Hasbro Outfits - Hilary's Cabbage Patch Clothes Closet

Transitional Period CPK Outfits – A Summary

As Hasbro took over production of the Cabbage Patch brand, chaos ensued. Find out what collectors means by ‘transitional’ and how this is reflected in the clothing.

Quick List/Links

9 – #101 – #152 (BBB, Preemie, Toddler, Regular kids) (Future Posts)
9 – Designer Line Kid outfits (150s, 170-180s)
9 – Sippin’ Kid outfits (160s) (Future Post)
0 – 400s (BBB outfits) (Future Post)

Transition: the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.
(Google Dictionary)

In this instance, we’re referring to the transition from Coleco to Hasbro as the manufacturer of the Cabbage Patch brand, 1989 – 1990. This progression, and the chaos it caused, can be seen in the tags used in their clothes. It occurs in five stages.

Stage 1 Tags: 9 – Amsterdam and Gloversville, NY – Coleco

Coleco began using the location Amsterdam, NY, on their tags in late 1987 (I think) and continued until sometime in 1989. Then they switched to Gloversville, NY, the last known Coleco location used on their tags. Consequently, Gloversville tags only occurred in outfits that came out in the first 6-months of 1989. These outfits all have 9 – in front of their outfit code. (See Part 2: The Code Addition for an explanation). Some of the outfits produced in 1989 were designed earlier but weren’t sold until then.

Coleco Cabbage patch kid clothing tag with Gloversville, NY, as the location, clothing code 9-167A and factory OK.

Outfits series sold at this time (that I know of):

9 – #101 – #153 (BBB, Preemie, Toddler, Regular kids)
Designer Line outfits 150s (all Gloversville)
9 – Sippin’ Kid outfits (160s)

Stage 2 Tags: 9 – Pawtucket, RI – Hasbro

The codes in these outfits have the 9 –, indicating they are also from 1989, but they are made by a different company. These tags have a Coleco-like clothing code and factory code but are now listed as being made by Hasbro out of Pawtucket, RI. They introduced a new factory code H101, likely intending the H to indicate Hasbro. This happened because Hasbro bought out Coleco in July of 1989 (Ref#3, p. 176).

Hasbro Cabbage patch kid clothing tag with Pawtucket, RI as the location, clothing code 9-106A and factory H101. — Courtesy of Jodi Issacs

Outfits series sold at this time (that I know of):

BBB outfits #101 – #106
Toddler outfits #116 – #120
Preemie outfits #130 – #133
Designer Line 170s (all Pawtucket)
9 – Sippin’ Kid outfits (160s)
Hasbro version of outfit #505 – Apron Dress

Stage 3 Tags: 0 – Pawtucket, RI – Hasbro

Following along with the year labelling convention, if 9- is for 1989, then the 0 – would be for 1990. So, these outfits were sold in 1990. However, the tag looks more Hasbro-like than Coleco now. In addition, there are very few outfits with this code. The only outfits produced at this time were the BBB 400s. series (Future Post). These outfits are likely the last of the Coleco designs Hasbro used OR their first attempts at their own designs. My guess is the latter, as all four outfits in this series mimic the look of earlier Coleco-produced outfits.

Hasbro Cabbage patch kid clothing tag with Pawtucket, RI as the location, clothing code 0-100D and no factory code.

Stage 4 Tags: Hasbro tag

By this stage, the tags are all Hasbro, and there are no codes on them at all. It appears that, although they considered or tried to keep using the Coleco coding system, they gave it up rather quickly, likely sometime in 1990.

Hasbro Cabbage patch kid clothing tag with Pawtucket, RI.

Outfits series sold at this time (that I know of):

Outfits #148, #151
Outfits #116 – #120
Hasbro produced versions of some 800-815 series
Some early Hasbro BBB outfits
Some early Hasbro regular kid outfits (generally a duplicate in some way of a Coleco outfit)
Many Poseable Kid outfits
Some Splash and See packaged outfits
Hasbro Fashion Separates Line – packaged
Hasbro Deluxe Fashions Line – packaged
Hasbro Fashions Line – packaged (likely but not confirmed by tag yet)

Stage 5 Tags: No tag

By 1991, Hasbro was producing their own kids and clothes. None of the outfits are tagged. Some of these lines include Babies (BBBs), Babyland Kids, Poseables (replaced the regular kids), Birthday Kids, Preschoolers, Designer Line Kids and Kissin’ Kids. (Ref#2, p.104))

Transitional Dolls

Although many dolls were sold in these two years, what most collectors refer to as a ‘Transitional doll’ is very specific and quite sought after, as few were produced. These dolls are an amalgam of Hasbro and Coleco parts. One might have a Coleco head, Hasbro body, and Coleco outfit. Or a Coleco body and head, but wear a Hasbro-tagged outfit. There are several possible combinations. (Ref#3, p. 176)

Selling off Coleco Stock

During the Transitional period, you could find odd packages of Cabbage Patch clothing and accessories that were being sold off by Coleco and Hasbro. For example, you might find a Coleco outfit on a Hasbro board and in others, it’s a mishmash of items that don’t belong together on what looks to be an unauthorized board, but isn’t. Hasbro used a variety of avenues to rid themselves of leftover stock. Refer to PTP: Packaged Outfits: Questions and (Some) Answers for more information.

Shoes: Chunky Sneakers and Saddle Shoes

Worn by Designer Line kids and other 1988 and 1989 kids, Chunky Sneakers and Saddle Shoes are very sought after and colourful. Find out more!

Summary Post about Cabbage Patch Shoes

Chunky Sneakers

Two pairs of Chunky Sneaker cabbage patch kid shoes. One pair is red and the other light blue. Each pair has one shoe upside down so you can see the bottom.

These full-form vinyl sneaker-shaped shoes came with all Designer Line Kids outfits (1989) and may have come on kids wearing the Hasbro version of outfit #812 and two Hasbro transitional poseable outfits.

White blond Designer Line girl MIB wearing a button dress and red chunky sneakers. — Designer Line Kid (example)

Lemon blonde with blue eyes MIB wearing a pink and purple sweatsuit and purple chunky sneakers.Outfit #812 (Hasbro version) — Designer Line Kid (example)

There may also be additional Transitional outfits that came with these shoes, of which I am unaware. In addition, during the Transitional period, Hasbro and Coleco were selling off inventory, so outfits may no longer have come with just one type of shoe. There may be more than one type used for these outfits, including the Chunky Sneakers.

I have not yet seen Chunky Sneakers that were separately packaged. Separately packaged DL outfits sold in the late 1980s either did not come with shoes or may have come with Saddle Shoes (see below).

Beyond their distinctive shape, these shoes also have a pattern on the bottom and no factory indicator on the inside of the shoe.

Colours I know of

Teal/Aqua
Purple
Mauve/greyish
Darker purple
Light pink
Darker pink
Orange
Dark Orange
Royal blue
Red
Black
Lime Green

Four stacked rows of Chunky sneakers, all visible from the back and arranged in various colours. — Pictures courtesy of Eric Botelho and thatcabbagepatchgirl.

Eight pairs of Chunky Sneakers all visible from the back. It looks like they're in some sort of storage box. — Pictures courtesy of Eric Botelho and thatcabbagepatchgirl.

Saddle Shoes

Chunky Sneakers are often confused with Saddle Shoes, which came out about the same time (1989) on a few outfits, Coleco and Hasbro. There seem to be two versions, one with real laces in the top two holes and used by Coleco, and one without laces (holes not punched through) and used by Hasbro.

Black and white Hasbro saddle shoe without laces. — Coleco with laces

Outfit #809 may have come with these shoes, and some of the #812 outfits (Coleco version) came with them. I believe that the Hasbro tracksuit outfit also came with them. There may be more; this list is likely not complete. These shoes also came separately packaged.

Blue, pink and white version of outfit #809, overalls with a shirt and pink saddle shoes. — #809

Lemon blonde #19 CPK with blue eyes wearing outfit #812 (Coleco Version) and yellow saddle shoes. — #809

Their most distinctive feature the is CPK logo located on the bottom of each shoe.

Photo courtesy of Cheryl Parker.

Colours I know of

Darker Purple
Pinkish Purple
Yellow
Royal Blue
Teal/Aqua

Chunky Toddler Shoes

Chunky Sneakers are also confused with Chunky Toddler Shoes. They look similar but are smaller and only came on some Transitional and Hasbro Toddlers. (Future Post)

Brown haired, brown eyed MIB toddler wearing a blue 55 outfits and blue Saddle shoes. — Courtesy of Karly.

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

Red haired boy toddler in a Coleco Toddler box. — Coleco Toddler, Canadian Market Coleco Toddler, Hasbro Toddler (Transitional), Preschool Kid (Hasbro)

Wheat haired girl toddler in a Canadian Market toddler box. She is wearing a one piece romper with hearts on it. — Coleco Toddler, Canadian Market Coleco Toddler, Hasbro Toddler (Transitional), Preschool Kid (Hasbro)

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.

White patterned body suit romper with blue ruffle and purple accents. — 873B

One piece toddler outfit with yellow bottom, blue top and two button flap accents. — 873B

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.

Red and blue toddler romper with a white blouse underneath. — Sample: 135E, Courtesy of Jodi’s Punki Patch

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.

A pair of pink and white Chunk Toddler shoes with laces and CPK in pink on them. — Regular lace-ups

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.

Packaged CPK toddler outfit of a blue robe with white lace trim and matching booties. Coleco. — Outfits 1378B, 139B, Hasbro dress

Packaged CPK toddler outfit of yellow PJ's with blue trim and matching booties. Coleco. — Outfits 1378B, 139B, Hasbro dress

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)

Pink top and dress Preschool Kid outfit with a time theme. — Time

White blue and red dress Preschool Kid outfit with a time theme. — Time

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.

Designer Line Duds – Series 2 (170s-180s)

Dressed to impress (in the last 1980s) these kids have outfits that were all the rage. This is the second set of outfits that were carried on by Hasbro.

Jump to – Series 1: 150s

These kids came out in 1989-9, during the Transitional Period. Hasbro also sold them for a short time from when they took over production in July of 1989 and into 1990.

“According to the 1990 catalogue, these Designer Line Kids had “the cool, casual look that children like for themselves . . .Their new outfits are the latest and greatest fashion designs, and their yarn or nylon hair is fashioned in the hottest looks around.” (Ref #2, p. 104)

They came with new hairstyles, both yarn and cornsilk, and some new head moulds were introduced with these kids (#36, #44, #45). For more details, refer to the sources listed at the end of the post.

These kids came standing in a special box with a new design. In the US they came with a special purple DL birth certificate but in Canada, they came with the regular 1987-89 certificates. I’m not sure about other countries. They, and their outfits, were made at the P factory; however, they don’t generally end up with pox. A few of the early DL kids came with a new ‘artistic’ Xavier Roberts signature, but it was quickly changed back to the original.

Red crimp haired Cabbage patch kid girl with freckles wearing a purple jacket and matching crazy patterned pants and chunky teal shoes. She is standing in a DL box and had a DL birth certificate. — Canadian Certificate

Picture of a Canadian 1987 - 89 aqua coloured birth certificate and associated paperwork. — Canadian Certificate

The Outfits

Numerically, there are two series of Designer Line outfits, the 150s and the 170s-180s. The 150s outfits came out first and the 170-180s came out second. For an explanation of how we know, visit Transitional Period – A Summary.

Each series has six outfits, and there are five versions of each outfit (A-E).

These outfits came with chunky sneakers and white underpants for boys or panties for girls. In this series, the panties may also come in different colours.

UPDATE: Designer Line outfits put on later kids may also have come with Saddle Shoes.

White panties and white cotton boys underwear worn by Designer Line Cabbage Patch Kids.

Finally, these outfits came packaged by Hasbro, but the 150s series did not. Consequently, of the two DL outfit series, this one would likely be easier to find.

Purple skirt with matching patterned jean jacket and sweater top on a Cabbage Patch Kids packaging board. It has a bright orange sales sticker selling it for $4.98.

Clothing Notes:

The tags for these outfits are located in the jackets, which is highly unusual.
The sweaters may have been switched among outfits #182, and #183 as they are all very similar. The tags are in the jackets so this would be possible.
Designer Line socks are different from regular Coleco socks.
I’m not sure if the boy’s outfits came with socks at all.

These outfits were likely made by Hasbro, who may not have been as diligent at making sure the same accessories always went with an outfit. I just don’t have enough evidence to show that the socks and shoes that came with each outfit were entirely consistent. It’s possible that the accessory colour changed based on what they had available. If you have a MIB kid that doesn’t match my records, please let me know!

178 – Jock Jacket and jeans (Boy)

This outfit consists of a jacket, dickie, striped dress shirt, slacks (solid colour), underpants, socks (I think), and chunky shoes. I’m pretty sure this outfit came with socks, but I’m not completely sure!

Picture of outfit 178B. It has a jacket with a purple trunk and red sleeves and aqua trim. There's a CPK patch on the right breast. The shirt is striped aqua and white and there's a pair of grey pants. — Dickie

This picture shows the dickie that is supposed to come with this outfit. It is visible under the shirt and pants here and is dark pink. — Dickie

179 – Sweater jacket, sweater, and skirt outfit (Girl)

This outfit consists of a sweater jacket, sweater, and skirt (made of sweater material). The shirt has a large decal on the front that is a triangle or rectangle, and the skirt that is a solid colour. It comes with undies, chunky shoes, and socks. It’s very similar to outfit 183; the only real difference is the jacket.

Outfit 179B. The jacket is pink, aqua and purple check with thick gold trim. The sweater has a purple check trunk and aqua sleeves with gold trim. The skirt is made of sweater material and is solid aqua. — Photos courtesy of Jodi’s Punky Patch.

180 – Overalls with jacket (Girl)

This outfit consists of three pieces, chunky shoes, socks, and undies. The prints used are all colourful and crazy!

Jean jacket with large flap pockets
Solid coloured long-sleeved shirt with coloured trim
Overalls with large leg cuffs and three buttons up the middle front

Outfit 180D. It has a jacket that has a patterned base (had animals) and pink pockets and trim. The pockets have flap closures. The shirt is gold with aqua trim. The overalls are the same pattern with pink cuffs and button strip. You can also see the purple undies and purple and white shoes. — Pictures courtesy of Sarah Galt.

181 – Coveralls with long jacket (Girl)

This outfit consists of two pieces, socks, chunky shoes, and undies. The first piece is a long jacket that’s half a solid colour and half a pattern and has rucked pockets. The second is a set of coveralls with a waist tie and three buttons up the middle front.

Outfit 181A. It has a funky patterned long jacket with large ruched pockets and matching sleeve tops. The coveralls are all one colour/pattern and are purple with aqua shoes attached. — Photo courtesy of Kristi Prieto Sams.

182 –Leather jacket and sweater (Boy)

This outfit consists of a leather jacket, sweater, and slacks. It comes with socks (I think), shoes, and underpants. The sweaters all have a large decal on the front. Some of them say CPK Airborne Division.

Shows a #19 cornsilk boy with a brush cut wearing outfit 182B. It's a brown leather jacket with a sweater underneath and grey slacks and aqua and white shoes. — Photo courtesy of Vanessa Brisson.

183 – Skirt, sweater, and jean jacket (Girl)

This outfit consists of a jacket with large solid-coloured pockets, a sweater, and a skirt (made of sweater material). The shirt has a large decal on the front that is a triangle or rectangle, and the skirt is a solid colour. It comes with undies, chunky shoes, and socks. It’s very similar to outfit 179; the only real difference is the jacket. It’s possible that they all came with gold socks.

Outfit 183E. The jacket is had gold pockets and the main part is red with black diamonds. The sweater has a gold trunk and aqua sleeves with purple trim. The skirt is made of sweater material and is solid black. You can see the gold socks and red and white shoes as well. — Photos courtesy of Kristi Prieto Sams.

Version Information

My goal is to record every version of every outfit that was produced. With each outfit above is a record of the outfit versions I have recorded. To understand clothing codes, factories, and variations, please refer to What are Clothing Tag Codes? and Factories and Companies.

I appear to have many of the outfits recorded, but if you have an outfit that is not recorded here, I would like to hear from you. This includes any differences in accessories. Information is best sent in the form of pictures. For details, visit Taking Clothing Tag Pics.

Other Information

DL kids and outfits can also be found in ‘regular’ kid boxes of the same time period.

These outfits showed up in the Coleco Catalogues in 1989 and Hasbro catalogues in 1990. Many of these outfits were never produced or were done in other colours.

Sources:

Ref #3, p. 170 – 175
Ref #2 p. 104 – 111

Designer Line Duds – Series 1 (150s)

Dressed to impress (in the last 1980s) these kids have outfits that were all the rage. Check out these cool duds!

Jump to – Designer Line Series 2: 170s – 180s

These kids came out in 1989, during the Transitional Period. Hasbro also sold them for a short time from when they took over production in July of 1989 and into 1990.

They came with new hairstyles, both yarn and cornsilk, and some new head moulds were introduced with these kids (#36, #44, #45). For more details, refer to the sources listed at the end of the post.

These kids came standing in a special box with a new design. In the US they came with a special purple DL birth certificate but in Canada, they came in the regular 1987-89 certificates. I’m not sure about other countries. They, and their outfits, were made at the P factory; however, they don’t generally end up with pox. A few of the early DL kids came with a new ‘artistic’ Xavier Roberts signature, but it was quickly changed back to the original.

The Outfits

Each series has six outfits, and there are five versions of each outfit (A-E).

These outfits came with chunky sneakers and white underpants for boys or white underwear for girls.

UPDATE: Designer Line outfits put on later kids may also have come with Saddle Shoes.

These kids came out at a time when Coleco was dumping material into the market. I don’t have enough evidence to show that the socks and shoes that came with outfits were entirely consistent. It’s possible that the accessory colour changed based on what they had available. If you have a MIB kid that doesn’t match my records, please let me know!

Finally, the 170s-180s outfits were sold packaged by Hasbro, but this series did not. Consequently, of the two DL outfit series, this one would likely be the more difficult to find.

152 – Button Dress (Girl)

The reason for this name is obvious. It doesn’t come with any leg coverings, just underwear. The socks are special in that they too have buttons on them.

Red, yellow, and aqua version of outfit 152, the button dress. — Courtesy of Sarah Galt.

Spreadsheet showing which outfits I have recorded for outfit 152.

153 – Long sweater with leggings (Girl)

Pink and yellow version of outfit 153. — Courtesy of Kristi Pierto Sams.

Spreadsheet showing which outfits I have recorded for outfit 153.

154 – Jean dress and jacket (Girl)

Most of the time, the fabric of the dress and the jacket are the same colour. However, for at least one version, they are not.

Aqua version of outfit 154, the jean dress.

Aqua version of outfit 154, the jean dress. Picture shows the outfit pieces.

Spreadsheet showing which outfits I have recorded for outfit 154.

155 – Shirt, pants, and jacket with hood outfit (Girl)

Purple and aqua version of outfit 155, the girls jacket with hood outfit. Picture shows the outfit pieces. — Courtesy of Carolyn Dahl Wood.

156 – Jean jacket and pants with shirt (Boy)

I’m not sure that this outfit came with socks. I know that sounds weird, but I got a ‘complete’ kid myself, and he didn’t have any socks. Almost all the pictures I’ve seen of this outfit, and all of the pictures that I have of this outfit, either have no socks or have pictures of odd socks, not DL socks. It’s very strange! Do you have a MIB kid with DL socks on?

Jean jacket lined with white fur and matching pants with green shirt. This picture shows the pieces of the outfit. 156

Spreadsheet showing which outfits I have recorded for outfit 156.

157 – Tracksuit with hoodie vest (Boy)

For some odd reason, this outfit appears to show up frequently on kids with the brush-cut hairstyle, even in the yarn hair!

Outfit 157 which has a blue sweater with red twin and red, blue and yellow hoodie vest.

Picture showing the pieces of outfit 157 which has a blue sweater with red twin and yellow, red and aqua hoodie vest.

Spreadsheet showing which outfits I have recorded for outfit 157.

Version Information

Other Information

These outfits showed up in the Coleco Catalogues in 1989 and Hasbro catalogues in 1990. Many of these outfits were never produced or were done in other colours.

Sources:

Ref #3, p. 170 – 175
Ref #2 p. 104 – 111

Babies – A Summary

The smallest of the Coleco kids, Babies have a wide range of adorable outfits to choose from! Find out about BBB’s, their clothing and its care.

My BBB Patch July 2020. (except one preemie that photo bombed the picture!) — My BBB Patch July 2020. (Except the one preemie that photobombed the picture!)

General Information
BBB Pacifiers
BBBs and Vinyl Discolouration (Pox)
BBB Clothing Series Summary List
               Twin BBB Outfit
             BBB or Preemie . . . that is the question
             Transitional and Hasbro Outfits
Care of BBB outfits

General Information

These 11” dolls were called Babies by Coleco, but most collectors call them Beany Butt Babies or BBB for short. They are the smallest of the Coleco dolls and have bags of ‘beans’ in their bum or tummy. If the bag is in the bum, there is stuffing on top at the neck.

Two BBB bodies (minus heads) with the white bean sacks removed. One has just the bean sack, one has the bean sack and a ball of stuffing.

Babies were manufactured by Coleco from 1986 – 1989 and then by Hasbro until 1992. (Ref. #2, p. 14) Early accounts indicate that they sold very well (Ref. #4, May 1986, p.5)

Babies’ boxes are quite different from the other Coleco boxes. The doll itself is laid down on its side, so the box is longer than it is tall. The look of the boxes, where the birth certificate was displayed, and the look of the birth certificate changed over time.

Babies were made predominately by the WS and SS factories. I have seen only two BBBs that were made by the P factory. This may have been a factory mistake, but I have no way of knowing.

Coleco made bald Babies with head moulds 1,3,4, and 6. (Ref. #1, p. 97)

Hasbro later used additional head moulds for their kids. Some of their kids had tufts of hair and they had a wider variety of eye colours and skin tones.

Keep in mind that as Hasbro took over from Coleco some rather strange combinations of kids, outfits and boxes occured. For more information visit Transitional Period CPK Outfits – A Summary.

BBB Pacifiers

The pacifiers used by BBBs are significantly different from the original yellow pacifiers. They are made of softer vinyl and are generally translucent. They have a flatter ring for the hand, and the projection for the mouth is shaped differently.

Picture of a BBB and regular paci. For comparison.

The early pacifiers were the same yellow colour, but later pacifiers came out in a wide variety of colours to match the doll’s outfit. Like the originals, they are marked with the factory, but it is on the flat disc portion. These pacifiers are also used for some transitional Toddlers and for Hasbro Preschoolers.

Finally, Furskin pacifiers look similar to BBB pacifiers, but the mouth protuberance is larger in diameter.

Picture of a Furskin and BBB paci. For comparison. — Furskin vs. BBB pacifiers

BBB’s and Vinyl Discolouration (Pox)

Unfortunately, early SS factory kids are very likely to have developed or to develop vinyl discolouration. They have the dubious honour of being known as the worst for this, as the type of pox they get is generally darker and often more prolific than P factory kids.

BBB pacifiers, because they are made of vinyl, can also get pox. Unfortunately, zit cream treatment doesn’t seem to work very well on them.

Picture of a BBB paci covered with vinyl discolouration spots.

For details on vinyl discolouration and how to treat it, visit Hilary’s How-to Videos .

BBB Clothing Series Summary List

There’s a large catalogue of BBB outfits that were created from 1986 to 1989+.

A: 1986 Knit Series Pt 1. (#191 – 199)
B: 1986 Knit Series Pt. 2 (#200 – 204)
C: 1987 Knit and Terry Series (670s – 680s)
D: Bunting Bag Series (#778 – 781) FUTURE POST
E: 1988 Series (850s 0- 860s) FUTURE POST
F: 1989 100s Series (#100 – 109) FUTURE POST
G: Random BBB packaged outfits, 1989 (#129 – 133) FUTURE POST
H: Random 400s Outfits (#400, #401, #404) FUTURE POST.

Twin BBB Outfit

There is one very special knit BBB outfit that doesn’t have a regular code. You can learn more about it at PTP: The Twin Outfit That Isn’t

BBB or Preemie . . . That is the question

In general, we can say that if the outfit has footies, it’s a BBB outfit. However, a few of the transitional preemie outfits did have footies. So, if it seems too big for your BBB, it may be because it’s actually a preemie outfit. For information on preemie outfits, visit Preemie Outfits – An Overview .

Transitional and Hasbro Outfits

Hasbro manufactured Babies until 1992, and the transitional period (1989-1991) BBB clothing is very interesting. Although Hasbro did start to manufacture their own outfits, they also continued to produce some of the Coleco outfits for a time.

There’s evidence that they intended to take some of the Coleco outfits and make them their own. For example, outfit 682 is almost the same as outfit 400. Why are there two of the same outfit? Because outfit 682 is the original Coleco one, and outfit 400 is the one Hasbro created.

Initially, it appears that Hasbro was going to continue coding their outfits but later changed their mind. Outfit 400 was created during this brief period. Instead of using the original Coleco code, they gave it a new one in the 400s. The outfits themselves are almost identical. The biggest difference is in the hat; one has a large fold-over, and the other does not.

Some Hasbro outfits have tags, generally transitional ones, but most don’t have a tag. In this way, we can determine if an outfit is Coleco or Hasbro, even if they look identical.

Care of BBB outfits

The majority of BBB outfits are knit or terry cloth. Both of these fabrics should be hand washed to reduce damage to the fibres/yarn. I also suggest that before washing, you put small pieces of Velcro on the ‘sticky’ Velcro pieces to stop new pulls or damage from developing in the wash.

They can be soaked in oxi-clean and washed with regular laundry detergent. I suggest hanging knit outfits to dry.

You can also bring them back to life by ‘defuzzing’ them. A sweater shaver works well for most outfits. You may find you need to do the edges or decorations by hand with your ‘defuzzing’ scissors.

Your sweater shaver will also work on the cotton-based outfits as it will remove the pills and pulls.

For more information on defuzzing outfits visit, Hilary’s How to Videos.

PTP: BBB Romper Surprise

This adorable outfit holds a great surprise, if you’re willing to look closely.

Caucasian Bean Butt Baby (Coleco Baby) with a dark blond looped tuft and brown eyes. She's wearing a purple onsie with pink footies and two pink buttons shaped like hearts.

This is Helenna Storm. She’s a Transitional BBB wearing a Hasbro outfit. If you take a close look at this outfit, there’s a fascinating detail.

A purple onsie with pink footies and two pink buttons shaped like hearts. The sleeves and both sides are solid purple, and the middle panel is white with purple and pink words.

If you look closely, the middle panel has words on it. Can you read them?

Close up of the words in the white central panel of the outfit.

Did you get it? Yes! It’s the Legend of the Cabbage Patch Kids that was originally printed on the Coleco boxes.

The story "The Legend of the Cabbage Patch Kids" from the side of a 1984 Cabbage Patch box.

Isn’t that awesome! Someone who’s creative and pays close attention to detail was involved in designing this outfit. I bet they loved CPK’s as much as we do!

I also have this outfit recorded as coming in teal.

Do you have it in any other colours?