In
all four printings, the United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series
2 boxes contained 36 packs. This was 12 less packs per box compared
to the original United States Garbage Pail Kids series, which contained
48 packs. But, it was 12 more packs than the United States Garbage
Pail Kids All-New Series 1 boxes, which only contained 24 packs.
All of the All-New Series 2 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 was 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 was the All-New Series 2 character 1a Peg Leg
Greg / 1b Justin Timber Leg.
The store ship by dates for each of the
printings (waves) were: first print - 2/23/04, second print - 4/12/04,
and third print - 5/17/04. I do not have the date of the fourth
printing. The product became available on store shelves 1 to 3 weeks
after the store ship by date.
Each box contained packs with 4 or 5 cards
and 1 foil card. Every 1 out of 6 packs contained a scratch 'n stink
card, and every 1 out of 6 packs contained a Wacky
Packages promo card. Each pack that contained a scratch 'n stink
card only contained 4 regular cards. From a box, you should get
174 to 176 cards, 36 foil cards, 6 scratch 'n stink cards, and 6 Wacky
Packages promo cards. Even thought it was mathematically possible
to make two complete card sets from one box, that did not always happen.
It was not mathematically possible to complete the foil card set of 50
or scratch 'n stink card set of 12 from one box. The collation of
foil cards was usually good, and you may not find any duplicates if you
went through a full box. To make a foil card set, you would most
likely have to go through at least 2 or 3 boxes. It seemed that
the boxes paired up, and if you did get the correct pair of boxes you
would be able to complete the foil card set and scratch 'n stink card
set. But, if you did not get a matching pair of boxes, you could
end up with almost the exact same foil cards and scratch 'n stink cards.
The front of the pack wrappers had "Gross Stickers" and "5
Stickers & 1 Foil Sticker" printed on them. The back of
the pack wrappers had information on how to enter a drawing to win a scratch
'n stink card, information on the foil card code number, the link to Topps'
Garbage
Pail Kids World website (it is no longer up), and the link to the Topps
Vault website. In order for anyone from Canada to be eligible
to win a scratch 'n stink card, they had to answer a simple mathematical
skill-testing question, which was necessary because of Canadian laws regarding
to drawings.
The size of the All-New Series 2 boxes were
about a third larger than the third/fourth print All-New Series 1 boxes
because there were 12 more packs in the All-New Series 2 boxes.
There were 8-box cases and 16-box cases.
The 8-box hobby cases (see image above) roughly measure 9.825" x
8.375" x 5.825", and the 16-box cases (see image above (note
that the sides of the 16-box cases are not shown in the correct size ratio
compared to one another)) roughly measure 11.25" x 9.875" x
8.375". The code 2-757-40-04-3, the code #757-2H, and the bar
code 041116247576 were printed on the 8-box hobby cases. The 16-box
cases have the code 2-758-40-03-3 printed on them along with two sets
of codes: code #757-2 (bar code 041116347573) and codes #758-2 and #758-2E
(bar code 041116247583). The case boxes with the code #757-2H or
#757-2 contained the boxes that had the "On Sale Here!" posters
and unpriced packs. The case boxes with the code #758-2 contained
the boxes that had the priced packs, and the posters were not included
in the boxes. The case boxes with the code #758-2E contained the
boxes with the unpriced packs, and the 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 for the first and second printings of the All-New Series 2
(see images above). The first and second print boxes were pink,
had backgrounds with yellow slime, and had pink Garbage Pail Kids banners.
The hobby shops received boxes with the 1-757-30-03-3 code (041116147579
bar code), which contained packs with the 0-757-89-03-3 code (041116047572
bar code). These packs were unpriced. Each hobby box contained
a 10.5" x 17" "On Sale Here!" poster featuring 1a
Peg Leg Greg / 1b Justin Timber Leg (see image above). The posters
were placed at the top of the boxes. The code on the posters was
4-757-08-03-3.
The first and second print boxes sold at
Wal-Mart and similar
chain stores had the box code 1-758-30-06-3 (041116147586 bar code).
The boxes did not come with insert posters. The packs had the 0-758-89-06-3
code (041116047589 bar code) and were pre-priced 99¢.
The first and second print boxes sold at
K B Toys and similar
chain stores had the box code 1-758-30-07-3 (041116447587 bar code).
The boxes did not come with insert posters. The packs had the 0-758-89-07-3
code (041116347580 bar code) and were unpriced.
There were two (possibly three) different
box codes for the third and fourth printings of the All-New Series 2 (see
images above). The pack codes for the third and fourth printings
were the same as the first and second printings. The third and fourth
print boxes were pink, had backgrounds with green slime, and had red Garbage
Pail Kids banners. I have not come across the hobby boxes for the
third and fourth printing. I am speculating that the boxes were
different than the boxes from the first and second printings. If
different hobby boxes were create for the third and fourth printings,
they should have the code 1-757-30-04-3 (041116147579 bar code (same bar
code as the boxes from the first and second printings)) and would contain
the same type of packs (unpriced, 0-757-89-03-3 code, and 041116047572
bar code) as the boxes from the first and second printings. The
boxes should also contain the 1a Peg Leg Greg / 1b Justin Timber Leg poster,
but I am not sure if the posters would have been different than the posters
from the first and second print. If the posters were different,
they would have the code 4-757-08-04-3 on them.
The third and fourth print boxes sold at
Wal-Mart and similar chain stores had the box code 1-758-30-08-3 (041116147586
bar code (same bar code as the boxes from the first and second printings)).
The boxes did not come with insert posters. The packs had the 0-758-89-06-3
code (041116047589 bar code) and were pre-priced 99¢, and they are
the same as the packs that came in the boxes from first and second printings.
The third and fourth print boxes sold at
K B Toys and similar chain stores had the box code 1-758-30-09-3 (041116447587
bar code (same bar code as the boxes from the first and second printings)).
The boxes did not come with insert posters. The packs had the 0-758-89-07-3
code (041116347580 bar code) and were unpriced, and they are the same
as the packs that came in the boxes from first and second printings.
The packs in the boxes came in 2 horizontal
stacks of 18. Numbering each stack of packs from 1 to 18, you would
be able to tell exactly where all of the scratch 'n stink cards and Wacky
Packages promo cards were just by opening a few packs. At pack numbers
1, 2, or 3; there should be a scratch 'n stink card or Wacky Packages
card. The scratch 'n stink cards and Wacky Packages alternate every
three packs. If you went three packs down from the number you are
at in the stack where you found an item, you should find the opposite
item (e.g., if there was a scratch 'n stink card in pack number 1, then
there should be a Wacky Packages promo card in pack number 4).
Topps
created new Garbage Pail Kids products for the All-New Series 2.
These new products were bonus boxes. These types of boxes were previously
produced by Topps for sports cards. The bonus boxes could only be
found at specific chain stores. They were pre-priced at $9.99 and
contained 11 packs and a unique bonus card. There were two different
bonus cards and bonus boxes. Target and Shopko
stores carried the bonus boxes that contained bonus card B1 On Camera
Cameron, the price tags on the boxes were yellow, and they had the code
1-939-30-02-3 (bar code 041116249396). Wal-Mart and Meijer stores
carried the bonus boxes that contained bonus card B2 Paintball Paul, the
price tags on the boxes were blue, and they had the code 1-939-30-01-3
(bar code 041116149399). The designs of the two types of bonus boxes
(see images above) were slightly different, so you could easily tell them
apart. The bonus boxes came shrink-wrapped in plastic (see image
above), and the shrink-wrap had Topps printed all over it in blue.
The bonus cards were packaged in cellophane (see image above) and are
probably worth slightly more if they are kept that way. The bonus
boxes measure approximately 7.00" x 4.25" x 2.75".
The lids at the top of the bonus boxes were sometimes glued on crooked,
which would slightly distort the shape of the box. Stamped on the
inside of the lid of each bonus box was a 7-digit number, which was used
for tracking and quality control. Even though the bonus box packs
were not supposed to be sold individually, they were pre-priced 99¢.
The packs that came in the bonus boxes had the code 0-939-89-01-3 (bar
code 041116049392), which was different than all of the packs that came
in the regular boxes. However, the contents of the packs that came
in bonus boxes were exactly the same as the packs that came in the regular
boxes.
There are instructions in my All-New
Series 1 section (under Packaging and Contents) if you are interested
in trying to open up packs without tearing the wrappers.
Besides the B2 bonus boxes, another unusual
item you could find at Wal-Mart was a large, cardboard All-New Series
2 pack display from Legends, L. P. (see images above). The pack
display was used to sell packs individually. It held a total of
144 packs. Each pocket in the display would hold 14 packs.
The top center of the display held a header card. The header card
featured the All-New Series 2 character 1a Peg Leg Greg / 1b Justin Timber
Leg, and it had the code 2-737-24-01-3 printed on it, which can only be
seen when the header card was unfolded. The display could be setup
a number of different ways. There was a foldout support on the back
that would allow the display to be placed on a shelf or counter, and there
were two hooks that would allow the display to be hung up. The main
problem with the display was that it was too large, and it was sometimes
not even brought out from the stockroom because it took up too much shelf
space. If the display was not brought out, there would be no way
you would know that the store had it nor would you be able to purchase
any of the packs. The display held the packs that were pre-priced
99¢ and had the 0-758-89-06-3 code (041116047589 bar code).
On the back of the display was a sticker that told the Wal-Mart employees
where to place the display, how the packs should be scanned in when being
sold, how to return the unsold packs, and how to order more packs. Legends,
L. P. refers to the item as a "wing", but it seems much more
straightforward to call it a display. The sticker on the display
can have the code 5-737-60-01-3 or 5-737-60-02-3 printed on it.
It was also possible to find the displays at the Meijer
chain stores, but the Legends, L. P. sticker on the back of each display
was covered up with a large red sticker.
There were three Wacky Packages promo cards
that could be found in the packs (see images above). The promo cards
were numbered P1, P2, and P3. There were printing errors on each
of the promo cards. If you look very closely at the card number
on the back of the card, you can see that there is another number printed
in red. For the Mr. Coffin promo card P1, you could find the text
in red as "#2 of 3" or "#3 of 3", so there were actually
two different versions of this card to collect. For the Sludgicle
promo card P2, you could only find the text in red as "#1 of 3".
For the Coach Motel promo card P3, you could only find the red text as
"#1 of 3". To correct the numbering error, the printer
put the text and number in black in a black box, but that did not completely
cover the original red text. The promo cards helped promote the
new Wacky Packages series, which came out a few months after the United
States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 2.
There were 5 different United States Garbage
Pail Kids All-New Series 2 rack packs. At K B Toys, you could find
rack packs titled "Garbage Pail Kids" (bar code 009532015018)
with 3 packs for $3.99 (~$1.33 per pack) from Legends, L. P. These
packs had a green header card that was mislabeled and printed for just
2 packs (not 3), so the original barcode and price tag had to be covered
with stickers that had the correct scanning and pricing information.
Later on, K B Toys offered All-New Series 2 rack packs with different
headers. These new racks were also titled "Garbage Pail Kids",
had the barcode 009532015018, contained 3 packs, and were $3.99 (~$1.33
per pack); but the header was printed with the correct number of packs
and was colored red. At Target, you could find rack packs titled
"Garbage Pail 4-Pack" (bar code 097712505527) with 4 packs for
$3.99 (~$1.00 per pack) from Excell Marketing, L.C. The header card
on these racks packs was the same as the ones used for their All-New Series
1 rack packs. This was a disappointment because the header cards
had the look of the All-New Series 1 boxes, and fans were hoping to at
least see header cards specially created for the All-New Series 2.
At Wal-Mart, you could find rack packs titled "Garbage Pail Kids"
(bar code 009532005026) with 3 packs for $2.91 ($0.97 per pack) from Legends,
L. P. These packs have almost the same design as the K B Toys packs
with the green header. You could also find rack packs at Wal-Mart
titled "Garbage Pail Kids" (bar code 009532005026) with 4 packs
for $2.91 ($0.73 per pack) from Legends, L. P. These packs had a
different green header card than the 3-pack rack packs from Wal-Mart,
and the header card was mislabeled and printed for just 3 packs (not 4).
I was disappointed that there really was not much of a design change for
any of the rack packs. Wal-Mart was the best chain store to go to
if you were to buy packs in bulk because the rack packs were the least
expensive there.
One of the main problems with the distribution
of the various rack packs, boxes, and bonus boxes was that the stores
were receiving the items at different dates. Some stores received
their Garbage Pail Kids items two or more weeks later than all of the
other stores. Also, there were stores that did not carry some of
items, and there were stores that only had small quantities of certain
items. This was very frustrating for many of the collectors.
It would be ideal if all of the card/comic shops and chain stores would
sell the new Garbage Pail Kids series on a specific release date, so everyone
could purchase the items on the same day if they wanted to. The
release scheduling was definitely not like it used to be with the original
Garbage Pail Kids series. |
