Jump to – Series 1: 150s
These kids came out in 1989-9, during the Transitional Period. Hasbro also sold them for a short time from when they took over production in July of 1989 and into 1990.
“According to the 1990 catalogue, these Designer Line Kids had “the cool, casual look that children like for themselves . . .Their new outfits are the latest and greatest fashion designs, and their yarn or nylon hair is fashioned in the hottest looks around.” (Ref #2, p. 104)
They came with new hairstyles, both yarn and cornsilk, and some new head moulds were introduced with these kids (#36, #44, #45). For more details, refer to the sources listed at the end of the post.
These kids came standing in a special box with a new design. In the US they came with a special purple DL birth certificate but in Canada, they came with the regular 1987-89 certificates. I’m not sure about other countries. They, and their outfits, were made at the P factory; however, they don’t generally end up with pox. A few of the early DL kids came with a new ‘artistic’ Xavier Roberts signature, but it was quickly changed back to the original.
The Outfits
Numerically, there are two series of Designer Line outfits, the 150s and the 170s-180s. The 150s outfits came out first and the 170-180s came out second. For an explanation of how we know, visit Transitional Period – A Summary.
Each series has six outfits, and there are five versions of each outfit (A-E).
These outfits came with chunky sneakers and white underpants for boys or panties for girls. In this series, the panties may also come in different colours.
UPDATE: Designer Line outfits put on later kids may also have come with Saddle Shoes.
Finally, these outfits came packaged by Hasbro, but the 150s series did not. Consequently, of the two DL outfit series, this one would likely be easier to find.
Clothing Notes:
- The tags for these outfits are located in the jackets, which is highly unusual.
- The sweaters may have been switched among outfits #182, and #183 as they are all very similar. The tags are in the jackets so this would be possible.
- Designer Line socks are different from regular Coleco socks.
- I’m not sure if the boy’s outfits came with socks at all.
These outfits were likely made by Hasbro, who may not have been as diligent at making sure the same accessories always went with an outfit. I just don’t have enough evidence to show that the socks and shoes that came with each outfit were entirely consistent. It’s possible that the accessory colour changed based on what they had available. If you have a MIB kid that doesn’t match my records, please let me know!
178 – Jock Jacket and jeans (Boy)
This outfit consists of a jacket, dickie, striped dress shirt, slacks (solid colour), underpants, socks (I think), and chunky shoes. I’m pretty sure this outfit came with socks, but I’m not completely sure!
179 – Sweater jacket, sweater, and skirt outfit (Girl)
This outfit consists of a sweater jacket, sweater, and skirt (made of sweater material). The shirt has a large decal on the front that is a triangle or rectangle, and the skirt that is a solid colour. It comes with undies, chunky shoes, and socks. It’s very similar to outfit 183; the only real difference is the jacket.
180 – Overalls with jacket (Girl)
This outfit consists of three pieces, chunky shoes, socks, and undies. The prints used are all colourful and crazy!
- Jean jacket with large flap pockets
- Solid coloured long-sleeved shirt with coloured trim
- Overalls with large leg cuffs and three buttons up the middle front
181 – Coveralls with long jacket (Girl)
This outfit consists of two pieces, socks, chunky shoes, and undies. The first piece is a long jacket that’s half a solid colour and half a pattern and has rucked pockets. The second is a set of coveralls with a waist tie and three buttons up the middle front.
182 –Leather jacket and sweater (Boy)
This outfit consists of a leather jacket, sweater, and slacks. It comes with socks (I think), shoes, and underpants. The sweaters all have a large decal on the front. Some of them say CPK Airborne Division.
183 – Skirt, sweater, and jean jacket (Girl)
This outfit consists of a jacket with large solid-coloured pockets, a sweater, and a skirt (made of sweater material). The shirt has a large decal on the front that is a triangle or rectangle, and the skirt is a solid colour. It comes with undies, chunky shoes, and socks. It’s very similar to outfit 179; the only real difference is the jacket. It’s possible that they all came with gold socks.
Version Information
My goal is to record every version of every outfit that was produced. With each outfit above is a record of the outfit versions I have recorded. To understand clothing codes, factories, and variations, please refer to What are Clothing Tag Codes? and Factories and Companies.
I appear to have many of the outfits recorded, but if you have an outfit that is not recorded here, I would like to hear from you. This includes any differences in accessories. Information is best sent in the form of pictures. For details, visit Taking Clothing Tag Pics.
Other Information
DL kids and outfits can also be found in ‘regular’ kid boxes of the same time period.
These outfits showed up in the Coleco Catalogues in 1989 and Hasbro catalogues in 1990. Many of these outfits were never produced or were done in other colours.
