Codes - Hilary's Cabbage Patch Clothes Closet

Part 2: The Code Addition

What did they add to the code and why?

As noted in Part 1: Tag Codes Continued: A 2nd Theory, I originally thought the first number of the code indicated the year the outfit came out.

E.g. 501 came out in 1985, 630 came out in 1986, 720 came out in 1987

This is true for some outfits, but not for all.

A lot of tags had #- in front of the code and I did not know what it meant, until now.

I believe that starting in 1986 and continuing until 1990, those tags with a #-, indicate the actual year the outfit came out. You can’t use the first digit of the code for these outfits.

This theory answers a few questions.

It confirms that the first BBB series came out in 1986.
These outfits were among the first to be coded differently.
Why would they put out a second series of BBB outfits in 1986?
They didn’t, the 670s – 680s series BBB outfits came out in 1987.
Why are there no 1989 outfits with 900 numbers?
Because they put them all in the 100s! The 1989 Designer Line Kids, Sippin’ Kids, and all the transitional and package outfits that came out in 1989 are numbered 9- 1_ _. I have no idea why they chose to do this.
What do the tags with 0- mean?
Following the pattern, these are outfits that came out or were slated by Coleco to be produced, in 1990. There are very few outfits with these codes, and all of them are Transitional Hasbro clothing tags. They may have been the last outfits designed by Coleco, or the first designed by Hasbro. Who knows.

Having said all that, not all the factories used this coding innovation equally.

Photos in 1 – 3 courtesy of Jodi’s Punk Patch.

Update: For more information about 0 – tags, and where they fit into the transitional period, see The Transitional Period – A Summary.

Why should you care . . . .

If you have an outfit that has an 8- before the code, you know that it belongs to a kid from 1988 or 1989, nothing earlier. If you have a BBB outfit that has 6- before the number, it has to go on a 1986 BBB kid. If you have an outfit with a 9- or a 0- , barring some exceptions, it could have come on a Coleco kid or a Hasbro kid as it is a Transitional Outfit.

Post 1985 Tag Codes and Locations

The continuing saga of the clothing tag codes . . . what happened in 1986? Why are West Hartford, Amsterdam and Gloversville so important?

By going through and comparing the appearance of clothing tags, I discovered that something interesting happened in 1986 and early 1987.

The original theory about the numbers used in the clothing tag codes was that the first digit of the codes from 500 onward indicated which year the outfit came out. Jump to: What’s With the Numbers?

E.g. 501 came out in 1985
630 came out in 1986
720 came out in 1987

A Question . . .

This works most of the time, but some things did not fit the pattern. For example, half of the Talker outfits are 690s, and the rest are 700-710. If the original theory held, they should all be in the 700s as Talking Kids came out in 1987. Another example is the 670s – 680s BBB series. BBB kids came out in 1986; why would they put out a second set of clothing almost immediately? As it turns out, they didn’t!

In 1986, Coleco seems to stop rigidly adhering to the original rule that they had in 1985. They still used it, but not all the time. I do not know why, but the change corresponds to some kind of upheaval in the Coleco Company itself.

Possible Answer . . .

At some point in 1985 or 1986 they started producing tags which printed the location of the Coleco Company in the US. The first tags said West Hartford, CT. Then sometime in 1986, the address changed to Amsterdam, NY. By sometime in 1987, they stopped using the CT tags entirely.

Clothing tag from outfit 706K, OK factory. Copyright date 1985 and located West Hartford, CT. — CT tag

Clothing tag from outfit 706, OK factory. Location Amsterdam, NY. — CT tag

If your tag says CT, the outfit is most likely older than one which says Amsterdam, NY. They were likely made in the same place, but the tags were changed. It’s interesting to note that it was around this time that the company’s major financial problems started to become public. It is also interesting to note that some 500s Series outfits have West Hartford, CT tags so they must have been produced into 1986 although, they started production in 1985.

Then in 1989, the company address on clothing tags changed again, from Amsterdam, NY, to Gloversville, NY.

Clothing tag from outfit 9-167A, OK factory. Copyright date 1988 and located in Gloversville, NY.

Coleco had owned buildings in both locations for decades. (Coleco – The Official Book.pdf, p. 33) I theorize that as company assets were closed to save money, the main offices and official registered location of the company was moved from place to place.

1986 and Onward

1986+ clothing codes are all over the place. There were some 1987, and 1988 series that follow the original theory (E.g. Splashing kids, Toddlers). However, it was no longer used consistently. More and more outfits show up with ‘odd’ codes.

In some cases, they put 1987 outfits in the 600s (Example A), in some cases they chose a different hundred for the series (e.g. 400s) (Example B), in other cases, they created an entirely new matrix (Example C), and for still others, they didn’t use a code at all ( Example D)!

A – 1987 in the 600s: BBB outfits 670s – 680s
B – Another number: 160s – 1^st Cornsilk series
C – New matrix: World Traveler outfits and their matrix
D – No code: All-Stars baseball kids

Pink and white knit BBB outfit, 7-673D, WS. — A – BBB outfit

Blue cornsilk dress 165J OK, with dark pink striped accents. Has matching bloomers. — A – BBB outfit

Another Question

Where are the 1989 outfits? There are no 900s outfits, so how were they coded? I had a theory, but I had no evidence for it. Now I do. To find out, continue to Part 2: The Code Addition

What’s With the Numbers?

Why 15? Why 125? Why not 485? Who knows, but here’s some thoughts.

# 1 – 20 (1983 Series)

The first outfit numbers in 1983 started at 1, which makes sense.

The first twenty outfits, created for the regular-sized kids, came out in 1983, and some stayed in production for many years. Many of the foreign outfits are based on the outfits in this series. (Visit: Jesmar Clothing)

1983 Regular kids outfits. The original 20. The dolls are wearing the outfits and sitting on stairs. The outfits are numbered.

When they created the first line of preemie outfits in 1984, they used the same numbering convention. Unfortunately, that means that if you don’t know whether an outfit is a preemie outfit or a regular kid outfit, they can be easily confused. You have to know by looking at it. (Jump to: Preemie Clothing Summery and 1984 Series)

1985 Preemie series outfits. Dolls wearing the outfits are sitting on stairs and the outfits are numbered.

Year by Number

It was eventually pointed out to me (Ref #4, Vol. 3 Issue 9/10/11, p. 6) that the code numbers used seemed to match the year they were produced.

500s in 1985
600s in 1986
700s in 1987
800s in 1988

This makes sense! For some specific lines of kids like the Toddlers, Growing Hair kids, Splashing Kids, Talkers, and a few others, this theory works.

The second preemie series (BSeries), which came out in 1985, also uses the same year-based numbering convention. They are numbered as a 500s series, but most are numbered B5__. Consequently, they are easier to distinguish from the regular kid 500s outfits. I wonder, did they consider the regular-sized kids outfits the A series?

For information on regular preemie outfits with a B in the code jump here: Preemie Clothing Summary and 1984 Series.

Year by Code Addition

The first theory about the code number being the year it came out works for many outfits, but not for all of them. Starting in 1986, some outfits no longer fit the pattern. A small addition shows up in the code to assist. To learn more jump to: Tag Codes Continued: A 2nd Theory

Series by Hundreds

Which series can be found in which hundred. To see examples of outfits in each series jump to: Series Information in Pics

The 100s

The 100s include many series.

100 – Regular kid ‘mimic‘ windbreaker outfit
101-106: Transitional BBB outfits (1989)
119-149: Transitional outfits (all types) (1989)
150s: Designer Line outfits (1989)
160s: Series 1 Cornsilk outfits (1986)
160s series 2: Sipping Kids outfits (1989)
170s-180s: Designer Line outfits (1989)
190s: BBB Series 1 outfits (1986)

The 200s

There’s only a handful of 200s and they are knit BBB outfits. It’s like they didn’t realize how many numbers they’d need when they started making the series, and just continued into the 200s. That’s it.

The 300s

The 300s contain only the second series of Cornsilk outfits that came out in later 1986. I call these the Wacky and Layered Cornsilk Series 2. That’s it.

Picture 3 courtesy of Carey Reiss Jarchow.

The 400s

There are two different 400s series.

Series 1 – Sold in 1988, they have the 8- in their codes. They are all packaged regular-sized dresses produced by Coleco. So far only 4 are recorded.

Series 2 – Sold in 1990 (Transitional Period), they have the 0- in their codes and often have Hasbro tags. I have 4 outfits recorded and they are all BBB outfits.

Oddly enough, the 14″ Furskin outfits produced in 1986 are also recorded in the 430s.

The 500s

Only one series of regular outfits came out in 1985. For more information visit The 500s Series.

The 600s

650s – 660s: Regular kids Mimic outfits (1986)
670s – 680s: BBB outfits (1987)
689 – 684: PJ series (1986)
695 – 699: Talker outfits (1987)
Coleco Pets (Cats, Dogs, Bears)

The 700s

700 -702: Talker outfits
703 – 706: Regular kid dresses
707-716: Preemie Mimic series
718 – 730: Cornsilk series 3 and Homophome Series
750s – 790s (intermittent): Splashing Kids
760s: Cornsilk series 4
778 – 781: BBB outfits (bunting bags)

The 800s

800 – 815: Regular kids outfits
840s: Growing Hair kids outfits
850s – 860s: BBB outfits
870s & 890s: Toddler Outfits

To see examples of outfits from each ‘series’, jump to: Series Information in Pics

For more information on clothing tag codes, jump to: What are Clothing Tag Codes

For information on how to locate clothing tags, jump to: Where are clothing tags located?

For more information on matching clothing to kids, jump to: A match made in . . . . the factory

Where are tags in clothing located?

Oh where, oh where does the clothing tag hide . . . . oh where, oh where can it be?

Oh where, oh where, can it be?

By clothing tag, I am referring to the information tag found inside the outfit, not the silk flash with Cabbage Patch Kids that is often found on the shoulder of shirts and dresses or pant legs.

Coleco only tagged one piece of each outfit, often leaving the other pieces unmarked in any fashion. This means that that the unmarked pieces can be easily lost and often go unrecognized as Cabbage Patch. This makes it difficult to put an outfit back together. How do you know which pieces belong in an outfit? Well, that’s a question for another post (or a bunch of posts).

In this post, I’m just going to tell you where to look for the informative little things. There are three options when it comes to tag situations.

1. My outfit has no tags

If the outfit has no tag there are four possible explanations:

It’s a foreign CPK outfit.
It’s a fake/aftermarket/handmade outfit.
They’re all pieces of Coleco CPK clothing but didn’t all come together. OR They all came together, but at least one piece is missing.
It is a CPK piece of clothing produced by a later company. eg. Play Along, Wicked Cool Toys

At least one piece in each Coleco outfit MUST have a tag.

2. My outfit has A tag

Regular Tag Locations

Inside the shirt or dress piece of the outfit. If there is more than one top in the outfit, it is generally located on the piece worn closest to the doll’s body.

2. Along the side or back seam of the romper, sleeper, onsie, etc.

NOTE: There are a few outfits that can have them in either location. For example, the ruffled overalls may have the tag in the shirt OR the overalls, but not both, and not neither!

Unusual Tag Locations

There are some exceptions to these rules (of course), most of which involve later outfits (Post 1986) or jackets.

1. The Designer Line outfits that have jackets have the tag inside the jacket, not the shirt, as does the 500s series windbreakers and outfit #100.

2. ‘Made in USA’ outfits tend to have the tag in the pants, if the outfit has pants.

3. Splashing Fun Kids clothing have the tag on the most substantial piece of the outfit, generally the robe, the jacket, or the wrap.

4. Talker dresses have the tag on either the underdress or the pinafore. I see no pattern as to which was chosen.

5. A small number of later outfits (1989 and later) have the tags in an odd location. So look carefully.

3. My outfit has TWO (or more) tags

If your outfit has two or more tags, here are possible scenarios:

It’s a Jesmar outfit. Jump to: Jesmar Clothing Tags
You have two pieces of Coleco clothing that did not originally come together. For example, if your elephant romper has a tag, and the white shirt has a tag, they didn’t originally come together.

For more information on tags (if you haven’t already seen them), jump to:

What are Clothing Tag Codes: An explanation of the codes on Cabbage Patch clothing tags. Learn about the letters and numbers that started it all!
Oddball Tags: Not all clothing tags were made equal. Some have codes, some don’t. Which do? Which don’t?
What’s With the Numbers?: Why 15? Why 125? Why not 485? Who knows, but here are some thoughts.

What are Clothing Tag Codes

An explanation of the codes on Cabbage Patch clothing tags. Learn about the letters and numbers that started it all!

I noticed the codes on the tags inside Coleco Cabbage Patch Kid clothing a few years ago. I was curious about what they meant. I started to pay attention, and I noticed patterns. I started tracking the patterns. In a nutshell, this is what a code means:

Number = The Style of Outfit

#1 = Swing Dress
#2 = Sleeper
#3 = Shoulder-tie Dress
#4 = Frilly A-line Dress

Letter = The Fabric colour or pattern

For the Swing Dress

1A = Blue and white crosshatch pattern with a red tie
1T = Large square, red, blue-green and purple crosshatch pattern with a red tie
1H = Solid medium yellow with a red tie
1D = Green and white gingham with white tie

Photos 1 & 2 courtesy of Jodi’s Punki Patch

Almost every outfit that Coleco produced has a code with a number, and if there was more than one version of it produced, a letter. Of course, like everything in life, there are exceptions. (Jump to: Oddball Tags)

No Code?

Some factories did not print code information on their tags.

Some did it most of the time, but not always (e.g. OK).
The CC and FW factories never have codes.
The Taiwanese and Koren factories only have codes infrequently (e.g. AX, IJ). The only outfits they numbered were a few of the 500s.

In all of these cases, the outfit has a code, you just don’t know what it is. How frustrating!

Sometimes the code isn’t always legible or is no longer there.

Example 1: The code was written on in pen, and is illegible.
Example 2: The code was put on with a stamp, badly.
Example 3: The P and PMI factories often put their codes on with a sticker, so it often washes or falls off! The IC factory does it occasionally.

They used numbers ranging from 1 to almost 899, but not every number has an outfit. They used ‘bunches’ of numbers to create many different series throughout the years. (Jump to: What’s with the numbers?)

The letters run can run from A to T. Not every outfit has every letter. In fact, not every letter was produced for every outfit. For example, in the 1983 o utfits, there are no I’s or O’s.

So, that is the basics. Numbers and letters. It all started with something we learn about in Kindergarten, and then exploded into so much more!

For information on how to locate clothing tags, jump here.
For more information on matching the clothing to dolls, jump here.
For more information on the numbers in the codes, jump to What is a Clothing Tag Codes and Tag Codes Continued: A 2nd Theory