The Sports Collection

Our kids love to play outside, and these outfits help them join their favourite team and cheer on their siblings. Go Team CPK!

Catalogue picture of the Cabbage Patch Kids Sports Collection. There are 6 kids, each wearing a different outfit, posed in front of a blue curtain. — 1985 Coleco Catalogue, p. 18

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.

Red haired, green eyed paci girl wearing a cheerleaders outfit MIB, 1985. — Courtesy of Andrea Crick Huckaba.

A set of brown haired shag, brown eyed boys wearing football outfits in a twin box. — 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

Comparison picture showing three different cheerlearder sweaters in various shades of green.

Matrix showing the various cheerleading outfit sweater 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.

Picture comparing the different Cabbage Patch Cheerleader pompoms. One is yellow and green, one is orange and green.

CY Factory pompom still in the factory wrap, fresh from the packaging.

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.

CU versus FD factory hockey jerseys. — CY vs. FD

Accessory: hockey stick (no manufacturer marks)
Sneakers: white stripes

Football

CY Factory

FD 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 11^th and the 16^th, 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.

Sneakers: Green or white stripes

Tennis

Outfit Pieces: tennis dress, sweater (tag), skirt, bloomers, matching striped hairbow

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.

Comparison picture of the CY and FD factory trim sewing.

Accessory: tennis racket (has factory markings), sun visor

Manufacturing mark saying "Made in Taiwan CY" on a white Cabbage Patch tennis racquet.

Sneakers: white stripes

Similar Outfits

All Stars Baseball Series – This collection came out in 1986 and is an entirely different series. (Future Post)

Coleco catalogue page picture showing the All Stars Uniform collection on a variety of dolls. — 1986 Coleco Catalogue pg. 34 and 35.

Hasbro Sports outfits – Two poseable Hasbro CPK outfits (1990/91) are sport related: Tennis and cheerleader.

MIB AA poseable girl with brown hair and brown eyes wearing a Hasbro red, white and yellow cheerleaders outfit and green and white saddle shoes.

MIB poseable girl with wheat hair and green eyes wearing a Hasbro tennis outfit with pink shorts, white visor and white shirt with pink, blue and yellow stripes. She has blue socks and pink striped sneakers.

Other Information

It appears that at least the Football outfit was put onto Twins in a twin box. As far as I know, none of the others have been seen on twins.

A JCPenney Catalog 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.

Back of the Sport Collection packaging showing pictures of each outfit being own by a different kid.

Picture of an AA boy wearing a blue and white Cabbage Patch football uniform. From their catalogue.

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)

Lemon blonde popcorn cabbage patch kid kid wearing Preppy Pom Pom circus outfit, Mint-in-box. Clown.

Pieces of the Circus kids cabbage patch birth certificate including the "I love" card, hand tag, return envelope, return instructions, birth certificate and original envelope.

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.

Cabbage Patch Circus kid outfit tag for 100A, KT factory. — Front – Factory code

Side one of the Cabbage Patch Circus kid outfit tag for 102A, KT factory. — Front – Factory code

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.

Bottom of a Circus kid clown shoe showing "CHINA P" stamped into it. — Circus sock vs. regulra sock

Bright pink cabbage patch circus kid sock compared to a regular white cabbage patch sock. — Circus sock vs. regulra sock

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.

Cabbage Patch Circus outfit Teasin' Topper A packaged on official cardboard backing.

Cabbage Patch blue Circus shoes, a blue western wear cowboy hat, an "I went to Russia" World Traveler t-shirt and a few Cabbage Patch crayons shrink wrapped to a cardboard backing.

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

Preppy Polka Dot outfit A from a Cabbage Patch Circus kid — 100A – missingmask

Preppy Polka Dot outfit B from a Cabbage Patch Circus kid — 100A – missingmask

Cuddly Crinkles

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

Cuddly Crinkles outfit B from a Cabbage Patch Circus kid — 101A

Bashful Bow

Dress
Yellow bloomers with white polka dots
Large puffy hair bow

Bashful Bow outfit B from a Cabbage Patch Circus kid — 102A

Teasin’ Topper

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

Teasin' Topper outfit B from a Cabbage Patch Circus kid — 103A

Rowdy Rainbow

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

Rowdy Rainbow outfit B from a Cabbage Patch Circus kid — 104A – missing socks

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.

Piecse of the Ringmaster outfit alllaid out. Circus kid, cabbage patch kids.

Butterscotch haired girl Cabbage patch kid wearing a ring master's outfit, mint-in-box.

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.

1987 Coleco Catalogue pg. 62 showing Cabbage Patch Circus Kids.

1987 Coleco Catalogue pg. 63 showing Cabbage Patch Circus Kids.

A Butterick sewing pattern was available to make your own clown costumes.

Precious CPK Pajamas

Precious and cozy, these pajamas’s are so cute. If you’ve got the slippers you’re lucky!

This series consists of five outfits, four for girls and one for boys. They are all a type of pyjamas. The girl’s outfits are all made of flannel and come with fuzzy pink slippers. Like with some other series, the boy’s outfit is unique.

Although their code numbers start with a 6, generally indicating that they came out in 1986, most of those I’ve seen mint-in-box are in 1987 boxes. I hypothesize that they were sold in 1987 or even late 1986 into 1987. Most sources list them as being sold in 1987. (Ref# 3, p. 160) These outfits are not common, so I don’t believe they were produced for very long. They are very hard to find with slippers now.

Red haired, blue eyed girl with a retainer two piece PJ outfit with sheep on it and fuzzy pink slippers. She's sitting in a yellow and aqua 1987-1989 box.

They were all made by the KT factory. There’s only one version of each outfit, and they were not made by any other factory. I believe I have this series entirely recorded, although I could use a better picture of outfit #693 with the slippers.

Picture of a tag for outfit 694, KT factory.

Girl’s PJ’s

689 – Bon-Bon Two-Piece PJs

This outfit has a dress-like top with matching pants. The fabric pattern is pastel-coloured bonbons and it has a V-neck with two purple buttons and a purple bow.

Outfit #689. Two piece PJ set with bonbons on it and fuzzy pink slippers. — Photo courtesy of Kat Perhouse.

690 – NO OUTFIT

691 – Two Piece Sheep PJs

This outfit has a dress-like top and matching pants. The fabric pattern is pastel-coloured pink and blue sheep with flowers. The yoke has three bows; pink, teal, and purple.

Two piece PJ set with sheep and flowers on them. There are fuzzy pink flowers. — Photo courtesy of Kat Perhouse.

692 – Ruffled gown

This gown is white with a pink flower pattern and three buttons at the neck. The neck area has a lot of ruffles, and there is a ruffle running around the hem, a few inches from the bottom.

CPK PJ gown, #692 with pink and green flower pattern and fuzzy pink slippers. — Photo courtesy of Kat Perhouse.

693 – Striped gown

This gown has a large white bib front with three buttons. The remainder of the gown is a thick stripe pattern in pastel shades of teal, pink, and white. There is a ruffle around the bib, and the bottom hem is white with pink hearts.

Flannel CPK gown, #693. It has thick pink, aqua and white stripes.

Boy’s PJ Outfit

694 – Nightshirt and cap

This outfit is unique within the CPK clothing world. Unlike outfits #689 – #693, this one is made of cotton, uses darker colours, and includes a nightcap and booties with suede soles. The nightcap and booties can be difficult to find.

Mimic Outfit

This outfit mimics the look of the Pajama Series and is often thought to be a part of it. Outfit #142A looks very similar but came out in 1989 as a packaged outfit. The dark colours and yellow slippers are the immediately visible differences.

Cotton two piece PJ outfit with teddy bears and in red, yellow, and blue. It comes with yellow fuzzy slippers. — Photo courtesy of Kat Pershouse.

Special thanks to Kat Perhouse for her amazing pictures.

650s – Mimicking the best of 1983

Based on classic 1983 outfits, these 1986 outfits re-imagine, reinvent, and rejuvenate to create amazing new looks.

Mimic: implies a close copying, often for fun
Miriam-Webster Dictionary

Title graphic showing two 650s outfits and the 1983 series outfit that they mimic. It has the words "Same" and "Different" in capital letters.

The 1986 Mimic Series

Three of the six outfits in this 1986 series closely mimic many dresses that came before them. The other three also closely resemble earlier outfits, although not as much.

As these outfits are much harder to find than some others, they may not have been produced for long. In addition, there are only two to four variations (letters) for each outfit.

Although the outfits are numbered from #655 to #661, no #657 was produced (that I know of). They were all produced by the OK factory and used letters H, J, and K, once again skipping the letter i.

Although many of the outfits have a copyright date of 1985, an outfit number in the 600s indicates that they were sold in 1986. Based on the tags, some may have been manufactured in early 1987 as well. I speculate that an outfit with an Amsterdam, NY tag (below) was produced in late 1986 or early 1987. I have only two Amsterdam tags recorded in this series, so very few of these outfits were being produced by that time. I have no idea why they changed the number to include a /3 or /__ instead of keeping the original code. I can only speculate that they planned to change the entire outfit numbering system but quickly changed their minds. I also have an example of two slash numbers for the same outfit. I can’t explain this.

Picture of a 600s series clothing tag for the West Hardford CT location. Outfit 656H, OK factory.

Picture of a 600s series clothing tag for the Amsterdam NY location. Outfit 660/3, OK factory. The location is circled in yellow.

These outfits came on the regular yarn-haired kids, as opposed to the Cornsilk kids, which also came out that year. They came in the newer pastel-coloured boxes with the aqua birth certificates. I have no evidence that these outfits came packaged.

Boxed CPK with brown eyes and brown pigtails, HM #10 wearing outfit 658J.

Version Information

My goal is to find every version of every outfit that was produced. Below is a spreadsheet showing each version of the outfits in this series that I have recorded. 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, I would like to hear from you. Information is best sent in the form of pictures. For details, visit Taking Clothing Tag Pics.

Outfit Information

#655 – Mimic Swing Dress

These empire waist dresses are a solid colour with a light white crosshatch pattern and a small white bow at the neck. I believe they came with tights, but I’m not sure if they were solid white or lace. I also believe they came with Mary Jane shoes, but I need to see one of these outfits in the box to know for sure. If you can confirm or debunk it, please let me know.

Outfit K comes in two different colours. I can only assume they could no longer source the first one and changed to the other. I don’t know which was first and which was second.

Light purple version of outfit #665, the Mimic Swing Dress — Photo courtesy of Jodi’s Punki Patch.

Mimicked Outfit: Outfit #1 – Swing Dress
Significant differences between these outfits include the pattern and the size of the bow. To see other outfits similar to this one, visit Outfit #1 .

#656 – Mimic Shoulder-Tie Dress

There are no significant differences between this dress and the original dress, except that the white fabric in the #656 dress is sometimes a thicker ribbed cord-like material rather than the thin white cotton used in the original. Of course, there are differences in pattern and colour, but that’s it! I do not know what shoes this outfit came with, but I would guess white Mary Jane shoes.

Mimicked Outfits: Outfit #3 – Shoulder-Tie Dress, Outfit #504 Apron Dress
To see other outfits similar to this one, visit Outfit #3.

# 658 – Velveteen Overalls

There are only two versions of this outfit. Although they look like Outfit #12, the Ruffled Overalls, it would be almost impossible to confuse them. These overalls are made of a lovely dark/light blue velveteen, and the bib is backed by the same fabric as the matching blouse. The blouses are made of flowered cotton fabric or white silky fabric. The most obvious difference is the embroidered winged heart on the bib. I have only one picture for reference, but this outfit appears to come with Mary Jane shoes.

Navy blue Velveteen Overalls outfit, #658H. — Outfit #658H

Steel blue Velveteen Overalls outfit, #658J. — Outfit #658H

The tags in these outfits are different than those in the rest of the series and almost every other recorded outfit. I’m unsure if this is significant, but it is interesting to note.

Side 1 of the unusual tags found in #658 outfit.

Side 2 of the unusual tags found in #658 outfit.

It is also interesting to note that the velveteen fabric used for these outfits is only used in one other type of CPK outfit, two of the Jesmar preemie outfits.

Mimicked Outfits: Outfit #12 – Ruffled Overalls. Significant differences are found in the fabrics and blouse patterns.

#659 – Mimic Yoke Dress

The fabrics used for this dress appear to be textured, but all are a solid colour. The yoke and sleeves have frilly lace, and there is a small velveteen bow at the neck. It came with matching bloomers and either Mary Jane or regular lace-up shoes. I am unsure which.

Light purple version of outfit #659, Mimic Square Yoke Dress. — Photo courtesy of Jodi’s Punki Patch.

Mimicked Outfit: Outfit #13 – Square Yoke Dress
Significant differences include the frillier lace around the yoke and the velveteen bow. To see other similar outfits, visit Outfit #13.

#660 – Shadow-Stripe Dress

Structurally, these dresses are almost identical to Outfit #15, the Bib Dress. However, these outfits don’t have a bib, they have a silky ribbon running across the front, a small white bow and flower patch in the middle, and capped sleeves. The fabric has a shadow stripe pattern, and the arms, lower hem, and collar are all edged with frilly lace.

Blue version of outfit #660, Shadow-Striped Dress. — Photo courtesy of Kat Perhouse.

I’ve seen this outfit, minus the ribbon, twice. I believe the ribbons have been removed as they don’t appear to be well attached to the outfit.

#661 – Heart/Butterfly Dress

These dresses are also structurally similar to Outfit #15, the Bib Dress, but have a heart with flowers patch or a butterfly with flowers patch on the chest. It has cotton lace running across the front and at the sleeves and leg hems. For some reason, they used one patch for some outfits and the other patch for others. I’m not sure why.

Red version of outfit #661, Heart Dress. — Courtesy of Vanessa Brisson.

Yellow version of outfit #661, Butterfly Dress. — Courtesy of Vanessa Brisson.

There are two versions of #661H, red and dusty rose. Although both H’s are considered HTF, the red version is considered the harder to find of the two. (FB Conversation, Kat Perhouse, Feb. 2020) I don’t know which was produced first and which colour came second. Whenever the change happened, it was before the Amsterdam tags began being used.

These dresses are often confused with a great imitation aftermarket dress made by Happy Kids. Can you spot the differences? The most obvious differences are the embroidered patches and the lack of CPK clothing tag inside.

Boxed Happy Kid imitation Heart/Butterfly dress in pink. — Courtesy of Jamie Osterbuhr

Twin Outfits, Part 2: 1986 and other interesting info.

Twins continued to be produced in 1986 but with some differences. Also, information on other types of twins, prototype outfits, and more!

Twin Outfits, Part 1 : 1985

Coleco continued to produce Twin sets in 1986 wearing the original four outfits, but they also started to use twin sets as a dumping ground to get rid of overstock. At this time, it wasn’t unusual to find a variety of combinations in twin boxes, for example:

Red haired twin girl cabbage patch kids wearing white Fun Fur outfits, in a twin box. — Twin outfits with Fun Furs overtop.

Lemon haired girls wearing pink rabbit animal sleepers in a twin box. — Twin outfits with Fun Furs overtop.

Especially in the Canadian market, it wasn’t unusual for the dolls wearing these non-twin outfits to be Jesmar as it was at this time that Coleco was looking to rid themselves of the remaining stock from the recently closed foreign factories. (See Jesmars and J Clothing for details.)

Bald boy Jesmar cabbage patch kids wearing Russian World Traveler outfits in a twin box. — Jesmar dolls wearing World Traveler outfits in twin boxes, or who came as twins.

Red haired Jesmar paci cabbage patch kids wearing Holland World Traveler outfits in a twin box. — Jesmar dolls wearing World Traveler outfits in twin boxes, or who came as twins.

The dolls used for twins in 1986 weren’t always P/OK factory and weren’t always the same factory. For example, there are records of sets being OK and PMI. (Ref #4, March 1988, p. 4) This was rare, but apparently, it did happen.

They also dumped twin outfits by putting them on individually boxed regular kids and Cornsilk kids in 1986 and 1987.

A blonde Cornsilk Kid wearing a T1 Party Dress Twin outfit in a Cornsilk Kid box. — Courtesy of Christy Ho.

A custom shag lemon haired #16 boy with blue eyes wearing a red T4 twin outfit in a 1987 regular Cabbage Patch Kid box. — Courtesy of Christy Ho.

Finally, in a last-ditch effort to get rid of stock, twin outfits were sold packaged separately. Often these packages didn’t come with accessories like gloves or shoes.

Green velveteen girls twin outfits (T3) packaged on a board, to be sold separately.

Other Cabbage Patch Twins

> The Tsukuda factory is the only foreign factory that manufactured Twins (Ref #3, p. 247). Their twins wear regular 1983 outfits with the word “TWIN” silkscreened on them. These sets are very highly valued by collectors.

Brown haired, blue eyes, paci Tsukuda boys wearing jean rompers and red shirt with the word TWIN on the romper. — The first two photos are courtesy of Carolyn Dahl.

Brown haired, blue eyes, single ponytail paci Tsukuda girls wearing red shoulder-tie dresses with the word TWIN on the dress. — The first two photos are courtesy of Carolyn Dahl.

> Preemie twins were never produced, but prototypes are visible in catalogue pictures from 1986. (Ref #3, p. 178, 192)

Pg 84 of the Coleco Catalogue in 1986 showing two sets of preemie, dresses as Twins. — 1986 Coleco catalogue, p. 84-85

Pg 85 of the Coleco Catalogue in 1986 showing two sets of preemie, dresses as Twins. — 1986 Coleco catalogue, p. 84-85

Prototype Outfits

Many prototype outfits can be seen in catalogues from 1986. The outfits aren’t exact, but they’re pretty close! It’s too bad the white dresses were never produced, they’re very pretty.

Picture of two sets of girl twins wearing very frilly white dresses. One set has red braids, the second are AA dolls with brown hair. — JCPenny Catalogue 1985

Sets of Cabbage Patch twins sitting on movie theatre seats. They are dressed in prototype outfits. — Coleco 1985 Catalogue, p.6-7

Sewing Patterns

Butterick produced only one of the twin outfits as a sewing pattern. They are numbered #390 and #3564.

Butterick sewing pattern #390 for the velveteen girls and boys twin outfits. The outfits shown are grey in colour. The dolls are lemon haired, one boy, one girl.

General References

Ref #3, p. 104 – 110

Ref #2, p. 71 – 72

Twin CPK Outfits, Part 1

Official Cabbage Patch Kid twin sets wore special sets of beautiful clothing. At least, they did when they first came out!

Official Cabbage Patch Twins became available starting in 1985. They continued to be sold in 1986, but with some differences (see Twin Outfits, Part 2). They came with specially designed boxes, birth certificates, and hand tags. When they introduced Twins, they also introduced a few new hairstyles and hair colours.

Boxed Cabbage Patch Twins. They are wheat haired poodle double ponytail girls with green eyes, wearing light yellow velveteen outfits. — Courtesy of Hall Walls.

Large mailed version of the Twins Cabbage Patch Kid birth certificate and US hand tag. — Courtesy of Hall Walls.

Although called twins, the dolls were not always identical. They always had the same colour of hair and eyes, but the head moulds were often different. Most Twin dolls were made by the P factory, but there were some OK factory sets. Although billed as a Limited Edition, it quickly became apparent that they weren’t limited and that they weren’t selling very well.

For more detailed information on the doll’s traits, visit Fundamentals of Cabbage Patch Kids, p. 104.

Twin Outfits

Twin clothing consisted of four different outfits and had a separate coding matrix, T#. The great majority of twin clothing was manufactured by the P factory; however, at least a few were made at the KT factory. I’ve seen only one example of this.

There are between five and seven versions of each twin outfit. The two additional outfits appear to be caused by a change in fabric colour. In a few cases, there are two distinct colours associated with the same code. I theorize that they could no longer source the original colour and so carried on with the second (C2, E2). “It would seem that the rarest velvet to appear was burgundy, which appeared on only a few 1985 sets.” (Ref #5, p. 82)

T1 – Party Dresses

These dresses come in two versions, one made of a cotton damask fabric with a velveteen waist bow, and the other a shiny satin fabric. The structure is the same for both. I believe there are only three versions of the satin dress (yellow, light purple, vivid blue), although I do not know why.

Blue damask fabric version of the twin cabbage patch kid T1 Party Dress. Picture also includes the white lacy tights and net gloves. — Damask Version

Blue satin version of the twin cabbage patch kid T1 Party Dress. Picture also includes the white lacy tights, mary jane shoes, and net gloves. — Damask Version

These dresses came with fancy mesh gloves with line patterns, white lace tights, a regular diaper, and Mary Jane shoes. They came only on girl/girl twin sets, and the dresses were always the same colour.

T2 – Knit Overalls

This outfit consists of a knit long sleeve shirt under a pair of knit coveralls and a matching knit hat. It came with a regular diaper and lace-up shoes. It was worn only by boy/boy twin sets.

Blue knit twin CPK outfit with matching hat.

Yellow knit twin CPK outfit with matching hat.

It is this outfit that I believe the BBB Twin outfit is based upon. For details visit PTP: The Twin Outfit That Isn’t (It’s BBB)

T3 & T4 Velveteen Outfits

These two outfits came on the only boy/girl twin combination that was produced but could also be found on boy/boy and girl/girl twin sets. Same-gender sets were much harder to find. (Toyland: What to Buy Report. Feb 4, 1986. p. 2)

Both outfits are made primarily of velveteen and come with a regular diaper and lace-up shoes. The girl’s outfit (T3) consists of a dress-like top, pants, and a matching tam, while the boy’s outfit (T4) consists of a white dress shirt, shortalls, a matching jacket, and a bowtie.

Dark navy blue velveteen CPK twin outfit with white lace accents and a matching tam. — T3

Red velveteen twin boys outfit, pieces al put together. — T3

Spreadsheet record of the T3 and T4 outfits.

Wacky Fact:
T1 and T2 have rectangular-shaped tags, while T3 and T4 have square ones. I have no idea why, as they were all produced at the same factory!

Picture of a CPK clothing tag from the P factory. It is a rectangle shape.

Picture of a CPK clothing tag from the P factory. It is a rectangle shape and says T1B.

a row of CPK boys wearing the velveteen boy twins outfit (T4). The colours include: steel blue, royal blue, green, yellow, light yellow, burnt orange, burgundy, red, deep red. — Photos courtesy of Eric Botelho.

Continue to –
Twin Outfits Part 2: 1986 and Onward

1st BBB Outfits – Pt. 2 – 200s

These outfits are the same as the 190s outfits and yet not. What makes these BBB outfits different?

For general information on Babies, visit Babies – A Summary

1st BBB Outfits – Pt. 1 – 190s

The 1st BBB outfits came out in 1986 on Babies. (The 6- in their clothing codes indicate the date they came out. For details, visit Tag Codes Continued: A 2nd Theory.) However, I do wonder if the outfits in this series (#199 – #203) may have been a secondary set produced or designed after the 190s. These outfits all have a few oddities about them.

I have recorded four outfits in the 200s, and all are in this series of outfits, plus #199. I believe #199 belongs in this group because, it is separated from the 190s series by the missing #198, unusual code letters were produced for it, and it is very difficult to find. Additionally, none of the recorded #199 outfits were manufactured by the WS factory, and the 200s outfits don’t appear to have been manufactured by the WS factory, just the SS and AF factories.

The primary factory for these outfits is the SS factory.

Tag for a Cabbage Patch Baby outfit. Code 6-194C, SS factory.

Each Baby comes with a footie outfit, a bonnet, a white felt diaper, and a blanket. The blanket trim matches the dominant colour of the outfit.

Picture of the BBB blankets with mint green, purple, pink, and blue edging, as well as the felt diaper both open and closed.

The Outfits

As I am including outfit #199 in this series (as well as the 190s), there are five outfits in this series. I have assigned outfit names, as I am unaware of any conventionally accepted ones. I think there are between four and eight versions of each outfit.

White with peach accents BBB outfit #199, Hearts Sweater. — 199 – Hearts Sweater

White with peach accents BBB outfit #201, Flowers Sweater. — 199 – Hearts Sweater

Like the 190s series, in general, the letters in the clothing code (A – G) are associated with a specific colour. For example, if you have an A, the outfit will be mint green no matter the outfit number. However, there are some odd situations, even more than in the 190s Series. (See the chart below.)

A – Mint Green                  D – Baby Pink                     G- Peach
B – Baby Blue                     E- Yellow
C – Purple                            F- White

Version Information

My goal is to record every version of every outfit that was produced. Below is a record of the outfits in this series that I have recorded. To understand clothing codes, factories, and variations, please refer to What are Clothing Tag Codes? and Factories and Companies

If you have an outfit that is not recorded here, I would like to hear from you. Information is best sent in the form of pictures. For details, visit Taking Clothing Tag Pics.

Of the ‘additional’ letters J, N, P, and Q, I have only recorded one outfit per letter. (UPDATE May 2022: A second Q outfit has been located.) For H, I have two, #196 and #201. I have no idea why these random additional letters were produced. I don’t know if they produced these letters for all the outfits or just a few.

AF Factory Outfits (updated)

I have recorded AF (Thailand) produced outfits for only #200 and #203. Incidentally, these are also the most difficult to find of the 200s outfits. Were they produced by the SS factory? If not, why not? Do you have an SS version of one of these outfits? It seems many of the 190s series were made by the AF factory, but I’m not sure how many yet.

White with peach accents BBB outfit #200, Frilly footed onsie. — #200

White with peach accents BBB outfit #203, Diamond Decoration Dress. — #200

Factory Variations

I cannot see any consistent factory variations. If you observe any, please, let me know.

Care of BBB Clothing

Similar Outfits

The 670s series is what I call a ‘mimic series’ as many of the 670s outfits look similar to those in the 1st BBB outfit series. It came out in 1987.
#199 and #201 look similar to #674 and #195. They are all two-piece outfits with sweaters and footie pants. The hat and the pattern on the sweater are the most visible differences.
#200 is similar to #673, where the frill is missing from the feet.
#202 is very similar to #680, except #680 has pom-poms at the feet.
#203 is similar to #672, #681, and #193. They are all dresses.

Other Information

> HTF Info: Outfit #200 appears to be the hardest to find. Then outfit #203.

> The ribbon in these outfits can be easily removed and replaced. Refer to the Babies summary post for additional information on cleaning and care.

> Fun fact: Prototype versions of these outfits can be found in the 1986 Coleco Catalogue, p. 86 & 87. None of these outfits were actually produced.

Screen cap from page 86 of the 1986 Coleco Catalogue showing two Baby Cabbage Patch Kids in prototype outfits.

Screen cap from page 87 of the 1986 Coleco Catalogue showing two Baby Cabbage Patch Kids in prototype outfits.

Made in Thailand – Up May 2022

These outfits were made in Thailand . . .what the heck? (Extensive revisions made Nov 2021)

Picture of a Beany Butt Baby pink knit outfit with diamond knitting patterns at teh sleeves and across the chest. The outfit is a dress and footed pants. — Courtesy of Sarah Ransom

So far I have found six different outfits that have the AF factory and were Made in Thailand, all of them 1986 BBB outfits. The outfits in the 190s have the AF factory label, the 200s outfits do not. I’m not sure why. For my speculations, visit 1st BBB Outfits – Pt. 2 – 200s. For a list of known manufacturing locations, visit Factories and Companies.

Picture of a tag from outfit 203D which says it was "Made in Thailand". — AF factory picture courtesy of Zoe Milburn

AF factory picture courtesy of Zoe Milburn

Based on the look of the tag and the 6- in the code, I believe that these outfits were manufactured in 1986 with the rest of the outfits, or very soon thereafter.

Why did they hire another factory to produce these outfits?
Why pick a factory in Thailand?
How long did it manufacture CPK BBB clothes?
Did it produce more than just the 6 I’ve already discovered?
Did manufacture anything else?

So many questions! To see which AF outfits have been discovered, visit 1st BBB Outfits – Pt. 1 – 190s and 1st BBB Outfits – Pt. 2 – 200s.

Have you seen any other outfits Made in Thailand?

Special thanks to Sarah Ransom and Zoe Milburn for assisting with pictures and information about these outfits

1st BBB Outfits – Pt. 1 – 190s

Every baby will be snug and warm in these beautiful knit outfits, the first produced for Coleco’s Babies.

For general information on Babies, visit Babies – A Summary

This series of outfits came out in 1986 on the first Babies. (The 6- in their clothing codes indicate the date they came out. For details, visit Tag Codes Continued: A 2nd Theory.) They were made by the SS, WS, and AF factories. There doesn’t appear to be a primary factory for this series. Also, I’m unsure if all three factories produced all of the outfits but there’s a chance that most were produced by the WS and SS factories. I’m not sure about the AF factory.

Cabbage Patch Clothing tag from outfit 194B, WS factory.

Cabbage Patch Clothing tag from outfit 194C, SS factory.

Each Baby comes with an outfit with footies, a bonnet, a white felt diaper, and a blanket. The blanket trim matches the dominant colour of the outfit.

There are eight outfits in this series. I have assigned outfit names as I am unaware of any conventionally accepted ones. I think there are between six and eight versions of each outfit.

Picture of outfit 191, a onsie with a large neck ruffle and matching bonnet. Pruple — 191 – Large Ruffle

Picture of outfit 192, a bodysuit with matching booties and matching bonnet. Mint green — 191 – Large Ruffle

Unlike other series, in this series, the letters in the clothing code (A – G) are associated with a specific colour. For example, if you have an A, the outfit will be mint green no matter the number. Well, mostly . . . keep reading.

A – Mint Green                  D – Baby Pink                     G- Peach
B – Baby Blue                     E- Yellow
C – Purple                            F- White

Sample of the mint green colour - Letter A — A – Mint Green

Sample of the blue colour - Letter B — A – Mint Green

There are some differences between the letters H, N, P, and Q.

Outfits #196 & #197 – It is the only two outfits with the letter H, and they’re both blue. I haven’t located a letter B (also normally blue) for outfit #196 so I wonder if this H was produced to replace B, which for some unknown reason was not produced? Do you have a blue 196B?

Outfit #199 – This is the only outfit, so far, that has the letters N, P, and Q. It is odd in several ways. I haven’t recorded many of this outfit, odd code letters have been used, and it’s a mimic of another outfit in the same series. Is it possible that this outfit belongs to PT 2, the 200s series? There is no #198, so maybe the 190s (PT. 1) went from #191 – #197, and Pt. 2 started at #199. For more information visit 1st BBB Outfits Pt. 2 – The 200s.

Version Information

If you have an outfit that is not recorded here, I would like to hear from you. Information is best sent in the form of pictures. For details, visit Taking Clothing Tag Pics.

Factory Variations

I cannot see any consistent factory variations. The SS factory may have used darker richer yarn colours, but that could also be the light when the pictures were taken in or a change in the batch of yarn being used. Collector Zoe Milburn noted that the WS yarn is somewhat itchier/scratchy than the SS and AF yarns (Messanger, Dec 2021). If you observe any others, please, let me know.

Similar Outfits

The 670s series is what I call a ‘mimic series’ as many of the 670s outfits look similar to those in the 190s series. It came out in 1987.

#201 and #674 look similar to #195 and #199. They are two-piece outfits with sweaters and footie pants. The hat and the pattern on the sweater are the most visible differences.
#203, #672, and #681 are similar to #193. They are all dresses.
#671 is similar to #192. There are no holes in the sleeves and booties of #671 and the necks are very different.
#673 is similar to #194. The chest area is the most obvious difference.
#676 is similar to #197. The collar style is the most obvious difference.

Care of BBB Clothing

Other Information

> HTF Info: White (F) is either the most difficult colour to find, or not all of them were produced. In general, outfit #199 is the most difficult to find.

> The ribbon in these outfits can be easily removed and replaced. Refer to the Babies summary post for additional information on cleaning and care.

> Fun fact: Prototype versions of these outfits can be found in the 1986 Coleco Catalogue, p. 86 & 87. None of these outfits were actually produced as we see here, although the yellow looks quite a bit like outfit #191.

Three BBB's playing with things wearing prototype outfits. The picture is taken from the 1986 Coleco catalogue.

Two BBB's playing with things wearing prototype outfits. The picture is taken from the 1986 Coleco catalogue.

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.

The Collection

The Outfits

Baseball

Cheerleader

Basketball

Hockey

Football

Tennis

Similar Outfits

Other Information

Do I have all the pieces?

Preppy Polka Dot – #100

Cuddly Crinkles

Bashful Bow

Teasin’ Topper

Rowdy Rainbow

Preppy Pom Pom

The Ringmaster Outfit – #188

Other Information

Girl’s PJ’s

689 – Bon-Bon Two-Piece PJs

690 – NO OUTFIT

691 – Two Piece Sheep PJs

692 – Ruffled gown

693 – Striped gown

Boy’s PJ Outfit

694 – Nightshirt and cap

Mimic Outfit

The 1986 Mimic Series

Version Information

Outfit Information

#655 – Mimic Swing Dress

#656 – Mimic Shoulder-Tie Dress

# 658 – Velveteen Overalls

#659 – Mimic Yoke Dress

#660 – Shadow-Stripe Dress

#661 – Heart/Butterfly Dress

Other Cabbage Patch Twins

Prototype Outfits

Sewing Patterns

General References

Twin Outfits

T1 – Party Dresses

T2 – Knit Overalls

T3 & T4 Velveteen Outfits

Continue to –Twin Outfits Part 2: 1986 and Onward

The Outfits

Version Information

AF Factory Outfits (updated)

Factory Variations

Similar Outfits

Other Information

Version Information

Factory Variations

Similar Outfits

Other Information

General Information

BBB Pacifiers

BBB’s 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

Continue to –
Twin Outfits Part 2: 1986 and Onward