Hilary's Cabbage Patch Clothes Closet
Learning about 1980's Cabbage Patch Kid clothing.
Information about Preemie Cabbage Patch Kid Clothing.
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.
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!
Twins continued to be produced in 1986 but with some differences. Also, information on other types of twins, prototype outfits, and more!
Coleco continued to produce Twin sets in 1986 wearing the original four outfits, but they also started to use twin sets as a dumping ground to get rid of overstock. At this time, it wasn’t unusual to find a variety of combinations in twin boxes, for example:
Especially in the Canadian market, it wasn’t unusual for the dolls wearing these non-twin outfits to be Jesmar as it was at this time that Coleco was looking to rid themselves of the remaining stock from the recently closed foreign factories. (See Jesmars and J Clothing for details.)
The dolls used for twins in 1986 weren’t always P/OK factory and weren’t always the same factory. For example, there are records of sets being OK and PMI. (Ref #4, March 1988, p. 4) This was rare, but apparently, it did happen.
They also dumped twin outfits by putting them on individually boxed regular kids and Cornsilk kids in 1986 and 1987.
Finally, in a last-ditch effort to get rid of stock, twin outfits were sold packaged separately. Often these packages didn’t come with accessories like gloves or shoes.
> The Tsukuda factory is the only foreign factory that manufactured Twins (Ref #3, p. 247). Their twins wear regular 1983 outfits with the word “TWIN” silkscreened on them. These sets are very highly valued by collectors.
> Preemie twins were never produced, but prototypes are visible in catalogue pictures from 1986. (Ref #3, p. 178, 192)
Many prototype outfits can be seen in catalogues from 1986. The outfits aren’t exact, but they’re pretty close! It’s too bad the white dresses were never produced, they’re very pretty.
Butterick produced only one of the twin outfits as a sewing pattern. They are numbered #390 and #3564.
Ref #3, p. 104 – 110
Ref #2, p. 71 – 72
Knit booties came with a small number of very specific outfits, but which ones? Find out!
Jump to: CPK Shoe Summary
Knit booties were manufactured by Coleco from 1983 to 1987. However, the characteristics varied by factory.
I do not have any examples of Hong Kong period booties, so I do not know if there are any significant differences.
Yellow and white booties came with one regular-sized outfit, and white booties came with several preemie outfits.
So far I know that booties were manufactured by the following factories:
It seems that each factory used a different knitting pattern. You can see visual differences between them. I have one pattern that I cannot associate with a factory, but I think it might be the CC factory. I am still missing examples of many factories. Do you have them?
The booties also appear to come in two different sizes, but I do not know why. It would make sense that the larger ones were for the #9 Bubble Romper outfit and regular-sized kids, while the smaller ones were for the preemie outfits. However, I have seen the smaller-sized booties in yellow, which never came with the preemie outfits.
Finally, there is a Play Along 25th Anniversary version of the Bubble Romper outfit. These booties look like OK factory booties, but the yarn is thinner and finer.
I have never seen booties separately packaged like other CPK shoes.
Foreign factories did produce booties. The Triang-Pedigree are a lot like P factory booties.
Let your preemie curl up like a cat in this cute onesie.
B Series Preemie Outfits Summary
This is a footed velveteen onesie. The yoke is coloured/patterned and quilted, with lace running along the bottom and a cat patch on the left breast. The feet are also coloured and have a pom-pom. There is an arched Cabbage Patch Kids patch on the left leg. It closes down the front with a long strip of Velcro.
Footwear: n/a
This outfit was sold only on dolls manufactured in 1985. Preemies were not made in 1986.
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 B505D SS that is purple, 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.
> Mimic Preemie Outfit Series: #716 – Terry Cloth Preemie PJ’s. These are structurally the same as the Kitty PJ’s but have no cat patch, are not coloured at the feet, do not have pom poms, and, of course, are made of terry cloth.
> Outfit #136 – This outfit is structurally the same, except that the yoke has two bows, there is only a small square CPK patch on the left side, and it is made of cotton.
> BBB Outfits – There are several terry-cloth BBB outfits that look very similar to this outfit.
All ready for bed! What a cute set of Pajamas for a special overnight.
B Series Preemie Outfits Summary
Cotton two pieces PJ’s – The top closes up the front and has a bow in the middle and one at the neck. The front closure, neck, and sleeve hems are all white. Coloured rick rack runs up either side of the front opening, and the left side has a teddy patch and an arched Cabbage Patch kids patch. The bottoms have footies and rick rack around them. The entire thing is the same colour.
Footwear: n/a
This outfit was sold only on dolls manufactured in 1985. Preemies were not made in 1986.
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 B505D OK that is purple, 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.
> Mimic Preemie Outfits: #715 – Plain cotton preemie PJ’s. The most obvious differences are the lack of a teddy patch and rick rack. In addition, there is only one bow at the neck.
This outfit is one of the finest among this series but it can be confusing to match the pieces.
B Series Preemie Outfits Summary
This outfit consists of three pieces. The first is the cotton bubble romper with overall type top half. The overall bib has three horizontal ribbons running across the bottom and a bow on the right side. An arched Cabbage Patch Kid patch is on the right side of the bib as well. The second is a blouse with a single large ruffle at the shoulder. Finally, the bonnet matches the pattern/colour of the bottom of the bubble romper and is edged with lace.
Many of them are patterned and coloured in various shades of purple, making it difficult to make sure they actually go together.
Footwear: Regular white shoes and socks
This outfit was sold only on dolls manufactured in 1985. Preemies were not made in 1986.
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 B504D SS that is not the same as mine) 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.
> 1984 series preemie outfit #9, Bubble bottomed romper (one piece)
> 700 – Series Mimic Preemie Outfit: This outfit is structurally the same but did not come with a bonnet and has no ribbon decoration. Instead, it comes with the arched CPK logo centred on the overall bib. In addition, the blouse is a solid colour with no shoulder ruffle.
Note: I do not have the code for this outfit verified. If you have it, I would very interested in pictures!
> Outfit 135: This is a one-piece outfit that LOOKS like it is two pieces. There are no ribbon accents and no arched patch, only a small square CPK patch indicative of the later outfits. It comes in many different patterns and colours.
Very similar to preemie outfit #3, this one is fancier and much harder to find!
B Series Preemie Outfits Summary
This outfit consists of a cotton gown with a high-low bottom and matching blanket. There is a line of lace down the middle front of the gown and at the neck and armholes. The bottom has a single line of lace around the front and a double set that is visible from the front, running along the back half. There is an arched Cabbage Patch Kids patch on the right breast.
It comes with a matching cotton blanket that has a lace-edged hood sewn into it. The lace around the hood area is very large. The hood can be tied closed around the doll’s neck with two ribbons. The blanket is edged with lace and can also be tied around the doll’s waist with white ribbons.
Footwear: Knit booties
This outfit was sold only on dolls manufactured in 1985. Preemies were not made in 1986.
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 B503G SS 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.
> 1984 Series outfit #3 Gown with a hooded blanket
> Although I do not have enough of these outfits recorded, I think there may be variations in lace and structure between factories.
A hood to keep your little one warm, and more lace then ever before!
B Series Preemie Outfits Summary
Bunting bag with attached hood. The hood is one colour/pattern, and the remainder of the outfit is another. There is lace around the armholes, the hood, and the edges of the yoke. There are also three large rows of lace around the bottom of the bag. The hood opens at the back to allow it to be put on the doll. It ties closed with a white ribbon.
Almost all of them have a curved ‘Cabbage Patch Kids’ patch on the breast. Right now my THEORY is that only the OK factory didn’t use the patch.
Footwear: Knit booties
This outfit was sold only on dolls manufactured in 1985. Preemies were not made in 1986.
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 B502D SS that is pink, not 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.
> 1984 Preemie Series outfit #2: Hooded Gown
The obvious differences between the two outfits are the rows of lace on the bottom and the CPK patch.
Soft and warm, this velour bunting bag is beautiful on any preemie.
B Series Preemie Outfits Summary
This outfit is a velour bunting bag with an attached hood. They are all solid colours. They have lace trim accented with a ribbon that runs around the sleeves, the hood, and the bottom. The hood tightens with a ribbon. Most of them have a curved logo patch on the right breast, but not all.
Footwear: Knit booties
This outfit was only sold on dolls manufactured in 1985. Preemies were not made in 1986.
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 B501G SS 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.
The second, and fancier, line of Preemie clothing!
For basic information on preemies and their outfits, jump here.
1984 – First Series of Preemie Clothes
1985 – B Series (This Post)
1987 – Preemie Mimic Series (707 – 716) (Future Post)
1988-89 – Random outfits in the 100’s (Future Post)
I am unsure what the B stands for. I theorize it indicates that this was the second series of outfits, but I have no proof of that. These outfits have a 500s number as they were produced in 1985. For more information on this, jump to: What are Clothing Tag Codes
Some of the codes were put on the tags with stickers. It may be they were reusing leftover tags from other outfits until the correct tags were available.
NOTE: These outfits do not have conventionally agreed-upon names. Therefore, the names used below were created by me purely for the sake of expediency to distinguish one from the other.
There are six B Series outfits, and they were made predominately by the SS factory. However, some are OK, and some are WS. All are Chinese factories.
I do not have enough information to propose ‘primary’ factories at this time; however, so far, outfits J and K appear to be primarily from the WS factory. Based on my research to date, it seems that letters A, B, C, and I were not manufactured. The highest letter I’ve found is K.
Almost all the BSeries outfits have the curved Cabbage Patch Kids applique on them. I have only seen one or two that did not !
NOTE: These outfits do not have conventionally agreed-upon names. Therefore, the names used below were created by me purely for the sake of expediency to distinguish one from the other.
B503 – Fancy Hooded Blanket and Gown
B504 – Bubble Romper with Blouse
