Lacing CPK Shoes

Learn how to lace High-top (aka Lace-up) shoes and Sneakers. There may be more options than you think!
Pictorial and video demonstrations included.

Note: Below you will see a slideshow for each procedure. You can also find videos of me showing how to tie the shoes here:  Lacing CPK Shoes

Lacing Sneakers

This is pretty straightforward. There are only four holes.

(More information – Shoes: Sneakers)

Lacing High-tops

I have found that there are at least two ways that CPK high-top shoes were laced. I’m not sure exactly which factories used which one, but I’ll tell you what I (think) I know.

If you have a MIB kid whose shoes have never been untied and you see a different pattern, I’d love to hear about it! I’d also love to know which factories used which option.

(More information Shoes: Regular ‘lace up’ )

Option 1

I have seen this procedure used by the P, OK, and KT factories. This is what I would call the normal way of lacing, as the ends of the laces are pulled even as you go.

Option 2

I found this procedure on a few OK factory kids. I don’t believe they were all done this way, but the ones I’ve seen were on OK kids.

I believe that this procedure has a significant benefit over the other option. When you pull the laces tight, there isn’t as much pressure on the holes, and they won’t rip as easily.

Other shoes that have laces

Here are pictures of other CPK shoes and how they were originally tied. I apologize. I don’t have many pictures, but I’m always willing to add those sent to me.

Other suggested posts: CPK Shoes: An Overview and Links

Unboxing a Treasure for St. Patrick’s Day

This St. Patricks Day I celebrated by purchasing a unicorn! Join me as I unbox my treasure at the end of the rainbow.

I bought myself a unicorn and it arrived in time for St. Paddy’s Day! Join me as I unbox the treasure at the end of the rainbow.

Spoiler Alert! Only scroll down if you know what the unicorn is!

Meet Mateo Lucas (blue) and Patrick Dante (green).
Patrick is wearing my unicorn outfit!
How appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day.
Of course, what else was I going to name him? After all, he’s all about the green!

Circus Kids – Call in the clowns!

Make way for “The Greatest Kids on Earth” and join us at the circus! These outfits have lots of bright colours and wacky hats. Which one is your favourite?

Circus kids came out in 1985 and like a lot of the specialty kids, did not sell well. Some may have been sold in 1987, but they were only manufactured in 1986. The series consists of six clown outfits (#100 – #105) and a ringmaster outfit. (see below) There are two versions of each outfit. The outfit names were created by Coleco.

All 12 of the cabbage patch circus kids outfits, two circus horses and the ringmaster displayed on a white background.
Fantastic picture courtesy of Holly Spencer.
Note: The circus ponies came out in 1987. (Ref #3, p. 134)

Circus kids come with a distinctive box, hand tag, and birth certificate. They also came with a clown-themed poster in the box and a trading card in the birth certificate envelope. (Ref#2, p. 72) The original boxes were sort of tent-shaped but later boxes were more rectangular (see ringmaster box below). (Ref #3, p. 133)

They were made by the KT and P factories. I don’t think that each factory produced all six outfits, as I’ve only recorded one factory per outfit so far. However, different factories could produce A and B. These outfits are on the coding matrix but create a duplicate set of #100 – #105 numbers.

One reference noted that these outfits came on P, KT and OK kids. In this case, the OK kids wouldn’t match their outfits. What combination is your Circus kid? (Ref#2, p. 72)

 There are several different tags from both factories. This is likely due to changing trends during the production period.

Each outfit comes with a pair of clown shoes, socks, and a head accessory. The shoes are stamped on the bottom with a factory code, and one shoe from each pair will be a squeaker. The socks are always made of brightly coloured silky material and are quite a bit longer than regular socks. In addition, the socks have no distinctive top edge.

As with all the specialty outfits, these outfits were eventually packaged and sold separately from the dolls. In addition, you can sometimes find individual pieces of these outfits in ‘lot’ packages. Leftover Jesmar stock dolls were also dressed as clowns and were sold on the Canadian Market in bilingual boxes. (Ref#2, p.72) I don’t remember seeing a clown in a ‘regular’ box, but it could have happened. Many other specialty outfits were sold this way in later years.

Do I have all the pieces?

Along with the face mask, headgear, socks, and shoes, each outfit includes the following:

Preppy Polka Dot – #100

  • One-piece romper with sleeves
  • Pointed hat with ruffle
  • Neck ruffle

Cuddly Crinkles

  • Top with a large neck ruffle and three pom poms
  • Matching bottoms
  • White pointed hat with ruffle and pom pom

Bashful Bow

  • Dress
  • Yellow bloomers with white polka dots
  • Large puffy hair bow

Teasin’ Topper

  • Shirt (structured like a t-shirt)
  • Vest with tails
  • Matching shorts
  • Small bow tie
  • Small hard vinyl top hat

Rowdy Rainbow

  • Shorts with suspenders (detachable)
  • Shirt with collar
  • Large neck tie (sewn on)

Preppy Pom Pom

  • One piece romper with the large pom poms
  • Small neck ruffle
  • Vinyl bowler hat

The Ringmaster Outfit – #188

This outfit is the only 188 I have recorded, and for some reason, was coded separately from the clown outfits.  This outfit was worn by both boy and girl dolls. The doll came in a circus box with a Circus Kid birth certificate and included a black megaphone. I am unsure if these dolls came with a poster.

The outfit includes a black bowtie, a red velveteen jacket with tails, a fancy white shirt with ruffles down the front, a gold and red vest, white satin jodhoppers, high black boots, and a large black top hat.

The boots are factory labelled on the inside rim and are easily confused with the Russian World Traveler boots. The more obvious differences are the detailing and the height. The Russian boot is shorter than the ringmaster boot.

Other Information

These are the photo from the 1987 Coleco Catalogue. It looks like they used actual outfits for these pictures, which is unusual.

Toddler Outfits, 880-890s

The remainder of the 800s series toddler outfits that came out in 1988. I can only find a few, do you have one I don’t have recorded?

Toddler Outfits Summary Post
Toddler Outfits 870s Series

These outfits are all copyrighted from 1987 but were sold in 1988, as indicated by the 8- in the clothing code. (For more information about these codes, visit: Part 2: The Code Addition)

It appears that these outfits were all produced while Coleco HQ was located in Amsterdam, NY, with production stopping before they moved their headquarters to Gloversville, NY, in 198

I’ve recorded two outfits in the 880s and four outfits in the 890s. There may be more outfits on either end that are unidentified. As with the 870s series, the first outfit, outfit #888, came only on boys. (The girl’s version is outfit #119. It is structured differently and doesn’t have the stars.)

I have no letter C recorded for any of these outfits and no more than four options for any outfit. This leads me to theorize that there are only four versions of each outfit: A, B, D, and E. I have no idea why they skipped C. I theorize that the outfit planned for this letter wasn’t approved.

These outfits came with regular white lace-up shoes.

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

If you have an outfit that is not recorded here or does not match my information, (e.g. You have a 501D OK that is pink, not yellow.) I would like to hear from you. Information is best sent in the form of pictures. For details, visit Taking Clothing Tag Pics.

Spreadsheet showing which outfits I have recorded and which I do not.

Other Information

Although the outfits look like they may have multiple pieces (e.g. a shirt and overalls), they are actually all one piece.

Outfit #873 looks very similar to toddler outfit #892, except the ruffle goes all the way across.

Outfit 873: white body suit with  geometric shapes on it, a blue waist ruffle and blue sleeves. The neck has purple trim.

Toddler Outfits, The 870s

The first set of outfits that came on ‘The Kid in the Middle’, Toddlers!

Toddler Outfits Summary Post
Toddler Outfits, 880s – 890s

These outfits are all copyrighted from 1987 but were sold in 1988, as indicated by the 8- in the clothing code. (For more information about these codes, visit: Part 2: The Code Addition)

It appears that these outfits were all produced while Coleco HQ was located in Amsterdam, NY, with production stopping before they moved their headquarters to Gloversville, NY, in 1989.

There are at least six outfits in this series, but there may be more after #875 that are unidentified. Outfit #870 came only on boys, and the girl’s version is outfit #874. There may be as many as ten different versions of each outfit (A – K). This means I need a lot more information!

These outfits came with regular white lace-up shoes.

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

If you have an outfit that is not recorded here or does not match my information, (e.g. You have a 501D OK that is pink, not yellow.) I would like to hear from you. Information is best sent in the form of pictures. For details, visit Taking Clothing Tag Pics.

Other Information

Do not get outfit #875 with dinosaur pattern fabric confused with the Dino Overalls for regular-sized kids (#807). The latter is very HTF and very sought after. The toddler outfits, not so much.

Outfit 807, Dino overalls, in red.

Although the outfits look like they may have multiple pieces (e.g. a shirt and overalls), they are actually all one piece.

Outfit #873 looks very similar to toddler outfit #892, except the ruffle goes all the way across.

Outfit 892D. It has dark pink sleeves and ruffles, but the body is light pink with ice cream cones.

Toddler Outfits – An Overview

Toddlers, the kid in the middle, may have come out late in the 1980’s but still had some wonderful outfits. Learn about them and how they transitioned into Hasbro Preschool Kids.

Clothing Series Quick Links

870s: 1988 Toddler Outfits Pt. 1
880s – 890s: 1988 Toddler Outfits Pt. 2
135 – 139: Coleco Transitional Toddler Outfits (Future Post)
116 – 120: Hasbro Transitional Toddler Outfits (Future Post)
Packaged Splash’n See Surprise outfits (Hasbro)

“It’s been almost like 1983 revisited, and if you don’t believe it, one collector actually witnessed people fighting over toddlers!”

(Ref #4, 12/88, Vol.3 Issue 4, p. 1)

The popular 13” kid in the middle came out in 1988 and sold until 1990 when Hasbro changed the name to Preschooler for 1991. (Ref #2, p. 98) They then sold until 1992. (Ref #1, p. 35) This means there are three versions of Toddler dolls:

  • Coleco Toddler
  • Hasbro Toddler (Transitional)
  • Hasbro Preschool Kid

Coleco Toddlers only used certain head moulds, and #4 was only used for a short time. All #4 Toddlers appear to have come with the BBB pacifier. (Visit CPK Pacifiers for details). (Ref #3, p. 167) Toddlers came with new hairstyles, and new hair/eye combinations (Ref #2, p. 98). Hasbro Preschool Kids came with even more new head moulds and hair/eye/freckle combinations. (Ref #1, p. 35)

‘Transitional Period’ Toddlers can be wacky combinations of Coleco and Hasbro parts, clothing, and accessories.

Clothing Overview

870s -890s Series (1)

The first Toddlers produced in 1988 were entirely made by Coleco and wore outfits numbered in the 870s – 890s. They were all made in Amsterdam, NY.

Note: All the Coleco Toddler outfits were produced by the OK factory, one of the few factories still in production at this time. Therefore, there are no factory differences to note.

130s Series (2)

The 130s series was designed in 1987 along with the 800s series but wasn’t sold on kids until 1989. Most of these outfits were produced for Coleco in Amsterdam, NY although a few were produced by Coleco in Gloversville, NY. So far, the Gloversville outfits appear to be later letters; F and after. They were likely produced in early 1989 for a short time, so there won’t be many of them. Gloversville outfits will always be newer than Amsterdam outfits. For more information on how this works, visit: Tag Codes and locations: 1987-9 and Transitional Period – A Summary.

Teens Series (3)

The series, 116 – 120, is from the Transitional Period and was designed and sold in 1989 by Coleco or Hasbro (Pawtucket, RI). For more details about these outfits and the time period when they were sold, visit Transitional Period- A Summary.

Red and white overall romper with attached blouse. The white fabric has multi-coloured stars on it.
Sample: 9-119C, Courtesy of Jodi’s Punki Patch

Shoes

Coleco Toddlers came with regular white lace-up shoes.  Then, as Coleco transitioned into Hasbro, they started to come with Chunky Toddler sneakers and or coloured lace-ups. I’m not sure if these shoes showed up simultaneously or if there was a specific period for each. Eventually, Preschoolers only came with coloured lace-up shoes (unless the outfit matched with white shoes.

Packaged Outfits

Just like all the Coleco material that wasn’t sold by the late 1980s, Toddler outfits ended up in packages to be sold separately from the dolls. At first, the packages said Coleco on them. Later, even though they’re sometimes still Coleco outfits, the packaging says Hasbro. Eventually, they were Hasbro outfits, like those in the 116-119 series. I believe that last series was never out on kids, it only came packaged.

Preschool Kid Outfits

In my opinion, Hasbro Preschool Kid outfits are generally of lower quality, as they were produced using thinner fabrics and clowny graphics. They don’t have the same detail and care that Coleco-manufactured outfits have. These outfits did not come packaged.

Preschooler outfits can be easily identified because they come in six different themes: time, numbers, colours, alphabet, shapes, and animals. All preschooler outfits appear to come with matching coloured lace-up shoes. (Ref #1, p. 35)

Splash’n See Surprise Outfits

Visit HERE to read about these outfits.

Purple and yellow packaged outfit from the Splash'n See Surprise like.
Courtesy of Jodi’s Punki Patch.

Identifying the factory of Jeans for the Windbreaker Outfit (#10)

You’ve got 4 pairs of CPK jeans that you just washed. They’re all slightly different. Which ones goes with this outfit?? Maybe this will help.

Outfit #10 – Windbreaker Outfit
Identifying Outfit #10 Windbreakers by factory
Identifying Windbreaker Outfit (#10) shirts

These pants are the bane of my A-type personality. It’s VERY difficult to differentiate one pair of jeans from the other. Jeans are never tagged. Some of the factory differences are VERY subtle. It’s also hard to find correct information as you have to get it from a MIB kid to know the jeans are correct. Jeans can be switched out so easily and it’s done frequently.

As a consequence, this section is rather sparse. Here’s what I know.

OK Factory Jeans Characteristics

  • Tend to be shorter than other pants but not always
  • Enclosed waist elastic
  • Somewhat sloppy sewing

P Factory Jeans Characteristics

  • Tend to be longer than OK pants
  • Exposed elastic
  • Neatly sewed, straight lines

PMI Factory Jeans Characteristics

  • Very similar to P factory jeans

Foreign Jeans

Jesmar Jeans Characteristics

  • Material is thinner cotton, not really jean material
  • No pockets, CPK label, or sewing on the back of the pants
  • Elastic is exposed and thin (not as wide as Coleco elastic)

Lily Ledy Jeans Characteristics

I’ve never actually seen these. I just have pictures.

Alert: When cleaning CPK jeans, soak them separately from all other fabrics as the dye runs extensively.

PTP: My little dreamers – A Dream Set!

I’ve completed the sleeper set; my first completed set! Meet my little dreamers.

My first, and probably only ever, complete outfit set!

The Sleeper outfit (#2) is one of the original 1983 Series outfits and has the least number of letters used in the clothing codes. It is the ‘easiest’ to collect all the different versions. Although I have a few that are recorded as being produced by two factories, I have decided that my ‘set’ is complete with one example of each letter. (AKA, one of each colour)

10 kids laying feet in, forming a circle. They are each wearing one of the sleeper outfits in a different colour. There is a grey stuffed mouse in the middle.

As this outfit was only produced for one year, and I am an A-type personality, I wanted to make sure the kids and the clothing matched. Therefore, the majority of these kids are 1983 bald kids, and the clothing factory matches the doll’s factory. It took me quite some time to find the last kid, Walker. I’ve had his sleeper for over a year!

10 kids laying feet in, forming a circle. They are each wearing one of the sleeper outfits in a different colour. There is a grey stuffed mouse in the middle. Each kid has the letter of their outfit code on their chest.

For more information on this outfit visit #2 – Sleeper and for more information on the series it comes from visit 1983 Series – The 1st CPK Clothes .

These are my sleeper kids!

PTP: Cats get into odd places . . . (Updated)

This cat is lounging where it shouldn’t be! Any theories?

. . . and this one is VERY odd! (Update: Mystery solved below)

Has anyone ever seen a cat patch on a denim romper? This is a boxed 1983 OK factory kid in a 1983 denim romper (see Beneficial Buttons for more info) with a random cat patch on it. This outfit does NOT come with a patch on it! (See PTP: Plentiful Patches Pt. 1) The owner said she got him like this.

Update: Mystery mostly solved! This little man is Jesmar and that makes all the sense! Jesmar did some rather weird stuff with their outfits. For details, visit Jesmars and J Clothing . Now, why someone at the Jesmar factory decided to do it . . .who knows?

Special thanks to Amy London for bringing this kid to my attention and providing the picture.

Precious CPK Pajamas

Precious and cozy, these pajamas’s are so cute. If you’ve got the slippers you’re lucky!

This series consists of five outfits, four for girls and one for boys. They are all a type of pyjamas. The girl’s outfits are all made of flannel and come with fuzzy pink slippers. Like with some other series, the boy’s outfit is unique.

Although their code numbers start with a 6, generally indicating that they came out in 1986, most of those I’ve seen mint-in-box are in 1987 boxes. I hypothesize that they were sold in 1987 or even late 1986 into 1987. Most sources list them as being sold in 1987. (Ref# 3, p. 160) These outfits are not common, so I don’t believe they were produced for very long. They are very hard to find with slippers now.

Red haired, blue eyed girl with a retainer two piece PJ outfit with sheep on it and fuzzy pink slippers. She's sitting in a yellow and aqua 1987-1989 box.

They were all made by the KT factory. There’s only one version of each outfit, and they were not made by any other factory. I believe I have this series entirely recorded, although I could use a better picture of outfit #693 with the slippers.

Picture of a tag for outfit 694, KT factory.

Girl’s PJ’s

689 – Bon-Bon Two-Piece PJs

This outfit has a dress-like top with matching pants. The fabric pattern is pastel-coloured bonbons and it has a V-neck with two purple buttons and a purple bow.

Outfit #689. Two piece PJ set with bonbons on it and fuzzy pink slippers.
Photo courtesy of Kat Perhouse.

690 – NO OUTFIT

691 – Two Piece Sheep PJs

This outfit has a dress-like top and matching pants. The fabric pattern is pastel-coloured pink and blue sheep with flowers. The yoke has three bows; pink, teal, and purple.

Two piece PJ set with sheep and flowers on them. There are fuzzy pink flowers.
Photo courtesy of Kat Perhouse.

692 – Ruffled gown

This gown is white with a pink flower pattern and three buttons at the neck. The neck area has a lot of ruffles, and there is a ruffle running around the hem, a few inches from the bottom.

CPK PJ gown, #692 with pink and green flower pattern and fuzzy pink slippers.
Photo courtesy of Kat Perhouse.

693 – Striped gown

This gown has a large white bib front with three buttons. The remainder of the gown is a thick stripe pattern in pastel shades of teal, pink, and white. There is a ruffle around the bib, and the bottom hem is white with pink hearts.

Flannel CPK gown, #693. It has thick pink, aqua and white stripes.

Boy’s PJ Outfit

694 – Nightshirt and cap

This outfit is unique within the CPK clothing world. Unlike outfits #689 – #693, this one is made of cotton, uses darker colours, and includes a nightcap and booties with suede soles. The nightcap and booties can be difficult to find.

Mimic Outfit

This outfit mimics the look of the Pajama Series and is often thought to be a part of it. Outfit #142A looks very similar but came out in 1989 as a packaged outfit. The dark colours and yellow slippers are the immediately visible differences.

Cotton two piece PJ outfit with teddy bears and in red, yellow, and blue. It comes with yellow fuzzy slippers.
Photo courtesy of Kat Pershouse.

Special thanks to Kat Perhouse for her amazing pictures.