This cat is lounging where it shouldn’t be! Any theories?
. . . and this one is VERY odd! (Update: Mystery solved below)
Has anyone ever seen a cat patch on a denim romper? This is a boxed 1983 OK factory kid in a 1983 denim romper (see Beneficial Buttons for more info) with a random cat patch on it. This outfit does NOT come with a patch on it! (See PTP: Plentiful Patches Pt. 1) The owner said she got him like this.
Update: Mystery mostly solved! This little man is Jesmar and that makes all the sense! Jesmar did some rather weird stuff with their outfits. For details, visit Jesmars and J Clothing . Now, why someone at the Jesmar factory decided to do it . . .who knows?
Special thanks to Amy London for bringing this kid to my attention and providing the picture.
Sailor Suits (#20) are made of heavy cotton fabric, almost jean heavy. They all are. Sometimes the fabric is slightly different, Taiwan vs. China, but it’s still a heavy cotton material. Right?
Apparently not. Recently, I acquired a Sailor Suit made of thin cotton material, similar to the material used in the 1983 dresses. It’s hard to see the difference in the picture, but it’s there.
Regular vs Odd
Regular vs Odd
Top: Odd, Bottom: KT
The accent cord appears to be different as well.
However, everything else is the same. Same patch, same structure, same sizing . . . even the same tag! That’s right, it’s tagged KT factory.
Why?
My only theory is that they ran out of fabric but wanted to continue production. They grabbed another red material that they had handy from making other outfits and continued the run. Another factory fluke.
What do you think? What else could have caused this to happen? Have you ever seen something similar?
Almost all Coleco shoes produced between 1983 and 1986ish were labeled with the factory of manufacture inside by the heel. These shoes also said, Hong Kong, even after they were no longer manufactured there. It’s thought that they chose not to remake the molds. Specialty outfit shoes like clown shoes and cowboy boots are also factory marked.
Later, sometime around 1986 or 1987, they stopped putting the factory and HONG KONG inside the shoes. Instead, some say CHINA, some have just a number, and some are entirely blank. I believe that they showed up in that order but have no proof of it, except that the coloured toddler shoes have CHINA in them and the only coloured Mary Janes I’ve seen have nothing in them.
The numbers that can be found in the shoes are a mystery. I believe they are a mould number but again, I have no proof. A ‘pair’ of shoes do not need to have the same number.
Cabbage patch kids came with various types and colours of footwear. The type of shoes that an outfit came with changed as time passed.
In 1983 and 1984 there were only four options. They were worn by regular kids and preemies. For more details on each type of shoe click on the links below.
Special Note: During the first few months of production, the kids manufactured in Hong Kong came out with shoes like those described above, but which had slightly different characteristics (at least long-time collectors think so). For details on how to identify Hong Kong Kid shoes go to each of the shoe types using the links near the top of this post. . Click here for a definition of Triple and Double Hong Kong Kids.
Starting in 1985, other footwear options became available, and three of the original four options began showing up in a rainbow of colours. The new options included:
Some regular kid transitional outfits (800s) May have come on some later Designer Line Kids. Transitional Poseable Kids (specifically the Cheerleader outfit)
Weeboks
Blue Saddle Shoe Version – Coleco Generally came hanging on the arm of Poseable kids. Some were wearing them.
White Toddler Version – Coleco Generally, came as a second pair of shoes hanging off the kid’s arm. Some were wearing them.
Sandals
Splashin’ Kids
Slippers (matching)
BBB Outfits, toddler outfits, Splashin’ Kid outfits, 25th Anniversary Preemies (only came in white)
Most series did not come with only one type of footwear. For example, the second series of Cornsilk outfits (Jump to Cornsilk Series 2: Wacky and Layered Pt. 1) came with the following:
Most of the early packaged outfits came with shoes, as did many of the packaged outfits that came with unique shoes (e.g., Western Wear). However, many packaged outfits, especially those sold after 1985, did not come with shoes included. Starting in 1985, shoes become available separately packaged with socks and other accessories. This continued until 1989.
Like with other outfits, during transitional periods or when they were trying to get rid of excess product, occasionally you can find a MIB doll with the ‘wrong’ footwear. As long as the footwear was in production before the doll was issued, it could be a possible combination.
I have even recorded one example of a transitional regular kid wearing Hasbro Kissin’ Kid shoes!
Cleaning shoes
I clean shoes with a toothbrush and a bar of Sunlight Soap. Sticky shoes are cleaned with Magic Eraser or Bar Keeper’s Friend.
Marks made from markers, pens, and other such things that do not come out with regular cleaning can be treated with zit cream, just like a doll’s head.
Early shoes were made of the same type of vinyl as the doll heads. As such, they can get pox. They can be treated the same way as doll heads. (Videos about pox and treating pox are available here.)
Shoes that are yellowed or discoloured can sometimes be treated by soaking in Polident (water-soluble, not toothpaste). I’ve found it often takes multiple soakings and doesn’t always work perfectly.
25th Anniversary Shoes
The 25th Anniversary kids came with regular shoes, Mary Jane’s, and sneakers. They are easy to distinguish as they have the Cabbage Patch logo and 1893-2008 on the bottom. The preemies came with these shoes or white slippers/booties with a white bow.
There are MANY types of aftermarket CPK shoes. To learn more, jump here: Aftermarket Shoes.
Jesmar Shoes
All of the foreign factories produced CPK shoes. I do not have enough information to discuss most of them. For information on Jesmar shoes, visit Shoes: Jesmar Shoes
Do you have a kid wearing a blue windbreaker outfit? Wouldn’t be surprised if the answer was YES! There are so many of them . . . so how do yo know that you’ve got yours paired correctly? Find out!
The outfit is easily mixed up. If it is not MIB or the owner can confirm they took the kid out of the box and never redressed the kid, I can’t be positive that it all came together.
The shirt (the tagged piece of the outfit) is often the same colours across different outfits! For example, numerous shirts are ‘blue and white striped’, but they are actually from different outfits.
Factory variation means that I think there are more outfits with a certain colour of jacket than there really are.
Finally, 4. Numerous outfits have similarly coloured jackets! Actually, that isn’t the case. I only have one colour recorded, other than blue, that is used for more than one outfit, pink (baby pink and deep rose). However, blue is enough of a problem!
Blue windbreakers are a pain
It has taken a while, but I have identified three different outfits that have blue windbreakers AND most also have blue and white striped shirts. The ONLY differences are in the shade of blue!
10B – aqua blue (yellow striped shirt)
10G – steel or medium blue
10J – royal blue
10J picture provided by Crystal Bolejack.
Without having the jackets beside each other, the colour differences are hard to see. At least the ‘blue and white striped shirts are tagged so that if you know the outfit code, you can find the right jacket!
However, that might not hold completely true. I only have one example of each outfit, and for G and H, I have only IJ (Korean factory) versions that came packaged. I do not have Primary Factory versions recorded, so there could be additional variations in jacket colour by factory.
The striped shirts don’t help
The blue and white striped shirts do not help matters much! Not only do two of the three outfits have a blue and white shirt, so do at least THREE other outfits!
10A has a blue and white striped shirt with a RED jacket.
10T (PMI) has a blue and white striped shirt, but I do not know the colour of the jacket (could be another blue one).
#100 – This mimic outfit has a blue and white stripe shirt and red jacket; however, there are visible differences.
To determine if you have an outfit that I need to record, please visit the #10 Windbreaker Outfit post to see my most up-to-date record. Now, what are you waiting for . . . go check out all those windbreaker outfits you have to make sure they match properly!
Why were USA outfits created? How can you identify them? Find out.
Some outfits have tags with Made in USA on them (or a tag that looks like the ones below). These outfits are structurally similar to some of the original 1983 Series outfits but have differences. No one seems to know anything about this factory. Nothing.
The predominant thought is that the clothing was licensed by Coleco, for production by a US company, to handle the surge in demand starting in 1984. Producing the outfits closer to home would reduce the amount of time to get it to customers, and in theory, cost less. (FB conversation, Jodi’s Punki Patch)
My personal theory is that, as Coleco had several manufacturing facilities in the US (Source), instead of having another company do it, they decided to utilize some of their own facilities to manufacture the outfits. However, having little experience with that kind of toy and lacking access to the right materials, the final product was substandard and did not meet the exact specifications.
I have evidence for USA clothing coming packaged in a 1984 box (although I could not find out if it was sealed), on a boxed kid in 1985 (FB Conversation, Cheyne Wilelm Gosnell, Feb. 10, 2020; Becca Billard, Feb. 10, July 2022), and on twin sets wearing Fun Furs later in 1985 or 1986. (Photo below courtesy of Sabrina Vanessa Adams). If this evidence holds, it means USA outfits are legitimate CPK brands and were sold for at least four years and were included in the mass ‘overstock’ clear out that started in 1985/86 where they began just putting anything on kids to sell them.
USA outfit in 1985 boxUSA outfit in 1984 packageTwins in USA outfits; Photo courtesy of Sabrina Rogers.
Other Items
Other items that came with the kids (not official accessories or separately sold items made by separately granted licenses) have been found marked Made in USA as well. So far, the astronaut helmets (no matter the country) and all of the glasses that I have available to check, are marked in this fashion. Were they made at the same factory or just by a US factory that was hired to make them?
Identification and Comparison
I have identified six USA outfits; I believe there are likely more, as of yet, unidentified ones. These outfits can occasionally be identified by look, but always by the clothing tag. There are two versions of the front side, but the tags all have the same opposite side. The only difference is that one says, Made in USA, and one does not. However, they are all USA-made clothes.
Side 1 Version 1Side 1 Version 2Side 2
UPDATE: A USA dress without a tag has been identified. (Becca Billiard, FB, Feb. 10, 2022)
The easiest way to identify a USA outfit, without looking at the clothing tag, is the silk label. The USA labels are canvas-like, larger, and off-white
Top: Taiwan factories label; Middle: China factories label; Bottom: USA label
In general, the material used for these outfits, especially the white fabrics, were much thinner and of lower quality. They also used a lace that is different from the Coleco lace.
They look more like the Coleco A – D outfits with only two lines of lace. However, the main fabric pattern continues between the lace, rather then being white.
Lace pattern
There is no flower applique.
USA VersionColeco VersionPhoto 1 courtesy of Jamie Osterbuhr
The clothing tags are located in the pants rather than the top, like most outfits.
The cat patches are visibly different from the other patches. Jump to Plentiful Patches Pt. 2 for details.
So far, all the recorded outfits are made using grey heather fabric, not solid grey fabric.
One outfit has been found with two colours of trim; white and light pink. It looks like the arms and pants from one outfit were used with the trunk of another. This may be another example of substandard work.
USA VersionColeco VersionPhotos courtesy of Jodi’s Punki PatchPhoto courtesy of Jaycee Cook
Suggested reading: An explanation of the 1983 series of outfits that the swing dress belongs to. Jump to: 1983 Series – The 1st CPK Clothes
Description: Legless romper with short sleeves made from cotton twill fabric. It has a sailor collar with trim and a fabric necktie. There is a pocket with an anchor patch on the right breast pocket and button accents at the waist. Decorative features are enhanced with contrasting trim. It came with sneakers and socks.
Outfit 20B KT
This outfit is not technically a part of the 1983 series as it did not come out on kids until 1984. (Ref #4, Vol. 3 Iss. 8, p.5) However, based on the numbering convention, it is just easier to include it in the 1983 series. It was manufactured/ sold on MIB kids until at least 1986, but probably later.
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, up to the date indicated. To understand clothing codes, factories and variations, please refer to the suggested readings below.
If you have an outfit that is not recorded here or does not match my information, (e.g. you have a 20A OK that has green accents, not red) I would appreciate hearing from you. Information is best sent in the form of pictures. For details on the pictures required, jump to Taking Clothing Tag Pics.
This outfit does not appear to have been manufactured by the primary factories CC and SS.
Variations
> The following are observable differences between outfits produced at various factories.
tie fabric
anchor colour
colour/shade
one vs. two accent colours
> Mimic outfits: The 25th Anniversary version is blue with white accents. It only came on boys. For more information, visit 25th Anniversary Outfits.
> There were many variations made by foreign factories. For information on identifying a Jesmar version, jump to Identifying Jesmar Clothing. They came in a rainbow of wonderful colours.
Triang Pedigree version ~ Courtesy of Jerry MarieLily Ledy Version ~ Courtesy of Mildri Yukart RuizJesmar sailor suit outfits (Photo courtesy of Monica Sehovic)
Suggested reading: An explanation of the 1983 series of outfits that the swing dress belongs to. Jump to: 1983 Series – The 1st CPK Clothes
Original Name: Sports Time
Description: Jogging suit made of fleece sweater material that has striped pant legs and sleeve extensions made of a second thinner fabric. It also has a tall ribbed collar and piping along the armpit, trunk, and pant leg seams. Occasionally it came with a terry cloth hand band. It generally came with regular lace-up shoes and socks. Very occasionally, they came with sneakers.
Outfit 18H, IJ
This outfit was sold from 1983 until 1985, most likely longer. It was sold both on kids and packaged, starting in 1984.
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, up to the date indicated. To understand clothing codes, factories and variations, please refer to the suggested readings below.
If you have an outfit that is not recorded here or does not match my information, (e.g. you have an 18A KT that is pink, not white) I would appreciate hearing from you. Information is best sent in the form of pictures. For details on the pictures required, jump to Taking Clothing Tag Pics.
This outfit does not appear to have been manufactured by the primary factory SS.
Variations
> The following are observable differences between outfits produced at various factories.
fabric types
colour/shade
width of the stripes
piping solid/dashes
length and pattern of dashes on piping
pattern on the sleeve cuff
AX vs. OK outfits Courtesy of Jodi’s Punki Patch)
>Mimic Outfits: I am aware of one USA version of this outfit and the only visible difference is a lack of piping on the pants and the sleeve seams.
> So far, it appears that KT is the only factory that produced solid colour piping. The rest are dashes.
> The KT Hong Kong versions of this outfit have been found with small flower patches at the neck. Do you have another example of this? Photo and information courtesy of Carey Reiss Jarchow.
Challenge Day #17 – “A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge.” ~ Thomas Carlyle
Suggested reading: An explanation of the 1983 series of outfits that the swing dress belongs to. Jump to: 1983 Series – The 1st CPK Clothes
Original Name: Little Heart Throb Alternate Name: Puffed Heart Dress (Ref #4, Vol. 3 Iss. 8, p. 3)
Description: This outfit has a drop waist dress with an attached mini skirt and is made out of fleece-lined sweatshirt material. The skirt has three rows of satin ribbon encircling it, and there is a pink heart applique on the right breast. It generally comes with tights and regular lace-up shoes.
Outfit 17 IC, code still unknown
This outfit was sold from 1983 until 1985, most likely longer. It was sold both on kids and packaged, starting in 1984.
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, up to the date indicated. To understand clothing codes, factories and variations, please refer to the suggested readings below.
If you have an outfit that is not recorded here or does not match my information, (e.g. you have a 16A KT that is green, not blue) I would appreciate hearing from you. Information is best sent in the form of pictures. For details on the pictures required, jump to Taking Clothing Tag Pics.
This outfit is difficult to record reliably. I always want to hear about tags that I don’t have recorded; however, only include the tights if you KNOW they came with that dress. It turns out that the tights are the distinguishing feature of the outfit. I need to know they came together.
This outfit does not appear to have been manufactured by the primary factories CC and SS.
Variations
> The following are observable differences between outfits produced at various factories.
dress fabric texture
heart applique (in various ways)
colour/shade of ribbons
tight fabric
tight structure
LF vs. OK fabric
> Mimic outfits: The Play Along 25th Anniversary kid version is pink and looks very close to the Coleco. For more information, visit 25th Anniversary CPK Outfits
> There were many variations made by foreign factories. For information on identifying a Jesmar version, jump to Identifying Jesmar Clothing. They came in different colours, and the heart applique was often in different places or, in some cases, missing altogether. In most cases, on foreign outfits, the colour of the heart matches the colour of the dress. (Ref #3, p.375)
TsukudaJesmar, heart placementJesmar, no heartPicture 2 courtesy of Rene Fritz.
Other Information
> The applique on the KT outfits has been added in a structurally different manner than others.
Suggested reading: An explanation of the 1983 series of outfits that the denim romper belongs to. Jump to: 1983 Series – The 1st CPK Clothes
Original Name: Checkmates
Description: Jean/denim romper with a square CPK silk label on the bib, worn over a collared short-sleeve shirt that closes at the front with one button. It comes with a red twill baseball cap, sneakers, and socks. Take note, some early versions may have come with regular lace-up shoes.
Outfit 16D, OK
This outfit was sold from 1983 until 1985, most likely longer. It was sold both on kids and packaged, starting in 1984.
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, up to the date indicated. To understand clothing codes, factories and variations, please refer to the suggested readings below.
If you have an outfit that is not recorded here or does not match my information, (e.g. you have a 16A KT that is green, not blue) I would appreciate hearing from you. Information is best sent in the form of pictures. For details on the pictures required, jump to Taking Clothing Tag Pics.
This outfit does not appear to have been made by the primary factories CC or SS.
Variations
> The following are observable differences between outfits produced at various factories.
fabric colour/shade
romper stitching
romper structure
look of the square CPK logo
shirt fabric
Pictures courtesy of Jodi’s Punki Patch.
>Mimic outfits: The Play Along 25th Anniversary version came with a blue and white check shirt and the traditional red cap. For more information, visit 25th Anniversary Outfits.
> There were many variations made by foreign factories. Tsukuda also put some of their twins in this outfit. For information on identifying a Jesmar version, jump to Identifying Jesmar Clothing.
Tsukuda TwinsJesmar Shirt
Other Information
> Refer to Beneficial Buttons for information on clear vs. white buttons.
> A few early Hong Kong versions of the outfit have been found with metal buttons and closures. I am unsure of the significance of this difference.
“Triple HK, 1983 KT Early HK kid – Bibbed denim romper with an aqua flannel shirt and red cap. Very unusual, however; is the romper itself which opens and closes at the side with 1/2″ copper naps which are embossed with USA style on each one. Snap fasteners also attached the straps to the bib. The shoes . . . are white high tops with blue stripes, but the stripes are a dark teal shade, are very shiny and appear to be hand-painted. The inside soles of the shoes are stamped KT Hong Kong in bold black letters.” (Ref #4, Vol. 3 Iss. 3)
(Photo courtesy of Kat Perhouse)
It is interesting that a second metal button outfit has been identified, and both outfits have the same red flannel shirt.
> The CPK logo changes in colour/look. This most likely happened due to changes over time, but may also be caused by the factory. I do not know at this time.
Most of our kids are too old for bibs, but we love this outfit anyway!
Suggested reading: An explanation of the 1983 series of outfits that the swing dress belongs to. Jump to: 1983 Series – The 1st CPK Clothes
Original Name: Lil Lollipop Alternate Name: Giraffe Bib Dress (Ref #3, p.387)
Description: Cotton dress with a peter pan collar edged with piping and matching bloomers. It comes with a white lace fringed terry cloth bib that generally has a giraffe patch on it. It generally came with regular lace-up shoes and socks. Very occasionally, it came with Mary Janes.
Outfit 15J, OK
Example of dress without the bib
This outfit was sold from 1983 until 1985, most likely no longer. It was sold on both kids and packaged, starting in 1984.
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, up to the date indicated. To understand clothing codes, factories and variations, please refer to the suggested readings below.
If you have an outfit that is not recorded here or does not match my information, (e.g. you have a 15C OK that is green gingham, not pink gingham) I would appreciate hearing from you. Information is best sent in the form of pictures. For details on the pictures required, jump to Taking Clothing Tag Pics.
Variations
> The following are observable differences between outfits produced at various factories.
lace
patch used on the bib – Jump to Plentiful Patches Pt.2
collar piping colour
look of the patch
> Mimic outfits:USA versions are very similar except, their collar piping appears to be consistently white. The giraffe patches look different. (see below)
JesmarJesmar, printed bibTsukudaPhoto 1 courtesy of Rene Fritz. Photo 3 courtesy of Jodi’s Punki Patch.
> This Tsukuda/Triang-Pedigree dress can easily be confused with a bib dress. It, and similar other plaid dresses, can be found on Tsukuda and TP kids and are their own series of outfits.
Photo courtesy of Stephanie Blum.
Other Information
> The giraffe patches are subtly different. For example, on some, the tail of the giraffe points straight up, the embroidery lines are thicker, and there’s less space between the front and back legs.
Photos courtesy of Nicole Sorensen Barnes and Jodi’s Punki Patch.
> The bib with a lamb on it may have come on Coleco OK kids as well as Tsukuda kids (see above). For more information visit: PTP: Patch Particulars (Pt. 2)
> A long-time collector believes that the plaid material (i.e. 15H) was introduced later, around 84-85ish and that they introduced new patterns for the bib dresses over time. She believes that they stopped making them in 1985-86. (Leah Salt FB Conversation; Feb. 6, 2019)
> This bib is very unusual. I do not think it’s a Coleco bib, maybe it’s an aftermarket?
Photo courtesy of Grace Jones.
> These outfits were produced by Playmates under the brand, Sunshine Kids. They are aftermarket outfits that are often confused as TSU outfits. For more information on the patches, visit PTP: Patch Particulars (Pt. 2).
