Yup, I've talked about it a year prior and it's just a Wiki mistake. Both my Baby Cuddles are HK and have freckles.
One of the things I really wanted to get across by mentioning the difference between the UK release and the US is that there are some pretty important differences between the releases of the same sets between countries.
The box photos here are the same I think as the US, featuring Posey and Lickety and a regular eyed baby. That same box was used for the BBE so no clues can be found from that. The ponies featured are also a lot older than the 1987 box stamp on the UK box I have.
Basically all Summer's info is fine for the US release but is probably entirely wrong for the UK, even as regards the order of release.
The comic advertised BBE in 1987, she's still in Argos in 1988 so I am tempted to assume she came first. I'm tempted to do this for another reason as well though.
This is from my 1987 box. If you can see it, look at the font on the rainbow, especially the curly 'y'.visitors can't see pics , please register or login
As I said before, we KNOW BBE was sold in 1987, so probably in this box.
However, there's also THIS box...(which I don't own). Look at the Y again...
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THIS box is I believe the one that says the pony is made in Spain. But we know that this box came with a REGULAR eyed HK made baby Cuddles, as people have owned them and said so. The box is probably also dated 1987, but the font style indicates it's 1988. (defining the break between 1987 and 1988 is a whole other discussion for a different thread at a different time...xD)
For timeline context, Kiss Curl's box also uses this font style on her rainbow (1988):
Snuzzle (1987) doesn't:
So this is a change between 1987 and 1988. Since Argos also did keep reselling stock from the previous year in later catalogues, the most logical deduction is that in the UK release it went like this:
1987: BBE
1988: Regular eye.
Something very similar happened with the Dance School and versions of Baby Half Note.
Kiss Curl (1988-9) also has versions made in HK and China, so that also fits :)
None of this rules out the possibility of BBE and regular being sold simultaneously over here, or those released overlapping.
BUT the UK timeline being as late as it is explains the existence of both Chinese and HK regular babies as standard.
...What it doesn't solve though is the Wiki photo and whether there was a MO in the US without freckles, like Tiddly. But the brochures I've seen all show a photo of a BBE. I guess unless someone has one from new, and can provide info, we'll not know. But I personally think freckles are easy to remove and this is the simplest solution.
I also think the reason the Wiki was confused in the first place is because a Chinese baby C appeared and 1984 seemed way too early for that to happen, so a lot of thinking went on and people got muddled and it led to a wild assumption.