This collection started selling in 1985, along with many of the other speciality outfits. However, these outfits were originally only sold packaged. Late in 1985 and early 1986, it appears that Coleco did put them on individually packaged kids, and a small number of the Football outfits made it on twin sets . It is interesting to note that almost all of the boxed kids with these outfits on are in 1985 boxes, I have recorded only one 1986 box, so it appears they didn’t do this for long. Eventually, like all other CPK clothes produced prior to 1987, sports outfits became part of the mass ‘sell-off’ where they put all sorts of weird combinations together and sold outfits on plain boards.
Courtesy of Andrea Crick Huckaba.
The Collection
There are six outfits in this collection, each of them depicting a different sport. Each outfit came with at least one accessory and striped sneakers. They were made by the Taiwanese CY and FD factories, and in some cases, there are visible differences between outfits produced by them.
The Outfits
NOTE: Each outfit is tagged in only one piece. I have put (tag) beside the piece with the tag.
Baseball
Outfit Pieces: top (tag) and stirrup pants
Accessory: baseball helmet
Sneakers: some coloured stripes, some not)
Cheerleader
Outfit Pieces: green sweater (tag), sateen bloomers, white and green sateen skirt
This outfit came in a variety of combinations of shades of green. The differences don’t appear to be factory-specific, so I can only assume it had something to do with the supply of fabric and bolt colours.
Accessory: yellow/green or Orange/green pompom
The pompom came in two different colours. I’m assuming this was either a factory difference or because of a supply problem.
Sneakers: green stripes
Basketball
Outfit Pieces: sleeveless jersey, shorts (tag), headband, armbands, knee pads The 55 may represent 1955, the year Xavier Roberts was born.
Accessory: basketball
Sneakers: white stripes
Hockey
Outfit Pieces: jersey with padded shoulders, padded shorts (tag)
There are two possible accent colours on this outfit, blue and purple. Both factories made both colours. There are visible factory differences in the stitching of the jersey’s bottom hem and in the colour of the thread used to sew on the silk label. The FD factory used orange thread, and the CY factory used white thread. These differences are important as they allow you to determine which factory made the top, even though it is not tagged.
CY vs. FD
Accessory: hockey stick (no manufacturer marks) Sneakers: white stripes
Football
CY FactoryFD Factory
Outfit Pieces: jersey with padded shoulders, shorts (tag)
So far, this is the only sports outfit found on sets of twins. We don’t know exactly what the 27 stands for. Here are two theories: 1) Xavier Robert’s parents were born on the 11th and the 16th, which when added together, equals 27. 2) Xavier Roberts was aged 27 when the mass market Cabbage Patch Kids were copyrighted in 1982. What is your theory?
Accessory: football helmet Note: The helmet can be fragile. Once put together, it can split apart easily, and the chin guard connections can break easily as well.
The accent trim is sewn on differently by each factory. FD is much cleaner than CY. This difference is important as it allows you to determine which factory made the dress, even though it is not tagged.
Accessory: tennis racket (has factory markings), sun visor
Sneakers: white stripes
Similar Outfits
All Stars Baseball Series – This collection came out in 1986 and is an entirely different series. (Future Post)
Hasbro Sports outfits – Two poseable Hasbro CPK outfits (1990/91) are sport related: Tennis and cheerleader.
Other Information
A JCPenney catalogue picture shows the football outfit in blue; however, it was never produced. The back of the original packaging also shows the outfits, but three of the shoes depicted were never sold with the outfits.
In my opinion, the 25th Anniversary kids are the best replicas of the original Coleco kids, and their outfits are just as good! Many people confuse them with the originals. Find out how to differentiate between them.
The 25th Anniversary CPKs manufactured by Play Along are, in my opinion, the best replicas of the Coleco kids and clothes produced thus far. Although they created only one version of each outfit, they replicated many outfits. In addition, the outfits came on a wide variety of dolls. Play Along produced ten girl outfits, two boy outfits, and seven preemie outfits for this series. Each kid came wearing a white baby diaper with sticky tabs underneath.
These kids came in a box very similar to the original Coleco boxes, but the primary colours are silver and white, and each one came with a silver plastic spoon. They also have a special birth certificate and hand tag. The signatures on their bottom are black and say 25th Anniversary.
One consistent difference between Coleco and 25th Anniversary outfits is the buttons. The 25th buttons are much thicker and slightly smaller in diameter than any of the Coleco.
Play Along vs. ColecoPlay Along vs. Coleco
Reminder, these outfits do NOT have clothing codes.
These are also of high quality and look very similar to Coleco shoes. There are 25th Anniversary versions of the three original types of shoes, and all have the 25th logo on the sole of the shoe. Inside the heel, they have the pattern often associated with Jesmar shoes inside and say ‘Made in China / Fabrique en chine’. They also come with a piece of white cardboard in the bottom of the shoe (see sneakers below). I have no idea why.
This only came in yellow with a yellow sweater and booties. Unlike the original, the romper has flutter sleeves, and the knit pattern on the other pieces is similar to the KT outfits but still different. The yarn used for the knit outfits is thinner than the original Coleco yarn. Shoes: Matching knit booties; Quick Link: 1983 Bubble Romper
Ducky Dress
The 25th and the original outfits are very similar. I believe the yarn on the 25th is thinner, but otherwise, they would be hard to tell apart at a glance, although there are differences in the sleeve and collar ruffles. Shoes: Mary Janes; Quick Link: 1983 Ducky Dress
Elephant Romper
The 25th version is very easy to distinguish from the original, as the 1983 version never came in pink. In addition, the elephant on the 25th version is a heat transfer, while the original has an applique. Finally, the white shirt has no coloured stitching and doesn’t undo at the back like the original white shirts. Shoes: Pink striped sneakers; Quick Link: 1983 Elephant Romper
Heart Dress
At first glance, they look very similar. However, the 25th version doesn’t open all the way down the back, and the heart is a heat transfer rather than an applique. The other obvious difference is that the 25th dresses have two ribbon stripes around the bottom hem, whereas the 1983 version has three. Shoes: Lace-up shoes; Quick Link: 1983 Heart Dress
Pinafore Dress
At first glance, this outfit is also very similar to the original 1983 outfit. However, the edge stitching on the 25th outfit is different from many of the 1983 outfits and is black, whereas the others are all shades of blue. Finally, the 25th dress doesn’t open completely at the back like the 1983 version. Shoes: Lace-up shoes; Quick Link: 1983 Pinafore Dress
Ruffled Overalls
The 25th outfit is very similar to the 1983 outfit. It would be very difficult to distinguish between them in a photo, except that the blue 1983 overalls came with yellow rick rack on the shirt, not pink. However, that’s not conclusive evidence because there were 1983 shirts with pink rick-rack and may have been paired with the wrong overalls. Always double-check if you’re not sure. The most obvious difference visible differences are the buttons and lack of tag inside the shirt. Shoes: Lace-up shoes; Quick Link: 1983 Ruffled Overalls
Shoulder-tie Dress
The easiest difference to spot between the 25th dress and the 1983 outfit is the collar colour. In the 25th outfits, the collar is the colour of the ‘blouse’, whereas the collar of the 1983 outfit is the same colour as the dress portion. In addition, the 25th dress doesn’t completely open down the back. Shoes: Mary Janes; Quick Link: 1983 Shoulder-tie Dress
Corduroy Suit
The most interesting aspect of this 25th Anniversary outfit is that it only came on girls, whereas the 1983 outfit generally came on boys. In addition, the 25th Anniversary colour was never used in 1983 and the bear applique is a heat transfer, and the hat is a very unique shape, nothing like the 1983 hats. Finally, unlike the 1983 outfit, the 25th Anniversary outfit doesn’t come with a white shirt. Shoes: Lace-up shoes; Quick Link: 1983 Corduroy Suit
Windbreaker Outfit
This outfit has a few significant differences. With the pants, it’s the fabric and how white the stitches are for the pockets. For the shirt, it’s the lack of white neck and sleeve hems. With the jacket, it’s the logo and the collar. Each piece stands out as visibly 25th anniversary. Shoes: Pink striped sneakers; Quick Link: 1983 Windbreaker Outfit
Butterfly Dress
This outfit is unique amongst the girl outfits as it doesn’t replicate a 1983 outfit. The original Butterfly Dress came out in 1986. However, it never came out in this pattern, and the lace of the 25th version is very frilly, not the cotton used in the 1983 dresses. Shoes: Mary Janes; Quick Link: 1986 #661 Heart/Butterfly Dress
As I don’t own this outfit yet, I’m basing my analysis on what I can see in photos. This is the only 16” kid outfit that I’m missing.
It appears that the romper is made of thin cotton fabric, not denim and it has wider straps. I can’t see any differences in the shirt; however, it would not have a Coleco tag in it, which it would if it was Coleco. The hat appears to be different as well, but I can’t describe how. Shoes: Blue Striped Sneakers; Quick Link: 1983 Denim Romper
This outfit is also very similar, but there are immediately visible differences. The accent stripes are silver, whereas the Coleco is always white, and the bow isn’t as big. In addition, the anchor is a heat transfer, not an applique. Shoes: Blue striped sneakers; Quick Link: 1983 Sailor Suit
Preemie Outfits
There appear to be seven preemie outfits, but I could be missing some. All but the Bunting Bag outfit are from the original 1984 series. It’s from the 1985 B-series.
I’ve only owned one of these, so I can only comment on visible differences. It appears many came with some white cotton slippers or booties, but I’m not sure. Based on the “Only at Target” on these boxes, preemies were never sold in Canada. I’m unaware if Target sold them in other countries. Their boxes were slightly different, with a heart behind the logo. Their hand tags had the same heart.
Gown with vest
The 25th Anniversary version doesn’t appear to come with a hat, and it isn’t two separate pieces. The vest is attached at the side seams, and there’s no lace at the neck. Shoes: White cotton booties; Quick Link: 1984 Gown with vest
Bubble Bottom Romper
This 25th Anniversary version has an all-white bonnet instead of a pink one with white lace. The small shoulder ruffles are made of frilly lace, not cotton fabric, and the waist ribbon is silky and sewn to the outfit, not cotton with the option of tying a bow. Shoes: Lace-up shoes; Quick Link: 1984 Bubble Bottom Romper
This outfit is very similar, except that this colour combination was never used. The blue isn’t dark enough. In addition, the hat has the pattern on the entire bill, not just the underside. Shoes: Lace-up Shoes; Quick Link: 1984 Bunny Outfit
Photo courtesy of Christine SzerlagPhoto from HERE
Yoked Gown
The 25th Anniversary and Coleco versions are very similar in almost every way. The lace is different, otherwise, visually it’s a great replica. Shoes: White cotton booties; Quick Link: 1984 Square Yoked Gown
Frilly Gown
This 25th Anniversary outfit is significantly different from the original Coleco outfit. It never came in purple, and the neck area wasn’t white. In addition, in most cases, it should have four rows of lace around the neck. Finally, there’s no lace around the bottom hem of the dress. Shoes: White cotton booties; Quick Link: 1984 Frilly Yoked Gown
Courtesy of Cathleen Mary
Striped One-Piece
These outfits are very similar to the original. They even look like they’re made from the same type of fabric. However, the lace on the 25th is frilly lace, not cotton lace like the original. Shoes: Lace-up shoes; Quick Link: 1984 Striped One-piece
Bunting Bag Outfit
This is the only 25th Anniversary preemie outfit that is not a replica of the original 1984 outfits. It’s from the BSeries, which came out in 1985. It doesn’t have a hood (from what I can see) but there is a tie at the neck with a different type of string, not ribbon. Unlike the Coleco versions, which were either a solid colour or had striped sleeves, the 25th Anniversary outfit has solid white sleeves on a blue bunting bag. Shoes: Unknown; Quick Link: B501 Bunting Bag
Happy Canada Day weekend everyone! Make sure to get in some cabbie time if you can.
To all my fellow Canadians, have a great long weekend !!! To everyone else, yep, we’re gonna party this weekend and wear lots of red and white. I live in an amazing country!
Cabbage Patch Kids have been in continuous production since 1983. Various companies have produced a wide variety of, but every 5 years we celebrate their continued creation and enduring appeal. Here’s an overview of each anniversary and the kids produced to celebrate them.
Anniversary dolls were produced every five years, starting in 1993 (year 10). The production companies often attempted to replicate the original Coleco dolls, with varying degrees of success. Below is a summary of the dolls produced for each anniversary, except for the 25th Anniversary Kids by Play Along, which will have a separate post soon.
10th Anniversary (Hasbro – 1993)
Produced by Hasbro, this was a limited-edition kid (100,000). These dolls had fabric-covered faces (not the regular vinyl of the Coleco kids) and were identical, although there are AA and caucasian versions. All of these dolls had the name Zora Mae and wore the same outfit. The outfit has been described as, “ [a] Pink floral dress trimmed with lace and a matching wide-brimmed hat, white lace tights, pink nylon panties, and white t-strap shoes.” (Ref #1, p. 43)
First four photos courtesy of Kattie Lynn. Final photo from HERE.
15th Anniversary (Mattel – 1998)
This is the first example of the anniversary kids being ‘replicas’ of the original 16′ Coleco kids and their outfits but in a limited fashion. For these dolls, they replicated only one of the original outfits, the Yoke Dress, and produced it in 4 different colours using gingham fabric.
Unlike the original outfit, this version has a removable yoke which ties at the back of the neck. The dress underneath looks very similar to the Bib Dress, without the bib, and is often confused with it. It came with Mattel’s version of white lace-up shoes (which have a hole in the bottom to be attached to the box) and white socks. (Ref #1, p. 126 – 129)
Last 3 photos unknown.
20th Anniversary (Toy’s R’US – 2003)
Toys R’US produced numerous dolls during this anniversary year and labelled many as anniversary kids. However, the special anniversary kids are a boy and girl pair who are dressed in prom-like attire. They were sold separately in standing boxes which have flaps on the front that cover the entire doll except for the face. They have cornsilk hair and, like the Coleco kids, their names were randomly assigned.
Photo location unknown.
The boy dolls all wear a black tuxedo with a white shirt, a silk aqua-coloured vest, and a handkerchief. They also have an aqua-coloured flower on their collar, a black tie, navy blue socks, black TRU shoes, and black silk boxers!
Photos courtesy of Michelle LeRoux.
The girl’s all wear a matching aqua and pink dress, pink lace headband, white lacy tights, matching panties, and pink TRU shoes. They carry a matching purse/bag.
As before, JAKKS Pacific attempted to replicate the vintage Coleco kids for this anniversary. Like Toys R’Us, they produced several kids during this period, but only one set was labelled 30th Birthday Kids. Stickers on the boxes said Limited Edition Vintage Kids.
Although they seem to be attempting to replicate the original Coleco dolls, only two of the outfits are similar to the original 1983 outfits, the pink dress and the purple overalls. I believe each outfit only came in one colour, although apparently, the dress with the pinafore has also been seen in pink.
Interestingly, although they are being produced by JAKKS Pacific, because JP bought out PLay Along, they must have had access to their materials. The heads on at least some of these 30th Anniversary kids were created by Play Along 25the Anniversary molds! These are the last two girls shown above.
Other 30th Anniversary kids produced at the same time included, but aren’t limited to:
35th Anniversary (2018) – WCT
As far as I can tell, they just put some sort of Commemorating 35 Years on all the kids they produced this year. I’ve found at least three different box designs with this message on them. There does not appear to have been an attempt to replicate the Coleco kids or their outfits.
Photos all acquired from Ebay or Amazon. Sorry!
40th Anniversary (Jazwares – 2023)
I haven’t seen anything produced to celebrate the 40th anniversary, however, we still have 7 months, so keep your eyes peeled.
At this time, the current 2023 babies are available through Jazwares in California USA.
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.
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.
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.
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 BowCircular Dec.Lacy BowPuffy 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.
Outfit #842- Ruffle neck dress with wide waist ribbon
Outfit 843 -Low waisted dress with front ruffles
Outfit 844 – Dres with large vertical ruffle
Photo courtesy of Callie’s Cabbies.
Outfit 845 – Dress with four folds and Peter Pan collar
Outfit 846 – Dress with square collar and large hem
Photo courtesy of Jodi Isaacs.
Outfit 847 – Drop waist with lace down the front
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.
These dresses all have drop waists, all-over prints, and a large waist ribbon or bow.
150A163K; Courtesy of Melissa Crick Gore.404A Courtesy of Jodi Issacs.
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.
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.
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.
Photo courtesy of Vanessa Brisson.
The top from the Hasbro boy’s poseable kid tracksuit is very similar to the top in this outfit.
The Hasbro shirt and shorts outfit is very similar; however, upon closer inspection the patterns and the fabric are different.
#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.
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.
