Garbage Pail Kids Cartoon | GPK World

RELEASE
DATE : FALL 1987

In the Fall of 1987,
after the release of the 8th Series GPK set, CBS Inc. was ready to premier the
Garbage Pail Kids Cartoon within the ‘Saturday Morning’ lineup. Cartoon cells
were created by Geof Darrow for the main cast of characters, although there were
tons of extras; the cartoon cells were later auctioned off on eBay. The thirteen
episodes of the Paramount GPK cartoon were later released on DVD for the first
time in April of 2006.

PARAMOUNT DVD COVER

The episodes are broken down
into two main segments: a Loony Toons-type segment with various ‘GPK’ characters
and a Scooby-Doo detective-type segment with the main GPK cartoon cast
of characters showcasing their normal and hidden-identities. The cartoon also
contains various breaks, such as a GPK Award segment, playing off the early GPK
card backs (taken from earlier Topps releases) and a ‘Would We Lie To You?’ segment,
taken from later GPK card backs, which spoofed Ripley’s Believe it Or Not!
card releases.

The main GPK cartoon
cast, that have their own little GARBAGE GANG within their
neighborhood, is comprised of the following Garbage Pail Kids: OS2 characters
81a Split KIT (and 81b Mixed-Up MITCH), 42a PATTY Putty (and 42b Muggin’ MEGAN)
& 59a Clogged DUANE (and 59b Bye Bye BOBBIE), OS5 character (169a DEE Faced
and) 169b TERRI Cloth—with the OS6 character
(235a Ugly HANS and) 235b JAN Hand, on TERRI’s hand, and
the OS6 character (213a OTTO Whack and) 213b ELLIOT Mess. The cartoon characters
had their regular, normal-Kid identities and their hidden GPK personas.

THE
GPK GANG’S ALL HERE — © 1987 CBS, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

OS2
CHARACTER 81a SPLIT KIT

OS2
CHARACTER 42a PATTY PUTTY

OS6
CHARACTER 213b ELLIOT MESS

OS5
CHARACTER 169b TERRI CLOTH & OS6 CHARACTER 235b JAN HAND

OS2
CHARACTER 59a CLOGGED DUANE

There
are quite a few additional characters portrayed in the opening sequence and during
the othere various GPK skits and shorts of the Garbage Pail Kids Cartoon.

OS4
CHARACTER 129b TRASHED TRACY

OS2
CHARACTER 79b MICHELLE MUCK

OS6
CHARACTER 233b TRASH-CAN KEN

OS4
CHARACTER 138a ALIEN IAN

OS5
CHARACTER 172a NAT NERD

Although
labeled as OS2 CHARACTER FRYIN’ RYAN, but looking quite different, this character
is actually a combination of OS4 character 146a Baked JAKE & 146b Dry GUY
and OS5 character 194a Nasty NANCY & 194b Razzin’ Roslyn’s; the tongue sticking
out of RYAN’s mouth.

OS2
CHARACTER 55a HAIRY GARY

The
Cast of school faculty consisted of: Preston Purgation (principal), Sylvia Censor
(teacher), Squeaky Clean (cafeteria staff) and Simon Scour (professor).

There were also Garbage
Pail Kids Cartoon Figurines modeled after the cartoon characters that
Galoob Toys intended to release. The figurines contained the main GPK cartoon
cast plus various other characters used during the opening sequence, et cetera:
OS2 character 63a Spacey STACY & 63b Planet Janet, OS4 character 129a Second
Hand ROSE & 129b Trashed TRACY, OS5 character 203a Toothie RUTHIE & 203b
Dental FLOSSIE, OS2 character 79a Sewer SUE & 79b MICHELLE Muck, OS4 character
138a Alien IAN and 138b Outerspace CHASE, OS6 character 233a WES Mess & 233b
Trash-Can KEN, and OS3 character 113a ALICE Island & 113b Liberty LIBBY.

Unfortunately,
the Garbage Pail Kids Cartoon was eventually shelved, in large part due
to the protest pressure placed on CBS Broadcasting, Inc. by the American Family
Association’s (AFA) and their efforts against CBS to stop the cartoon from airing,
which contained character’s directly from the Topps GPK trading-card line.

The
cartoon was even listed within local newspapers, but a rerun of Muppet Babies
was aired instead. Images of the AFA Letter and the smear campaign against CBS
and its sponsers were graciously supplied by collector Travis Tierno.

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