Toddler/ Talker 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.

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)

Clothing tag for outfit 871G that displays the 8- attached to the code. Factory OK, made in Amsterdam, NY. Copyright 1987.

Picture of a wheat haired, violet eyed Toddler girl wearing a blue and yellow one piece jogging type outfit. She is standing in a box that says "I'm the kid in the middle" at the top.

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

Outfit #888: Blue and white checker patterned overalls with a yellow t-shirt underneath. The overalls have yellow buttons and a section around the middle that has three pockets, each with a star on it. — Some photos courtesy of Ami Day, Tasha Keathley Helms and Jodi’s Punki Patch.

Outfit 889: A romper/shortall that is red with numbers and letters all over it. There's a yellow blouse underneath. — Some photos courtesy of Ami Day, Tasha Keathley Helms and Jodi’s Punki Patch.

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.

Outfit 870, Jogging suit. The chest is aqua, the pants are red, the sleeves are yellow and the trim is navy blue and light blue. — Photo of 874 courtesy of Michelle J. LeRoux.

Outfit 871, Girl's suspender pants and blouse. The pants are pink with small white polka dots, the suspenders are blue and white striped, and the blouse has small geometric patterns in various colours. — Photo of 874 courtesy of Michelle J. LeRoux.

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

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.

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

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.

CPK Shoes: An Overview and Links

Are these shoes CPK? What kids did they come on? Which shoes go with which outfit? Some answers to your CPK shoe questions . . . with more to come!

To find out more about a specific kind of footwear, click on the links included throughout.

Factory labels on shoes
Shoe Type by Outfit (Summary List Here)
Exceptions
Cleaning Shoes
25^th Anniversary Shoes (Play Along)
Aftermarket and Fakes
Jesmar Shoes

Edit: Lacing CPK Shoes

Factory labels on shoes

Almost all Coleco shoes produced between 1983 and 1986ish were labelled with the factory of manufacture inside by the heel. These shoes also said, Hong Kong, even after they were no longer manufactured there. It’s thought that they chose not to remake the molds. Specialty outfit shoes like clown shoes and cowboy boots are also factory marked.

Later, sometime around 1986 or 1987, they stopped putting the factory and HONG KONG inside the shoes. Instead, some say CHINA, some have just a number, and some are entirely blank. I believe that they showed up in that order but have no proof of it, except that the coloured toddler shoes have CHINA in them and the only coloured Mary Janes I’ve seen have nothing in them.

The numbers that can be found in the shoes are a mystery. I believe they are a mould number but again, I have no proof. A ‘pair’ of shoes do not need to have the same number.

.Shoe Type by Outfit

Cabbage patch kids came with various types and colours of footwear. The type of shoes that an outfit came with changed as time passed.

In 1983 and 1984 there were only four options. They were worn by regular kids and preemies. For more details on each type of shoe click on the links below.

Regular ‘lace up’ shoes Part 1 & Part 2
Mary Jane Shoes
Sneakers
knit booties

Information on which shoes went with which outfits in the 1983 Regular kids outfits, or the 1984 Preemie outfits are available on their individual posts.

Special Note: During the first few months of production, the kids manufactured in Hong Kong came out with shoes like those described above, but which had slightly different characteristics (at least long-time collectors think so). For details on how to identify Hong Kong Kid shoes go to each of the shoe types using the links near the top of this post. . Click here for a definition of Triple and Double Hong Kong Kids.

Starting in 1985, other footwear options became available, and three of the original four options began showing up in a rainbow of colours. The new options included:

Most series did not come with only one type of footwear.
For example, the second series of Cornsilk outfits (Jump to Cornsilk Series 2: Wacky and Layered Pt. 1) came with the following:

#321 – Boots
#322 – Boots, almost all white
#323 – Boots
#324 – Boots
#325 – Ballet Flats
#326 – Boots

#327 – Ballet Flats
#328 – Boots
#329 – Ballet Flats
#330 – Ballet Flats
#331 – outfit unidentified
#332 – White Boots
#333 – Boots

Some outfits came with shoes that were unique to that outfit.

Talker Outfits
World Travelers (China, Holland, Russia, Spanish Boy)
Western Wear – brown boots
Astronauts – a sort of bootie
Circus Kids – clown shoes
Ringmaster – black boots
600s PJ Series (slippers and booties)

Most of the early packaged outfits came with shoes, as did many of the packaged outfits that came with unique shoes (e.g., Western Wear). However, many packaged outfits, especially those sold after 1985, did not come with shoes included. Starting in 1985, shoes become available separately packaged with socks and other accessories. This continued until 1989.

.Exceptions (this is Coleco after all)

Like with other outfits, during transitional periods or when they were trying to get rid of excess product, occasionally you can find a MIB doll with the ‘wrong’ footwear. As long as the footwear was in production before the doll was issued, it could be a possible combination.

I have even recorded one example of a transitional regular kid wearing Hasbro Kissin’ Kid shoes!

Cleaning shoes

I clean shoes with a toothbrush and a bar of Sunlight Soap. Sticky shoes are cleaned with Magic Eraser or Bar Keeper’s Friend.

Marks made from markers, pens, and other such things that do not come out with regular cleaning can be treated with zit cream, just like a doll’s head.

Early shoes were made of the same type of vinyl as the doll heads. As such, they can get pox. They can be treated the same way as doll heads. (Videos about pox and treating pox are available here.)

The inside of a white regular, high top Cabbage Patch shoe in which you can see brown spots of 'pox'.

Shoes that are yellowed or discoloured can sometimes be treated by soaking in Polident (water-soluble, not toothpaste). I’ve found it often takes multiple soakings and doesn’t always work perfectly.

25^th Anniversary Shoes

The 25^th Anniversary kids came with regular shoes, Mary Jane’s, and sneakers. They are easy to distinguish as they have the Cabbage Patch logo and 1893-2008 on the bottom.

Picture of a pair of 25th Anniversary high top Cabbage Patch shoes. One shows the side and top, and the other is up on end, showing the bottom of the shoe.

.Aftermarket and Fake Shoes

There are MANY types of aftermarket CPK shoes. To learn more, jump here: Aftermarket Shoes .

Jesmar Shoes

All of the foreign factories produced CPK shoes. I do not have enough information to discuss most of them. For information on Jesmar shoes, visit Shoes: Jesmar Shoes

Talking Kid Ensembles

You will find that these wonderfully chatty kids, with their beautiful dresses and demands for their cup, will easily talk their way into your heart.

Talking Cabbage Patch Kids were only produced by Coleco for approximately one year and started becoming available in September of 1987. (Ref#2, p. 86) They are quite large and came with fancy outfits, cornsilk hair, a Parent’s Guide, special birth certificates, and a ‘magic cup’.

They were a remarkable toy for their time and had many surprises in store for their new parents, including a mobile moving face, numerous hidden sensors, and the ability to respond to their new parent and other talking kids! Two or more together will often be heard singing in around. It’s amazing! (Video) There seem to be a variety of different ‘scripts’ that the kids use when speaking, but the dolls can learn new phrases and words from other talking kids they interact with. (Ref#4, Vol. 2, Iss. 5, p.3) The first 250 sold at their ‘opening event’ were signed by Xavier Roberts. (Ref#4, Vol 2, Iss. 3, p.4)

The dolls came in only two head moulds, T-8 (one dimple) and T-9 (big grin, no dimple). Coleco produced AA talking kids but no boys.

These dolls were pretty fancy, and unfortunately, may have been ahead of their time. Many considered them creepy. It got worse when the first of the Chucky movies was released in November of 1988. These kids were also plagued with poblems, such as:

A high purchase price.
They used a lot of batteries, four AA and one 9V, and went through them like candy!
Many didn’t work when they were purchased or stopped working soon after purchase.
They weren’t ‘cuddly’ like regular Cabbage Patch Kids.

Clothing Information

There are eight different talking kid outfits made by the OK factory, numbers #695 – 702. I believe there are six versions of each outfit, letters A – F; however, they used eight different colours of velveteen fabric overall. (Aqua, Burgundy, Grey, Medium Blue, Navy Blue, Pink, Purple, Red)

Four of the outfits consist of white cotton dresses with a velveteen pinafore and matching cotton bloomers.

The other four have a velveteen dress and a cotton or taffeta pinafore. The outfits with cotton pinafores come with plain white bloomers, and the outfits with a taffeta pinafore come with taffeta bloomers.

Spreadsheet graphic that lays out which part of each outfit is velveteen, what the cotton dresses look like, and a description for each of the outfits.

The lace used on the bloomers, dress, and pinafore always match. All of them come with solid white tights and odd white or black faux leather shoes. The black shoes seem to come most frequently with the navy blue, burgundy, and red outfits.

There are hints that some talkers may have come with regular lace-up shoes instead of the ‘talker shoes’. I have no proof at this point.

Although these outfits originally came only on Talking Kids, a few can be found on ‘regular’ kids from 1988 and 1989. They likely did this to clear out leftover outfits. However, it is not something you’ll see often.

Picture of a transitional lemon blonde popcorn cabbage patch kid doll with brown eyes who is sitting in her box liner. She is wearing a pink talker outfit with pink under dress (#699) and regular white CPK shoes.

Recorded Information

I have the following outfits recorded. If you have one of the outfits that I am missing, I would greatly appreciate pictures of the clothing tag and the outfit. For details on taking pictures jump here.

Type of Shoe	Outfits they belong with
Ballet Flats	Some Cornsilk Series 2: Wacky and Layered Some 500s series outfit Some 800-815 series Regular kid outfits
Boots	Some Cornsilk Series 2: Wacky and Layered Some poseable kid outfits (transitional)
Chunky Sneakers	Designer Line Kids
Chunky Toddler Sneakers	Some toddlers; transitional and later Hasbro toddlers
Saddle Shoes	Some regular kid transitional outfits (800s) May have come on some later Designer Line Kids.
Weeboks	Blue Saddle Shoe Version – Coleco Generally came hanging on the arm of Poseable kids. Some were wearing them. White Toddler Version – Coleco Generally, came as a second pair of shoes hanging off the kid’s arm. Some were wearing them.
Sandals	Splashin’ Kids
Slippers (matching)	BBB Outfits, toddler outfits, Splashin’ Kid outfits

Quick List/Links

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

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

Stage 2 Tags: 9 – Pawtucket, RI – Hasbro

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

Stage 3 Tags: 0 – Pawtucket, RI – Hasbro

Stage 4 Tags: Hasbro tag

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

Stage 5 Tags: No tag

Transitional Dolls

Selling off Coleco Stock

Version Information

Other Information

Version Information

Other Information

Clothing Series Quick Links

Clothing Overview

870s -890s Series (1)

130s Series (2)

Teens Series (3)

Shoes

Packaged Outfits

Preschool Kid Outfits

Splash’n See Surprise Outfits

Table of Contents

Factory labels on shoes

.Shoe Type by Outfit

.Exceptions (this is Coleco after all)

Cleaning shoes

25th Anniversary Shoes

.Aftermarket and Fake Shoes

Jesmar Shoes

Clothing Information

Recorded Information

25^th Anniversary Shoes