may be produced by more, but I am unaware of them at this time.
In addition, not every letter was produced for every outfit. For example, the Sleeper (#2) only goes to letter K. Letters L to R (CC and SS primary factories) were only used for packaged outfits, and apparently, the Sleeper was not sold separately. Also, it was not manufactured by the PMI factory because the factory began production after they stopped making the Sleepers.
Factory Variation
The outfits produced by primary factory SS (P, Q, and R) are often close copies of earlier letters, making them difficult to identify. For example, if I had the red and white check Swing Dress (#1) recorded, you might think you didn’t need to check the one that you have. Unfortunately, I have the 1G (factory P) version, and yours is the 1Q (SS factory) version of the outfit, which I need to record. Consequently, checking to see if I have something recorded based on the code and factory is superior to using a description of the outfit.
Example: SS factory outfits matched with previous letter outfits.
We need to record all of the factories that made each outfit, as there are often differences between them. These differences can then be used to identify an outfit by factory, which may help to identify the possible factory of the kid wearing it or let you know if you need it for a specific kid. These differences can include but are not limited to, differences in:
fabric colour/pattern
small changes in the structure of the outfit
fabric type
silk tag placement
stitching pattern
thread colour
buttons
lace/edging material
size
Below is 1Q, as made by three different factories. Can you spot the differences?
Difference: outfit structure, tie fabrics, red colours, size, lace pattern, elastic at sleeves, type of silk label
Potential Problems
Finally, just to make things difficult, some clothing tags, primarily those from the P and PMI factories, came with the codes on stickers that can wash off. Of the two, P factory tags like those below, are the most difficult to recognize as they do not actually have a P on them. However, even without code information, knowing which factory an outfit is from is a step in the right direction. (Jump to: What are Clothing Tag Codes)
As for shoes, they were specific to the outfit. In general, each outfit came with certain shoes, but there were only four options: Sneakers, Mary Jane’s, lace-up shoes (sometimes called lace-ups or high tops), and knit booties. Occasionally, as this is Coleco and they don’t stick to their own rules, kids will come with ‘unusual shoes’ for an outfit. For example, sometimes you will find dolls in the Bubble Romper with regular lace-up shoes.
Regular/ Lace-up Mary JanesSneakersKnit booties
Shoes that came with these outfits are labelled with the factory inside, about 1″ from the heel. They generally say ‘HONG KONG’ but were most likely produced in China, unless they came on an early 1983 doll. Like with the clothing, the shoe factory should match the dolls factory. If the doll is KT, the shoes should be KT. For more details, jump to: Shoes – An overview and reference links
Casual Wear Line – Packaged Outfits
This is the only other line of clothing that came out in 1983 and all of these outfits came packaged. They did not come on boxed kids. For more information jump to Casual Wear Line (1983).
Outfit Summary Shortcuts
Below are shortcuts to information about each of the 1983 series outfits. This information includes the versions s that I already have recorded and those I am still looking for information on. Each outfit will open in a new tab, allowing for easier navigation while you work. I would appreciate any help you can provide and accept tag/code information at any time.
For information on taking clothing tag pictures in order to assist with the research project, jump to: Taking Clothing Tag Pics
A while ago, I noticed a BBB outfit that looked a lot like the knit twin outfit. Recently, I obtained tag information from Angel K. Freely and was gobsmacked!
Now, I knew the outfits looked similar, but I never thought they would be this similar! BBB outfits were ONLY produced by the SS and WS factories. I have no record of any BBB outfit being produced anywhere else, until this one. (Update: Made in Thailand)
The similarities are not difficult to see. Take a moment and compare.
What is difficult to see is the feet of the BBB outfits. The footies in a regular BBB outfit have an additional piece of circular fabric, like a sole. The twin BBB outfits just have a seam . . . It looks like they’ve just sewn the bottom of the pant legs together!
Jodi, from Jodi’s Punky Patch, helped me gather information and photographs for this post and observed that we only have evidence of this outfit coming on boxed kids. This means that they either sent the completed outfits from the P factory to the SS/WS factories to be put on kids or sent the kids and boxes to the P factory. Either way, this is the first evidence we have of cross-factory cooperation like this. It’s also the first exception to my statement that BBB’s always came in WS or SS clothes! Jump to: A match made in . . . the factory. Update: Second Exception
Courtesy unknown
The knit twin outfits were available in five different colours, and so is this outfit. I theorize that the factory had a lot of the knit material left over and needed to do something with it. At the time, no other clothing lines being produced would have welcomed an outfit made of knit fabric, except the BBB’s. I think that’s why they made a BBB outfit, instead of something that they could more easily put on P factory kids.
I still need tag pictures for the mint green (A), yellow (B), and medium blue (F). If you happen to have this outfit in any of those colours, I would greatly appreciate your help with tag photos. For details on taking the photos, visit HERE.
Baby Luck and his friends Lorenzo, Bethany, Ellyn, and Dylan would like to wish you a Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
What is your favourite good luck green outfit and who’s wearing it? Post a picture and let us see! The bigger the party the better!
May the sun shine, all day long, everything go right, and nothing wrong. May those you love bring love back to you, and may all the wishes you wish come true!
The consistency with which the doll tag and the outfit tag factories matched changed starting in 1985. Many continued to match, but not all. Here are the ‘situations’ in which you might find a match that doesn’t match!
Situation 1:
From 1986 to 1988 (ish), the most common situation resulted from an overabundance of specialty outfits that were not selling (high $) and a lot of pieces coming from foreign factories that had shut down. In this situation, you might get an OK kid, in a P factory twin outfit, in a single kid box. (Ref. #5, Issue 4, p. 5) Or maybe, a set of P dolls, in IJ animal costume sleepers (Ref #3, p.104), in a twin box. Or even a pair of Jesmar dolls, in PMI World Traveler outfits, in a twin box!
Some of these outfits were made by factories that did not produce kids, only packaged outfits that were never intended to be sold on kids.
Situation 2:
A similar situation happened with outfits originally designed for specific kinds of kids. For example, occasionally you will find Cornsilk and Talker outfits on regular kids from 1987 onward. This doesn’t occur as often as situation one, but it does happen. This situation could also be the result of in-store outfit switching.
Regular Kid in Cornsilk dressRegular kid in Talker’s dress
Situation 3:
IC kids were made in Taiwan and, according to their side tags, which are numbered IC to IC7, there may have been at least eight factories. However, there are NO clothes with IC# on them. However, several Taiwanese factories did produce clothing: AX, CY, FD, HP, WW, HRS.
I have evidence that IC kids came wearing IC, AX, and other Taiwan factory clothing. The same has been discovered about the UT factory. Although UT kids could come with UT clothes, they also came dressed in AX and WW clothing. (Jump to: AX and the UT Kids)
In addition, IC kids came wearing specialty line outfits that were made at other Taiwanese factories (HRS, CY, FD), so their tags would not match. For example, Western Wear and All Star kids. (Ref #5, Issue 3, p. 5)
Top: CY Western Wear outfit and AX outfit, Bottom: CY All Stars Outfit
Situation 4:
Hong Kong Tags. Some Hong Kong Kids had no factory indicated on their tag. In this case, for MIB kids, it can be assumed that if the kid is OK, the outfit is OK. However, if the outfit is not original to the kid, it is either P, OK or KT. (Ref#3, p. 28) My personal experience with HK outfits leads me to believe they will be either OK or P, as the tags themselves more closely resemble OK and P tags, rather than KT tags.
Situation 5:
Twin outfits are all P factory. However, some were put on OK kids. In this case, the tags would not match.
Situation 6:
There is evidence that ‘Made in USA’ outfits did come on boxed kids. There are no ‘Made in USA’ kids, so the tag cannot match in this situation.
Situation 7:
It appears that some SS factory outfits came on MIB regular-sized kids. As the SS factory did not make any regular-sized dolls, there will be a mismatch between the kid and the outfit. I’ve confirmed this on one OK factory HK doll.
How do you know if an outfit originally came with the doll? Here’s the first step to finding out!
There is no way to know what outfit originally came on a doll. The choices were made randomly. However, you can match the production year of the doll to the production year of the outfits, and in some cases, the factory information.
1983 – 1985ish: A Match!
Coleco dolls produced from 1983 to 1984 (and some stuff in 1985) generally came with clothing made at the same factory. So, if the doll was OK factory, the outfit and shoes were also OK factory.
KT Boy OK Girl
Dolls wearing 500s outfits which came out in 1985 also matched factories.
However, I know of at least one collector who admits to taking kids out and switching clothes AT THE STORE, so even if you bought a kid from the store and it didn’t match, that doesn’t mean it didn’t originally come with the correct outfit!
Series Specific Pairs . . .
Some lines of kids had specific clothing created just for them. In many of these cases, the dolls and the outfits always match. There may be two factories producing them, but there is always a match.
The first outfit numbers in 1983 started at 1, which makes sense.
The first twenty outfits, created for the regular-sized kids, came out in 1983, and some stayed in production for many years. Many of the foreign outfits are based on the outfits in this series. (Visit: Jesmar Clothing)
When they created the first line of preemie outfits in 1984, they used the same numbering convention. Unfortunately, that means that if you don’t know whether an outfit is a preemie outfit or a regular kid outfit, they can be easily confused. You have to know by looking at it. (Jump to: Preemie Clothing Summery and 1984 Series)
Year by Number
It was eventually pointed out to me (Ref #4, Vol. 3 Issue 9/10/11, p. 6) that the code numbers used seemed to match the year they were produced.
500s in 1985
600s in 1986
700s in 1987
800s in 1988
This makes sense! For some specific lines of kids like the Toddlers, Growing Hair kids, Splashing Kids, Talkers, and a few others, this theory works.
Talking KidToddlerSplashing Kid
The second preemie series (BSeries), which came out in 1985, also uses the same year-based numbering convention. They are numbered as a 500s series, but most are numbered B5__. Consequently, they are easier to distinguish from the regular kid 500s outfits. I wonder, did they consider the regular-sized kids outfits the A series?
The first theory about the code number being the year it came out works for many outfits, but not for all of them. Starting in 1986, some outfits no longer fit the pattern. A small addition shows up in the code to assist. To learn more jump to: Tag Codes Continued: A 2nd Theory
Series by Hundreds
Which series can be found in which hundred. To see examples of outfits in each series jump to: Series Information in Pics
There’s only a handful of 200s and they are knit BBB outfits. It’s like they didn’t realize how many numbers they’d need when they started making the series, and just continued into the 200s. That’s it.
200201202203Pictures 2 & 3 courtesy of Jodi’s Punki Patch. Picture 4 courtesy of Sarah Ransom.
The 300s
The 300s contain only the second series of Cornsilk outfits that came out in later 1986. I call these the Wacky and Layered Cornsilk Series 2. That’s it.
Picture 3 courtesy of Carey Reiss Jarchow.
The 400s
There are two different 400s series.
Series 1 – Sold in 1988, they have the 8- in their codes. They are all packaged regular-sized dresses produced by Coleco. So far only 4 are recorded.
Series 2 – Sold in 1990 (Transitional Period), they have the 0- in their codes and often have Hasbro tags. I have 4 outfits recorded and they are all BBB outfits.
Oddly enough, the 14″ Furskin outfits produced in 1986 are also recorded in the 430s.
The 500s
Only one series of regular outfits came out in 1985. For more information visit The 500s Series.
Oh where, oh where does the clothing tag hide . . . . oh where, oh where can it be?
Oh where, oh where, can it be?
By clothing tag, I am referring to the information tag found inside the outfit, not the silk flash with Cabbage Patch Kids that is often found on the shoulder of shirts and dresses or pant legs.
Coleco only tagged one piece of each outfit, often leaving the other pieces unmarked in any fashion. This means that that the unmarked pieces can be easily lost and often go unrecognized as Cabbage Patch. This makes it difficult to put an outfit back together. How do you know which pieces belong in an outfit? Well, that’s a question for another post (or a bunch of posts).
In this post, I’m just going to tell you where to look for the informative little things. There are three options when it comes to tag situations.
1. My outfit has no tags
If the outfit has no tag there are four possible explanations:
It’s a foreign CPK outfit.
It’s a fake/aftermarket/handmade outfit.
They’re all pieces of Coleco CPK clothing but didn’t all come together. OR They all came together, but at least one piece is missing.
It is a CPK piece of clothing produced by a later company. eg. Play Along, Wicked Cool Toys
At least one piece in each Coleco outfit MUST have a tag.
2. My outfit has A tag
Regular Tag Locations
Inside the shirt or dress piece of the outfit. If there is more than one top in the outfit, it is generally located on the piece worn closest to the doll’s body.
2. Along the side or back seam of the romper, sleeper, onsie, etc.
NOTE: There are a few outfits that can have them in either location. For example, the ruffled overalls may have the tag in the shirt OR the overalls, but not both, and not neither!
Unusual Tag Locations
There are some exceptions to these rules (of course), most of which involve later outfits (Post 1986) or jackets.
1. The Designer Line outfits that have jackets have the tag inside the jacket, not the shirt, as does the 500s series windbreakers and outfit #100.
DL Outfit500s Outfit500s OutfitOutfit #100Photo 1 courtesy of Vanessa Brisson. Photo 3 courtesy of Jodi (Punki Patch).
2. ‘Made in USA’ outfits tend to have the tag in the pants, if the outfit has pants.
3. Splashing Fun Kids clothing have the tag on the most substantial piece of the outfit, generally the robe, the jacket, or the wrap.
4. Talker dresses have the tag on either the underdress or the pinafore. I see no pattern as to which was chosen.
5. A small number of later outfits (1989 and later) have the tags in an odd location. So look carefully.
Tag in the romper (Jodi Punki Patch)Tag in the romper, not the shirt.
3. My outfit has TWO (or more) tags
If your outfit has two or more tags, here are possible scenarios:
You have two pieces of Coleco clothing that did not originally come together. For example, if your elephant romper has a tag, and the white shirt has a tag, they didn’t originally come together.
For more information on tags (if you haven’t already seen them), jump to:
What are Clothing Tag Codes: An explanation of the codes on Cabbage Patch clothing tags. Learn about the letters and numbers that started it all! Oddball Tags: Not all clothing tags were made equal. Some have codes, some don’t. Which do? Which don’t? What’s With the Numbers?: Why 15? Why 125? Why not 485? Who knows, but here are some thoughts.
