Sometimes the fabric an outfit is made out of can give you an idea about where it was made.
Do you have an outfit made from an unusual fabric? What does it mean?
From experience, I’ve noted that from 1983 to 1984, certain factories used specific fabrics for some outfits. This means that if an outfit is made from a certain fabric, you’ll have some idea of what factory/place may have made it.
I’m sorting this list in two ways; first by fabric type, second by outfit. The first group had more than one or two outfits made with it. Please note, I’m not an expert in fabrics, so if I’ve used the wrong term/label please let me know!
This fabric was used by all Taiwanese factories for the Corduroy Suit (#5), Ruffled Overalls (#12), and preemie Sailor Romper (#14).
Chinese vs. TaiwaneseChinese vs. TaiwaneseTaiwanese vs. ChinesePhotos courtesy of Lynn Finley and Jodi Isaacs.
Soft Felt-like Material
This fabric was used by Taiwanese IC and WW factories for the Corduroy Suit (#5), and Elephant Romper (#7). NOTE: WW factory outfit from the 1983 series are HTF.
Photos courtesy of Sarah Bensette-Renaud and Sherri Evans Downey.
I believe that this fabric was only used by the OK factory for the Elephant Romper (#7), however, I have a very limited sample size. It was also used for Jesmar Preemie bunny outfits.
Photos courtesy of Gia Levato and Jennifer Pelfrey.
NOTE: Velveteen was used for other outfits too, but they are later outfits and it wasn’t factory or outfit indicative.
Heavy Canvas fabric
This fabric was used by some Jesmar factories for Swing dresses and Yoke dresses.
Pictures courtesy of Jennifer Pelfrey.
BY OUTFIT
Striped Jogging Suit (#18) – Most of them have cotton material at the arms and legs. However, some are made with a silkier, thicker, more synthetic material. This fabric was used by the P, PMI, LF, and IJ factories (that I know of).
USA FactoryPMI FactoryPhotos courtesy of Sarah Bensette-Renaud and Jodi Isaacs.
31 Tracksuit (#8) – Taiwanese material is not very fuzzy and is very thin.
USA Pinafore Dress – The pinafore section of these dresses is a very thin cotton, almost translucent.
Photos courtesy of Jodi Isaacs.
Fake jean cotton fabric – This was only used for Jesmar Denim Rompers.
Jesmar Tights – Rather than the regular silky cotton material, some Jesmar tights are made of a more knitted type fabric. They were generally short and did not fit well.
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
Those little silk labels are holding a secret . . .
The little silk label that’s on most CPK outfits, hold a secret. Special thanks to Jodi Punki Patch and her amazing observational skills for catching this and making me look into it more.
Within the Coleco factories, you can use the silk label to figure out where the outfit was made, to a point. At this point, I have found that there are four different labels.
Chinese factories use the regular label that we are all familiar with. Factories: OK, P, CC, FW, KT, LF, PMI, SS, WS
Two China labels, KT and OK. The right will be used for continued comparison.
Factories from Taiwan use a larger label is that is white in colour. Factories: AX, CY, EX, FD, IC, UT, WW, HRS
Taiwan (UT) Vs. China (OK)
Labels from the Korean factories (IJ, SY) look like the regular China labels, but they are slightly darker in colour.
Korea (IJ) Vs. China (OK)
Outfits from the USA factory are larger, white and made of a canvas-like material.
USA factory Vs. China (OK)
Jesmar outfits tend to have a slightly smaller tag, with a slightly darker green. I’ve also noticed that sometimes the stitching is done badly where it is sewn on. For more information on Jesmar outfits visit: Jesmars and J Clothing
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: Spring Picnic
Description: A cotton dress that looks like it has a pinafore over top. The sleeves and bloomers are patterned. The pinafore section is white with blue thread edging. There are two decorative buttons on the chest of the dress. It generally came with regular lace-up shoes and socks. Very occasionally, they came with Mary Janes.
Outfit 14S, PMI
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 14A KT that is green gingham, not solid 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 made by the primary factories CC or SS.
Variations
> The following are observable differences between outfits produced at various factories.
shade/colour
colour and pattern of blue stitching
> Mimic outfits: Play Along used this outfit on 25th Anniversary Kids. The USA version of this dress was made with very thin cotton and looks quite different from the Coleco version, having more lace and no buttons.
JesmarTriang PedigreeTsukuda, Courtesy of Holly Warcup
There are Tsukuda and Tri-ang Pedigree dresses that are structurally the same as the Pinafore Dress but which are the same pattern/colour all over. (Ref#3, p. 398)
Other Information
> Be careful when comparing pinafore dress patterns as many look very similar to each other!
> Refer to Beneficial Buttons for information on clear vs. white buttons.
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 Jogger
Description: Grey jogging suit with a patch on the right breast. The patch is generally a white cat. The sleeve, shirt, and pant leg hems are various colours. It came with a white terry cloth headband, sneakers, and socks.
Outfit 6A, KT
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 6A OK 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.
Variations
> The following are observable differences between outfits produced at various factories.
TsukudaJesmarTriang PedigreePhoto 2 courtesy of Michlle LeRoux. Photo 3 courtesy of Jamie Osterbuhr.
> This outfit was used as a ‘twin‘ outfit by the Tsukuda factory.
Other Information
> This outfit came on both boys and girls, depending on the colour. > This outfit can have a variety of patches instead of the cat. Jump to Plentiful Patches Pt.2
Suggested reading: An explanation of the 1983 series of outfits that the shoulder-tie dress belongs to. Jump to: 1983 Series – The 1st CPK Clothes
Original Name: Summer Sweetie
Description: Cotton dress with a peter pan collar, ties at the shoulder, attached ‘blouse’ top, and bloomers. The blouse is one colour/pattern and the remainder of the dress and the bloomers are another pattern/colour. The hem of the leg holes and sleeves have matching cotton lace. It generally came with white socks and regular shoes. Very occasionally, they came with Mary Janes.
Outfit 3C, 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 3C OK that is pink and white gingham, not yellow and white 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.
Not all clothing tags were made equal. Some have codes, some don’t. Which do? Which don’t?
Although MOST Coleco clothing has a code on the tag, not all of them do.
The 1983 outfits have a variety of tags! Each factory had a slightly different look to its tags and some factories changed the look often. After 1985 the tags become more consistent in look and information but there were still variations by factory and over time.
Examples of tags from various factories.
In a previous post, What are Clothing Tag Codes, I noted that some factory codes were put on with stickers so that they were washed off (P, PMI, some IC), some were written on and illegible, and some were stamped on badly. Although these tags are rather rare, they can be annoying. Hopefully, somewhere, you will find the same outfit with a code!
Unfortunately, in some cases, they never put the code on to start with!
The 1983-84 Mess
Some factories like CC, KT, IJ, and PMI always have a code on the tag (if it hasn’t washed off).
Some factories, like the OK and P factories, were generally pretty good with putting codes on their tags, but there are some failures.
For example, early P and OK Hong Kong tagged outfits were hit and miss, and some of the later regular tags did not have codes (pictures below).
OK Side 1OK Side 2P Side 1P Side 2 – sticker goneEarly P factory with stickerEarly P factory – back
Some Taiwanese factories, like IC and AX, put the codes on a few tags.
Some never put a code on their tags. (e.g. UT, HP, EX, SW, CY, FD, WW, USA)
I have also seen tags where they appear to be trying to fix a mistake, or they had run out of a tag. They’ll substitute a different one and then make the correction with a pen or a marker!
As far as I am aware, none of the later companies that produced Cabbage Patch Kids put any kind of code on their tags. At least, not something I know or understand.
