The Mysterious H Numbers

I hope to expand this section eventually, but as it's referenced so frequently on my site, I have to have at least a cursory explanation for the time being.  It should be noted that this area is still in it's infancy due to the very small numbers of samples we've been able to gather information from. All Hasbro-produced Jem boxes such as dolls, fashions, playsets and watches are printed with an internal marking system consisting of the letter H and one or two numbers proceeding it.  At this point it's still unknown exactly to what the H refers, but it appears to be related to location (a different factory, a different machine in a factory, etc.) It doesn't seem to be related exclusively to time as some Maxie items presumably produced after Jem's reign, share some of the H numbers. While there is a correlation to country-of-issue (most Euro 1st edition dolls are marked H32, for example), that doesn't completely explain it either, as H32 dolls are also fairly commonly found in the US and other markets. So why do we care about these H numbers?

Where to find the H on a Flip Side Fashion.

	To the left is a Rio fashion with the H number circled.   All fashions - US, Canadian, and Euro packaging - that I have seen are marked Made in China. The H number beside this notation - in this case either H44 or H22 - seems to dictate the style of glasses and shoes that will be inside the fashion. In the past these differences were attributed to country-of-issue or the year-of-issue.  We now know that it's  more reliably related to these H numbers.  Indeed, a 6-language packaged fashion with the same "H number" as a US-packaged fashion should have the same variant inside.
	Despite obvious colour and shape differences, the sunglasses on the left can both correctly be identified as belonging to Gettin' Down To Business. The ones on the left came from a box marked H44, those on the right H22.
	The H22 fashions I have, have the straps flush with the sides.  H44's have the straps more obviously "attached" to the soles.
	H22 marked fashions are also related to the rarer lace tights versions of some outfits, like Command Performance and Dancin' The Night Away.

H32 Boxes H numbers are also signifies of the body style, shoes and instruments available in doll boxes. For example, "Super Star"-style & most European dolls (the ones with the shorter bodies and ball-jointed wrists) are dolls from the boxes marked H32.

	Most obvioulsy the pelvis will give away which type of box the doll came from. There are many more differences outlined here.
	H-32 marked boxes correlate with very thin plastic shoes, often referred to as the "Euro" shoe mold. These shoes are also shinier, make a "brittle" sound when dropped, the heel also lays a bit flatter. There have been some H-44 marked Flip Sides with these "Euro" shoes too - but the colours aren't the same as those that came with the 1st edition Holograms so it's fairly easy to tell them apart from Hologram variants. Read more about straight edge shoe differences here.
	I haven't seen every 1st year instrument in H32 boxes yet, but I'm willing to bet they all will have at least some differences from the H22 and H44 boxes. In this case, 1st Edition Pizzazz's guitar from the H32 box has a blunt "point" where one of the cords attaches and the body shape in general is a bit more squared. The H22 Pizzazz came with a guitar that was a lighter shade of plastic and has the same shape as the 2nd edition Pizzazz guitar (pointy "horn" where cord attaches). Incidentally, the H-32 guitar was Made in Hong Kong, both the other guitars were made in China.

Long story short (at least until I really get this page updated!), the practical use of the H numbers is to predict which version of a fashion or doll you are going to get - especially useful with the Flip Side fashions, where the accessories are hidden from view in an NRFB box!  So if you are searching out a specific variation, it's not a bad idea to ask a potential seller about the H number on the box. It's a lot easier than trying to explain to an "outsider" the difference between the nose notches on sunglasses!

Credits: Thanks to Lynda for the photo of the Gettin' Down To Business sandals.  Thanks to Maria aka bluehairedgoddess for the photo of the sunglasses. Thanks to Jeff X for spotting the instrument differences. Big thanks to David, who introduced many of us to the importance of the H numbers, and many other contributors to the Jemcon message board (specifically this thread) for posting their findings from their personal collections.