All
of the printings of the United States Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series
3 had boxes that contained 36 packs. This was no different than
the boxes for the All-New Series 2. All of the All-New Series 3
boxes came shrink-wrapped in plastic (see image above), and the shrink-wrap
had Topps printed all over it in blue. 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 on page 3. The character featured on top of the box
was the All-New Series 3 character 23a Snotty Scotty / 23b Bubble Juan.
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 pop-up 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 pop-up 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, scratch 'n stink card set of 24, or pop-up card set of
10 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 and a pop-up card set, you would most likely have
to go through at least 2 or 3 boxes. But to make a scratch 'n stink
card set, you will need to go through at least 4 boxes, which could end
up being very costly. 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 or a pop-up card, information
on the foil card code number, the link to Topps' Garbage
Pail Kids World website, and the link to the Topps
Vault website. In order for anyone from Canada to be eligible
to win a scratch 'n stink card or pop-up card, they had to answer a simple
mathematical skill-testing question, which was necessary because of Canadian
laws regarding to drawings.
Here is a little more information about
the Canadian law regarding contests. From TheFreeDictionary
website, "The Canadian Competition Act bans games of chance,
with the exception of provincial lotteries, and licensed casinos and charity
events. Many stores, radio stations, and other groups still wish
to hold contests to encourage more purchases or increase consumer interest.
These organizations take advantage of the fact that the law does allow
prizes to be given for games of skill. In order to make the luck
based contests legal the company thus adds a supposedly skill testing
question. The most common form for these questions to take is a
mathematical equation. A court decision ruled that the equations
must contain at least three operations to actually be skill testing.
Thus a common question might be 2 × 4 + 10 × 3. (Answer: 38.) For
contests held in the United States or other countries that are open to
Canadians the questions must also be asked of any Canadian winner.
Enforcement of these rules is not very stringent, however, and, especially
for small prizes they will not be asked. Getting the question wrong
is also often not an obstacle to receiving the reward.".
Even though the contents were slightly different,
the size of the All-New Series 3 boxes were exactly the same as 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) roughly
measure 11.25" x 9.875" x 8.375". The code 2-757-40-02-4,
the code #757-3H, and the bar code 041116747571 were printed on the 8-box
hobby cases. The 16-box cases have the code 2-758-40-01-4 printed
on them along with two sets of codes: code #757-3 (bar code 041116647574)
and codes #758-3 and #758-3E (bar code 041116747588). The case boxes
with the code #757-3H or #757-3 contained the boxes that had the "On
Sale Here!" posters and unpriced packs. The case boxes with
the code #758-3 contained the boxes that had the priced packs, and the
posters were not included in the boxes. The case boxes with the
code #758-3E 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 (see images above). The hobby shops received boxes with
the 1-757-30-01-4 code (041116547577 bar code), which contained packs
with the 0-757-89-01-4 code (041116447570 bar code). These packs
were unpriced. Each hobby box contained a 10.5" x 17"
"On Sale Here!" poster featuring 23a Snotty Scotty / 23b Bubble
Juan (see image above). The posters were placed at the top of the
boxes. The code on the posters was 4-757-08-01-4.
The boxes sold at Wal-Mart
and similar chain stores had the box code 1-758-30-01-4 (041116647581
bar code). The boxes did not come with insert posters. The
packs had the 0-758-89-01-4 code (041116547584 bar code) and were pre-priced
99¢.
The boxes sold at K
B Toys and similar chain stores had the box code 1-758-30-02-4 (041116947582
bar code). The boxes did not come with insert posters. The
packs had the 0-758-89-02-4 code (041116847585 bar code) and were unpriced.
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 pop-up
cards were just by opening a few packs. At pack numbers 1, 2, or
3; there should be a scratch 'n stink card or pop-up card. The scratch
'n stink cards and pop-up cards 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 pop-up
card in pack number 4).
Topps
created three new Garbage Pail Kids bonus boxes for the All-New Series
3. The bonus boxes could only be found at specific chain stores.
Two of the bonus boxes were pre-priced at $9.99, and the other bonus box
was to be priced by the retailers. Each bonus box contained 11 packs
and a unique bonus card. The All-New Series 3 bonus cards were not
renumbered to start back at B1, which was unlike all of the other All-New
Series items since they always began back to number 1. Wal-Mart,
K B Toys, Meijer
stores carried the bonus boxes that contained bonus card B3 Gator Adrian,
the price tags on the boxes were put on by the store (see image above
of the various price tags), and they had the code 1-939-30-02-4 (bar code
041116749391). You can see that K B Toys always prices their Garbage
Pail Kids items higher than any of the other chain stores. Target
and Shopko stores
carried the bonus boxes that contained bonus card B4 Hill Billy, the price
tags on the boxes were yellow ovals, and they had the code 1-939-30-01-4
(bar code 041116549397). Toys
R Us and K-Mart
stores carried the bonus boxes that contained bonus card B5 Cole Gate,
the price tags on the boxes were yellow squares, and they had the code
1-939-30-03-4 (bar code 041116849398) along with the code 3659 in a separate
yellow rectangle. The designs of the three types of bonus boxes
(see images above) were slightly different, so you could easily tell them
apart. The B3 and B4 bonus boxes had the items packaged at the bottom
of the box, and the space at the top of the box was filled with one long
piece of Styrofoam. The B5 bonus boxes had items packaged in the
middle of the box between two pieces of Styrofoam, and the boxes had a
pull tab to make opening the box easier. Unfortunately, the two
pieces of Styrofoam made a significant difference when it came to protecting
the bonus cards. Between 10% and 25% of the B3 and B4 bonus boxes
contained a damaged bonus card (see image above for example). The
bonus cards in the B3 and B4 bonus boxes would sometimes get caught between
the regular packs and the piece Styrofoam, which could end up bending
the card significantly. 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 0-939-89-01-4 (bar
code 041116449390), 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 on page 2 of the
All-New Series
1 section under Packaging and Contents if you are interested in trying
to open up packs without tearing the wrappers.
Just like in the All-New Series 2, Topps
created pack displays called "power wings" for use in stores
such as Wal-Mart and Meijer (see images above). The distributor
that carried these displays was Legends, L. P. 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 3 character 23a Snotty Scotty / 23b Bubble Juan, and it had the
code 2-737-24-01-4 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.
The All-New Series 3 displays were a little more attention-grabbing than
the All-New Series 2 displays because the All-New Series 3 displays were
bright orange and had characters from the series printed on the left and
right sides. It seemed that the displays were put out less often
for the All-New Series 3 compared to the displays for the All-New Series
2. 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. 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. Topps and Legends, L. P. refer to the item
as a "power wing", but it seems much more straightforward to
call it a display. The sticker on the display can have the code
5-737-60-01-4 or 5-737-60-02-4 printed on it.
I was fortunate to obtain photos of the
box that the Wal-Mart display came in (see image above). On the
front of the box, it says "GARBAGE PAIL KIDS SERIES 3 POWER WING
- ATTN: DEPARTMENT 82 - VERY IMPORTANT - Wal-Mart personnel must read
directions on the back of wing for September, October, November and December
for toy aisle placement - Do not file a claim. This product is from
a POS vendor. Do not pay until you sell it.". On the
side of the box it has the codes #737-3B (bar code 041116547379), #737-3L
(bar code 041116647376), and #737-3M (bar code 041116747373); which possibly
meant the display could hold the three different types of packs.
I am speculating that the box code #737-3B was for the packs with the
code 0-757-89-01-4 (unpriced hobby), #737-3L was for the packs with the
code 0-758-89-01-4 (priced retail), and #737-3M was for the packs with
the code 0-758-89-02-4 (unpriced retail).
On rare occasion a white insert slip trimmed
from an uncut sheet could be found inside of a pack. One collector
found the white insert slip for that came from an uncut sheet of the scratch
'n stink stickers (see image above). The insert slip measures approximately
1" ± 0.125" x 2.5" ± 0.125", and it
is the same thickness as the regular cards. The insert slip did
not have a code printed on it, but it did have "GARBAGE PAIL KIDS
- SCRATCH 'N STINK" printed on one side and "FORM 1 BACKS 4/C"
printed on the other side.
There was
a 1.0" ± 0.125" x 2.5" ± 0.125" white
insert slip (see image above) that could be found in approximately one
out of three retail cases of 16. It was the same thickness as the
regular cards. I believe the white insert slip came from a trimmed
portion of an uncut card sheet because there was gloss on both sides of
it. The gloss only covered approximately 0.25" of one side
and approximately 0.5" of the other side. There was no text
on the white insert slip, but there was a thin black bar that was printed
on both sides of it.
There were a variety of United States Garbage
Pail Kids All-New Series 3 rack packs, and they both could contain a mixture
of packs from the previous All-New Series (see images above). 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 rack packs had a red header card (same card that was
used for the All-New Series 2 rack packs) and contained 3 All-New Series
3 packs, 2 All-New Series 3 packs and 1 All-New Series 2 pack, 2 All-New
Series 3 packs and 1 All-New Series 1 pack (from the 1st print), 2 All-New
Series 3 packs and 1 All-New Series 1 pack (from the 2nd print), or 2
All-New Series 3 packs and 1 All-New Series 1 pack (from the 3rd or 4th
print). 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 rack packs had the same green
header card as the Wal-Mart 3-pack rack packs from the All-New Series
2. There was another 3-pack rack pack from Wal-Mart that had the
same bar code and price, but the header card was darker green, and the
"3 Unopened Packs" text was at the top of the header card.
You also could find rack packs at Wal-Mart titled "Garbage Pail Kids"
(bar code 009532005033) with 6 packs for $5.82 ($0.97 per pack) from Legends,
L. P. These rack packs used the same header cards as the rack packs
for the All-New Series 1 and contained 6 All-New Series 3 packs, 5 All-New
Series 3 packs and 1 All-New Series 2 pack, or 4 All-New Series 3 packs
and 2 All-New Series 2 packs. I was not impressed by any of these
rack packs. The packs that were from the All-New Series 1 or All-New
Series 2 were sandwiched between two All-New Series 3 packs, so you could
not easily see that you were getting packs from a previous series.
I felt this was sneaky. Legends, L. P. was just reusing the same
header cards and recycling their leftover All-New Series 1 and All-New
Series 2 packs for use in the All-New Series 3 rack packs. Long
after the All-New Series 3 was released, Vintage Sports Cards put together
rack packs that contained a mixture of All-New Series packs. At
Sears, you could find
2-pack rack packs (bar code 730828702854) for $1.59 (~$0.80 per pack).
These rack packs contained one All-New Series 2 pack and one All-New Series
3 pack. The unique design of these rack packs had images from All-New
Series 2 and All-New Series 3 cards. The rack packs were designed
very similarly to cardboard CD sleeves.
I still felt there were severe distribution
problems with the various rack packs, boxes, and bonus boxes for the All-New
Series 3. The items arrived in different stores as much as a month
apart if they even arrived at all. The items were poorly displayed
in the stores, and many of the stores did not keep all of the items in
stock. The regular boxes were not easy to find in stores, and the
bonus boxes and rack packs did not seem to get reordered when they were
sold out. |
