In
all four printings, the United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series
1 boxes contained 24 packs. This is half as many packs per box compared
to the original United States Garbage Pail Kids series. All of the
boxes came shrink-wrapped in plastic (see image above), and the shrink-wrap
had Topps printed all over it in blue. The wax boxes from the original
United States Garbage Pail Kids series did not come shrink-wrapped.
Stamped on the inside of the lid of each box is a 7-digit number, which
was used for tracking and quality control.
The boxes were supposed to be displayed
with the lids folded inside so that the character pops out. This
design was exactly like the original United States Garbage Pail Kids wax
boxes. You can see an image of how the box was supposed to look
when displayed properly under the Promotions section. The character
featured on top of the box is a new rendition of the United
States Garbage Pail Kids 8th series character 293a Explorin' Norman
/ 293b Drillin' Dylan.
The store ship by dates for each of the
printings (waves) were: first print - 8/27/03, second print - 9/24/03,
third print - 10/27/03, and fourth print - 11/26/03. The product
became available on store shelves 1 to 3 weeks after the store ship by
date.
Each box from the first printing contained
packs with 3 cards, 1 silver foil card with a glossy back, and 4 pieces
of bubble gum. Each piece of bubble gum was packaged with a bubble
gum wrap around sticker. From one box, you should get 72 cards,
96 bubble gum wrap around stickers, and 24 silver foil cards. It
was mathematically impossible to complete the card set of 80 and the silver
foil card set of 50 from one box. It is possible to come across
packs with the incorrect amount of cards (could be more or could be less)
and foil cards (sometimes 2 foil cards instead of 1). The collation
of the cards and silver foil cards was usually good, and you may not find
any duplicates if you went through a full box. You usually could
make a card set from 2 full boxes. To make a foil card set (from
any printing), you would most likely have to go through at least 3 or
4 boxes. The bubble gum was made and packaged in Brazil, shipped
to the United States, and then inserted into the packs with the rest of
the items. Because of this, the collation of the bubble gum wrap
around stickers was very poor, and you would need at least 3 or 4 boxes
to make the set of 60 bubble gum wrap around stickers. The bubble
gum from one box weighed nearly a pound. Most collectors felt there
was too much bubble gum in each pack and would have preferred that there
were more cards and fewer pieces of gum in each pack. The front
of the pack wrappers had "Green Gum • Gross Stickers" and
"4 Pieces of Gum with Stickers + 3 Big Stickers & 1 Foil Sticker"
printed on them. The back of the pack wrappers had the nutritional
information and ingredients for the bubble gum printed on it along with
the link to the Topps
Vault website, the link to Topps' Garbage
Pail Kids World website (it is no longer up), and information on how to obtain a free game
piece for the Garbage Pail Kids contest.
The boxes from the second printing had the
same contents as the boxes from the first printing except the packs contained
silver foil cards with matte finish backs instead of silver foil cards
with glossy finish backs.
Each box from the third printing contained
packs with 5 cards and 1 gold foil card with a matte finish back.
Excluding the gum from the packs was somewhat of a positive change, but
the change from silver foil cards to gold foil cards was frustrating for
many collectors because this meant there was yet another set to collect
from the same series using the same characters. From one box, you
should get 120 cards and 24 gold foil cards. It was mathematically
impossible to complete a gold foil set from one box. Usually, you
could complete one card set per box if the collation was good. The
third print packs were significantly smaller than the first and second
print packs because they did not contain gum. The front of the pack
wrappers had "5 Stickers & 1 Gold Sticker" printed on them.
Because the bubble gum was not in the packs, the nutritional facts and
ingredients were not printed on the pack wrappers, and the text printed
on the back of the pack wrappers was slightly rearranged to take up the
space left behind from the nutritional facts and ingredients.
The boxes from the fourth printing had the
same contents as the boxes from the third printing.
The size of the third and fourth print boxes
was very small because the packs did not contain bubble gum, and you could
almost fit 3 third or fourth print boxes inside of 1 first or second print
box. The prices of the first, second, third, and fourth print boxes
were originally all the same, but the value of what you were getting in
the third and fourth print packs definitely did not seem as good as the
value of what you were getting in the first and second print packs.
There were 8-box cases and 16-box cases.
From the image above of the 8-box hobby cases, you could see how much
smaller the case boxes were for the third print (roughly measuring 9.75"
x 5.75" x 5.625") compared to the first print (roughly measuring
11.25" x 10.875" x 9"). The code 2-757-40-02-3, the
code #757-H, and the bar code 041116437571 were printed on the first print
8-box hobby cases. The code 2-757-40-03-3, the code #757-1H, and
the bar code 041116737572 were printed on the third print 8-box hobby
cases. The 16-box cases (see image above (note that the 16-box cases
are not shown in the correct size ratio compared to one another)) have
three different sets of codes printed on them, and one of the codes would
be checked off depending on the type of boxes that were inside.
The first print 16-box cases roughly measure 21.5" x 11.25"
x 9", and the third print 16-box cases roughly measure 11" x
9.75" x 5.625". Each of the first print 16-box cases have
the code 2-758-40-01-3 printed on them along with these three sets of
codes: code #757 (bar code 041116337574), code #758 (bar code 041116237584),
and code #758-E (bar code 041116537585). Each of the third print
16-box cases have the code 2-758-40-02-3 printed on them along with these
three sets of codes: code #757-1 (bar code 041116837579), code #758-1
(bar code 041116107580), and code #758-1E (bar code 041116117589).
The case boxes with the code #757-H, #757-1H, #757, or #757-1 contained
the boxes that had "On Sale Here!" posters and unpriced packs.
The case boxes with the code #758 or #758-1 contained the boxes that had
priced packs, and posters were not included in the boxes. The case
boxes with the code #758-E or #758-1E contained the boxes with unpriced
packs, and posters were not included in the boxes. Each 8-box case
and 16-box case had a 5-digit number stamped on it, which was used for
tracking and quality control.
There were three different box codes and
pack codes used in the first print (see images above). The hobby
shops received first print boxes with the 1-757-30-01-3 code (041116237577
bar code), which contained packs with the 0-757-89-01-3 code (041116137570
bar code). These packs were unpriced. Each hobby box contained
a 10.5" x 17" "On Sale Here!" poster featuring 37a
Yecchie Becky / 37b Dizzy Lizzy (see image above). The posters were
placed at the front of the boxes. "Green Gum • Gross Stickers"
was printed at the top of each poster just below the Garbage Pail Kids
banner. The code on the posters is 4-757-08-01-3.
The first print boxes sold at Wal-Mart
and similar chain stores had the box code 1-758-30-01-3 (041116137587
bar code). The boxes did not come with insert posters. The
packs had the 0-758-89-01-3 code (041116037580 bar code) and were pre-priced
99¢. This was a large jump in price compared to the pre-priced
packs from the original United States Garbage Pail Kids Series 1-15, which
were only 25¢ a piece.
The first print boxes sold at K
B Toys and similar chain stores had the box code 1-758-30-02-3 (041116437588
bar code). The packs had the 0-758-89-02-3 code (041116337581 bar
code) and were unpriced. The boxes did not come with insert posters.
The boxes and packs from the first and second
printing looked identical and had identical box codes and pack codes,
so there was no way you would know which type of silver foil cards were
inside just by looking at them. The packs that came the same box
will contain the same type of foil cards, so you will only need to open
up one pack to know what type of foil cards are in the rest of the packs.
Since it is ideal to make a silver foil card set with cards that all have
the same type of finish, it could get very frustrating not knowing what
you are getting in the packs until you open them.
There were three different box and pack
codes used in the third print (see images above). The hobby shops
received third print boxes with the 1-757-30-02-3 code (041116637575 bar
code), which contained packs with the 0-757-89-02-3 code (041116537578
bar code). These packs were unpriced. Each hobby box contained
a 10.5" x 17" "On Sale Here!" poster featuring 37a
Yecchie Becky / 37b Dizzy Lizzy (see image above). The posters came
folded differently than the posters from the first printing, and they
were placed at the top of the boxes. The poster does not have "Green
Gum • Gross Stickers" printed on it. The code on the poster
is 4-757-08-02-3.
The third print boxes sold at Wal-Mart and
similar chain stores had the box code 1-758-30-04-3 (041116737589 bar
code). The packs had the 0-758-89-04-3 code (041116637582 bar code)
and were pre-priced 99¢. The boxes did not come with insert
posters.
The third print boxes sold at K B Toys and
similar chain stores had the box code 1-758-30-05-3 (041116937583 bar
code). The packs had the 0-758-89-05-3 code (041116837586 bar code)
and were unpriced. The boxes did not come with insert posters.
As previously mentioned, the boxes and packs
from the third and fourth printing looked identical, had identical codes,
and had identical contents.
The green tutti frutti bubble gum was packaged
so that it would not damage the cards inside of the packs. The bubble
gum wrap around stickers wrapped around the bubble gum were made of plastic,
so they would not get damaged by the bubble gum like paper stickers would.
Over the bubble gum and bubble gum wrap around sticker was a wax wrapper
(see image above) that has the United States Garbage
Pail Kids 2nd Series character 44a Sy Clops / 44b One-Eyed Jack.
The code on the bubble gum wrapper is 0-757-31-01-3. You definitely
need to be cautious when you are unwrapping the pieces of bubble gum because
the clear sticker backing on the bubble gum wrap around stickers can stick
to the wrapper or bubble gum and can easily become unattached. If
the backing was completely unattached, you probably will not be able to
get it lined back up perfectly with the sticker. Each piece of bubble
gum is around 1.25" x 7/8" x 1/8" in size just like the
Bazooka bubble gum products Topps regularly sells. The bubble gum
is very fragrant (it makes the cards in the packs smell like the bubble
gum), and when you chew the bubble gum it turns your saliva a gross green
color. Each piece of bubble gum is stamped E1, E2, E3, or E4 (see
image above). Bubble gum stamped with the code E1 or the code E2
can be found with line impressions. The line impressions and various
codes stamped on the bubble gum were used for quality control.
There are a few storage options for the
bubble gum wrap around stickers. You can place them in the 9-pocket
polypropylene plastic pages and have 2 bubble gum wrap around stickers
in each pocket. You can store them in the soft plastic sleeves (placing
2 bubble gum wrap around stickers per plastic sleeve) and optionally put
each plastic sleeve in a toploader. You can use the 15-pocket polypropylene
pages made to store tobacco cards and have 1 bubble gum wrap around sticker
in each pocket. You can store all of the bubble gum wrap around
stickers stacked together in a plastic storage box for trading cards.
You could even store all of the bubble gum wrap around stickers stacked
together in one of the Hot Wheels plastic "clam shell" cases
made to store individual, uncarded cars.
Inside of 4 packs in each box was a Creepy
Freaks promotional card (see image above). In 2003, Topps acquired
the gaming company WizKids,
LLC. Creepy Freaks was Topps' first venture with WizKids, but
unfortunately the Creepy Freaks products did very poorly. Since
WizKids was a new acquisition, Topps still hoped that things will turn
around for future WizKids products. The Creepy Freaks cards inserted
into the Garbage Pail Kids packs were unappealing to Garbage Pail Kids
collectors because they were directed towards a much younger audience,
and many (but not all) of the people who collected the Garbage Pail Kids
All-New Series 1 were at least in their 20s. The Creepy Freaks game
is played with monster figures, and the objective of the game is to "freak-out"
the other team of monsters.
A few collectors have found a 1" ±
0.125" x 2.5" ± 0.125" white insert slip (see image
above) inside of their packs. The white insert slip has the handwritten
code 4-757-31-01-3 printed on it. Since the handwriting was printed
(copied), all of the white insert slips look exactly the same. The
insert slips were not all cut the same size, and not all of the insert
slips were cut straight. The white insert slip is the same thickness
as the cards and possibly was a portion of the uncut sheet that was supposed
to have been trimmed off and discarded but somehow made it inside of a
few of the packs. The insert slips have a glossy finish with the
exception of a strip going across the middle, which was not coated with
gloss.
The packs in the first and second printing
were stacked vertically in the boxes while the packs in the third and
fourth printing were stacked horizontally in the boxes. There are
2 stacks of 12 packs in each box. Numbering each stack of packs
in a box from 1 to 12 with 2 Creepy Freaks cards in each stack, a box
with good card collation would have the Creepy Freaks cards located 6
packs apart in each stack (e.g. packs 1 and 7 in both stacks will each
contain a Creepy Freaks card). If you come across a box that has
the Creepy Freaks cards in different locations in each stack, the collation
will be poor (e.g. packs 1 and 7 in one stack and 4 and 11 in the other
stack). There is somewhat of a pattern to the way the cards in the
packs are ordered, but it is not consistent enough to be able to know
the exact location of certain card numbers. It is always best to
go through an entire box (or boxes) instead of piecing sets together and
using packs from a variety of boxes.
If you are interested in opening up a pack
without tearing the wrapper, you can try the following method. It
is best to open the pack from the top. The pack is sealed at the
top, bottom, and back-center. The flap at the back-center is stuck
to the top and bottom of the pack. Carefully separate the back flap
from the top of the pack to form an upside-down T. Next, near the
top of the pack on the front side and on the back side, scrunch together
some of the plastic, so you can pull the wrapper apart similar to opening
a potato chip bag. Once you get a small opening, you can use your
finger to carefully widen the opening. You may end up tearing the
wrapper if you try to fully widen the seal at the top of the pack.
Once the opening is wider, you may also want to pull part of the back
flap apart to create more space for the cards to slip though. It
will take some practice to open the packs without damaging the wrapper
and the cards. Also, it is much easier to open the third and fourth
print packs without damaging the pack wrappers than it is to open the
first and second print packs without damaging the wrappers.
There were 5 different United States Garbage
Pail Kids All-New Series 1 rack packs. Unlike the original Garbage
Pail Kids rack packs that just held loose cards, these rack packs held
sealed packs. At K B Toys, you could find rack packs titled "Garbage
Pail Kids" (bar code 009532005026) with 2 third and/or fourth print
packs for $2.99 (~$1.50 per pack) from Legends, rack packs titled "Kickin'
Collector Cards" (bar code 009532994016) with 4 first and/or second
print packs for $3.99 (~$1.00 per pack) from Legends, and rack packs titled
"The Garbage Pail Kids" (bar code 009532005019) with 4 third
and/or fourth print packs for $4.99 (~$1.25 per pack) from Legends.
At Wal-Mart, you could find rack packs titled "Garbage Pail Kids"
(bar code 009532005033) with 6 third and/or fourth print packs for $6.99
(~$1.16 per pack) from Legends. It was also possible to find these
rack packs containing a mixture of packs from the first and/or second
print and the third/fourth print. Legends is a company located in
Rochester, NY that produces a variety of rack packs and card products.
I did not like how the packs were inserted into the rack packs from Legends
because they seemed to be smashed in there (see images above), and if
the packs were smashed the cards were more likely to be damaged.
At Target, you could
find rack packs titled "Garbage Pail 4-Pack" (bar code 097712505527)
with 4 third and/or fourth print packs for $3.99 (~$1.00 per pack) from
Excell Marketing,
L.C. Excell Marketing, L.C. is located in Des Moines, IA and
is the distributor of trading card products for chain stores such as Target.
The Excell Marketing, L.C. rack packs had enough space inside so that
the Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 1 packs were not smashed. I
also liked that the Excell Marketing, L.C. rack packs had a design similar
to the Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 1 boxes. Overall, the Excell
Marketing, L.C. product was much more superior to the Legends product. |
