Circus Kids – Call in the clowns!

Make way for “The Greatest Kids on Earth” and join us at the circus! These outfits have lots of bright colours and wacky hats. Which one is your favourite?

Circus kids came out in 1985 and like a lot of the specialty kids, did not sell well. Some may have been sold in 1987, but they were only manufactured in 1986. The series consists of six clown outfits (#100 – #105) and a ringmaster outfit. (see below) There are two versions of each outfit. The outfit names were created by Coleco.

All 12 of the cabbage patch circus kids outfits, two circus horses and the ringmaster displayed on a white background.
Fantastic picture courtesy of Holly Spencer.
Note: The circus ponies came out in 1987. (Ref #3, p. 134)

Circus kids come with a distinctive box, hand tag, and birth certificate. They also came with a clown-themed poster in the box and a trading card in the birth certificate envelope. (Ref#2, p. 72) The original boxes were sort of tent-shaped but later boxes were more rectangular (see ringmaster box below). (Ref #3, p. 133)

They were made by the KT and P factories. I don’t think that each factory produced all six outfits, as I’ve only recorded one factory per outfit so far. However, different factories could produce A and B. These outfits are on the coding matrix but create a duplicate set of #100 – #105 numbers.

One reference noted that these outfits came on P, KT and OK kids. In this case, the OK kids wouldn’t match their outfits. What combination is your Circus kid? (Ref#2, p. 72)

 There are several different tags from both factories. This is likely due to changing trends during the production period.

Each outfit comes with a pair of clown shoes, socks, and a head accessory. The shoes are stamped on the bottom with a factory code, and one shoe from each pair will be a squeaker. The socks are always made of brightly coloured silky material and are quite a bit longer than regular socks. In addition, the socks have no distinctive top edge.

As with all the specialty outfits, these outfits were eventually packaged and sold separately from the dolls. In addition, you can sometimes find individual pieces of these outfits in ‘lot’ packages. Leftover Jesmar stock dolls were also dressed as clowns and were sold on the Canadian Market in bilingual boxes. (Ref#2, p.72) I don’t remember seeing a clown in a ‘regular’ box, but it could have happened. Many other specialty outfits were sold this way in later years.

Do I have all the pieces?

Along with the face mask, headgear, socks, and shoes, each outfit includes the following:

Preppy Polka Dot – #100

  • One-piece romper with sleeves
  • Pointed hat with ruffle
  • Neck ruffle

Cuddly Crinkles

  • Top with a large neck ruffle and three pom poms
  • Matching bottoms
  • White pointed hat with ruffle and pom pom

Bashful Bow

  • Dress
  • Yellow bloomers with white polka dots
  • Large puffy hair bow

Teasin’ Topper

  • Shirt (structured like a t-shirt)
  • Vest with tails
  • Matching shorts
  • Small bow tie
  • Small hard vinyl top hat

Rowdy Rainbow

  • Shorts with suspenders (detachable)
  • Shirt with collar
  • Large neck tie (sewn on)

Preppy Pom Pom

  • One piece romper with the large pom poms
  • Small neck ruffle
  • Vinyl bowler hat

The Ringmaster Outfit – #188

This outfit is the only 188 I have recorded, and for some reason, was coded separately from the clown outfits.  This outfit was worn by both boy and girl dolls. The doll came in a circus box with a Circus Kid birth certificate and included a black megaphone. I am unsure if these dolls came with a poster.

The outfit includes a black bowtie, a red velveteen jacket with tails, a fancy white shirt with ruffles down the front, a gold and red vest, white satin jodhoppers, high black boots, and a large black top hat.

The boots are factory labelled on the inside rim and are easily confused with the Russian World Traveler boots. The more obvious differences are the detailing and the height. The Russian boot is shorter than the ringmaster boot.

Other Information

These are the photo from the 1987 Coleco Catalogue. It looks like they used actual outfits for these pictures, which is unusual.

The Funky Bootie

Is it or isn’t it? Is it CPK or not? If not, what? It’s so easy to confuse CPK clothes with non-CPK clothes!

Do you recognize this bootie? At first glance, it looks like a regular Outfit #2 or preemie bootie. However, upon closer inspection, it’s not!

The Differences

  • The sole is distinctive.
  • The tie doesn’t thread through the bootie.
  • The opening has a distinctive band that is wider than any CPK booties.
8 white or yellow knit booties, all CPK, all from various factories.
Cabbage Patch Booties from various factories.

It is very easy to get CPK and other doll clothes confused. As only a portion of CPK clothes are tagged in some way, it’s understandable.

Am I wrong? Is this CPK? I don’t think so. Do you know where this bootie comes from?

Other posts you may be intersted in: Shoes: Knit Booties

Recent Informative Updates

Six informative updates that I’ve made to various posts.. See what we’ve learned!

A massive update has been made to the Cornsilk Series 4 post. Like the previous series, I’ve added information on each individual outfit and updated the general information as well. We know a LOT more than we used to! But there’s still more to learn. To learn more, visit Cornsilk Series 4: Wacky and Layered Pt. 2

A recent discovery has significantly changed our understanding of the 400s series. For more information, visit What’s With the Numbers?

More information about 31 tracksuits with the number 84 on them has been discovered. To find out what, visit #8 31 Tracksuit.

Hasbro’s Saddle shoes are different . . who knew? To find out more visit Shoes: Chunky Sneakers and Saddle Shoes

More information about the lamb patch has been discovered. To find out more, visit PTP: Plentiful Patches Pt. 1

We now know more about clothing produced by the SS factory. For more information, visit The Perfect Mismatch (Matching Pt. 2).

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.

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

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.

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.

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)

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)

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

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.

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

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.

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.

Outfit 807, Dino overalls, in red.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

Identifying the factory of Jeans for the Windbreaker Outfit (#10)

You’ve got 4 pairs of CPK jeans that you just washed. They’re all slightly different. Which ones goes with this outfit?? Maybe this will help.

Outfit #10 – Windbreaker Outfit
Identifying Outfit #10 Windbreakers by factory
Identifying Windbreaker Outfit (#10) shirts

These pants are the bane of my A-type personality. It’s VERY difficult to differentiate one pair of jeans from the other. Jeans are never tagged. Some of the factory differences are VERY subtle. It’s also hard to find correct information as you have to get it from a MIB kid to know the jeans are correct. Jeans can be switched out so easily and it’s done frequently.

As a consequence, this section is rather sparse. Here’s what I know.

OK Factory Jeans Characteristics

  • Tend to be shorter than other pants but not always
  • Enclosed waist elastic
  • Somewhat sloppy sewing

P Factory Jeans Characteristics

  • Tend to be longer than OK pants
  • Exposed elastic
  • Neatly sewed, straight lines

PMI Factory Jeans Characteristics

  • Very similar to P factory jeans

Foreign Jeans

Jesmar Jeans Characteristics

  • Material is thinner cotton, not really jean material
  • No pockets, CPK label, or sewing on the back of the pants
  • Elastic is exposed and thin (not as wide as Coleco elastic)

Lily Ledy Jeans Characteristics

I’ve never actually seen these. I just have pictures.

Alert: When cleaning CPK jeans, soak them separately from all other fabrics as the dye runs extensively.

Identifying Windbreaker Outfit (#10) shirts

Why know how to identify the factory of an outfit #10 shirt, after all, they’re tagged! But, what if you can’t see the tag in the picture? What if it’s been cut off?

Outfit #10 – Windbreaker Outfit
Identifying Outfit #10 Windbreakers by factory
Identifying jeans by factory (future post)

There isn’t much information here as I have observed very few factory differences in the shirts.

The striped shirts from the Windbreaker Outfit (#10) appear to come in two fabrics.

Version 1: A thin cotton t-shirt material. Known factories: OK
Version 2: A thicker synthetic material. Known factories: P, PMI, LF, IJ, WW

In general, Version 2 tends to be larger (physically) than Version 1.

Foreign Shirts

I don’t know much about the shirts that come with the foreign outfits except for Jesmar outfits.

Jesmar shirts are sometimes solidly coloured but are generally striped. However, the colours are not always ways and [insert colour here]. I also have one shirt recorded that’s white with small polka dots. They are often a very thin fabric, are badly sewn with very thin hems, and have unfinished bottom hems. Some also have typical Jesmar Velcro.

Other Outfits

The shirt for the 25th Anniversary Windbreaker outfit likely doesn’t have a tag in it. It will be purple and white. However, I can’t confirm this as I’ve never actually seen it myself. This is the only girl’s 25th Anniversary outfit I don’t own.

The shirt for outfit #100 is blue and white striped and the most obvious difference from outfit #10 shirt is the red CPK logo on the chest.

Blue and white striped windbreaker outfit shirt from outfit #100. It is blue and white striped with a red Cabbage Patch Kids logo on the chest.

Identifying Outfit #10 Windbreakers by factory

What jacket goes with which shirt in the CPK Windbreaker outfit #10? Which factory made which jacket? Find out!

Outfit #10 – Windbreaker Outfit
Identifying striped shirts by factory
Identifying jeans by factory (future post)

The majority of CPK windbreaker jackets from outfit #10 aren’t tagged. If the jacket gets separated from the original outfit, it can be difficult to tell which shirt/jeans go with it. The shirts are tagged. So, if you can figure out the jacket’s factory, you can match it to the right shirt.

You can use the following characteristics to help determine which factory made a jacket.

Keep in mind that this list is not comprehensive. It is only based on what I can confirm as of publication. I always appreciate getting new or conflicting information.

Hem Elastic

There are two types of hems: exposed elastic and enclosed elastic.

Exposed elastic is visible and is attached using two lines of sewing. Known factories: OK, IJ

Enclosed elastic isn’t visible. It is enclosed in jacket fabric. It is a large strip of elastic, which is only sewn into the jacket at either end. Known factories: P, PMI, KT, LF

Zippers

All Coleco zippers are plastic with a metal pull, and most have KKK on the zipper pull. I have found VKK on some P factory zippers, but not all. If you have another zipper on your jacket, it is likely from a foreign factory (See below) or is aftermarket

CPK Logo

The logo seems to vary the most. There are two basic versions. One sits at almost 90 degrees from the zipper and bottom hem. The other is at more of an angle/curve.

The logos also come in varying sizes and shades of green. In some cases, they just look a bit different. Here are the logos that I have identified so far.

Foreign outfits

Jesmar: The logo is different. It has a shadow outline and is smaller than the OK one. It is applied quite far from the zipper. These jackets tend to be very thin fabric. The zipper pull is a different shape.

Lily Ledy: These jackets seem to come with a zipper or button closure or no closure system at all. For jackets with a zipper, the pull is very distinctive in shape.

Triang Pedigree: These jackets have a wide white zipper but the pull itself is silver metal.

Tsukuda: According to my records, Tsukuda jackets close with velcro. I would like to confirm this.

Special thanks to Andrea’s Cabbie-kids for some of the previous pictures and information.

Other Information

> In the only two examples of KT windbreaker outfits that I have, the tag is in the jacket, not the shirt. So, if you get a shirt without a tag, it must be KT.

> One 25th Anniversary outfit was the windbreaker outfit. It’s purple. Here is a comparison of the PA windbreaker versus a Coleco OK jacket.

> Outfit #100 is a windbreaker outfit. The most obvious and unmistakable difference in the jacket is the lack of a logo. The outfit tag is in the jacket, not the shirt.

Red CPK windbreaker jacket from the 100 outfit. Zipper is undone.