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| Introduction |
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I created this section to help answer just about every question I could
think of that is related to Garbage Pail Kids. I recommend that everyone
interested in learning about Garbage Pail Kids cards thoroughly read through
this entire section. Most of the information was put together with the original United States Garbage Pail Kids series in mind, but it is still applicable to most of the non-US Garbage Pail Kids and the new Garbage Pail Kids series. You can find additional details about Garbage Pail Kids throughout the other sections of my website. You can review the descriptions of the other sections here. |
| Question | Why did you create this website? |
| Answer | I created this website to help others learn about Garbage Pail Kids cards and collecting. I have always tried my best to provide accurate, detailed, and easy to understand information so that collecting Garbage Pail Kids cards could be a more enjoyable experience for anyone interested in participating in the hobby. |
| Question List | |
| Question | What are Garbage Pail Kids? |
| Answer | Garbage Pail Kids are non-sports trading cards by Topps (The Topps Company, Inc.) that were originally made in the United States from 1985 to 1988 and then from 2003 to 2008. Topps continued to produce Garbage Pail Kids products after 2008, but those products and card releases will not be covered on this website. The Garbage Pail Kids are parodies of the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls that were popular in the 1980s. Cabbage Patch Kids dolls were marketed towards young girls, and Garbage Pail Kids cards were marketed towards young boys. The general concept of the Garbage Pail Kids was to use the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls to parody just about everything possible. |
| Question List | |
| Question | What is the correct abbreviation for Garbage Pail Kids? |
| Answer | The
correct abbreviation for Garbage Pail Kids is GPK. GPK's is for the
possessive form of Garbage Pail Kids (as in Garbage Pail Kids'). It
is very common to see people incorrectly writing the abbreviation as GPK's
or GPKs. Sometimes, you can find people using GBK as the abbreviation, which is obviously wrong. My guess is that they were typing their message in a hurry and abbreviated the word "garbage" as GB instead of just the G. When writing out the full title (Garbage Pail Kids), it is not too uncommon to see people mistakenly using the word "Pale" instead of "Pail." |
| Question List | |
| Question | Are Garbage Pail Kids stickers? |
| Answer | Often, Garbage Pail Kids are called stickers, but regular sheets of stickers are usually stuck on some sort of thin waxpaper. The Garbage Pail Kids sticker fronts are stuck onto card backing, so collectors usually refer to them as cards. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Can you explain how the stickers are numbered? |
| Answer | The
original United States Garbage Pail Kids from the 1980s were numbered 1
to 620. There were "a" cards and "b" cards, so for a numerical set
of series 1 to 15 there would be 1240 cards. To put the cards in
order, you would arrange them numerically and then alphabetically (like
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, etc.). The numbering for the United States
Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 1 produced in 2003, the United States
Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 2 produced in 2004, United States Garbage
Pail Kids All-New Series 3 produced in 2004, the United States Garbage
Pail Kids All-New Series 4 produced in 2005, the United States Garbage
Pail Kids All-New Series 5 produced in 2006, the United States Garbage
Pail Kids All-New Series 6 produced in 2007, and the United States
Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 7 produced in 2007/2008 all restarted
back at 1a and 1b. Many of the older non-sports card sets contained only 40 to 50 cards. Whereas, most Garbage Pail Kids sets contained 80 or more cards. I believe Topps strategically used the "a" cards and "b" cards to make it more difficult to complete sets and to further increase sales. It helped "stretch" the set out so that there would be less artwork to be created, which also saved Topps money. It also allowed the writers a chance to come up with more names for the characters. Since the product was marketed towards children, the greater the number of names used the more likely children would find a character that shared their first name, and in turn they would be more likely to want to collect the cards. Many of the non-US Garbage Pail Kids were numbered differently than the United States Garbage Pail Kids. There were not "a" and "b" cards for the majority of non-US Garbage Pail Kids. You can learn more about the United States and non-US Garbage Pail Kids by viewing my Card Information section. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Who created the designs and artwork for the Garbage Pail Kids and helped get them into production? |
| Answer | All
of the people listed below had varying degrees of involvement for the creation
of the Garbage Pail Kids, and some of them may have taken on additional
roles besides what is listed. Those that have an asterisk near their
name were heavily involved with the creation of the Garbage Pail Kids right
from the beginning. • Aaron Booton - concept sketches and writer (All-New Series 6) • Len Brown - character naming and concept sketches • Tom Bunk* - card backs, card fronts, and sketch cards (All-New Series 4) • David Burke - card fronts • Neil Camera - card backs (All-New Series 7), concept artist and writer (All-New Series 5 anAll-New Series 7) • John Cebollero - card fronts (All-New Series 4-6) • Efrain Cintron - Flick It! Animation artist (All-New Series 3) and game card artist (All-New Series 4) • Richard Clark - card front (All-New Series 7) • Howard Cruse - card backs • John Czop - card front (All-New Series 2 and 3) and sketch cards (All-New Series 4) • Layron DeJarnette - card fronts (All-New Series 5-7) • Luis Diaz - card fronts (All-New Series 3-7) • Brent Engstrom - card fronts (All-New Series 5-7) • Ira Friedman - series development and is vice president of Topps • Pat Glover - artist (All-New Series 1 and 2) • Sean Glover - artist (All-New Series 1 and 2) • Sean Greathead - bonus card front (All-New Series 3) • Grass Green - coloring, inking, lettering, and penciling • Justin Green - alphabet card fronts (All-New Series 5) and sketch cards (All-New Series 4) • Dave Gross - card fronts (All-New Series 4-7), concept sketches and writer (All-New Series 3, 5, 6, and 7), and card fronts (All-New Series 4-6) • Scott Gross - Mix & Match card backs (All-New Series 6) • Fred Harper - card fronts (All-New Series 7) • Stan Hart - character naming • Chris Hebal - card front (All-New Series 2) • Paul Karasik - concept sketches • Les Kenyon - winner of Build-A-Kid contest (All-New Series 5) • Stephen Kroninger - concept sketches • Ray Lago - card fronts (All-New Series 3, 4, and 7) • Aron Laikin - card fronts (All-New Series 3) • Jay Lynch* - concept sketches, card backs, and writer and sketch cards (All-New Series 4) • Mark MacAulay - concept sketches and writer (All-New Series 7) • Richard McGuire - card backs • John Mariano - writer • Mark Newgarden - art director, card backs, concept sketches, editor, and writer • Don Perlin - sketch cards (All-New Series 4) and writer (All-New Series 5) • Cory Pierce - concept sketches and writer (All-New Series 5 and 6) • Mark Pingatore - concept sketches and writer (All-New Series 5-7) • John Pound* - concept sketches, card fronts, and sketch cards (All-New Series 4) • Claude St. Aubin - scratch 'n stink card artist (All-New Series 4) • Frank Santopadre - concept sketches and writer (All-New Series 2 and 3) • Scott Shaw - card backs (All-New Series 4) • Arthur T. Shorin - suggested name changes and is president of Topps • Bob Sikoryak - concept sketches • Carole Sobocinski - coloring, inking, lettering, and penciling • Javi Soler - coloring, inking, lettering, and penciling • Mark Sparacio - scratch 'n stink card artist (All-New Series 4) • Art Spiegelman - art director, concept sketches, editor, and writer • Strephon Taylor - card fronts (All-New Series 2 and 3) and sketch cards (All-New Series 4) • Shane Varga - winner of Build-A-Kid contest (All-New Series 3) • James Warhola* - card fronts and writer • Keith Webb - concept artist and writer (All-New Series 3) • Fred Wheaton - concept sketches and card fronts (All-New Series 6 and 7) • John Williams - supervising editor (All-New Series 1-7) • Bill Wray - card front • George Wright - scratch 'n stink card artist (All-New Series 4) • Jeff Zapata - series editor, writer, and artist (All-New Series 1-7) • John Zeleznik - artist (All-New Series 5) |
| Question List | |
| Question | Were there ideas from other card sets used for the Garbage Pail Kids? |
| Answer | For
the Garbage Pail Kids card fronts, there may have been a few parodies of
other card sets, but the card fronts were mostly based on new ideas instead
of other card sets. One example is the United States Garbage Pail
Kids 4th Series cards 138a Alien Ian and 138b Outerspace Chase, which are
parodies of a Topps card set made back in 1962 called "Mars Attacks." However, for the card backs, there were a few series that had recycled old ideas. The United States Garbage Pail Kids 1st Series card backs were almost an exact copy of a card set by Topps from the 1960s called "Nutty Awards." The United States Garbage Pail Kids 2nd Series carried on using the license-gag idea that was used in the United States Garbage Pail Kids 1st Series, but the backs were all original designs by Mark Newgarden. The United States Garbage Pail Kids 3rd and 4th Series were almost exact copies of a poster set by Topps from the 1960s called "Wanted Posters." The Wanted Posters were reprinted a few different times and were also sold in the United Kingdom. Some of the comic backs for the Garbage Pail Kids were actually based on the Bazooka bubble gum comics from the 1980s that featured the "Little Creeps." The "Little Creeps" and Garbage Pail Kids comics were both created by Jay Lynch. I also list the ideas borrowed from other card sets for use in the United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 1, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 2, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 3, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 4, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 5, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 6, and United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 7 under the Reused Ideas sections for those series. |
| Question List | |
| Question | How many Garbage Pail Kids series were there? |
| Answer | There
were seventeen regular United States Garbage Pail Kids series released
from 1985 to 1988 (fifteen series) and 2003 to 2008 (seven series). There were also two "Giant" series made. One Giant series was called "Giant Stickers," and the other was called "1st Series Kids." The names of the Giant series vary depending on who you ask, but all you need to know is that there were two different Giant series made. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Do they still make Garbage Pail Kids? |
| Answer | Topps
stopped producing United States Garbage Pail Kids in 1988. Topps was sued by the makers of Cabbage Patch Kids, Original Appalachian Artworks, Inc., because of copyright infringements. Garbage Pail Kids looked too much like Cabbage Patch Kids, so Topps was forced to change how Garbage Pail Kids were designed. This is why starting at the United States Garbage Pail Kids 10th Series the characters were designed to look more they were made of hard plastic, and they were supposed to have jug ears, round eyes, and four fingers on each hand. Supposedly, declining Garbage Pail Kids sales and the lawsuit influenced Topps to stop making Garbage Pail Kids in 1988. After 15 years, Topps produced the United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 1 in 2003, the United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 2 in 2004, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 3 in 2004, the United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 4 in 2005, the United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 5 in 2006, the United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 6 in 2007, and the United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 7 in 2007/2008. It is possible they will continue to create additional Garbage Pail Kids series. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Why should I allow my children to collect Garbage Pail Kids cards? |
| Answer | Many
people were against children collecting Garbage Pail Kids cards back in
the 1980s. They felt the cards were very vulgar and in bad taste. Before anyone says anything negative about the cards, they should definitely take some time to actually look at them. Why protest something you do not really know anything about? And remember, the protests about the cards back in the 1980s actually helped advertise them and significantly increased their popularity. Look at what the images depict. Do the cards show anything that children have not seen before? Every day on television whether it is the news or cartoons, there are much harsher things that children are exposed to. Collecting cards can actually be a pleasant distraction from everyday life. How you interpret the Garbage Pail Kids artwork may be completely different than how children interpret it. Do not try to find minuscule details a Garbage Pail Kids character has and twist them around to be something negative. Children have always been fascinated by things that were considered gross. That is all the Garbage Pail Kids are (humorously gross characters wrapped up in the design of Cabbage Patch Kids dolls). Whether you collect stamps or build model cars, I have always felt that it is beneficial for anyone to have a hobby. There are definite benefits for children to collect Garbage Pail Kids cards. Children can have social interaction by trading cards with other collectors. They learn about the importance of taking care of something by taking care of their cards. They learn about buying and the value of a dollar by saving up their allowances or doing chores in order to purchase packs of the cards. The cards also help promote reading because children enjoy reading the information, such as the awards and comics, printed on the backs of the cards. Even something simple as organizing the cards helps children learn how to put numbers in order. It is up to the parents of the children to decide whether or not their children should collect the cards. If you decide not to let your children collect the cards, be certain to explain to them why they cannot collect the cards. Also, let the other parents decide on their own whether or not they want their children to collect the cards. Just because you may not feel it is appropriate for your kids to collect the cards does not mean that other parents will feel the same way. The school teachers and principles should set clearly-stated rules regarding the cards. Since the Garbage Pail Kids are stickers, make it clear that it is not ok for students to be sticking the stickers in places they do not belong (chalkboards, desks, lockers, etc.). I feel it is definitely acceptable to allow the children to trade the cards during recess and lunch time, but when the children are in the classroom they should be focused on learning and not cards. Listen to input from the parents, so you can decide what is right to do for your school. Everyone else that I had not directly addressed should take note of the things I had mentioned above. Weigh the positives and negatives before stating anything about the cards to anyone, and allow the parents to make the final decision whether or not they should allow their children to collect the cards. If you do not like the Garbage Pail Kids cards, then do not collect them and do not try to ruin it for those of us that enjoy collecting them. I have collected the Garbage Pail Kids cards since they originally came out in 1985. It has been a lot of fun collecting them, and I that hope others will have the same positive experiences I have had collecting them. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Where can I buy some of the original Garbage Pail Kids artwork? |
| Answer | John Pound has original Garbage Pail Kids rough-sketches and paintings on his website for sale. Besides Garbage Pail Kids, John created artwork for other non-sports cards such as Meanie Babies, Trash Can Trolls, and Wacky Packages. He has some of the unpublished artwork from the United States Garbage Pail Kids 16th Series shown on his website. John also has on his website unpublished Garbage Pail Kids paintings that were not used in any of the fully-designed Garbage Pail Kids series, and you can even see the Garbage Pail Kids Wacky Package that he painted. |
| Question List | |
| Question | What Garbage Pail Kids paintings were based on other famous works of art? |
| Answer | There
were several Garbage Pail Kids paintings that were designed after famous
works of art. Here is a list of the ones I have recognized: • United States Garbage Pail Kids 2nd Series number 67a Phony Lisa / 67b Mona Loser is a parody of Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci • United States Garbage Pail Kids 5th Series number 178a Earl Painting / 178b Blue-Boy George is a parody of Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough • United States Garbage Pail Kids 5th Series number 196a Dangling Dolly / 196b Surreal Neal is a parody of Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali • United States Garbage Pail Kids 7th Series number 263a Vincent Van Gone / 263b Modern Art is a parody of a combination of self-portraits by Vincent van Gogh • United States Garbage Pail Kids 9th Series number 356a Momma Mia / 356b Electric Shari is a parody of Whistler's Mother by James McNeill Whistler • United States Garbage Pail Kids 10th Series number 413a Barnyard Barney / 413b Dick Hick is a parody of American Gothic by Grant Wood • United States Garbage Pail Kids 14th Series number 546a Modern Marlise / 546b Abstract Abby is a parody of a combination of paintings by Pablo Picasso • United States Garbage Pail Kids Posters number 10 Double-Crossing The Delaware is a parody of George Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze |
| Question List | |
| Question | Where can I learn more about the United States Garbage Pail Kids? |
| Answer | Look under my Card Information section. It tells most of the basic information you would need to know about the United States Garbage Pail Kids. There are also a few other good Garbage Pail Kids websites out there. The links to some of those websites are in the Links section. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Were there other Garbage Pail Kids items sold? |
| Answer | Besides
the cards, there were many Garbage Pail Kids items produced. Some
of the items were made by Topps, but most of them were made by other manufacturers.
Some of the items include: Bubble Fun sets, collector cases, folders, Halloween
costumes, Hi-Bounce Balls, jewelry sets, key chains, mugs, notebooks, various
types of posters, Stick-Ons, sunglasses, Tacky Snappers, Wall Plaks, a waste
basket, watches, and zipper pulls. It is not uncommon for people to have a difficult time identifying the Garbage Pail Kids items that they have. The little cardboard characters that you can come across on occasion actually came with the Tacky Snappers, and the product was designed so that you were to retrieve the cardboard characters by using the Tacky Snappers. There were three different types of Stick-Ons: Stick-On Name Tags (4 different packages), Stick-On Pictures (12 different packages), and Stick-Ons (6 different packages). The Stick-Ons were also referred to as "puffy stickers," and they are fairly common items. Some of the items that were made by the Imperial Toy Company (such as Stick-Ons, Tacky Snappers, and zipper pulls) were printed with English and French text on the packaging because the items were to also be sold in Canada. All of the products could be found with just the English text. I cover many of the unlicensed Garbage Pail Kids items in my Fakes section. |
| Question List | |
| Question | What are the small plastic Garbage Pail Kids figures from, and are they valuable? |
| Answer | The
small plastic figures are called Cheap Toys. There are 10 different figures for each of the two series of Cheap Toys, and each character comes in 6 different colors (beige, blue, green, orange, red, and yellow). The United States and United Kingdom had the same 10 characters but had slightly different packaging and were made out of slightly different material. There was also a second series of 10 figures produced in Canada, which is very difficult to find. The United States figures usually go for $1-$5 each. Depending on the demand, the Canada second series figures can go for as little as a few dollars or as much as a few hundred dollars. Sealed material from any release goes for much more than the individual figures, so you should check eBay to see if you can find comparable auctions. Topps had produced the original Garbage Pail Kids Cheap Toys back in 1986. Because of collector demand, there were new Garbage Pail Kids Cheap Toys (called "MiniKins") that were produced in 2013 and after. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Were there Garbage Pail Adults cards, and what were they from? |
| Answer | In September
of 1986, MAD Magazine had a Garbage Pail Kids issue. On the cover
of the magazine was the MAD Magazine icon, Alfred E. Neuman, as Nauseating
Neuman done in the style of a Garbage Pail Kids character. On the
back of the magazine there were nine Garbage Pail Adults drawings. The Garbage Pail Adults characters were: George Slave-Owner (parody of George Steinbrenner (the owner of the New York Yankees)), Prissy (parody of Prince (musician)), Kho Maniac (parody of Ayatollah Khomeini (former leader of Iran)), Dead Meese (parody of Edwin Meese (former attorney general of the United States)), Hot Air Helmes (parody of Jesse Helms (United States senator of North Carolina)), Wacky Kaddafi (parody of Muammar Kaddafi (leader of Libya)), Bully Botha (parody of P.W. Botha (former president of South Africa)), Yucky Arafat (parody of Yasser Arafat (president of Palestine)), and Mouthy McEnroe (parody of John McEnroe (professional tennis player)). The artist that created the front cover of the magazine was Richard Williams, and the artists that created the back cover of the magazine were Will Elder and Harvey Kurtzman. The United States Garbage Pail Kids MAD Magazine is issue 265 from September 1986. The Australia Garbage Pail Kids MAD Magazine is issue 265 but does not have the date printed on the cover. The United Kingdom Garbage Pail Kids MAD Magazine is issue 293 from September 1986. There was also a bootleg card set of the Garbage Pail Adults produced. The set consisted only of the nine characters printed on the back of the MAD Magazine, and the set originally came sealed in clear plastic. There is no manufacturer information on the cards. The cards measure 2-3/4" x 3-1/2". The fronts of the cards are glossy, and the plain-white card backs have a matte finish. The cards were printed on paper that was about the thickness of posterboard, and they look like they are a direct color copy from the magazine. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Where can I learn more about Garbage Pail Kids items? |
| Answer | You should look at some of the other websites listed in my Links section. |
| Question List | |
| Question | What Garbage Pail Kids have the name "so-and-so"? |
| Answer | I had created an alphabetical listing of all of the Garbage Pail Kids names in my Find Your Name section. The United States character names are listed on the main page of the section. From this listing, you can determine the series each card is from and the card number. It is possible that there are non-US releases that I have not yet covered on my website that use a particular name. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Was there a Garbage Pail Kids movie, where can I get it, and what home video formats did it come in? |
| Answer | There
was a live-action Garbage Pail Kids movie released back in 1987. The
Garbage Pail Kids characters were actors dressed up in costumes that distantly
resemble the artwork on the Garbage Pail Kids cards. When I saw the
movie, I thought it was horrible, and I do not recommend it. Still,
there are plenty of collectors that want to see the movie, and it is somewhat
of a cult classic. If your local video store or online video streaming service does not carry the movie, you can try searching eBay for it. I do not have the Garbage Pail Kids movie for sale. The video comes in DVD, VHS (NTSC and PAL), and Beta format. It is possible that the movie was released on laser disc, also. There were people selling bootleg versions on DVD format, which was just a copy of the VHS version put onto DVD. In July of 2005, there was an official release of the movie on DVD. There was also a Garbage Pail Kids movie soundtrack that came in CD, cassette, and LP format. Besides the regular Garbage Pail Kids movie, there was also a short film by Todd Lincoln entitled "Xavier" that was made in 1998, which involved Cabbage Patch Kids dolls and Garbage Pail Kids cards. John Pound created a painting done in the style of the Garbage Pail Kids artwork, and it was used for the promotional poster for the movie. If you search the Internet, you can possibly find a website that has the film available for Online viewing. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Was there a Garbage Pail Kids cartoon? |
| Answer | Yes,
there was a Garbage Pail Kids cartoon that was supposed to air Saturday
mornings in the United States on CBS but never made it due to complaints
and protests. Just about everywhere else in the world got to see the
cartoon. In April of 2006, Paramount released the cartoon in a 2-DVD set, and it featured all 13 of the episodes. While collectors were continually asking for the cartoon to be released on DVD, there was little interest in it after it was finally put out. Previous to the official DVD release, there was a low-quality, bootleg copy of 6 of the episodes that could sometimes be found on auction, but 5 of the 6 episodes on the tape were in Icelandic. Several months before the cartoon was officially released on DVD, I was contacted by Paramount, and I helped get them in touch with Topps about the cartoon. The animation for the cartoon was very good, but the writing and storylines were really bad. I found only a few portions out of the entire DVD set to be enjoyable and humorous. The grossness of the Garbage Pail Kids cards is definitely not carried over into the cartoon, and it was definitely appropriate for children. The cartoon is very innocent and simple, and I am very disappointed that people protested the cartoon even though they never knew what the actual content of the cartoon was. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Do you know of any songs that mention Garbage Pail Kids? |
| Answer | There
is a Garbage Pail Kids soundtrack from the Garbage Pail Kids movie that
contains a song titled "You Can Be a Garbage Pail Kid."
The song was performed by Jimmy Scarlett and the Dimensions. There is a song by Benefit titled "Garbage Pail Kids." The songs "Catacomb Kids" (by Aesop Rock), "We Care A Lot" (by Faith No More), "Growing Pains" (by Ludacris), and "Satisfy You (West Side Remix)" (by Puff Daddy) mention Garbage Pail Kids. There was also an unofficial Garbage Pail Kids parody song CD put out by the members the Garbage Pail Kids Underground forum. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Was there ever a Garbage Pail Kids video game? |
| Answer | No, I have not come across any Garbage Pail Kids video games. |
| Question List | |
| Question | What types of Garbage Pail Kids advertisements and posters were there? |
| Answer | There
were Garbage Pail Kids dealer advertisements, which were given to dealers
with their product orders. The dealer ads measure approximately 8-1/2"
x 11". The dealer ads were used to introduce the product and
sometimes had diagrams showing how to display the wax box. I believe
all of the United States Garbage Pail Kids products by Topps had dealer
ads. There were Garbage Pail Kids promotional posters, which came inside approximately one out of four wax boxes. The promotional posters were folded in half twice to fit inside of the wax boxes. The United States Garbage Pail Kids promotional posters measure 10" x 14". All of the regular United States Garbage Pail Kids series had promotional posters except the 11th and 12th Series. I had searched for the posters from the United States Garbage Pail Kids 11th and 12th Series for several years, and I am now certain they do not exist. All of the United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 1-7 hobby boxes came with promotional posters, and the retail boxes did not contain promotional posters. There were Garbage Pail Kids box-insert ads, but there was only one United States Garbage Pail Kids box insert ad that I have come across. The box insert ads were used to promote non-sports sets and candy products. The ad with Garbage Pail Kids had a promotion for the United States Garbage Pail Kids 1st Series on one side and a promotion for a WWF wrestling set on the other side, and it actually came inside of a non-sports wax box for a wrestling set. The box insert ads measures 5" x 7". There was a United States Garbage Pail Kids poster set of 18 that was made by Topps that came out in 1986. There was 1 poster in each pack and 36 packs in each full box. The posters have different artwork than the Garbage Pail Kids cards. Each poster measures 12" x 17" when unfolded. The posters have four folds in order to fit inside of the packaging. There were four different Garbage Pail Kids posters that were made by Bi-Rite Enterprises, Inc. back in 1985. Each poster covered half of the cards for a series, and all of the characters were full displayed on the poster. One poster was for the "a" cards, and one poster was for the "b" cards. Only the United States Garbage Pail Kids 1st and 2nd Series were covered, which meant there was a 1st Series "a" poster, 1st Series "b" poster, 2nd Series "a" poster, and 2nd Series "b" poster. Each poster measured 22-3/4" x 35". There was also a display poster advertising for the four posters, which measured 20-1/2" x 22-1/2". There was a Garbage Pail Kids poster for the movie, and I believe the poster measures 27" x 41". There was a variety of advertisements, posters, and promotional material produced for the Untied States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 1, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 2, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 3, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 4, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 5, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 6, and United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 7; and you can find more information on it under the Promotions sections for those series. There were also many other Garbage Pail Kids advertisements and posters from the various releases from around the world. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Were there Garbage Pail Kids wax packs without gum? |
| Answer | For
the original 15 series produced in the 1980s, on occasion, you can find
a sealed United States Garbage Pail Kids wax pack without gum or broken
pieces of gum inside, but you will not find an entire wax box with packs
that do not contain gum. It is possible that the gum was not inserted
into the pack during the manufacturing process. It is also possible
that someone pieced together the pack and resealed it. You probably
will not be able to determine the reason why the gum was missing from the
pack. A dealer may purchase a wax box from someone who resealed the
packs, and then you might end up buying that box from the dealer.
It is a small gamble to take when buying wax boxes. For the United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 1, there were 4 pieces of gum per pack in the first and second printing, but for the third and fourth printing Topps decided not to insert any gum in the packs. Topps did not put gum in the All-New Series 2-5 and 7 packs. They did put 1 piece of gum in each of the All-New Series 6 packs. |
| Question List | |
| Question | What are rack packs and jumbo packs? |
| Answer | Topps
produced a few different types of packages for Garbage Pail Kids cards that
did not contain gum. The rack packs and jumbo packs had the cards
sealed inside of plastic packaging. These products were only for the
United States Garbage Pail Kids cards. The rack packs consisted of three different sections, and each section held 8 cards, which meant there were 24 cards per rack pack. The rack packs with the wrapper code 0-935-67-01-6 have the product information printed directly on the plastic and contained cards from the 3rd Series. The rack packs with the wrapper code 0-935-93-01-6 have the product information printed directly on the plastic and can contain cards from the 4th Series, or 2nd; 3rd; and 4th Series. The rack packs with the wrapper code 1-935-93-01-6 have a cardboard header card, and the packages can contain cards from the 2nd Series, 2nd and 3rd Series, or 2nd; 3rd; and 4th Series. The header card is a separate part of the packaging that has product information (like the title of the product, wrapper code, and bar code). The jumbo packs also contain 24 cards per pack, and the packs had the product code 1-515-93-01-6. The jumbo packs that are sealed on the side of the package contain 4th Series cards. The jumbo packs that are sealed in the back of the package contain 5th Series cards. There were a variety of rack packs produced for the United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 1, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 2, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 3, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 4, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 5, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 6, and United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 7; you can find more information about them under the Packaging and Contents sections for those series. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Was there a Garbage Pail Kids book or guide, and do you plan on making a Garbage Pail Kids book? |
| Answer | There
was a Garbage Pail Kids handbook that another collector put together.
I would not recommend the book because it contains some inaccuracies.
Also, there is limited information in the handbook, and there are no color
images in it. There were also a variety of Garbage Pail Kids guides and booklets put together by collectors back in the 1980s, and one of the popular guides was Mikael's price guide. Mikael's price guides are collectible, but the pricing information is no longer useful. On some bookstore websites, there was a listing of a Garbage Pail Kids book put out by Topps. The listing was by mistake. Topps never released a Garbage Pail Kids book. I had thought about putting together a Garbage Pail Kids book, but I decided not to because it would be very costly and time-consuming to put together. Plus, I would want to have all of the Garbage Pail Kids images shown in color, and I would have to get approval from Topps and probably pay a licensing fee to do that. And as you know, most people do not want to pay anything for information that they can get for free, which is another reason why I created this website. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Where can I buy Garbage Pail Kids cards and items? |
| Answer | I recommend trying one of the Internet auction sites like eBay. There are hundreds of Garbage Pail Kids items listed on there all the time. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Were there foreign Garbage Pail Kids? |
| Answer | I always
try to refer to foreign Garbage Pail Kids as being "non-US" because
there are many collectors from around the world that collected different
versions of Garbage Pail Kids cards. There were many non-US Garbage Pail Kids series created by various affiliates and non-affiliates of Topps. Some countries did not title them "Garbage Pail Kids," and not all of the countries produced them as sticker fronts stuck on card backing. The names used on the cards, the number of series, and the size of cards are just a few differences between the United States and non-US Garbage Pail Kids. To learn more about the non-US Garbage Pail Kids go to my Card Information section. There is much information that we still do not know about the many of the non-US Garbage Pail Kids releases. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Where can I buy non-US Garbage Pail Kids? |
| Answer | Since non-US Garbage Pail Kids are uncommon and sometimes very rare, it is difficult to find someone who is selling them. eBay and some of the other auction websites are good places to look for non-US Garbage Pail Kids. |
| Question List | |
| Question | What is the value of the Canadian Garbage Pail Kids wax boxes? |
| Answer | The value of the Canada Garbage Pail Kids wax boxes are all exactly the same as the United States Garbage Pail Kids wax boxes except for the Canada Garbage Pail Kids O-Pee-Chee (OPC) 1st Series wax box and the Canada Garbage Pail Kids 9th Series wax box that contains the 355b Semi Colin card printed without the card number. The Canada Garbage Pail Kids OPC 1st Series wax box is worth about two-thirds the value of the United States 1st Series wax box. If you are certain the Canada Garbage Pail Kids 9th Series wax box contains the 355b Semi colin card printed without the card number, the wax box is worth a few times more than the other Garbage Pail Kids 9th Series wax boxes. |
| Question List | |
| Question | What are the mini-sized and large-sized Garbage Pail Kids cards from? |
| Answer | The
smaller Garbage Pail Kids cards (measuring 3.0" x 2.1") are from
the United Kingdom. They are also referred to
as being from the British, Britain, England, English, European, Ireland,
or Irish release. The United Kingdom Garbage Pail
Kids 1st Series is often sold on eBay as a "Garbage Pail Kids 1st
Series set," and many people mistakenly purchase it believing they
are receiving the United States Garbage Pail Kids 1st
Series set. There are no die-cuts on the United Kingdom Garbage
Pail Kids, and the "Peel-Here" arrow points toward the corner
of the card. The United Kingdom Garbage Pail Kids 1st Series is relatively
common and is worth a fraction of what the United States Garbage Pail Kids
1st Series is worth. The large-sized Garbage Pail Kids cards (measuring 6.875" x 4.875") are from the United States Garbage Pail Kids Giant 1st Series or Giant Stickers. They are sometimes referred to as the postcard-size, 5" x 7", or oversized release. The Giant releases are common. There is also a United Kingdom Garbage Pail Kids Giant Stickers set that is almost the same as the United States version, but the cards have matte-finish backs and do not have the "PRTD. IN U.S.A." printed on them. |
| Question List | |
| Question | How can I buy Garbage Pail Kids items if I cannot register on eBay? |
| Answer | If you
are not old enough to register on eBay, you can have your parents register
on eBay and bid for you.
I will not bid on any Internet auction sites for you. You can contact a non-sports card dealer and ask if they have Garbage Pail Kids items for sale. Check my Links section to see if any of the listed websites have what you are looking for. |
| Question List | |
| Question | How do I actually start collecting Garbage Pail Kids? |
| Answer | My recommendation
is to determine how much you want to invest in collecting Garbage Pail Kids.
Since the United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series are recent releases,
you should probably start by collecting them first because they are so common.
After that, you should start collecting any of the United States Garbage
Pail Kids sets from series 3 to 9 since they are the least expensive to
collect. Series 1, 2, and 10 through 15 are more expensive, so they
should probably be collected after you collect the other series. The nice thing about collecting is you get to decide what you want to collect. It is your decision whether or not to collect a complete collection with all of the variations or just a few singles. I highly recommend not buying individual cards. It is very expensive and usually a waste of time. You should try to only buy sets that come with all of the variation cards. There are 4 variation cards that are uncommon, and most dealers do not put them in their sets. So, you will probably have to search for those cards separately. You should look at my Price Guide to help figure out if you are getting a good deal on a set or not. Be very cautious on what you are buying. Some sellers do not know anything about cards, so you must make sure you are getting cards that are in the best condition possible. It is always important to be cautious when purchasing items over the Internet. Many people selling cards have absolutely no idea how to grade cards. They may say a card or card set is mint, but in reality the cards could have tape, gum stains, or bent corners. Always ask the seller any questions you may have. Some of the people selling cards on auction sell whatever they can find at the flea markets, so they can make a quick profit by selling those cards to you. They are more interested in your payment than what they are selling. They might not even know they difference between having two "a" and "b" cards and having a complete set, so you need to pay close attention to what they are selling. There are reputable card dealers on the Internet. Most of them will guarantee their cards' condition and give you your money back if you are not satisfied. If you are going to buy something through an auction, ask around about the person selling the item. You can look at their feedback rating, but it might not reflect whether or not they are a reputable card dealer. There are people who auction items and will not give you your money back even if there is a problem. Always be careful whether you are buying or trading on the Internet. Collecting can be fun, but make sure you know what you are buying before purchasing it. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Who can I buy, sell, and trade Garbage Pail Kids cards with? |
| Answer | If you
are looking for reputable people to trade with, I recommend trying some
of the people who regularly post on the Garbage
Pail Kids Underground forum or Garbage Pail Kids Facebook page. Always be very cautious when you are buying, selling, and trading with other collectors. Quick e-mail responses, a clear dialogue, and good communication are extremely important when working on a transaction with someone. Before sending out items or a payment, you should have a definite agreement on exactly what is being traded and the condition of the items. If you are buying or selling items, make certain that the exact amount of money for the items is clearly understood. Securely package items you are sending out, and you should use delivery confirmation or tracking whenever possible. If shipping, packaging, and handling fees are part of the transaction, the estimate of these costs should be close to the actual amount, and no one should be making money off of shipping, packaging, and handling fees. If you are overcharged or if you overcharge for shipping, packaging, and handling fees by more than a couple of dollars, the sender should refund the extra money paid. If you do not feel comfortable with a transaction, do not go through with it. However, you should always compete transactions that have already begun (where money or items were already sent). There is little I can do to help you if a deal goes bad except recommend trying to work things out with the person made the deal with. You can file a fraud report with your local law enforcement or the post office. If there was a problem with a transaction on eBay or with PayPal, contact them for help. I want everyone to have a fun time collecting, so be careful when buying, trading, and selling anything over the Internet. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Is there a way to remove wax or gum residue from my cards? |
| Answer | I have
come up with a few methods you can try to clean off the cards. To clean off gum residue, you can gently exhale on the card like you were trying to fog up a mirror. The low amount of moisture in your breath should be enough to help dissolve the sugar. You can use a tissue to then gently rub the sugar off and dry the card. You want to be very careful when removing pieces of gum that are stuck to the cards. Do not try to just pull the piece of gum off because you may end up pulling some of the sticker off, which will ruin the card. To remove the gum, take a hair dryer and have it blowing on the gum until the gum gets hot. The gum should soften up after it has been heated, and you should be able to safely remove it from the card. There is nothing you can do if the card was discolored by the gum. The gum can stain the cards, and it will lower their value. To remove wax residue, you can find something like a lady's stocking, roll it into a ball, and gently rub the wax off. The card needs to be on a clean, flat surface when you are removing the wax. Make sure not to scratch the card with your fingernail or any hard object. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Can you tell me about the Garbage Pail Kids gum, and is the original series gum still safe to chew? |
| Answer | One piece of gum came in each unopened United States Garbage Pail Kids wax pack from the original 15 series produced in the 1980s, and it was the same type of gum as the Bazooka bubble gum, which Topps also produces. I recommend not trying the gum that came in the original series 1-15 packs because it is so old that it is probably unsafe to chew. Most likely, the old gum would be extremely stale and hard, but it is also possible that bacteria, mold, and/or mildew were growing on the gum. Some collectors have tried the old gum and said that it just dissolved in their mouth. As many card dealers that sell older wax boxes where the packs contained gum say, "DO NOT EAT THEM GUM." There also was wrapped bubble gum that came inside of the All-New Series 1 packs (4 pieces per pack) and All-New Series 6 packs (1 piece per pack). |
| Question List | |
| Question | How do I know if a wax pack has been resealed, and should I be able to put together one complete set per wax box? |
| Answer | It is
very easy to reseal a wax pack, which is why many manufacturers no longer
use wax wrappers. You usually cannot tell if a wax pack has been resealed.
If you open a wax pack and the cards are "suspicious-looking",
then the pack was probably resealed closed. When I say "suspicious-looking",
the packs could contain cards from the wrong series, a mixed print run,
gum on one side of the pack but a card with the gum stains on the opposite
side (or in the middle of the group of cards), or cards that have damage
that could only be from being handled (dirty edges, worn corners, ink stains,
etc.). From a United States Garbage Pail Kids wax box from the 1980s, you should be able to put together one set. It is possible that a wax box was pieced together by a seller, and you most likely won't be able to complete a set because of that. The Garbage Pail Kids wax boxes put together in Canada usually do not have good collation, and you most likely will not be able to put together a set from a Canada wax box. |
| Question List | |
| Question | What do the black lines on the boxes mean? |
| Answer | The black lines on the boxes indicate that they did not sell and were returned to the manufacturer. When the boxes were returned, they were usually resold for a lot less than originally priced. There is nothing wrong with the contents of the black-lined boxes. |
| Question List | |
| Question | What does glossy finish and matte finish mean, and do all of the Garbage Pail Kids cards have the same type of finish? |
| Answer | Glossy
finish means the surface is shiny, smooth, and reflective (like the finish
on a photograph). Matte finish means the surface is dull and somewhat
rough (like the finish on a plain piece of paper). All of the United States Garbage Pail Kids cards have a glossy finish for the fronts, but not all of the cards have a glossy finish on the backs. The glossy finish card-backs are more desirable and of better quality. The glossy finish also helps protect the cards from staining. Topps most likely printed the cards on whatever card stock they had on hand, which is why you can find the matte/glossy difference. You can only find one type of finish in each wax box, which means you won't find cards with glossy finish backs and cards with matte finish backs in the same box (unless someone pieced together the wax box). The United States Garbage Pail Kids 1st Series can come with either glossy or matte finish backs, and the matte finish 1st Series backs are much more common. The United States Garbage Pail Kids 2nd Series print with the Leaky Lindsay/Messy Tessie puzzle can be found with glossy or matte finish backs, but the print with the Jolted Joel/Live Mike puzzle has only been found with glossy finish backs. All of the other United States Garbage Pail Kids series (including the Giant 1st Series and Giant Stickers) have a glossy finish on the backs. The United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 1 had silver foil cards with glossy backs, silver foil cards with matte backs, and gold foil cards with matte backs. The two different types of finish for the card backs can be collected as variations since the cards were consistently printed with those differences. It is best to put together sets with the same type of finish for the card backs, and a set with all the same finish for the backs is much more desirable. |
| Question List | |
| Question | What is a print run? |
| Answer | A print run is the printing of an entire batch of cards for a series. It does not have anything to do with the * and ** printed on the cards. Each print run may have certain variations. Sometimes printing errors were corrected in subsequent print runs, so there are variations that are only in certain print runs. Each United States Garbage Pail Kids series typically had 2 or more print runs. |
| Question List | |
| Question | What is a wrapper code, and where is the code located on a Garbage Pail Kids wrapper? |
| Answer | A wrapper
code is what the manufacturer uses identify a particular product (date,
print run, distribution, series, etc.). The wrapper code will not
always change in every printing for a series. The wrapper code is
not the same thing as the bar code. I will explain a few details about the United States Garbage Pail Kids 1st Series wrapper code, and you should then be able to apply them to the other United States Garbage Pail Kids series. Not all Garbage Pail Kids products follow the same format regarding the codes. The United States Garbage Pail Kids 1st Series packs with 25¢ printed on the front have the wrapper code 0-494-21-01-5. The first digit (0-494-21-01-5) can be a 0 or 1. The 0 means that the product is a pack. The 1 means the product is a box. I am uncertain what the second, third, and fourth digits represent for the original series packs, but for the United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series the second, third, and fourth digits represented where the items were distributed (i.e., 740 was for the gravity feeds, 757 was for hobby, 758 was for retail, and 939 was for the bonus boxes). All of the United States Garbage Pail Kids series 1 to 15 wrappers have 21 as the 5th and 6th digits. All of the United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series have 89 for the 5th and 6th digits for the pack wrappers, and they have 30 for the 5th and 6th digits for the boxes. For the original United States Garbage Pail Kids series 1 to 15, the seventh and eighth digits (0-494-21-01-5) can represent what print the cards are from for that year, but as previously mentioned it can mean that the product was printed a few times before the number was changed. The number was changed when there was a significant change made to the series (i.e. character name changes), or the product was to be distributed to a different type of merchant (hobby shop verses a grocery store). For the United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series, the seventh and eigth digits usually represented the type of packs included in the box (priced packs verses unpriced packs). The ninth digit (0-494-21-01-5) represents the last digit of the year. The 5 means the product was printed in 1985. It is possible for a product to be copyrighted with a certain date and to be printed in a different year (like for the United States Garbage Pail Kids 13th Series: the wrapper has a copyright of 1988 but the ninth digit of the wrapper code is 7). For the original United States Garbage Pail Kids series 1-15, the wrapper codes were located in the lower-right corners of the wax pack wrappers and can only be seen if the wrappers are completely unfolded (you cannot see them if the packs are still sealed). Sometimes, you can find wrappers that were very miscut, and then the wrapper code could be located in the top-right corner. The wrapper codes for the United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 1, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 2, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 3, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 4, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 5, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 6, and United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 7 packs are slightly different that what was described above, and I provide details about the various printings and wrapper codes under the Packaging and Content section for that series. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Can you figure out which United States Garbage Pail Kids packs have a certain wrapper code? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Answer | For
almost all of the United States Garbage Pail Kids series, you can look at
a couple of things on sealed wax packs to figure out what the wrapper codes
are. For the United States Garbage Pail Kids 10th Series wrappers,
the wrappers with the sea green wrapper code is indistinguishable from the
wrapper printed without the code because of ambiguities, but all of the
other variations you should be able to determine from the details I had
listed below.
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| Question | What is the difference between a hobby box and a retail box? |
| Answer | For
Garbage Pail Kids, the terms "hobby boxes" and "retail boxes"
only pertain to the United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series.
The hobby boxes were meant to be sold at card shops, comic book shops, and
similar outlets. The retail boxes were meant to be sold at chain stores
such as 7-Eleven, K B Toys, K-Mart, Meijer, ShopKo, Target, Toys
R Us, Wal-Mart, etc. Each hobby box contained a box insert poster that had "On Sale Here!" printed on it. The retail boxes did not contain a box insert poster. The box code is located on the bottom of the box just below the bar code. The hobby boxes all had the box code that began with 1-757 (1-757-30-01-3 (All-New Series 1 - unpriced packs - 1st and 2nd print), 1-757-30-02-3 (All-New Series 1 - unpriced packs - 3rd and 4th print), 1-757-30-03-3 (All-New Series 2 - unpriced packs - 1st and 2nd print), 1-757-30-04-3* (unconfirmed) (All-New Series 2 - unpriced packs - 3rd and 4th print), 1-757-30-01-4 (All-New Series 3 - unpriced packs - all printings), 1-757-30-02-5 (All-New Series 4 - unpriced packs - all printings), 1-757-30-02-6 (All-New Series 5 - unpriced packs - all printings), 1-757-30-01-7 (All-New Series 6 - unpriced packs - all printings), and 1-757-30-02-7 (All-New Series 7 - unpriced packs - all printings). The retail boxes all had the box code that began with 1-758 (1-758-30-01-3 (All-New Series 1 - pre-priced packs - 1st and 2nd print), 1-758-30-02-3 (All-New Series 1 - unpriced packs - 1st and 2nd print), 1-758-30-04-3 (All-New Series 1 - pre-priced packs - 3rd and 4th print), 1-758-30-05-3 (All-New Series 1 - unpriced packs - 3rd and 4th print), 1-758-30-06-3 (All-New Series 2 - pre-priced packs - 1st and 2nd print), 1-758-30-07-3 (All-New Series 2 - unpriced packs - 1st and 2nd print), 1-758-30-08-3 (All-New Series 2 - pre-priced packs - 3rd and 4th print), 1-758-30-09-3 (All-New Series 2 - unpriced packs - 3rd and 4th print), 1-758-30-01-4 (All-New Series 3 - pre-priced packs - all printings), 1-758-30-02-4 (All-New Series 3 - unpriced packs - all printings), 1-758-30-01-5 (All-New Series 4 - pre-priced packs - all printings), 1-758-30-02-5 (All-New Series 4 - unpriced packs - all printings), 1-758-30-01-6 (All-New Series 5 - pre-priced packs - all printings), 1-758-30-02-6 (All-New Series 5 - unpriced packs - all printings)), 1-758-30-01-7 (All-New Series 6 - pre-priced packs - all printings), 1-758-30-02-7 (All-New Series 6 - unpriced packs - all printings)), 1-758-30-03-7 (All-New Series 7 - pre-priced packs - all printings), and 1-758-30-04-7 (All-New Series 7 - unpriced packs - all printings)). |
| Question List | |
| Question | Is there a way I can tell which United States Garbage Pail Kids 2nd Series wax box contains the Leaky Lindsay/Messy Tessie or Jolted Joel/Live Mike puzzle backs? |
| Answer | There
were at least three print runs for the United States Garbage Pail Kids 2nd
Series. The wax packs that have 25¢ printed on the front (wrapper code 0-495-21-01-5) can contain either Leaky Lindsay/Messy Tessie or Jolted Joel/Live Mike puzzle piece backs (only one or the other (not both in the same wax box)), and those printings have 49b as Schizo Fran. The only way to determine what card backs you have is to actually open up one of the packs. The wax packs that do not have 25¢ printed on them (wrapper code 0-495-21-02-5) contain Jolted Joel/Live Mike puzzle piece backs, and card 49b is Fran Fran. |
| Question List | |
| Question | What do the * and ** printed on the back of the cards mean, and are they variations? |
| Answer | A full uncut sheet from a United States Garbage Pail Kids series starts out as 264 cards. The left-half of the sheet has some of the cards printed with * on the back. The right-half of the sheet has some of the cards printed with ** on the back. The asterisks were just markings to show what part of the sheet the cards were from. For almost all of the United States Garbage Pail Kids series 1-15, you can find cards with * on the back also printed with ** on the back. I do not consider the asterisk differences to be variations, but some collectors do collect them. The United States Garbage Pail Kids produced after the 1980s did not have asterisks printed on them. |
| Question List | |
| Question | How can I tell if a card or uncut sheet is fake? |
| Answer | There
are a few ways to determine whether or not your items are authentic.
Always be very cautious when buying "rare" variations and uncut
sheets. The majority of the bootleg sheets are from the United States
Garbage Pail Kids 2nd and 3rd Series. The All-New Series uncut sheets
have 80 cards (10 cards across and 8 cards down), and it is very unlikely
that you will ever find any bootleg uncut sheets from the All-New Series.
The details of the original series uncut sheets are further explored in
the information listed below. You need to closely examine the card to determine whether or not it is a fake: • Does the card have sharp and straight edges and corners? If the edges are not straight, it is possible that the card was cut from an uncut sheet, and this was not done by the manufacturer. If the edges or corners are worn, it could be to cover something up (such as the sticker being transferred to a different card back). All of the United States Garbage Pail Kids cards are uniform in size. It is also possible that someone had tried to cover up a flaw by trimming the card, so be cautious of that. You can pull miscut cards from wax packs. They can be the same size as the regular Garbage Pail Kids cards, or they can be oddly-shaped. But, the miscut cards will still have straight edges. Cards from Canada Garbage Pail Kids wax packs often have rough edges. The edges of the Canada Garbage Pail Kids cards were still straight, and the cards were all uniform in size. • If the card is supposed to have die-cuts and does not, that is a good sign that it was cut from an uncut sheet, and this was not done by the manufacturer. All of the United States Garbage Pail Kids regular series cards have die-cuts except for one print run of the 15th Series. Sometimes, you can find sellers offering cards with inking problems, white backs, or yellowed fronts. These cards were most likely cut from a rejected uncut sheet, which is why they do not have die-cuts. Also pay attention to the portion of the sticker that was die-cut. It should perfectly match with the surrounding border-sticker. • Look at the print quality of the card. Does it appear to be high-quality or a color Xerox copy or a card? Note any erasure marks on the card. It is possible someone tried to erase off a portion of a card in order to pass it off as a rare variation. • A card is not fake if it has different content on the backs or has a name change. Those are probably just variations. If it is a variation that has not been noted on my website, then it is most likely a fake. There are a few things to look for on the uncut sheet to determine whether or not it is a fake: • Does the sheet have a total of 264 or 132 cards? Full uncut sheets from the United States Garbage Pail Kids regular series have 264 cards. The sheets are often found cut down to 132 cards, which is perfectly acceptable. If you find a sheet that has just 44 cards, just the puzzle portion of the sheet, or that is a small strip; then it could have possibly been trimmed down from the sheet of 132 by the seller, so that they could make more money by having a few sales from just the one sheet. Sheets that have 42 cards or 50 cards are bootlegs. • Does the sheet have the original guide lines, border, and markings? If the sheet does not have any information like this printed on it, it was either trimmed or is a bootleg. • How is the quality of the sheet? If the sheet has the die-cuts printed on the sheet and then punched out, it is a bootleg. The borders of the cards should not be printed onto the sheet either. If the sheet was printed on thin paper with a yellow backing, it is a bootleg. |
| Question List | |
| Question | How should I store my cards? |
| Answer | You can store the cards in plastic card boxes, but this will not allow you
to look through your collection very easily. I recommend storing the
cards in the plastic 2-piece slide boxes. You can also store the cards in plastic sleeves inside of toploaders (acid and residue free). A toploader is a clear, thin, rigid piece of plastic that you can slide one card into for storage. You can put the cards in a binder inside of plastic pages. Make sure to use polypropylene (acid free) plastic pages and not polyvinyl pages. Polyvinyl will ruin your cards because as the plastic decomposes it leaves behind an acidic residue. You need to be careful when you store your cards in plastic pages because they are more prone to getting damaged. Storing the cards in plastic boxes or toploaders is the best way to prevent your cards from getting damaged. Do not put a rubber band around your cards because this will bend the edges over time. The rubber band could also decompose and leave a stain on the cards. Do not store the cards in a shoe box because they can get damaged while being shuffled around. Do not store the cards in photo albums because the tackiness of the pages can pull off portions of the cards. Keep your cards out of direct sunlight because that will discolor them over time. Do not store your cards in the Garbage Pail Kids Sticker Album made by the Imperial Toy Company because the pages are made out of polyvinyl. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Can I remove the stickers from the card backs? |
| Answer | It is
not too uncommon to see a Garbage Pail Kids sticker missing the border or
not on the original card back. If you are collecting the cards, do
not remove any part of the sticker because this will make the cards worthless. Some non-US releases do have sticker albums where the cards are to be stuck down, but it is a big mistake to adhere stickers from any set into the sticker albums. Most collectors prefer to have a complete sticker set and an empty sticker album opposed to a complete sticker album. Partially-complete sticker albums are not very desirable unless the stickers are rare. |
| Question List | |
| Question | What are variation cards, and where can I learn about them? |
| Answer | A variation
card is a specific card number (i.e. 1a) that has been printed two or more
different ways. A variation can be a name change (i.e. the United States Garbage Pail Kids 2nd Series card 49b printed as Schizo Fran and Fran Fran). A variation can be a card printed with different backs (i.e. the United States Garbage Pail Kids 1st series card 8a printed with a checklist on the back or an award on the back). A variation can be a subtle printing difference (i.e. the United States Garbage Pail Kids 10th Series card 384a printed correctly or printed incorrectly with the white area (see the United States Garbage Pail Kids 10th Series section for more details)). I do not consider the * or ** printed on the cards to be variations. Some collectors do collect those differences as variations. A variation can be a color change (i.e. United States Garbage Pail Kids 7th Series card 260b printed with a blue Garbage Pail Kids banner on front or a purple Garbage Pail Kids banner on front). Slight differences in ink color are not considered variations. I had listed the United States Garbage Pail Kids 9th Series card 355b Semi Colin printed without the card number in my variation lists, but it is technically an error card that was consistently manufactured without the card number. I had also listed the United States Garbage Pail Kids 15th Series cards without die-cuts in my variation lists, but they are technically error cards that were consistently manufactured with that defect. You can download the United States and many of the non-US variation lists in my Downloads section. You can also read about each of the series in the Card Information section. |
| Question List | |
| Question | What is an error card? |
| Answer | An error
card is a card that has a manufacturing flaw. A few examples of error
cards are cards that were incorrectly cut, that do not have die-cuts, that
have white backs, or that have areas lacking ink (such as the United
States Garbage Pail Kids 9th Series card 355b Semi Colin printed without
the card number). All of the United Kingdom Garbage Pail Kids 3rd Series 125b Oak Kay cards came printed without the card number. They are not error cards. I describe some of the error cards found in the United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 1, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 2, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 3, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 4, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 5, United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 6, and United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 7 under the Errors and Card Details sections for those series. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Where can I buy the "hard to find" variations, and are the cards with the name changes rare variations? |
| Answer | Search
in the same places I told you where to buy the cards. The less common
variations do come up on eBay
from time to time. You can also try to pull the variations from wax
boxes yourself. I am uncertain which United States Garbage Pail Kids 7th Series boxes contain the three hard to find variations for that series. It seems that they can be found in packs with or with 25¢ printed on the front. To find the United States Garbage Pail Kids 9th Series 355b Semi Colin printed without the card number, you need to find a wax box that was made in Canada. The bottom of the outside of the wax box will have Canada printed on it, and the wax packs will have "GUM MADE IN CANADA" printed near the bar code. The Canada Garbage Pail Kids boxes were typically taped shut by the manufacturer with a single piece of tape. The wax packs must have "ALL NEW" printed on the front. If you find a wax box like this, you can peek into a pack without opening it by lifting up the flaps in the back of the pack while having them still held together in the center. Some packs are not as well-sealed as others, so try to find one that was loosely sealed. The goal is to not open up the packs unless you see an indication that they may contain the error card. If you can see a non-puzzle piece card back while peeking into the pack, see if it has * or ** printed on it. If it was printed with ** on it, then the wax box may contain the error card. If it has just has *, then it will not contain the error card. All of the requirements must be met in order to find a wax box that contains the error card. The United States Garbage Pail Kids 2nd Series cards 49b Schizo Fran and 49b Fran Fran are common and are worth just as much as the other cards from the 2nd Series. They are not rare error cards. The name change was done to probably avoid the association with the term schizophrenic. The United States Garbage Pail Kids 4th Series cards 125b Woody Alan, 125b Oak Kay, 149a Reese Pieces, 149a Puzzled Paul, 158b Crystal Gale, 158b Ig Lou, 164b Salvatore Dolly, and 164b Battered Brad are all common cards and are worth just as much as the other cards from the 4th Series. They are not rare error cards. The Garbage Pail Kids character's names were changed to avoid lawsuits with the celebrities and the companies that had those names. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Why does the United States Garbage Pail Kids 3rd Series have so many variations, and how do I collect a United States Garbage Pail Kids 3rd Series variation set? |
| Answer | The
United States Garbage Pail Kids 3rd Series cards
were printed with and printed without copyrights on them. Copyrights
on the United States Garbage Pail Kids 3rd Series cards are variations because
they were different from print run to print run. It probably is best
to buy a 3rd Series set without the copyrights and then buy another set
with copyrights because most dealers do not sell (or even know about) the
copyright variations as part of their sets. If you are interested in purchasing wax boxes or wax packs for specific copyright variations, here is a description of the packs and their contents: • The packs with 25¢ on the front of the wrapper and "MADE & PRINTED IN USA" near the bar code or have that the wrapper code 0-490-21-01-6 can contain cards with or without (only one or the other for the entire box (not both)) the copyright information on the puzzle pieces. • The packs without 25¢ on the front of the wrapper or that have the wrapper code 0-490-21-02-6 contain cards with the copyright information on the puzzle pieces. • The packs with 25¢ on the front of the wrapper and "GUM MADE IN CANADA" near the bar code or that have the wrapper code 0-490-21-03-6 can contain cards with or without (only one or the other for the entire box (not both)) the copyright information on the puzzle pieces. |
| Question List | |
| Question | What are die-cuts? |
| Answer | A die-cut is an impressioned cut on the front of the card where the sticker is meant to be peeled out from. The United States Garbage Pail Kids had die-cuts, but many of the non-US releases did not have them. The United States Garbage Pail Kids 15th Series was produced with and without die-cuts, which was a manufacturing error. |
| Question List | |
| Question | How much are Garbage Pail Kids cards worth? |
| Answer | To get a good idea of how much Garbage Pail Kids cards are worth, you should review my Price Guide section. I did not list how much the non-US Garbage Pail Kids are worth (except for the United Kingdom Garbage Pail Kids 1st Series) because there really are not enough in the market to give a fair estimate. Since I do not collect Garbage Pail Kids items, I could not give a good estimate of their value, so I did not list them in the price guide. You can try searching eBay to see if a comparable item to what you have was sold, so you can see how much it went for. |
| Question List | |
| Question | How do I grade cards? |
| Answer | You can use my Price Guide to help you. It gives the basic definitions for card grades. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Where can I sell my Garbage Pail Kids cards and items, and how do I sell them? |
| Answer | You
can try posting a for sale message on the Garbage
Pail Kids Underground forum, Garbage Pail Kids Facebook page, or you can try listing them on eBay. To sell your Garbage Pail Kids cards, you should first put them in order (like 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, etc.). Then, go to my Price Guide section to see what series the cards are from. I listed the card ranges for each of the United States Garbage Pail Kids series (like 1a-41a and 1b-41b is for the 1st Series) there. Count how many cards you have from each series. Also, get a general idea of the condition of the cards. Note any cards with stains, writing, or other damage. The United States Garbage Pail Kids 1st Series cards are probably the only cards worth selling individually besides some of the non-US releases. Cards from the other United States Garbage Pail Kids series are best sold in groups instead of individually, and they typically do not go for much money (possibly $5-$10 for 100 miscellaneous singles). Keep in mind that most people are interested in buying complete sets or near-sets, and those are the items that sell the best. If you decide to auction off your Garbage Pail Kids items, make sure to include a detailed description and scans or photos of everything that is in the auction lot. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Are you interested in buying any of my Garbage Pail Kids? |
| Answer | I am
no longer looking to purchase any Garbage Pail Kids items. If you are interested in selling your Garbage Pail Kids cards and items, I recommend listing them on the eBay auction website. |
| Question List | |
| Question | Can I use images and information from your website on my website or in my auctions, and could you provide me with images of certain cards and items? |
| Answer | I have
spent hundreds of hours putting together this website for everyone to use
for free. I do not approve of anyone else using any of my graphics
or text. Please create your own images and write your own text for
your websites and auctions. There is no point of creating a website
if you are just copying from other websites. People want to see something
new and original, so be creative. Also remember that this entire website
is copyright protected. I will not provide anyone with additional images of Garbage Pail Kids cards or items. It is just too time-consuming for me to do that. |
| Question List | |
| Question | If I could not find the answer to my questions on your website, what should I do now? |
| Answer | You should first do a thorough search of my website (try searching the website by using Google's search of wgpkr.com) and the other websites listed in my Links section. |
| Question List | |
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| Copyright
© 1998-20XX Wayne's Garbage Pail Kids References All images and information may not be reproduced without permission. |