Growing Hair Kid Outfits

Their hair is a surprise, and so are their outfits! Find out what outfit your Growing Hair Kid may have worn and the special hair accessories that came with it.

Growing Hair Kids [GHK] came out in 1988. They are dolls whose cornsilk hair can be pulled out to varying lengths. They came in their unique box with a special GHK birth certificate and hand tag. They also came with a brush, a bag of wider hair ribbons, and styling guide instructions.

Growing hair kid with auburn hair wearing a pink dress with pink shoes, standing in her box. — Photo courtesy of Kristi Smith.

Unfolded, unfilled out pink Growing Hair kid birth certificate and style guide. — Photo courtesy of Kristi Smith.

All these dolls were girls that came in a variety of hair/eye colour combinations. A few came with freckles, and there were AA kids produced. They used several regular head moulds, but HM 22 and HM 23 were only used for Growing Hair Kids.

Refer to my Head Mold Reference Page for pictures of these unique head molds.

For more detailed information on GHK, visit Ref #3, p. 88-89, or Ref #2, p.165

Growing Hair Kids Outfits

There are two very different parts to the GHK series of outfits. Group 1 was made by the P factory, and Group 2 by the KT factory.

Tag for outfit 843B P, factory. Location Amsteradam, N.Y.

Tag for outfit 808F KT, factory. Location Amsteradam, N.Y.

The P factory outfits were worn ONLY by Growing Hair Kids. The KT factory outfits are, numerically, part of another series, but some of them were worn by only GHK’s, while others were worn by GHK’s and regular 1988 kids. Consequently, the KT outfits are dramatically different from the P factory outfits. I’m unsure which came out first, or why regular 1988 outfits were used on Growing Hair Kid dolls.

Each GHK outfit came with one of four hair accessories.

1) (Circular Dec.) Ribbon bow with lacy/satin ribbon circular decoration
2) (Lacy Bow) Ribbon bow with larger lacy bow accent
3) (Puffy Bow) Large puffy fabric bow
4) (Suede Bow) Suede fabric bow

Suede hair bow that goes with some Growing hair outfits. This one is blue. — Suede Bow

Hair accessory that goes with some Growing hair outfits. It has a circular portion with a small flower on top and ribbons underneath. This one is yellow and pink. — Suede Bow

Overview of P Factory Outfits

There are six outfits in this series, #842 – #847. There appear to be five or six versions of each outfit, A – F. They are all similar in style.

Each outfit came with silk undies. I’ve seen them in pink, yellow, white, and purple. Growing Hair Kids came wearing matching coloured Mary Jane shoes and lacy ruffled socks.

Yellow mary jane's, yellow silk undies and white socks with lace fringe. All worn by Growing Hair Kids.

Close up of the lace ruffled white Growing Hair Cabbage Patch Kid sock with yellow highlights.

Outfit #842- Ruffle neck dress with wide waist ribbon

Outfit 842B: It's a dress that is purple with white polka dots and a wide silk waist ribbon. The neck has a ruffle and a flower decal.

Outfit 843 -Low waisted dress with front ruffles

Outfit 843A: A yellow drop waist dress with a large fabric bow. The front has some small folds running horizontally down it. The sleeves are short. Yellow mary janes, yellow silk undies and ruffled socks are below the dress.

Outfit 844 – Dres with large vertical ruffle

Outfit 844C: Drop waist dress with a blue, purple and pink tulip pattern on it. The front has a large ruffle just off center, a collar and pink silk waist ribbon. — Photo courtesy of Callie’s Cabbies.

Picture of a spreadsheet showing which outfits I have recorded and which I do not. — Photo courtesy of Callie’s Cabbies.

Outfit 845 – Dress with four folds and Peter Pan collar

Outfit 845D - Black and white crosshatch pattern dress with large silk red ribbon. It has a white peter pan collar and white sleeve hems.

Outfit 846 – Dress with square collar and large hem

Outfit 846D - Red dress with thick white hems and a red square sailor's collar. The red area has a blue, yellow and red splash pattern. — Photo courtesy of Jodi Isaacs.

Outfit 847 – Drop waist with lace down the front

Outfit 847A - Drop waist dress with white lace ruffle down the front and a thin pink silk waist ribbon. The dress is pink with white flowers pattern. — Photo courtesy of Callie’s Cabbies.

Overview of KT Factory Outfits

These four outfits, 808, 809, 811, and 814, although part of the 804-815 series, were worn by GHK dolls. In fact, in a few cases, they appear to have come ONLY on GHK. However, I could be missing information. There could be more outfits from this series that came on GHK, and those that appear to only come on GHK may have come on the regular kids.

These outfits are very different in style and fabrics from the P factory outfits. I have no idea what came under them. Most of them came with Ballet Flats.

When these outfits came on Growing Hair Kids, the outfit came with a hair accessory.

808 – suede fabric tie
809 – hair accessory unknown
811 – puffy hair bow
814 –suede fabric tie

For more information on these outfits, including the record spreadsheet, refer to the following posts: All about outfits #804-#809 and All about outfits #810 – #815

Similar Outfits

These dresses all have drop waists, all-over prints, and a large waist ribbon or bow.

Other Information

These 1988 Coleco Catalogue advert pictures have the kids wearing later Cornsilk dresses and a few of the GHK dresses. Interestingly, they didn’t end up wearing the Cornsilk dresses, but they did come in ‘regular’ kid outfits.

All about outfits #810 – #815

Cat patterns, neckerchiefs, tracksuits and suspenders. All a part of this quirky 1988/9 series.

Summary information about the 800s series: 800’s Regular Kid Outfits, Pt. 1
All about outfits #804 – #809

I believe that most of these outfits came in about six versions, but some came with more and some with less. Most use letters A – F (ish), except the three later Coleco outfits that only came on Growing Hair Kids, which use the letters F, G, H.

NOTE ABOUT SHOES: The shoes noted as coming with each outfit are those I have the most evidence for. However, Coleco has been known to throw anything on a kid (for whatever reason), and during this time, they were trying to get rid of stock, so anything is possible. So, in a way, this is only a guideline.

#810 HASBRO – Sweater top and shorts

Outfit: It has a shirt made of sweater material with a large heat transfer patch on the front and brightly coloured and patterned shorts.

Shoes: Striped sneakers

Outfit 810: Red sweatshirt with yellow trim and a blue triangle heat transfer on the front and a pair of blue shorts with lots of colourful geometric shapes.

Other Information
This outfit only came on boys and, because it’s a Hasbro outfit, likely wasn’t sold until 1989.

Similar Outfits

The shirt in #182 looks very similar. Some may even be the same shirt with different tags inside. This does make some sense, as they were being manufactured around the same time.

Outfit 182E, P factory: Black bomber jacket over a sweater with large heat transfer on the chest and red pants. — Photo courtesy of Vanessa Brisson.

The top from the Hasbro boy’s poseable kid tracksuit is very similar to the top in this outfit.

Hasbro poseable tracksuit with green trim and main colours of pink, blue and black and white checker.

The Hasbro shirt and shorts outfit is very similar; however, upon closer inspection the patterns and the fabric are different.

T-shirt and shorts outfit for Hasbro poseable kid. Top is red with black and white striped sleeves. The shorts are purple with yellow and striped leg.

#811 – Drop waist dress and blouse

Outfit: This is a drop waist dress with ties at the shoulders and a waffle fabric belt. There’s a blouse underneath, and it comes with a matching large puffy hair bow.

Shoes: Ballet Flats?

Outfit 811: AA growing hair kid with black hair wearing a pink drop waist dress with pink skirt that has large white flowers. Underneath is a matching blouse and she had a large puffy bow in her hair. — Photos courtesy of Melissa Crick Gore.

Tag for outfit 811H, KT factory — Photos courtesy of Melissa Crick Gore.

Other Information
* This outfit is very rare. I believe it only came on Growing Hair Kids in the first half of 1989. I haven’t seen it on a regular 1988 kid yet. This is very strange as it’s a Coleco outfit. However, it uses the letters F, G, and H, and so may be later additions to the series. This may explain why this outfit, and the others like it, didn’t show up until 1989.
* Growing Hair Kid hair accessory is a puffy bow.

#812 COLECO – Tuxedo cat sweat set with shirt

Outfit: This outfit has a sweater material top with a tuxedo style back, key-hole neck cut out, and collar which goes over a shirt with coloured trim. There are matching sweatpants.

Shoes: Saddle shoes (Ref #4, Dec 1988, Vol. 3 Issue 4, p. 1)

Outfit 812, Coleco: beater top with tuxedo back and yellow trim and matching pants. Both have a vivid colourful cat pattern. Under the shirt is a blue shirt with yellow trim. — Photos courtesy of Kat Perhouse.

Outfit 812, Coleco: The tree pieces of the outfit including the beater top with tuxedo back and yellow trim and matching pants. Both have a vivid colourful cat pattern. Under the shirt is a blue shirt with yellow trim. — Photos courtesy of Kat Perhouse.

Spreadsheet showing which versions of this outfit I have recorded, and which I do not.

Other Information
* This outfit only came on girls.
* Because of the cat design, it is generally very sought after.

Similar Outfit

Outfit #157 looks a little like this outfit if you don’t have the hoodie portion.

Outfit 157A with a sleeveless hoodie, and tracksuit. The main colours are blue, red and yellow. — Photo courtesy of Jodi Issacs.

#812 HASBRO – Tuxedo sweat set with shirt

Outfit: Sweater material top with tuxedo style back, collar, and heat-transfer patch on the chest. There are matching sweatpants.

Shoes: Chunky sneakers

Outfit 812, Hasbro: Teal tuxedo back sweatshirt with white polka dots and pink and white stripped sleeves. The sweat pants match. — Photos courtesy of Cheryl Parker.

Tracksuit covered — Photos courtesy of Cheryl Parker.

Other Information

This outfit only came on girls and, because it’s a Hasbro outfit, likely wasn’t sold until 1989.

Similar Outfits

It looks like#321, a cornsilk tracksuit outfit, except this outfit has no tuxedo back on the shirt.

Outfit 321B - Purple tracksuit with the letters CPK in a pattern on the shirt.

Hasbro boy’s poseable kid tracksuit, although this one is a lot more colourful.

#814 – Dress, blouse and neckerchief

Outfit: This is a suede fabric dress with three buttons on the front and two pockets on the skirt. There’s a button-up blouse underneath, and it comes with a neckerchief.

Shoes: Ballet Flats

Outfit 814: Purple suade dress with colourful patterned pockets and a matching blouse. There's a pink neckerchief on top. — Photo courtesy of Jennifer Runnoe.

Outfit 814: The pieces of the purple suade dress with colourful patterned pockets and a matching blouse. There's a pink neckerchief on top. — Photo courtesy of Jennifer Runnoe.

Other Information
* This is one of the hardest-to-find outfits in this series, especially with all the parts.
* I have no idea what came under this outfit.
* This outfit is very rare. I believe it only came on Growing Hair Kids in the first half of 1989. I haven’t seen it on a regular 1988 kid yet. This is very strange as it’s a Coleco outfit. However, it uses the letters F, G, and H, and so may be later additions to the series. This may explain why this outfit, and the others like it, didn’t show up until 1989.
* Growing Hair Kid hair accessory unknown. I’m not even sure it came with one.

#815 COLECO – Shirt with suspender pants

Outfit: Pants with attached suspenders, elastic waist and three buttons down the front. A collared shirt with three buttons goes underneath.

Shoes: Ballet Flats

Outfit 815: White overalls with a colourful shirt underneath covered with shapes.

Other Information

This outfit only came on girls.

Similar Outfits

Outfit #180 looks similar if you don’t have the jacket; however, the pattern is on the overalls, not the shirt.

Outfit 180B: Red jacket with crazy pattern and matching overalls and a yellow shirt with red trim.

#815 Hasbro – Shirt with suspender pants

Outfit: Pants with attached suspenders, elastic waist and three buttons down the front. It has a heat-transfer patch on the legs. A collared shirt with three buttons and coloured trim goes underneath.

Shoes: Striped sneakers

Outfit 815: blue overalls with a heat transfer patch on the legs and pink buttons. There's a white shirt with blue trim underneath. It's covered in colourful shapes. — Photos courtesy of Jodi Isaacs.

Other Information

This outfit only came on girls, and because it’s a Hasbro outfit, likely wasn’t sold until 1989.

Similar Outfits

Outfit #180 looks similar if you don’t have the jacket; however, the pattern is on the overalls, not the shirt.

All about outfits #804-#809

Dinosaur overalls, various overalls, suspenders, and safari looks. Find them all in this first half of the series.

Summary information about the 800s series: 800’s Regular Kid Outfits, Pt. 1
All about outfits #810 – #815

NOTE ABOUT SHOES: The shoes noted as coming with each outfit are those I have the most evidence for. However, Coleco has been known to throw anything on a kid (for whatever reason), and during this time, they were trying to get rid of stock, so anything is possible. So, in a way, this is only a guideline.

#804 – Safari Outfit

Outfit: Top and pants
Shoes: Striped Sneakers

Outfit 804D: Two piece outfit. The top has a jungle safari print with three button and a collar. It's red, green, brown and beige. The pants are red with matching print hem. — Photos courtesy of Chris Hansing Tallman.

Tag for Cabbage Patch Kid outfit 804E, KT factory. — Photos courtesy of Chris Hansing Tallman.

Other Information
* There are two different shirt patterns, each matched with three pairs of pants. Therefore, I think there are six outfits in total.
* This outfit only came on boys.

#805 – Unidentified

#806 – Top and Shorts with tie

Outfit: Button-up top and shorts that have a material belt
Shoes: Ballet Flats

Short sleeved top with collar, a breast pocket, and three buttons. It's blue with a pink, blue and green jungle pattern at the collar and trim. The bottoms are the same pattern with blue trim and a pink fabric belt. — Photos courtesy of Jodi Issacs.

Tag for Cabbage Patch Kid outfit 806C, KT factory. — Photos courtesy of Jodi Issacs.

Other Information
* This outfit only came on girls.

#807 – Dino Overalls

Outfit: White t-shirt with coloured trim and overalls.
Shoes: Striped Sneakers

Red and white pin striped overalls with colourful dinosaurs all over it and white bluckles. There's a white t-shirt with red trim underneath. Beside the outfit is a pair of
sneakers with yellow stripes. — Photos courtesy of Dani B-N.

Tag for Cabbage Patch Kid outfit 807D, KT factory. — Photos courtesy of Dani B-N.

Other Information
* This is the most frequently copied of the outfits in this series. This outfit is VERY popular.
* This outfit only came on girls.

Similar Outfits

There are many similar outfits, in that they are all overalls with a shirt underneath. However, they are generally not confused with this outfit as the pattern on these overalls is VERY distinctive. The following are the only exceptions.

#143 is a transitional period packaged outfit with a cameo pattern. Sometimes this is considered part of this series, as it came out about the same time. It is not.

Outfit #143: Packaged CPK outfit. It's purple and white cameo pattern overalls with a white t-shirt with purple trim.

Some versions of #875, a toddler overall style outfit, also came in a dinosaur-patterned fabric.

Outfit 875: Pink and white stripedruffled toped overalls with a white blouse underneath. The overalls have yellow and blue dinosaurs on them. — Photos courtesy of Sarah Bensette-Renaud.

#808 COLECO – Romper with tie and Shirt

Outfit: Collared button-up shirt with a full-length romper that ties at the shoulders and which has a matching fabric belt. There is one pocket on the romper and no patches.
Shoes: Ballet Flats; maybe Kissing Kid shoes?

Outfit 808 Coleco: steel blue romper with a blue and white flower patterned fabric belt and matching cuffs. A blouse with the same pattern and a steel blue collar goes underneath. There is a matching blue hair piece beside it. — Photos courtesy of Chris Hansing Tallman.

Other Information
* There’s some evidence that a few of these outfits came with Hasbro Kissing Kid shoes, which would be very odd.
* This outfit came on some Growing Hair Kids in the first half of 1989.
* This outfit only came on girls.

#808 HASBRO – Romper with tie and Shirt

Outfit: Collared button-up shirt under a full-length romper which ties at the shoulders and has a fabric belt. There is one pocket on the romper, and there is at least one heat transfer patch on the shirt or the romper. Some have more than one patch.
Shoes: Striped sneakers

Outfit 808 Hasbro: Blue romper with a pink fabric belt and heat transfer patches on the pocket and right breast. A pink and white striped collared t-shirt goes underneath. — Photos courtesy of Jodi Issacs.

Hasbro tag for Cabbage Patch Kid outfit 808E. — Photos courtesy of Jodi Issacs.

Other Information
* This outfit only came on girls.

#809 COLECO – Pants with suspenders & shirt

Outfit: Pants with a small bib and suspenders consisting of pleather pieces and plastic buckle and loop. The collared shirt has a pastel stained-glass pattern to it.
Shoes: Unknown

Outfit 809: Pink pants with teal and yellow suspenders and a pocket on each leg. Underneath is a pastel stained glas patterned shirt with pink collar and sleeve hems.

Tag for Cabbage Patch Kid outfit 809F, KT factory.

Other Information
* This outfit is very rare. I believe it only came on Growing Hair Kids in the first half of 1989. I haven’t seen it on a regular 1988 kid yet. This is very strange as it’s a Coleco outfit. However, it uses the letters F, G, and H, and so maybe later additions to the series. This may explain why this outfit, and the others like it, didn’t show up until 1989.
* Growing Hair Kid hair accessory unknown.
* This outfit is aesthetically and materially different from the other outfits in this series.

#809 HASBRO – Pants with suspenders and shirt

Outfit: Pants with a small bib and attached suspenders. It also has a patch on the bib. Under is a collared shirt with no buttons.
Shoes: Unknown, maybe Saddle Shoes

Outfit 809: Blue pants with a small bib, red suspenders, and red pockets on each leg. Underneath is white shirt with multi coloured hearts and a blue collar and sleeve hems. There is a yellow CPK patch on the front of the bib with red border. — Photos courtesy of Jodi Issacs.

Hasbro tag for Cabbage Patch Kid outfit 899C. — Photos courtesy of Jodi Issacs.

Other Information
* Unlike other Coleco/Hasbro pairings in this series, the two #809 outfits look markedly different.

Similar Outfits

#180 looks similar if you don’t have the jacket. Hasbro poseable kid’s girl coveralls and general overalls.

Outfit #180 - a pair of purple overalls with matching pink and purple jacket and a yellow shirt with teal/blue trim, purple undies and purple and white chunky sneakers. — Photo courtesy of Sarah Galt.

Hasbro poseable girls outfit - Overalls with black an white check sections, red sections, and purple with black dot sections. It has pockets and a patch on one leg. There is a purple shirt with matching teal trim. — Photo courtesy of Sarah Galt.

Continue to : Outfits #810 – #815

800’s Regular Kid Outfits – Summary

Dino overalls, safari outfits, and confusion are all part of this 1988 series. Finally straighten out the confusion between these outfits, Designer Line and other outfits.

All About Outfits #804 – #809
All about Outfits #810 – #815

There are 14 outfits in this series, #804 – #815, as well as two missing outfits, #805 and #813. All of the outfits were made by the KT factory or by Hasbro. Most of them likely came on KT kids. I am unsure if these outfits came with underwear, diapers, or panties. Do you know? Finally, they came with a variety of shoes depending on the outfit, including striped sneakers, ballet flats, saddle shoes, and chunky sneakers.

Photos courtesy of Chris Hansing Tallman, Jodi Issacs, Dani, Melissa Crick Gore, Kat Perhouse, and Jennifer Runnoe.

Most of the outfits in this series came out in 1988 on regular yarn-haired kids, but they can also be found on 1989 dolls. Consequently, they are often confused with Designer Line and Hasbro Poseable Kid outfits. They are also often described as transitional and some are, but many are not. (To learn about what I consider transitional, visit Transitional Period CPK Outfits – A Summary) To add to the confusion, some of these outfits also came on 1989 Growing Hair Kids, but Growing Hair outfits didn’t come on regular kids, and a few of the outfits in this series may have only come out in 1989. Those outfits could technically be considered transitional.

Catalogue photograph of 5 Growing Hair Kids with long beautiful hair, wearing beautiful dresses. — Growing Hair

Catalogue photograph of 3 Designer Line Kids playing around. One has a punk hair look, one has crimped hair and one has short hair. They are all waering DL outfits. — Growing Hair

Photos from Coleco 1989 Catalogue, 1989 p. 7 & 9 and Hasbro 1990 Catalogue, p 2.

Confused yet? There’s more!

For an outline of the Coleco to Hasbro timeline, visit Transitional Period CPK Outfits – A Summary

Some of these outfits have both a Coleco and a Hasbro version, for example, #808, and some outfits were only produced by Hasbro, for example, #810. Based on an article from the Dec. 1988 Dolling Around Newsletter, it seems likely that the Hasbro outfits didn’t come out until 1989. So, I guess they are transitional. The article provides a list of the new 1988 outfits, and none of the Hasbro outfits are on the list. In addition, the VHTF Coleco outfits are missing, as I believe they would have thought them to be Growing Hair kid outfits (Ref #4, Dec. 1988, Vol 3, Iss. 1)

Outfit 815, a white shirt with blue trim and colourful shapes on it under a pair of blue pants with suspenders and pink buttons.

Outfit 812 - Two piece sweatshirt material pant and top outfit that is teal with white polka dots. The shirt has pink and white striped sleeves and collar. The shirt has a tuxedo back.

Some photos courtesy of Jodi Issacs.

As I said, some of these outfits also came on Growing Hair (GH) kids. When they did, they also came with a matching hair accessory. The outfits I have confirmed as coming on GH kids are #808, #809, #811, and #814.

Outfit 808 Coleco - White button up blouse with blue flowers and collar under a blue romper that ties at the shoulders, a pocket on the leg, and a waist tie that matches the blouse. There is a hair accessory be in the same colour as the romper.

Outfit 809 Colco, a shirt with pastel coloured stained glass pattern and pink trim and collar under a pair of pink pants with a small bib and yellow suspenders. There are pockets on each pant leg.

Photos courtesy of Chris Hansing Tallman, Melissa Crick Gore, and Jennifer Runnoe.

Packaged? Nope

I have no evidence that these outfits ever came packaged. However, being so near the end of Coleco’s run, there may be package lots out there with individual pieces or entire outfits. Not being sold as packaged outfits and having been made for such a short period would also explain why the outfits in this series are generally harder to find.

Popular and Hard-to-find

Outfits #807 and #812 are the most sought-after outfits in this series, with #807 being copied frequently. One collector has gone so far as to hand copy the pattern of the fabric and recreate it so she could make exact replicas. They’re amazing! As for #812, cats.

Outfit 807 - Red Dino overalls with a white shirt with red trim. — Photos courtesy of Dani and Kat Perhouse.

Outfit 8012 - A powder blue shirt with yellow trim under a top made of sweatshirt material with graphics of cats and a keyhole at the neck, blue collar and tuxedo back. The bottoms are matching pants. — Photos courtesy of Dani and Kat Perhouse.

#805 would be the hardest to find if it exists, but at the moment, I believe that #814 and #809 (Coleco version) hold this title. Given Coleco’s previous history, there’s a good chance #813 was never produced.

Outfit 814- Purple dress in a suede like fabric with a wacky coloured and patterned blouse underneath. The pockets on the dress match the blouse. Comes with a pink neckerchief. — Photo courtesy of Jennifer Runnoe.

There are many additional unusual aspects to these outfits. To find out more about each specific outfit, visit:
All About Outfits #804 – #809
All about Outfits #810 – #815 (Future Post)

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, 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.

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.

Shoes: Sneakers

Sneakers can be found in a rainbow of colours. Which kids did they come with and how can you tell?

Other relevant posts: CPK Shoe Summary, Lacing CPK Shoes

CPK Sneakers were manufactured by Coleco throughout the entirety of their production. However, the characteristics of the shoes varied by factory and over time.

Hong Kong Shoes

For a definition of ‘Hong Kong Kids’, jump to the Glossary.

In the beginning, when production took place in Hong Kong [HK], the shoes had a very distinctive look. In general, they can have a number of these features but do not need to have them all.

The stitching is VERY prominent.
They have a thicker feel to the vinyl. In some cases, the vinyl did not mould well and may have a runny look on the inside.
Some are extremely hard vinyl. VERY hard.
Not all HK shoes have black text in the heel, but if it is black, it’s likely an HK shoe.
They tend to look less finished than other shoes. The edges look more like they’ve been cut out, or the vinyl around the edges has been trimmed.
HK shoes are more likely to discolour and get pox than later shoes.
The bottoms are ‘bumpy/textured’.
The body is bumpy (see below).

Comparison picture of an Hong Kong sneaker with a regular later sneaker. They both have pink stripes. — Hong Kong shoe vs. later shoe

OK HK Shoes
– very hard & very malleable
– very prominent stitching
– The tongue is not cut out (or is partially cut). It is formed as part of the shoe.
– textured body and bottom
– laces are thick and not very long

P HK Shoes
– The text runs vertically, not horizontally, in the heel.
– I have not found any P with black text.
– The vinyl is very malleable.

KT HK Shoes
– I am unable to comment on specifics. I don’t have any in my collection.
Photo courtesy of Christy Gann.

Post HK Shoes – 1986ish shoes

After the ‘experimental’ Hong Kong period, the shoes became more uniform but still had many characteristics that varied by factory. It can be very difficult to ‘match’ shoes. You THINK they should match, but when you put them side by side, they are nothing alike! They aren’t the same shape, colour, texture, etc.

Most of the shoes have the factory indicator and the words HONG KONG stamped on the inside by the heel, on the bottom. The factory indicator can be inside a circle or not.

After production moved to China, the shoes became more uniform in appearance but continued to vary by the factory. Indeed, as more factories began production, the amount of variation increased.

1987-1989

Although there are quite a few colours available, many did not show up until 1988 and 1989 (Transitional period). They came on later kids and wearing outfits 800 – 815 and as separately packaged accessories.

It seems that Hasbro did not continue to produce or use sneakers.

25th Anniversary Sneakers (separate post)

Stripe Patterns

The sneakers come in three different stripe patterns.

#1 – the most vertical
#2 – slightly more angled
#3 – the most angled

Picture of three sneakers, each one with a different stripe pattern. One at the top, three at the bottom.

Some factories, like P, appear to have produced all three patterns. Others did not. For example, all the OK sneakers I have use pattern #1.

Stripe Colours

The first sneakers came in only two colours, blue and pink.

In 1985 they started producing additional colours. For example, the stripes on the All-Stars Kids sneakers often matched the colour of the uniform, so colours like red, green, black, and navy blue show up. I believe that most of these shoes were produced by the FD and IC factories. At the same time, both coloured and white striped shoes were produced for Sports Collection outfits (CY and FD) and by the UT factory. Do you have UT shoes with coloured stripes? I have only seen white.

Some colours were produced in varying shades. I believe this was caused by factory variation and changes over time. For example, the PMI factory seems to have very distinct pink and blue colours.

Three sneakers, each one with blue stripes, but all of various shades of blue. The top is lighter, the bottom is navy blue.

In some cases, the same factory produced different shades of colour. For example, these two P shoes are varying shades of pink.

The Rainbow

Here are all the colours, and their variations, that I have owned. I know that I am missing yellow and hot pink.

Update: Brown stripes came with the Padre’s baseball outfit. Special thanks to Margaret Granato and Jennifer Pelfrey.

Picture that shows all the colours I am currently aware of. Black, purple, red, green, pink, blue and white.

Numbers

Some of the shoes have numbers near the factory code. I think these numbers are related to moulds, but I really don’t know. What I do know, is that there are lots of numbers and a matching pair does not have to have matching numbers. One shoe can be 1 and the other 4. Numbers are most often found in shoes produced by the Taiwanese and P factories.

Which outfits came with Sneakers?

some 1983 regular series outfits; footwear is noted in each outfit post
outfit #100
some 500s outfits
Sports Collection
All Stars Series
some 760s Cornsilk outfits
some transitional outfits from 804 – 815

Sneaker Descriptions by Factory

Disclaimer: The following observations have been made based on my collection. I welcome any information and will not hesitate to make revisions as needed.

OK Shoes
– They are thin and flexible with a tongue that is the same size as the opening.
– The text is raised, comes in two font sizes, and is sometimes blurred.
– They tend to discolour and become sticky more than others.
– They only appear to use stripe pattern 1.

P Shoes
– They tend to stay very white, and the stitching is very prominent.
– The tongue is smaller than the opening.
– The text is raised and very clear. It is generally vertical along the length of the shoe.
Numbers used: 1, 2, 3, 4
Stripe Patterns used: 1, 2, 3

KT Shoes
– They feel like OK shoes but with a very thin top edge. Some are extremely malleable.
– The tongue looks to have been formed as part of the shoe and then cut out.
– Some material is missing, making the tongue smaller than the hole.
– The text is raised.
– The bottom and inside are VERY smooth.
– Some of them have the ‘Jesmar’ shape inside.
Stripe pattern: 1

PMI Shoes (small sample size)
– The feel and stitching are similar to OK shoes, but they tend to say while like P shoes.
– The text is a large, well-spaced PMI that is generally very legible.

IC Shoes
– They are rather hard, with little flexibility.
– Moderately prominent stitching
– The tongue is similar to P shoes.
– The text is raised and very clear. They say MADE IN TAIWAN and have numbers underneath.
Stripe patterns: 2, 3
Numbers: 2, 3, 5

UT Shoes (small sample size)
– They feel and look like IC shoes.
– Text is clear, in a small font.
Numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6
Stripes: 2

FD & CY Shoes
– They feel and look like IC shoes.
– Text can be VERY large or rather small.
FD Numbers: 1, 4,3, 6,9, 12
CY Numbers: 3, 4
Stripe Pattern: 2,3

SS factory: They did not produce sneakers.