PRODUCTION
ARTWORK — BITS & BOBS BACKSTORY —ANNOTATED NOMENCLATURE
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84a
JOE BLOW — Rhyme; the name Joe with the word ‘blow’. — A parody of the Topps bubblegum mascot, Bazooka Joe. — A name used to designate a fictitious or unidentified person (along with ‘John Doe’). def’n: Blow — The act of blowing. To fill with air. To burst suddenly or to explode. 84b ROD WAD — Rhyme; the name Rod with the word ‘wad’. def’n: Wad — A soft mass of material. A compressed ball, roll or lump, as of tobacco or gum.
& BOBS: — Pound’s Bazooka (bubble gum) mascot gag titled ‘BAZOOKA JOE‘ was the thirty-second approved concept that John executed for the OS3 set per his artwork notes. The new GPK set was a melting pot of unpublished OS2 titles and recent OS3 concepts along with introducing two new card (front) artwork artists, Tomas Bunk and Mae Jeon. The character, with CPK-like arms spread wide, is a spitting image of Bazooka Joe (& His Gang)®, especially the then current 80’s rendition with the two strands of hair poking out from under the hat’s bill as seen on the character’s t-shirt. The word “GUM” has been added to the final artwork stage. The comic strip character was created sometime between 1952-1954 by cartoonist Wesley Morse as requested by the then head of Product Development at Topps, Woody Gelman. The Bazooka brand was introduced in 1947; comics ceased to be printed in 2012. Gobsmacked. — Unlike the OS1 pink packaging color chosen from the ADAM Bomb card background and the OS2 blue packaging color chosen from the PATTY Putty background that started out the set, the OS3 packaging color turned out to be green where yellow could have been a strong contender — maybe that’s why it was picked for the OS4 set. — During March 2024, sketch artists were told that the ‘Bazooka Joe’ character could no longer be drawn and would be rejected (and you could be removed from future invites if rule not followed). The Bazooka brand was introduced in 1947, a product of ‘Bazooke Candy Brands’ (BCB), which was a division of The Topps Co. until the acquisition by Fanatics, Inc. in 2022. In October 2023, Apax Partner acquisitioned BCB product portfolio from Fanatics. Per Wiki, “In August 2023, Apax entered into an agreement with The Tornante Company, former Disney CEO Michael Eisner’s private investment firm, and Madison Dearborn Partners to acquire the Bazooka candy business for a sum of $700 million.” |
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85a
STUCK CHUCK — Rhyme; the name Chuck with the word ‘stuck’. def’n: Stuck — past participle of ‘stick’. To pierce, puncture or penetrate with a pointed instrument. To poke into a certain place. 85b PINNED LYNN — Rhyme; the name Lynn with the word ‘pin+ned’. def’n: Pin — A short, straight piece of wire/metal with a blunt head and a sharp point.
& BOBS: — Pound’s pincushion gag titled ‘VOODOO DOLL‘ was the thirty-fifth approved concept that John executed for the OS3 set per his artwork notes. The subject matter ’embraces’ the world of poppets — historical. a small figure of a human being used in sorcery and witchcraft. A poppet or voodoo doll is made to resemble a person in order to cast spells on them or to indirectly harm them by directly harming the doll. These voodoo dolls often have specific marks on the body that point out vital organs as does the GPK character which has a large ‘X’ over the chest cavity area. Pound’s thumbnail sketch (pictured above) has no pins poking in the leg or foot of the character; several more were added for the actual tight pencil rough. Human pincushion – slang. A person who’s an object of frequent criticism or hurtful treatmeant. The image and artwork contains the first human hand for GPK; an outside element that extends off the page — or rather, into the artwork and interacts or interferes with the subject matter. — Most of the original GPK cards had very unique die-cuts for their sticker pattern — adopted from the Wacky Packages franchise (pictured at bottom of page). — The first 0S3 GPK image with a ‘HUMAN HAND’. |
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86a
HORSEY HENRY — Semi-rhyme; the name Henry with the word ‘horse+y’. def’n: Horse — A large, four-legged hoofed mammal. def’n: Horsey — Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of, a horse. 86b GALLOPING GLEN — Glen: G name to go with the word ‘gallop+ing’. def’n: Glen — A valley. A low area of land between hills or mountains. def’n: Gallop — A three-beat gait of a horse. A fast running pace.
& BOBS: — Pound’s ‘centaur’ gag was the twenty-sixth approved concept that John executed for the OS3 set per his artwork notes. Centaur – a mythological creature having the head, arms and torso of a man and the body and legs of a horse. Centaurs are featured in both Greek and Roman mythology being familiar figures in the medieval bestiary and remain a continued staple in mordern fantastic literature. The non-horse-faced character can be seen clutching a bag of labeled ‘OATS’, a complex carbohydrate fed to horses along with whey, a complete protein with essential amino acids. Horse-flies are seen hovering above the half-horse, pesky flies that like to bite animals. The would-be horse’s mane has been stylized into a Mohawk Indian haircut. The unsightly bald patches could simply be the shedding of the dense winter coat, an allergic reaction to those oats or too much horseplay. Sagittary, much like the star sign Sagittarius, is a centaur with a bow—an iconic character Chiron in Greek mythology (pictured above). — The image was used as one of eight OS3 characters out of ten for the 2nd Series U.S. Cheap Toys figurine line released in 1986 throughout French Canadian territories by the Novo BonBon company; #4 Galloping GLEN checklist art (pictured above). |
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87a
HOT HEAD HARVEY — Harvey: H name to go with the words ‘hot head+ed’. def’n: Hot headed — Easily angered or excited. Impetuous; rash. 87b ROY BOT — Nomenclature = Robot. A parody of the popular Robotech franchise and a nod to the Transformers and Gobots toylines. def’n: Robot — A machine that resembles a human being and is capable of performing human tasks.
& BOBS: — Pound’s mecha gag titled ‘NEW STYLE JAPANESE ROBOT‘ was the thirty-fourth approved concept that John executed for the OS3 set per his artwork notes. A notation at the bottom of the concept artwork reads “Head – chrome skin, and demonic glow eyes?”; the original color rough had the character containing a chrome dome and demonic-like eyes but the skin tone was changed to a neutral white color to bring the CPK-likeness out (above). Mecha — in anime, manga, et cetera. Japanese slang for ‘mech’-anical, a piloted robot that’s usually large and heavily armored. — The number ‘3’ model number over the robot’s chest plate (breastplate) is most likely a number reference for the series in which it was created; (OS)3. — The first card image to have the GPK header covered by the artwork; this does not occur for any card within the OS1 or OS2 releases. — In 1987, Topps started plans on a 3rd Series ‘mini’ set during the production of the 9th Series release; several acetate test cards with the code 4-490-05-03-7 appeared on eBay years later through the Topps Vault. This may have been a last ditch effort to create product prior to the lawsuit outcome for the U.S. or an international release (pictured above). — The print run with the copyright line © can be found with an incorrect die-cut for card 87a. The pattern is the same as the die-cut used for OS2 cards 55, 59, 79 and 81 that share a similar shape. This phenomenon can occur when the printing press is laid out for a new print run (pictured above). |
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88a
DINAH SAUR — Nomenclature = Dinosaur. def’n: -Saur —combining form. Forming names of reptiles, especially extinct ones. def’n: Dinosaur — Any of various prehistoric, extinct and often gigantic reptiles. 88b FARRAH FOSSIL — Nomenclature = Farrah Fawcett. Farrah Fawcett; a famous actress of the hit T.V. series Charlie’s Angels of the 70’s. def’n: Fossil — A remnant or trace of an organism of a past geologic age embedded in the earth’s crust.
& BOBS: — Pound executed a fossilized bone concept for OS3 and it’s the first horizontally displayed character on card for the set. Compared to OS1 characters 29a Bony JOANIE and 29b Thin LYNN, the skeleton is nonhuman and mimicking Tyrannosaurus Rex remains. Instead of placing yarn-like hair on the character, Pound has humorously placed a pair of segmented, vertebrae-like pigtails on the character’s noggin with pink bows to bring out a gender and CPK look. — The fossil mount is heavily hidden by the GPK nameplate, but is reminiscent of a ‘exhibit label’ plaque. — Beginning in 1986 the Topps company began releasing, and later licensing, the GPK name internationally through a plethora of releases throughout various countries, oftentimes translated and printed in different languages. Initially with the Garbage Pail Kids name and later a translation of The Garbage Gang after the 1987 lawsuit settlement; including the popular, Italian ‘Sgorbions’ cards (pictured above). |
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89a
HURT CURT — Rhyme; the name Curt with the word ‘hurt’. def’n: Curt — Rudely brief and abrupt; cut short. def’n: Hurt — To feel or cause to feel pain. To damage. 89b PAT SPLAT — Rhyme; the name Pat with the word ‘splat’. def’n: Splat — A loud, slapping noise.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s executed skater gag takes the phrase ‘Skate or Die’ quite literally. As with most of Bunk’a artwork, he is quite liberal with extra small comedic moments placed into the imagery such as the knocked out teeth, the untied shoelace and band-aids. As with most of Bunk’s colour roughs, he supplies several samples for each concept with different colour backgrounds, clothing styles, et cetera. — The yellow and red impact ‘X’s in the original colour rough eventually became stars; although the symbol in comic books is sometimes part of a ‘nittle’ sequence, Bunk uses the symbol to reference physical pain and injury. The tracksuit’s stripes became yellow; the opposite shoe became untied and the skateboard deck changes colours for every rendition along with the background and hair. The single tooth within the mouth disappears for the final version. A notation on the first colour rough simply states ‘Red’, possibly for the colour of the skater’s tracksuit. — The first 0S3 GPK image with ‘STARS’. |
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90a
STONED SEAN — Sean: S name to go with the word ‘stoned’. def’n: Stoned – slang. Intoxicated; drunk. Under the influence of a mind-altering drug. def’n: Stoner — informal. A person who regularly takes drugs, especially marijuana. British. A person or thing that weighs a specified number of stone (a unit of weight). def’n: Joint — informal. A marijuana cigarette. 90b THICK VIC — Rhyme; the name Vic with the word ‘thick’. def’n: Thick — Lacking mental agility; stupid, dunce. Relatively great in depth from one surface to th opposite. def’n: Dunce cap – A paper cone put on the head of a dunce at school as a mark of disgrace.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s completed stoner gag is pretty ‘rock solid’. The concept is based off of The Thinker (Le Penseur), originally named The Poet, a bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin, commissioned and conceived in 1880 and based off of The Divine Comedy writings of Dante. The comedic GPK character is seen holding a joint and wearing a dunce cap, leaning on his hand out of boredom, tired from overthinking perhaps, and no longer pondering. — From one colour rough to the next, the character becomes less slouched and all but one wasted ‘bubble’ (known as ‘squeans’ in comic books, usually for intoxication) was removed along with the spiderweb; although, the dangling spider remains in contact throughout until the final version. An alleged marijuana joint, ash pile and cracks to the knee were added to the final version. — The second card image to have the GPK header covered by the artwork. The dunce cap is so long part of it is cut-out of the PEEL HERE sticker area once peeled. — The first 0S3 GPK image with a ‘SPIDER’. |
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91a
BLAKE FLAKE — Rhyme; the name Blake with the word ‘flake’. def’n: Flake —informal. A Crazy or eccentric person; odd, ditz, space cadet, airhead, fool, scatterbrain. def’n: Peace sign — A sign of peace made by holding up with palm turned outward and the first two fingers extended in a V-shape pattern. 91b HIPPIE SKIPPY — Rhyme; the name Skippy with the word ‘hippie’. def’n: Hippie — informal. A usually young person who opposes or rejects the conventional standards and customs of standard, conventional, uniformed or ‘normal’ society.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s executed hippie gag is full of ‘flower power’; a peace symbol, unkempt hair, disheveled appearance, guitar, bedroll, et cetera. Although the concept is based off of a beatnik (flower child, Bohemian, free spirit, et cetera) it evolved to look like and was eventually named after an underground cartoonist by the name of Mervyn ‘Skip’ Williamson (picture above with artist Jay Lynch). Williamson’s grandmother gave him the nackname ‘Skip’ after the comic strip and troublemaker character Skippy by Percy Crosby. Skip met his good friend Jay Lynch in Chicago and later both lived in the New York City area; Lynch was working for Topps on their Wacky Packages line and would later work on GPK starting with OS6. Both would pass away at the age of 72, less than two weeks apart in March of 2017. — The afro flower child with sandals would eventually become a similar beatnik with flower moved from the mouth to the bandana around the head. The teeth were later replaced by a tongue sticking out and trippy symbols added around the character; including stars and planets (meaning ‘far out’ there), a bell and music symbols along with asterisks and squiggly lines (these two are known as squeans and spurls in the comic book world and mean being beyond ‘loaded’), and several common house flies (unshowered). — The second 0S3 GPK image with ‘STARS’. — The second 0S3 GPK image with a ‘SPIDER’. |
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92a
MARVIN GARDENS — Semi-rhyme; the name Marvin with the word ‘garden+s’. A name parody of Marvin Gardens, a 60’s singer and songwriter. A park district in New York City and housing area in NJ as well as a space on the Monoply game board. def’n: Garden — A planted tract used for public enjoyment. 92b SPITTIN’ SPENCER — Spencer: SP name to go with the word ‘spit+ing’. def’n: Spit — To eject saliva from the mouth. The act of spitting.
& BOBS: — Pound’s bubbler gag titled ‘FOUNTAIN, SPOUTING WATER‘ was the thirty-sixth approved concept that John executed for the OS3 set per his artwork notes. A notation at the bottom of the tight pencil artwork states ‘stone or metal GPK’; the character became the second stone character (after card #90) within the set water-sporting some cool, stone-cold grey eyes. The characer is a spitting image of a CPK doll. — The concept artwork demonstrates Pound’s uncanny ability for perfect composition. It also shows his talent for painting the elements, especially water and gradient backgrounds (painted with an airbrush), including this dusk skyline. As a rule, any white areas in Pound’s pieces are canvas which he leaves unpainted. |
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93a
DREW BLOOD — Nomenclature = Draw blood. def’n: Draw — (past tense. Drew) To take or pull out, extract. def’n: Blood — The fluid circulated by the heart throughout the body. 93b BUSTIN’ DUSTIN — Rhyme; the name Dustin with ‘bust+ing’. def’n: Bust — To burst or break. To punch.
& BOBS: — Pound’s pka WWF gag titled ‘WRESTLER IN KNOTS‘ was the fifty-second approved concept that John created during the OS2 set, but it was executed for the OS3 release, per his artwork notes. Several concepts were carried over from the OS2 set and painted for the OS3 release, including tight pencil concepts by Pound painted by other artists as well. Much like Bunk’s skateboarding character, the image contains two missing teeth, band-aids and knocked-out pain stars. — The third 0S3 GPK image with ‘STARS’. — Starting in 2003, the Topps company brought back the GPK brand and many chase cards ended up being recycled images from the 80’s releases; which had already been paid for and cheaper to mass produce once again. The foil card images for All-New Series 2 (ANS2) were updated and rendered by brothers Pat and Sean Glover for the 2004 release (pictured above); notice the 4-fingers per hand and the oval-shaped eyes since Topps was still following the settlement agreement and new model chart from 1987. — Starting in 2010, the Topps company begain printing Flashback sets that almost entirely contained reused images from the 80’s period; again to profit from images already produced (pictured above). Topps was no longer concerned with the old lawsuit at this point, since the statute of limitations had passed. The Flashback Series 2 images released in 2011 contained 8-bit-like yellow borders and parallels colours could also be collected. One version, released exclusively to specialty market stores and had a white border, header and nameplate. |
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94a
BRUISED LEE — Nomenclature = Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee – A famous martial arts expert in ninja/karate movies of the 80’s and on. def’n: Bruise — To pound into fragments. Inflict an injury on someone causing discolouration of the skin by a blow or impact rupturing the underlying blood vessels and tissue. 94b KARATE KATE — A parody of the popular 80’s movie and sequels Karate Kid. Kate: Similar sounding name to go with the word ‘karate’. def’n: Karate — A Japanese art of unarmed self-defense that stresses efficiently struck blows.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s executed ‘karate’ concept really packs a punch; capable of hitting with skill or force — and pays the consequences. Star ‘smarts’ (def’n – to cause a sharp, stinging pain to part of the body) have been extremely popular within the OS3 set; this visually brings more ‘stunning’ impact to the gag. A notation on the colour rough image states ‘sleeve rolled up’ and the art director sketched in where this level should be located. The closed mouth changed pretty drastically as well, to a wide open mouth and tongue sticking out. — Historically, the repeated dying process of a white belt or sash dictacted the level of expertise; the standard color system (not necessarily Kung Fu) is: white, yellow, gold, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, red and black. The character within all three images is suprisingly high up there; black, red and purple. The belt, top-knot band and eye colour changes for each piece of artwork. — The fourth 0S3 GPK image with ‘STARS’. — There contains six OS3 characters and sticker write-ups within the 2013 and 2014 MiniKins releases of resin figures that are reminiscent of the 1986 Cheap Toys characters. Text by Pat Barrett and Colin Walton. The name ‘Karate KATE’ has been changed to ‘Karate KYLE’ for the toy release (left). |
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95a
GRIM JIM — Rhyme; the name Jim with the word ‘grim’. def’n: Grim — Unrelenting; rigid; stern. Ghastly; sinister; terrible. Dismal; gloomy. 95b BETH DEATH — Rhym; the name Beth with the word ‘death’. def’n: Death — The act of dying or condition of being dead. def’n: Scythe — A tool used for cutting crops, with a long curved blade at the end of a long pole.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s executed ‘Death’ (aka the Grim Reaper) with scythe gag is the second OS3 skeleton concept. Between the two colour roughs the composition remains similar but the main differences are: no light-shadow below the character, an eyeball added to the Reaper’s skull, a human skeleton added to the background, a noose added to the tree limb, the sun/moon (dusk setting or blood-moon?) lowered in the sky and the robe changed from the colour green to blue. — The original negatives used to print the cards during the production process were auctioned off of eBay through the Topps Vault in later years (piectured above right). — The third 0S3 GPK image with a ‘SPIDER’. — There contains six OS3 characters and sticker write-ups within the 2013 and 2014 MiniKins releases of resin figures that are reminiscent of the 1986 Cheap Toys characters. Text by Pat Barrett and Colin Walton. |
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96a
DISTORTED DOT — Dot: D name to go with the word ‘distort+ed’. def’n: Distort — To twist out of a proper or natural state. 96b MIRROR IMOGENE — Nomenclature = Mirror image. def’n: Mirror — A surface capable of reflection to form a virtual image of an object placed in front of it. def’n: Mirror image — A reproduction of a person or thing; identical or close resemblence. An optically formed counterpart of an object formed by a mirror with the structure reversed (as in a mirror).
& BOBS: — Pound’s mirror-image gag titled ‘FUN-HOUSE MIRROR, GPK‘ was the thirty-seventh approved concept that John executed for the OS3 set per his artwork notes. A house or hall of mirrors is a traditional attraction at carnivals, amusement parks, et cetera. A notation at the bottom of the concept artwork reads “Alt – could have regular proportion kid in mirror”; the mirrored kids look like normal Cabbage Patch Kids where the regular smile was changed to an open-mouth surprised smile for the finished product. — Artist Tom Bunk was also tested out with this concept; naturally, both artists went in different directions, but both were nicely executed (bottom pictures). Bunk’s concept piece was most likely first, a key notes in the upper left-hand column of the artwork by the art director states, “backgr. Mauled PAUL 15b, black –> green.”, suggesting the background should have the same color gradient as Pound’s OS1 character, along with other color pointers, including “red” for the dress, which was later implemented by Pound. — The image was used as one of eight OS3 characters out of ten for the 2nd Series U.S. Cheap Toys figurine line released in 1986 throughout French Canadian territories by the Novo BonBon company; #9 Distorted DOT checklist art (top right). |
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97a
PUNCHY PERRY — Perry: P name to go with the word ‘punch+y’. def’n: Punch — To hit with a sharp blow of the fist. def’n: Punchbag – British. Punching bag. A stuffed or inflated bag, pear-shaped and suspended for punching. 97b CREAMED KEITH — Keith: C sounding name to go with the word ‘cream+ed’. def’n: Cream — To beat to a creamy consistancy. slang. To beat.
& BOBS: — Pound’s blow up toy gag titled ‘INFLATED PUNCH-BAG‘ was the twenty-seventh approved concept that John executed for the OS3 set per his artwork notes. The image and artwork contains the second human hand within the release; an outside element that extends off the page — or rather, into the artwork and interacts or interferes with the subject matter; the studded wrist band was possibly added to show the hitter was bad-arse. The character is not made out of cloth like a CPK doll, so the painting technique is quite different, so it reads and reflects like plastic instead of cloth. The Imperial Toy Corporation had previously released six different inflatable ‘Pop Bags’ for GPK in 1986. — A print run with and without the copyright line © can be found with an incorrect die-cut for card 97a that was erroneously swapped for the card 114a die cut. Since there is no copyright line on card 97a there is only one variation of the die-cut error for both print runs resulting in two different die-cuts possible for the card. This phenomenon can occur when the printing press is laid out for an original or new print run (pictured, upper right). — The fifth 0S3 GPK image with ‘STARS’. — The second 0S3 GPK image with a ‘HUMAN HAND’. |
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98a
CHARLOTTE WEB — A name parody on the children’s book and movie Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. def’n: Web — A structure of threadlike filaments spun by a spider. def’n: Spider — An eight-legged predatory arachnid having fangs that inject poison into their prey and (most) species spin webs in order to capture insects. 98b DIDI T. — A name parody of a toxin poisonous to spiders rather than a spider’s poisonous venom. def’n: DDT — A colorless insecticide, toxic to man and animals when swallowed or absorbed through the skin. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane. def’n: Venom — A poisonous substance secreted by animals such as snakes, spiders and scorpions.
& BOBS: — Pound’s arachnid gag titled ‘SPIDER (BLACK WIDOW?)‘ was the thirty-third approved concept that John created during the OS2 set, but it was executed for the OS3 release, per his artwork notes. Several concepts were carried over from the OS2 set and painted for the OS3 release, including tight pencil concepts by Pound painted by other artists as well. A notation at the bottom of the tight pencil artwork and colour rough states “Alt. hands – ?” showcasing a larger and smaller CPK-like hand rather than a pointy appendage. Yarn-like hair and pigtails make anything look like a GPK. — Artist Tom Bunk was also tested out for this particular spider concept (right image), most likely using Pound’s original OS2 concept as reference. The piece was later removed from production and replaced by Pound’s rendition. Pound’s concept asked whether the image should be a black widow — a highly venomous spider that has a black body with hourglass-like red markings. — The fourth 0S3 GPK image with a ‘SPIDER’. |
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Mock-Up Bonus: 1a SPIDER GREG — Nomenclature = Spider leg(s). def’n: Spider — An eight-legged predatory arachnid having fangs that inject poison into their prey and (most) species spin webs in order to capture insects. def’n: Leg — Each of the limbs an animal (or person) walks and stands. Website Mock-Up Bonus: 1b CRAWLY CHRIS — Chris; C name to go with the word ‘crawl+y’. def’n: Crawl — To move forward on limbs (and knees) close to the ground. def’n: Creepy-crawly — slang. Any insect or spider, along with other crawling creatures, that people fear.
& BOBS: — As seen above for card #98, artist Tom Bunk was also tested out for the spider concept. The composition is quite different and possibly awkward, where it didn’t read as a GPK to the NPD Department. Bunk’s original character was bald and the painting was touched-up later (most likely re-touched by Bunk) where the yellow hair was added. The final artwork had ‘PUT HAIR …’ to have artist revise and later ‘OUT’ written on it to remove the piece from production. — In 2011, Topps released the Flashback Series 3 set (card #68 above) where art director Colin Walton requested a copy of the artwork from Bunk in order to release the image as a ‘LOST’ card. A scan of the photographic slide from 1985 was sent in to Topps that contained Bunk’s original concept for the character. It is unknown who has or owns the touched up final artwork with yellow hair. The back reads: ‘This card features a never-before-published Garbage Pail Kid painting from the ’80s’. — In 2013, Topps released the Chrome Series 1 set (card #L4 right) using the same image printed as a ‘LOST’ card. The back reads: ‘This card features an original Garbage Pail Kid from the ’80s which remained unpublished in that decade’. The nomenclature used for both releases was 68a/L4a Arach NED (= Arachnid — An arthropod of the class Arachnida, such as a spider or scorpion.) and 68b/L4b Web JEB (short for ‘spiderweb’, Web — A connection of fine threads spun by a spider from fluid secreted by its spinnerets, used to catch its prey.) |
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99a
BEAKY BECKY — Becky: B name to semi-rhyme with the word ‘beak+y’. def’n: Beak — The horny, projecting mouth parts of a bird; bill. def’n: Vulture — A large bird of prey with a bare head and neck that chiefly feeds on carrion. 99b PICKY MICKEY — Rhyme; the name Mickey with the word ‘picky’. def’n: Picky — informal. Fussy; meticulous. def’n: Pick — To remove the outer covering of; pluck. To tear off bit by bit. def’n: Scavenger — An animal that feeds on carrion, dead plant material or refuse.
& BOBS: — Pound’s scavenger bird gag titled ‘VULTURE‘ was the nineteenth approved concept that John executed for the OS3 set per his artwork notes. The original final artwork looked much like the colour rough where the character had four scraggy hairs coming out of its head. As with Tom Bunk’s ‘SPIDER’ concept above, Topps had the artwork sent back to Pound to have touched-up to have hair added to the character’s noggin. Vultures by nature have a bare neck and head in order to get through ribcages and chest cavities of their dead prey. — “I looked at some b/w xeroxes I made of the (vulture GPK) final art, and my slides, and they show that I turned the final art in with just 4 straggly hairs, just like on the color rough. I didn’t find copies of the revised final art. Maybe Topps wanted it to look more like a typical Cabbage Patch head, with yarn hair, since the nose and mouth are not typical here, with the beak. I think I started with the mid-gray in the back hair, and worked my way forward to the blacker details. With the hair, the GPK vulture went from scary to dumber, perhaps funnier. I should have added blood and meat splats in the hair, but I either didn’t think of it, or was in a hurry, and just did what they’d asked for.” — POUND — The image was used as one of eight OS3 characters out of ten for the 2nd Series U.S. Cheap Toys figurine line released in 1986 throughout French Canadian territories by the Novo BonBon company; #8 Picky MICKEY checklist art, sans guts (pictured, above right). |
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100a
ALI GATOR — Nomenclature = Alligator. def’n: Gator — informal. An alligator. def’n: Alligator — A large reptile with sharp teeth, powerful jaws and a broader, shorter snout than a crocodile. 100b MARSHY MARSHALL — Marshall: Same sounding name as the word ‘marsh+y’. def’n: Swamp — An area of low-lying ground where water collects; a bog or marsh. def’n: Marshy — Of or like a marsh; swampy. def’n: Marsh — An area of low-lying, wetland.
& BOBS: — Pound’s gator gag was one of many concepts that John executed for the OS3 set. The anthropomorphic character is one many OS3 animal concepts that exhibit human qualities. The character is sporting a tucked in tennis polo shirt with a CPK-like head emblem; this is a parody of the Lacoste clothing emblem which is actually a crocodile — the company’s founder was nicknamed ‘the Crocodile’ by his fans due to his tenacity on the tennis court.  — The character was one of the main cast members for the poorly scored 1987 CBS Garbage Pail Kids movie released by MGM on DVD for the first time in 2005 and on Blu-ray by Shout Factory in 2015 for underground cult collectors. — The image was used as one of eight OS3 characters out of ten for the 2nd Series U.S. Cheap Toys figurine line released in 1986 throughout French Canadian territories by the Novo BonBon company; #3 ALI Gator checklist art — no fish in mouth. — Trick or Treat Studios created a (too) realistic, latex Halloween mask of the character in 2015 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of GPK. And, the character became one of Funko’s “Mystery Minis” sculpted vinyl figures in 2015; thirty years after its card release to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of GPK. |
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101a
MUSHY MARSHA — Semi-rhyme; the name Marsha with the word ‘mush+y’. def’n: Mush — Something thick and soft. 101b BASKING ROBIN — Nomenclature = Baskin-Robins. A name parody on the ‘Baskin-Robins’ restaurant company; popular for the (over) “31 flavors” tagline. def’n: Bask — To expose oneself pleasantly to warmth.
& BOBS: — Pound’s dripping cone gag titled ‘ICE CREAM CONE MELTING‘ was the eighth approved concept that John executed for the OS3 set per his artwork notes. The concept remained almost the same from the tight pencil and color rough through to the final artwork, except for the added sprinkles and the cherry on top… err, to the side. Pound suggested the names ‘Ice Cream COHEN’ and ‘Meltin’ MELVIN’, but the nomenclature ended up being ‘female’ in gender. The ‘EAT-IT’ passage on the cone is a shortened parody found on the EAT-IT-ALL® Kelloggs Keebler cake cone. A rare GPK that’s sad about its predicament; but still has some smiling dimples.  — There contains six OS3 characters and sticker write-ups within the 2013 and 2014 MiniKins releases of resin figures that are reminiscent of the 1986 Cheap Toys characters. Text by Pat Barrett and Colin Walton. The cigarette butt has been removed for the printed image. |
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102a
MUGGED MARCUS — Marcus: M name to go with the word ‘mug+ged’. def’n: Mug — To waylay and beat severely, usually with intent to rob. def’n: Mug – A peron’s face. informal. A hoodlum or thug. British. A stupid or gullible person. 102b KAYO’D CODY — Rhyme: Semi-rhyme: The name Cody with the word ‘kayo+’d’. def’n: Kayo — slang. A knockout; a K.O. Finishing blow; coup de grâce. def’n: knockout — The act of knocking someone out (usually unconconcious).
& BOBS: — Pound’s tongue-in-cheek “CHAMP” gag titled ‘MUGGED GUY‘ was the eleventh approved concept that John executed for the OS3 set per his artwork notes. The character bust also had the suggested names of ‘Broken/Busted/Bruised BRUCE’ along with “(ALT – punk kid w/ safety pins)”; the name wasn’t used and alternate concept is similar to an already painted OS2 gag. Multiple scars on the full-fledged victim suggest a multitude of previous beatings and maulings. Recent injuries to ‘the body’, or rather, the head in this case are: several abrasions with bruising, a sealed-shut shiner, a broken nose with blood, a split lip bleeding profusely from a Sloth-like mouth (The Goonies) and a kick to the head — or had recently been heavily treaded on after being knocked out from a concussion due to the two swollen bumps. And, to add insult to injury or salt to the wound, the character’s t-shirt has been torn. — The character was used as the first of two completed puzzles for the OS3 set, which included puzzle preview cards and puzzle piece cards. |
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103a
WRIGGLEY RENE — Rene: R sounding name to go with the r-sounding word ‘wriggle+y’. A parody on the Greek mythological creature ‘Medusa’. def’n: Wriggle — To turn or twist with sinuous motions. 103b CURLY CARLA — Carla: C name to go with the word ‘curl+y’. def’n: Curl — To assume or form into a curved or spiral shape. Something with a spiral or coiled shape.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s Gorgon gag went through quite a few phases before reaching card status. With the artist’s duties including both reverse and front artwork for the new set, this transitional period was heavily art directed by Mark Newgarden. The orginal concept, seen further below, had the character standing in both a full length and a bust position for the final artwork. The composition wasn’t working for the NPD Department who had Bunk switch the character’s pose to a sitting position. — The pencil and colour concepts also changed drastically, from Barbarian-like clothing to a cutesy babydoll dress, from being barefoot to having CPK-like shoes, and going from a dense head of snakes to a patchy head of serpents. One comment off to the side of one of the pencil roughs states ‘brown snakes’; to match the color of hair. The on-and-off-again tongue appeared for the final version, the band-aids and bite marks disappeared and the character holding a blue snake appeared. The background became green with yellow shadow; similar to Pound’s airbrushing technique which took Bunk some time to get used to. — The Greek mythology character, Medusa, having venomous snakes in place of hair turned victims into stone after gazing into her hideous face. |
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Website
Mock-Up Bonus: 2a WRIGGLEY RENE + Website Mock-Up Bonus : 2b CURLY CARLA
& BOBS: — Bunk’s Gorgon gag went through quite a few phases before reaching card status. With the artist’s duties including both reverse and front artwork for the new set, this transitional period was heavily art directed by Mark Newgarden. This orginal concept had the character standing in both a full length and a bust position for the final artwork. The composition wasn’t working for the NPD Department who had Bunk switch the character’s pose to a sitting position (see above). The standing and sitting colour roughs for both renditions are quite similar, minus the dress. Both contain a thick mass of green serpents and the character is a victim of muliple bite wounds with band-aids applied. The final artwork has the on-and-off-again tongue and the snakes are held together by hairties and hair bows. — In 2016, Topps released the As American As Apple Pie (2016 Series 1) set and the image was included within the main subset of 42 cards for numbers 6a and 6b with the same names as the OS3 version. The image was intended for the OS3 Chrome set as a ‘LOST’ artwork card, by then art director Colin Walton, but was placed in this set instead. |
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104a
SILENT SANDY — Nomenclature = Silent sands. A parody replication of the Great Sphinx of Giza in Egypt; a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx. def’n: Silent — Making no sound or noise; quiet. Stillness. def’n: Sand — loose, granular, gritty particles of rock. 104b BARREN AARON — Rhyme; the name Aaron with the word ‘barren’. def’n: Barren — Lacking vegetation. Devoid; lacking. def’n: Sphinx — mythology. Either a Greek winged monster of Thebes having a woman’s head and a lion’s body or a mythical figure of ancient Egypt having the body of a lion and the head of a man, a ram or a hawk.
& BOBS: — Pound’s sphingein gag titled ‘SPHINX (REV)‘ was the twelfth approved concept that John executed for the OS3 set per his artwork notes. As seen within the pencil rough, colour rough and final artwork, the piece was revised from a horizontal composition (pictured below) that didn’t seem to be working, to a vertical stance to show the sheer size of the sphinx, including the addition of guy and camel. The environment now takes place during the daytime and the suggested chips and dents (mentioned below) have been implemented by Pound.    — As seen above, art director Mark Newgarden’s original thumbnail sketch had a crumbling face similar to the Great Sphinx of Giza in a nighttime setting. The second image show’s Pound’s tight rendition of the thumbnail sketch with the face in shadow; notations off to the side stated ‘Big moon’ (Newgarden) and ‘pitted + chipped stone’ (art director Art Spiegelman). An alternate concept titled ‘King Tut in trash/sarcophagus’ was also created by Newgarden. — The only known piece painted by Pound and touched up by the Art Department, in-house, to make the underside of the face hidden in shadow brighter. The artwork was most likely handled by Mae Jeon, an on staff employee at Topps tested on GPK for OS3. 99% of the time, artwork would be sent back to Pound to correct.  — In 1998, Comic Images (with distribution by Dark Horse Comics) had John Pound create sixty-one images, including a bonus card, for their Meanie Babies parody set, poking fun at the then popular Beanie Babies plush animal craze. Pound used the same ‘SPHINX’ concept for the set titled ‘SPHINXTER’, but used the original horizontal layout. All card text on the reverse is by Jay Lynch. |
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105a
JUICY JESSICA — Jessica: Same sounding name to go with the word ‘juicy’. def’n: Juicy — Full of juice; succulent. def’n: Venus flytrap — a ‘small’ carnivorous bog plant with hinged leaves that spring shut and digest insects. 105b GREEN DEAN — Rhyme; the name Dean with the word ‘green’. A possible parody of the 1982 Off-Broadway musical and 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors. def’n: Green — The color of most plant leaves and growing grass. Young; new; fresh.
& BOBS: — Pound’s man-eating plant gag titled ‘VENUS FLY TRAP (REV)‘ was the eighteenth approved concept that John executed for the OS3 set per his artwork notes. Unaware of what the revision for the card was, but glad there’s no hair-piece on this art piece, where the character looks bald but still like a CPK-doll. This is one of the first bloodiest Garbage Pail Kids cards seeing a previous corpse and a new victim being processed. Although the plant itself isn’t cloth-like, it’s nice to see a CPK-like arm sticking out of its mouth. — For the OS3 United Kindgom version, the card nomenclature for 105a is ‘Juicy LUCY’; this is also true for any English releases based off of the UK edition: New Zealand, Australia, Scandinavia, et cetera. |
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106a
FOWL RAOUL — Rhyme; the name Raoul with the word ‘fowl’; sounds like ‘foul’. def’n: Fowl — A bird used as a food or hunted as game. def’n: Foul-mouthed — Using obscene language. 106b MACK QUACK — Rhyme; the name Mack with the word ‘quack’. A warped parody of the Walt Disney character Donald Duck in his sailer uniform and also very reminiscent of the Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck. def’n: Quack — The characteristic sound of a duck.
& BOBS: — Pound’s foul-mouthed gag titled ‘DUCK (REV)‘ was the tenth approved approved concept that John executed for the OS3 set per his artwork notes. Although Donald Duck, the cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney, is characterized as being michievous and tempermental, the anthropomorphic white duck is still pretty mild-mannered. Maybe the revision to the image was adding hair, but besides the differently coloured sailor shirt with bow tie and token sailer cap, the GPK image is a spitting parody and representation of the popular Disney character. — The sixth 0S3 GPK image with a ‘STAR’. |
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107a
TOTEM PAULA — Nomenclature = Totem pole. def’n: Totem pole — A post carved and painted with a series of totemic symbols (of a clan or family). 107b TATUM POLE — Nomenclature = Totem pole. def’n: Totem — An animal, plant or natural object that serves as a symbol of a clan or family among certain peoples. def’n: Pole — A long piece of wood.
& BOBS: — Pound’s totem pole gag was one of many concepts that he executed for the OS3 set. The scenic background of the image is taken right out of the Pacific Northwest coastline (WA, OR and Canada). Totem poles are made from large tree, mainly western red cedar found in that area, and carved by indigenous peoples of that location. ‘Totem’ stems from the word odoodem meaning “his kinship group” and the carvings symbolize lineages, events, legends and beliefs of the family. Per the colour rough, it seems the bottom creature’s ears were reworked and a white was added around the character so it wasn’t washed out by the setting sun, background colour. The GPK character itself looks pretty normal compared to the grotesque and wacky animals. — Most of the original GPK cards had very unique die-cuts for their sticker pattern — adopted from the Wacky Packages franchise (pictured at bottom of page). |
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108a
SMELLY SALLY — Semi-rhyme; the name Sally with the word ‘smelly’. def’n: Smelly — Having an unpleasant odor. 108b FISHY PHYLLIS — Semi-rhyme; the name Phyllis with the word ‘fishy’. def’n: Swamp — An area of low-lying ground where water collects; a bog or marsh. def’n: Fishy — Resembling or suggestive of fish. def’n: Mermaid — A fictitious or mythical sea creature half-human with the trunk and head of a woman and the bottom and tail of a fish. Usually depicted as attractive with long flowing, golden hair.
& BOBS: — Pound’s mermaid gag titled ‘MERMAID IN CAN (R)‘ was the twenty-fifth approved concept that John executed for the OS3 set per his artwork notes. It is unknown at this time what the revision possibly was, but perhaps they placed the mermaid in the can of ‘fresh’ sardines. If ‘chicken of the sea’, the tuna would be packed in oil rather than water. Luckily, the mermaid remains intact and whole and not minced… and prepackaged with a skimpy starfish-shelled, swimsuit top. — Legendwise, a mermaid is often depicted as a woman who seduces someone, especially a seductress that entices a man into sexual activity… or at least into the water to be drowned. — The image was used as one of eight OS3 characters out of ten for the 2nd Series U.S. Cheap Toys figurine line released in 1986 throughout French Canadian territories by the Novo BonBon company; #10 Fishy PHYLLIS checklist art — no sardine can (pictured above in pink). — There contains six OS3 characters and sticker write-ups within the 2013 and 2014 MiniKins releases of resin figures that are reminiscent of the 1986 Cheap Toys characters. Text by Pat Barrett and Colin Walton (pictured above). |
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109a
TOADY TERRY — Terry: T name to go with the word ‘toad+y’. def’n: Toad — A froglike, land-dwelling amphibian with rough, warty skin. def’n: Frog – A tailless amphibian with a short,squat body, moist smooth skin and long hind legs for leaping. 109b CROAKIN’ COLIN — Semi-rhyme; the name Colin with the word ‘croak+ing’. def’n: Croak — A low, hoarse sound, as that made by a frog. def’n: Amphibian — A cold-blooded vertebrate animals having an aquatic gill-breathing larval stage and usually a terrestrial lung-breathing adult stage; frogs, toads, newts and salamanders.
& BOBS: — Pound’s amphibian gag titled ‘FROG-FLY (R)‘ was the thirteenth approved concept that John executed for the OS3 set per his artwork notes. The OS3 release is very heavy on animals and mythical beasts. Nomenclature for card 109a Toady TERRY is a misnomer, considering the animal depicted is clearly an amphibious frog and not a terrestrial dwelling toad. Although the character does not appear to be anthropomorphic in nature, he still has frog-tendencies and characteristics, but is dressed as a human or CPK-like doll. — There contains six OS3 characters and sticker write-ups within the 2013 and 2014 MiniKins releases of resin figures that are reminiscent of the 1986 Cheap Toys characters. Text by Pat Barrett and Colin Walton (pictured above). |
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110a
SNOOTY SAM — A parody of the Uncle Sam poster that points at ‘you’; initials ‘U.S.’ def’n: Snooty — informal. Snobbish; haughty. Showing a superior or conceited attitude. def’n: Snotty — informal. Full of or covered with nasal mucus. 110b U.S. ARNIE — Nomenclature = U.S. Army (United States Army); a parody of the Uncle Sam recruitment poster. def’n: Army — The entire military land forces of a country.
BITS& BOBS: — Pound’s patriotic parody titled ‘UNCLE SAM‘ was the thirty-third approved concept that John executed for the OS3 set per his artwork notes. A notation at the bottom of the concept had Pound asking: ‘Alt – smaller, with red/white/blue border box?’; this question is in relation to the original soliciting poster that showcases the red, white and blue framed border. Pound gave the artwork an old, worn-in (or out?) poster feel. The army recruitment image, Uncle Sam, was painted by J.M. Flagg in 1917 and based off of the 1914 British Lord Kitchener Wants You poster (both pictured on the main page within the ‘GPK History’ page). — Besides being used as one of the OS3 completed puzzles, the artwork can also be located within the 1986 GPK Poster set as #17 ‘Garbage Pail Kids Want You’ measuring 10×17 inches as well as the main artwork on both the box and wrapper. The iconic image can also be found within the 2011 Flashback S3 set and as a major mascot for the 2016S1 ‘As American As Apple Pie’ yearly set on both the box and wrapper. — The image can be found on the backside of 2015 Series 1 Wacky Packages card #43 Bonettes as an Uncle Sam ad parody with striped borders (pictured above, upper right). |
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111a
TARGET MARGARET — Rhyme; the name Margaret with the word ‘target’. def’n: Target — An object with a marked surface that is shot at to test accuracy. def’n: Target practice — Any exercise in which projectiles are fired at a specified target. 111b BULLSEYE BARRY — Barry: B name to go with the word ‘bullseye’. def’n: Bull’s-eye — The small central circle on a target or a shot that hits this circle.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s executed shooting gallery gag for OS3 is on target and a deadly shot. No cardboard animals were hurt during this test and no bull’s-eyes were actually hit — although, the GPK character does have a forehead shot, dead-center, almost right between the eyes for the final artwork. Several notations are located on the colour rough: has the colour ‘violet’ crossed out and replaced by ‘purple’ for the background, the gradient near the bottom of the image is labeled ‘black’ and the shelves or levels have been marked with the colour ’emerald green’. The character has been shot roughly twenty-two times. def’n: Shooting gallery – A room or fairground booth used for recreational shooting at targets with guns or air guns. — The character was used as the OS3 box side profile artwork to lure kids into buying packs. What character to use for the packaging artwork was usually jotted down on the back of the final artwork. |
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112a
FRANK N. STEIN — Nomenclature = Frankenstein. A parody of the old horror, monster story and flick Frankenstein. def’n: Stein — Stone. A large earthenware object. 112b UNDEAD JED — Rhyme; the name Jed with the word ‘undead’. def’n: Un — Reversal of an action. def’n: Dead — No longer alive; lifeless.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s executed stomping ‘Frankenstein’ gag went through a few stages before the final product. The first colour rough with arms to the side, two bats and no cat is most likely an earlier rendition (pictured last). The zombified, arms-straight-out with flattened cat is the later concept. Any gaping mouth or tongue has been removed for the final artwork, bolts and nuts remain intact, the clothes become more solid patterned and squirting blood from the cat is replaced by mostly puffs of wind, flattened like a windbag. The moon did not make it into the final artwork piece, but is in every pencil and colour rough. In the story, Dr. Frankenstein is the scientest that creates the monster; the creature or monster is not named ‘Frankenstein’. — The seventh 0S3 GPK image with a ‘STAR’. |
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113a
ALICE ISLAND — Nomenclature = Ellis Island. A parody of The Statue Of Liberty on the island off of New York City’s inland. def’n: Island — A land mass surrounded by water. 113b LIBERTY LIBBY — A parody of The Statue Of Liberty on Ellis Island. def’n: Liberty — The condition of being free from restriction of control. Freedom.
& BOBS: — Pound’s independence gag titled ‘STATUE OF LIBERTY (REV.)‘ was the second approved concept that he executed for the OS3 set per his artwork notes. One possible revision was most likely the colour scheme that changed from the first colour rough (green garbage bag colour; dusk setting) to the second colour rough (brown garbage bag colour; daytime setting); the original green colour concept was painted over. — Unknown if Bunk was tested out on the same Liberty concept, but Tom’s rendition has lady Liberty clutching her tablet in her left hand, that bears the “JULY IV MDCCLXXVI” inscription—the Declaration of Independence’s adoption date in Roman numerals—and grasping a pice of dynamite instead of a torch.  — The character was the only OS3 character out of ten used in the U.S. Cheap Toys figurine line released in 1986; with lid, sans can. The checklist line artwork was rendered by artist George Evans (pictured above in pink). |
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114a
STARIN’ DARREN — Rhyme; the name Darren with the word ‘stare+ing’. def’n: Stare — To look with a steady, often wide-eyed gaze. def’n: Optic — Anything relating to the eye or vision. 114b PEEPIN’ TOM — Nomenclature = Peeping tom. def’n: Peeping Tom — slang. A pervert that spies through windows. def’n: Peep — To peek furtively, as through a small aperture.
& BOBS: — Pound’s 4-eyes, and then some, gag was one of many concepts that he executed for the OS3 set. The image has several items dealing with optics; the character is holding a spyglass and wearing a pair of spectacles, to the left sits a microscope and to the right sits a pair of binoculars and a magnifying glass. The character has around seventy-six pairs of visible eyes from the frontal point-of-view. Per Mark Newgarden’s concept notebook, the character was listed as ‘Eyeballs on head and body’ (pictured below).  — A print run with and without the copyright line © can be found with an incorrect die-cut for card 114a that was erroneously swapped for card 97a. Due to the possible copyright line on card 114a there are two die-cut variations for both print runs resulting in four different variations for the card. This phenomenon can occur when the printing press is laid out for an original or new print run (pictured above). — The Original Series GPK characters have shown up in various sets throughout the years as chase cards like the Mix ‘n’ Match cards from the Brand-New Series 2012 set (pictured upper right). |
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115a
WARMIN’ NORMAN — Rhyme; the name Norman with the word ‘warm+ing’. def’n: Warm — To make or become warm. idiom: Burn at the stake — A harsh punishment. To execute someone by tying to a stake and burning. 115b WELL DONE SHELDON — Rhyme; the name Sheldon with the words ‘well-done’. def’n: Well-done — Cooked all the way through.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s wooden stake gag titled ‘Cowboy’ went through a few changes before the final product. The fire was used as a light source for the nighttime setting; the first colour rough called for ‘more face’ — so you could tell it was a GPK character. The secound colour rough showed more mug, but a CPK-like head was drawn in the upper right corner to show how much face was needed; other notations suggested making the image more ‘simple and to use ‘less wood’ for the fire. The third and final colour rough shows the corrected face, naturally smiling in the face of danger as GPK do, less arrows in the character and less fire wood. Not sure a cowboy-and-Indians concept would fly today. — For the OS3 United Kindgom version, the card nomenclature for 115b is ‘Well Done DON’; this is also true for any English releases based off of the UK edition: New Zealand, Australia, Scandinavia, et cetera. |
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116a
EERIE ERIC — Eric; E name to go with the word ‘eerie’. def’n: Eerie — Inspiring fear or dread. def’n: Werewolf — mythical. A person who changes for periods of time into a savage wolf creature; typically when the moon is full. 116b BERSERK KIRK — Rhyme; the name Kirk with the word ‘berserk’. def’n: Berserk — Destructively violent. Crazed; deranged.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s crazy canine gag titled ‘Woflman’ went through several changes before the final product. Earlier colour roughs, seen below, were more wolf-like with human remains in the background. A note on a later colour rough stated ‘Clouds out’ and the CPK-like wolf-boy was left only carrying a bone (to bury). There was a canine already in the OS2 set; this concept seems like it would’ve been popular after the Teen Wolf movie that had been released in 1985, but fits in nicely with the amount of fantastical creatures of the OS3 set. — Pound’s canine gag titled ‘WOLFMAN‘ (pictured blow left) was the very first approved concept that John created during the OS2 set, but it was executed for the OS3 release, per his artwork notes. A few concepts were carried over from the OS2 set and painted for the OS3 release, including tight pencil concepts by Pound painted by other artists being tested from front card artwork.
— The character became one of Funko’s Mystery Minis sculpted vinyl figures in 2016; thirty-one years after its card release (picitured above right). |
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117a
ROCKY N. ROLL — Nomenclature = Rock and Roll; a physical parody on Elvis Presley. def’n: Rock ‘n’ roll — A form of popular music having a strongly accented beat. Combining elements of blues, country, and folk music. 117b LES VEGAS — Nomenclature = Las Vegas. def’n: Vega — plural Vegas. A large plain or valley, typically a fertile and grassy one. def’n: Las Vegas — The gambling capital of Nevada where most Elvis Presley impersonators make a living.
& BOBS: — Jeon’s velvet Elvis gag was one of two concepts that she executed for the OS3 set thought to have been based off of a John Pound sketch. Topps tested out employee Mae Jeon, an in-house artist, who worked in the Art Department (“paste-ups, mechanicals, photo airbrush work, baseball card designs, printing schedules & etc.” per art director Mark Newgarden) to fill in for any touch-ups, deadlines or emergencies. Topps higher-ups wanted additional hands-on for assurance purposes and to roll out future sets as fast as possible. — The image was used as one of eight OS3 characters out of ten for the 2nd Series U.S. Cheap Toys figurine line released in 1986 throughout French Canadian territories by the Novo BonBon company; #7 LES Vegas checklist artwork (pictured above). |
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118a
HALF-NELSON — Nomenclature = Half nelson. def’n: Half nelson — A wrestling hold in which one arm is passed under the opponent’s arm from behind to the back of the neck. 118b GLANDULAR ANGELA — Angela: A name to semi-rhyme with the word ‘gland-ular’. def’n: Gland — An organ or structure that secretes a substance. Sometimes an oversecretion resulting in abnormalities.
& BOBS: — Jeon’s half-and-half painting was one of two concepts that she executed for the OS3 set that was definitely based off of a John Pound tight sketch and final artwork. Topps tested out employee Mae Jeon, an in-house artist, who worked in the Art Department (“paste-ups, mechanicals, photo airbrush work, baseball card designs, printing schedules & etc.” per art director Mark Newgarden), to fill in for any touch-ups, deadlines or emergencies. Topps wanted additional hands-on for assurance purposes and to roll out future sets as fast as possible. The split GPK is a very popular concept among collectors. The split character was more closely executed to match the image for OS2 cards 81a Split KIT and 81b Mixed-Up MITCH (pictured above). — Compared to Pound’s finished artwork below, only slight changes were made to the character. For Jeon’s piece, a flexed muscle, tattoo, and striped cut-off shirt were added to the male side, the number and lenght of stubble and body hair was reduced, and the shoe was changed to brown with white stripes. For the female side, the hair color was changed to blonde, the blouse top to white, the purse to yellow, and the shoe to pink. |
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Mock-Up Bonus : 3a HALF-NELSON + Website Mock-Up Bonus : 3b GLANDULAR ANGELA
& BOBS: — Pound’s half-and-half gag titled ‘1/2 BOY/GIRL‘ was the fifteenth approved concept that John fully executed for the OS3 set per his artwork notes, however, it was eventually given to Mae Jeon to redo. Topps tested out employee Mae Jeon, an in-house artist, who worked in the Art Department, to fill in for any touch-ups, deadlines or emergencies. Topps higher-ups wanted additional hands-on for assurance purposes and to roll out future sets as fast as possible. — The artwork wasn’t working for the art directors and as seen in the final artwork image, ‘OUT’ is written underneath the concept name in Mark Newgarden’s penmanship. This was a strange transition period of introducing new artists. The piece was eventually released in 2015 within the 30th Anniversary set within the Lost Alternate Art subset as cards 1a Half- NELSON and 1b Glandular ANGELA. |
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119a
NED HEAD — Rhyme; the name Ned with the word ‘head’. def’n: Head — The upper extremity, containing the brain, the eyes, ears, nose, mouth and jaws. def’n: Shrunken head — The tribal ritual involving the shrinking and drying of a decapitated head. 119b STILL JILL — Rhyme; the name Jill with the word ‘still’. def’n: Still — Motionless. Without movement.
& BOBS: — Pound’s ritual gag titled ‘SHRUNKEN HEAD‘ was the seventeenth approved concept that John executed for the OS3 set per his artwork notes. The concept had no apparent changes from the tight pencil through to the colour rough and the final artwork stages. FYI, souvenir shrunken heads are made out of goat skin. — For the OS3 United Kindgom version, the card nomenclature for 119a is ‘TED Head’; this is also true for any English releases based off of the UK edition: New Zealand, Australia, Scandinavia, et cetera. — The image was used as one of eight OS3 characters out of ten for the 2nd Series U.S. Cheap Toys figurine line released in 1986 throughout French Canadian territories by the Novo BonBon company; #1 Still JILL checklist artwork (pictured upper right in pink). |
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120a
BABBLING BROOKE — Nomenclature = Babbling brook; double meaning. def’n: Babble — To talk foolishly; chatter. def’n: Babbling Brook — A small, natural stream that makes a continuous low, murmuring sound. 120b JELLY KELLY — Rhyme; the name Kelly with the word jelly. def’n: Jelly — A soft, semisolid food substance.
& BOBS: — Pound’s gossip girl gag was one of many concepts that he executed for the OS3 set. Basically, the character cannot take the time to put down her food to spread rumors on the landline phone. The white bread sandwich appears to be peanut butter and jelly and the character has remnants of another, white sticky substances on her body and head; or it could be spittle or flying drool. — During the OS2 and OS3 releases, Topps took advantage of the runaway fad and released and licensed a ton of GPK merch. The Babbling BROOKE image is only a handful of characters that found their way in the Topps 3-D Wall Plak release in 1986 (above) and folder #8 of the 1986 release from Bright Ideas, Inc. |
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121a
APPLE CORY — Nomenclature = Apple core. def’n: Apple — The firm, rounded, often red-skinned fruit of the apple tree. def’n: Core — The hard or fibrous central part of certain fruits, such as the apple. 121b DWIGHT BITE — Rhyme; the name Dwight with the word ‘bite’. A possible parody of The Son of Man painting by the Belgian surrealist panter René Magritte (1964). def’n: Bite — To cut, grip, or tear with or as if with the teeth. A wound or injury resulting from biting.
& BOBS: — Pound’s fruit gag was one of many concepts that he executed for the OS3 set. The Kid concept is a possible parody of the 1964 painting by Belgian surrealist artist René Magritte titled The Son of Man, a self-portrait. A red apple with a bite taken out of it is used instead of a green apple and is also used as the actual head; a separate green worm character with a CPK-like face is humourously included. The four fresh leaves have been replaced by a dried-out brown leaf. Pound has a tendency of matching eye colour with object colour. — Most of the original GPK cards had very unique die-cuts for their sticker pattern—adopted from the Wacky Packages franchise (pictured at the bottom of the page). |
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122a
BROAD MAUD — Rhyme; the name Maud with the word ‘broad’. def’n: Broad — Wide. Large in expanse; spacious. def’n: Obsee — Grossly fat or overweight. 122b LARGE MARGE — Rhyme; the name Marge with the word ‘large’. def’n: Large — Greater than average; big. Broad; comprehensive.
& BOBS: — In proper Bunk style, Tom provided several different colour variations in tight clothing for the character. The rotund concept did not change much from pencil sketch to the colour rought stage through to the final artwork. The dress was changed to a dark violet and the ‘SODA’ can now reads ‘COLA’ instead. One notation on the colour rough does point out ‘SKIN’ and a rip in the struggling fabric has been drawn in for demonstration; skin and skin rolls were added to the final artwork image. The character is a nice female version of the chubby-chaser OS1 character for cards 26a Slobby ROBBIE and 26b Fat MATT. — Most of the original GPK cards had very unique die-cuts for their sticker pattern—adopted from the Wacky Packages franchise (pictured at the bottom of the page). |
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123a
GLOOEY GABE — Gabe: G name to go with the word ‘glooey’ or ‘glue+y’. def’n: Gluey — Any of various thick, sticky liquids used to hold things together. def’n: Goo — A sticky or slimy substance. 123b STICKY RICK — Rhyme; the name Rick with the word ‘sticky’. def’n: Sticky — Sticking or tending to stick; adhesive. def’n: Superglue — A very strong and quick-setting adhesive.
& BOBS: — Pound’s goo gag was one of many concepts that he executed for the OS3 set. The character can be seen with the following objects attached to his body: a tube of ‘GLUE-GOO’ (the culprit), a roll of Scotch tape, a pink book, a can of cola, a Three of Hearts playing card, a pair of scissors, a swirl lollipop, a spoon utensil, a Two of Diamonds and a Clubs playing card, a green book, a robot and a teddy-bear. — During the OS2 and OS3 releases, Topps took advantage of the runaway fad and released and licensed a ton of GPK merch. The Sticky RICK image is only a handful of characters that found their way into the Bright Ideas, Inc. 1986 folder release as folder #7 along with ADAM Bomb (pictured above). |
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124a
HUGH MUNGOUS — Nomenclature = Humungous. A parody of the movie King Kong. def’n: Humungous — slang. Pertaining to huge, big, over-sized or gigantic. 124b KING-SIZE KEVIN — Kevin: K name to go with the words ‘king-size’. A parody of the epic scene in the motion picture King Kong. def’n: King-size — The most eminent. The largest.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s gigantic gag titled ‘King Kong’ remained pretty much the same from tight pencil, through colour rough to the final artwork. The parody captures the most epic, apex, pinncale and poignant scene in the large ape motion picture. The only two big changes occured with the higher perspective of the building being lowered to see more heighth and hair (or fur) being added to the character’s head. — ‘WFMU’ is noted on the colour rough; a listener-supported, independent community radio station headquartered in Jersey City, NJ presenting a freeform radio format. |
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What
if? Website mock-up 125a BABY ABIE — Rhyme; the name Abie with the word ‘baby’. A parody of Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) who served as the 16th President of the United States from March 1861 until his assassination in April of 1865. def’n: Baby — Something that is one’s special achievement or interest. slang. Often used in address. What if? Website mock-up 125b MISSING LINK — Nomenclature = Missing link. aka Missing LINC and LINCOLN Park. John Wilkes Booth, a well-known actor and a Confederate spy from Maryland assassinated Lincoln. def’n: Missing — Not present. To be absent from a place and of unknown whereabouts. def’n: Missing link — A thing that is needed in order to gain complete knowledge.
& BOBS: — Pound’s presidential parody titled ‘LINCOLN‘ was the twenty-ninth approved concept that John executed for the OS3 set per his artwork notes. The piece may have been pulled for a variety of different reasons from the set, but it was originally intended for the OS3 set and later revised and also pulled from the OS5 set. Just from the colour rough, one can ascertain the many changes took place for the final artwork; the wrinkled forehead and smile lines were removed to make the head look more CPK-like and a hand was added holding a ‘PLAYBILL’ (a theater program) to flesh out the backstory. In comparison to the OS5 colour proof, the header and nameplate for the OS3 set were most likely red and yellow, respectively, the ‘PLAYBILL’ title was changed to ‘SLAYBILL’, and two additional bulletholes were added, one with blood. Not too surprising that as the concept grew more gruesome it was yanked from production once again. — The image with one bullet hole has not been released on card, but the second revision can be found within the 2010 Flashback set as cards 66a Baby ABIE and 66b LINCOLN Park, within the 2013 Chrome Series 1 set as ‘Lost’ cards L2a Baby ABIE and L2b Missing LINC, and within the 2016S1 set as ‘Classic Patriot’ cards 7a Baby ABIE and 7b LINCOLN Park (along with a ‘Patriotic Patch’ #7). |
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What
if? Website mock-up 126a ‘NORMAN-Clature’ — Nomenclature = Unknown. def’n: Soldier — A person who serves in an army. Fighter, trooper, et cetera. def’n: Army — An organized military force equipped for fighting on land. What if? Website mock-up 126b ‘NORMAN-Clature’ — Nomenclature = Unknown. def’n: Blow up — To explode. To burst or shatter violently; to scatter fragments widely.
& BOBS: — Pound’s army-man gag titled ‘SOLDIER BLOWN-UP‘ was the twenty-eighth approved concept that John executed for the OS3 set per his artwork notes. Perhaps due to the level of violence, it was pulled from the OS3 set. The artwork itself doesn’t appear to have gone through any revisions from the tight pencil through to the colour rough stage and to the final artwork. It is unknown at this time if the character was even named; whether it got that far into production or not. — The artwork may have been pulled for a variety of reasons from the regular set, but was eventually used in the 1986 GPK Giant release as card #7 ‘WHY FIGHT IT? COLLECT GARBAGE PAIL KIDS‘ in May of 1986 (pictured above right); these offset specialty releases may not have been scrutinized as closely as the regular sets. |
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What
if? Website mock-up 127a PRICKLY PETE — Pete; P name to go with the word ‘prickly’. def’n: Prickly — Having many sharp points or thorns: the prickly procupine. What if? Website mock-up 127b THORNY BARB — Nomenclature = Thorny barb. def’n: Thorny — Full of thorns or spines; spiny, prickly. Troublesome; annoying. def’n: Barb — A point sticking out and curving backward.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s previously unpublished ‘porcupine’ gag was one one of a few original concepts he tested or practiced on for the OS3 release. Bunk had worked solely on the Gross Bears Big Bad Buttons release and the reverse artwork for the OS1 and OS2 GPK sets, while John Pound was working on the final artwork for the OS1 and OS2 card fronts. Another finished but unpublished piece from this time period was a kid locked up in a dungeon.  — The same ‘porcupine’ concept can be found within the 1992 Topps Trash Can Trolls release as cards 25a Prickly PETE and 25b Thorny BARB painted by artist Pat Pigott. — The GPK image was eventually printed and can be found within the 2011 Flashback Series 3 set as cards 67a Prickly PETE and 67b Thorny BARB and within the 2013 Chrome Series 1 set as cards L3a Pricly PETE and L3b Thorny BARB. |
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What
if? Website mock-up Bonus 4a ‘NORMAN-Clature’ — Nomenclature = Unknown. def’n: Fetter — A chain or manacle used to restrain a prisoner; typically around the ankles. def’n: Manacle — A metal band, chain or shackle for fastening someone’s hands or ankles. What if? Website mock-up Bonus 4b ‘NORMAN-Clature’ — Nomenclature = Unknown. def’n: Shackles — A pair of fetters connected by a chain; used to fasten a prisoner’s wrists or ankles. def’n: Prisoner — A person captured and lept confined by an enemy, opponent, criminal, etc.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s previously unpublished ‘prisoner’ gag was one of several concepts created for the OS3 release, and possibly the OS4 release, but were eventually rejected. This particular piece actually made it quite far within production, to the final artwork stage of being painted. The first colour rough shows the victim in shackles above his head with a spiderweb and dangling spider to emphasize how long he’s been a prisoner; a skull, two mice or rats and a red food dish with dog bone is also present in the picture. The second colour rough actually has quite a few notations and feedback scribbled around the image and crudely drawn images within the picture; ‘NO BEARD’, ‘BLUE GREY’ (background), ‘SKULLS’, ‘RAT’ and ‘PLATE WITH DOG FOOD’; a mouse pokes out of his beard. The shackles became manacles or fetters that chained the prisoner to the wall and he was made to stand up. The bone-less feel of the arms is reminsicent of CPK doll arms. A tongue sticking out remains in all images. |
Definitions
taken in part from The American Heritage Dictionary.
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The original GPK sets all had unique die-cuts for their sticker outline,
adopted from the Wacky Packages franchise.
