PRODUCTION
ARTWORK — BITS & BOBS BACKSTORY —ANNOTATED NOMENCLATURE
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293A
EXPLORIN’ NORMAN — Rhyme; the forename Norman with the word ‘explore+ing’. def’n: Explore — To wander into (an area) for the purpose of discovery. To investigate systematically. def’n: System — The human body as a functional unit. 293B DRILLIN’ DYLAN — Rhyme; the forename Dylan with the word ‘drill+ing’. def’n: Drill — To bore with a drill. def’n: Bore — To make a hole in or through with or as if with a drill or similar tool. Digging; burrowing.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s DIGGING-FOR-GOLD gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that Tom executed for the OS8 set. The character is depicted as picking his nose to the point of poking through the top of his noggin. The character is seen with booger smears located on the backside of his digging hand and also along his forearm. Lastly, the character has his tongue sticking out to show his deep level of concentration and determination of picking a winner. Per Bunk’s color roughs, the character is seen looking upwards towards the break-through incident but the published character is seen looking cross-eyed instead. One color rough has the character’s finger poking through the top of his head but not quite piercing through; there are edited versions of this concept that can be found in both the Chile Basuritas 1999 set for card #150 RICOME Mocos and Argentina Basuritas 2000 set for card #57 RICOME Mocos where the entire protrusion area above the head has been edited and removed, along with the 2010 Flashback Loco Motion #9 card.
— Besides being the first trading card |
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294A
WEIRD WENDELL — Wendell; a W forename to go with the word ‘weird’. def’n: Weird — Of an odd, peculiar or inexplicable character; unusual. 294B LUKE AT ME — Nomenclature = the phrase or sentence: “Look at me.” def’n: Look — To seem or appear to be. To regard with contempt or condenscension. To be a spectator. Appearance or aspect. Physical appearance. def’n: At — Used to indicate a direction or goal: Look at us.
— Warhola’s REVERSE FLASHER gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that James executed for the OS8 set. The adult-like character is surrealistically depicted ‘flashing’ his clothed inner self with an outward skin-like layer, rather than a signature trench coat that a traditional flasher would wear. Flasher — a person, especially/usually a man, who exposes his genitals in public. This nightwalker is seen standing alongside a lit streetlamp, fire hydrant and claustrophobic buildings that appear to be closing in on the city dweller. The character’s outer appearance is smoking a cigarette with a booger hanging out of his left nostril, whiskers, a scar on his forehead, and an anchor & ‘MOM‘ tattoo on his right upper arm, usually worn by sailors. This symbolizes keeping a ship steady in rough waters and the stability of a mother whom/that acts an anchor; someone that provides strength and support. The character’s inner appearance shows patched jeans, a wife-beater shirt hanging over a slight beer belly, booger stained with cigarette burn holes. — Oftentimes, a GPK originates from a simple concept sketch and the artist further fleshes out the idea. Art Spiegelman supplied a thumbnail sketch of the character with the single word ‘FLASHER‘ with a startled woman character, where James added a night cityscape with fire hydrant, a cigarette & some hair, and removed the nervous victim. [Source: Garbage Archive] — Artist James Warhola began to enlarge several GPK characters he created as larger-than-life oil on vinyl paintings for a more highbrow audience starting before 2014 and began showing in 2016; around ten of these paintings now exist as of 2019 along with various other pieces of artwork. The idea was given to James by his uncle six months prior to Andy Warhol passing in February 1987, right in the middle of the GPK lifespan. |
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295A
CHARLIE HORSE — Nomenclature = Charley horse. def’n: Charley horse — informal. A muscle cramp. 295B AMUSEMENT PARKER — Nomenclature = Amusement Park. def’n: Amusement park — An outdoor place of entertainment with booths for various games, rides on roller coasters and other amusements. def’n: Amusement — Something that causes laughter or provides entertainment.
& BOBS: — Warhola’s PUT-TO-PASTURE gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that James executed for the OS8 set. The image depicts a jockey and retired horse on an amusement park ride; in this case, a merry-go-round (or carousel roundabout) consisting of a rotating circular platform and seats for riders, traditionally in the form of a row of horses (and/or other animals). Note, a ‘merry-go-round’ in Europe turns clockwise, while a carousel in the U.S. turns counter clockwise. The wooden horses and poles of old have been replaced by fiberglass horses/animals and metal poles for today’s merry-go-rounds. A jockey is someone who rides horses (or camels) in either horse, camel or steeplechase racing, usually as a profession. The character is seen wearing a jockey cap (or equestrian helmet) and holding a (riding or hunting) crop—a short type of whip without a lash, aka as a horse whip. The exhausted and soon-to-be retired racehorse is seen impaled on a wooden stake—an overgalloped horse can die of exhaustion, or by being impaled on a wooden stake; note the x’ed/starred out eyes of the horse. — Oftentimes, a GPK originates from a simple concept sketch and the artist further fleshes out the idea. Art Spiegelman supplied a thumbnail sketch of the character with the words ‘JOCKEY ON MERRY GO ROUND‘, where James added some finer detail, such as the carousel & crop, and reducing the pole size. [Source: Garbage Archive] |
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296A
PLUCKED DAISY — Nomenclature = Plucked daisy; a play on words. def’n: Pluck — To pull off; pick; pluck flowers in the garden. Pull off the feathers, (petals) or hair from. def’n: Daisy — Any of several related plants having flowers with petallike rays surrounding a central disk, especially a common species with white rays and a yellow center. 296B WILTIN’ MILTON — Rhyme; the forename Milton with the word ‘wilt+ing’. def’n: Wilt — To lose or cause to lose freshness and wither; drop. Any of various plant diseases characterized by slow or rapid collapse.
& BOBS: — Warhola’s LOVES ME, LOVES ME NOT gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that James executed for the OS8 set. The image shows a daisy flower, an inanimate object character being slowly plucked by a girl, not so much holding it, but more like fisting it. The side petal is being plucked giving the face of the flower the look of a cheek being pinched and pulled. The flower has a plethora of insects crawling on it including a small worm, a ladybug, an ant, plus other bugs. The image a suggests the ‘He loves me, he loves me not’ or ‘She loves me, she loves me not’ game of French origin where a flower’s petals are removed one-by-one and the player chants ‘loves me’ and then ‘loves me not’ for each consecutive petal plucked to determine whether the object of their affection returns their love in which the last petal depicts the outcome. Daisies indicate an innocence, purity and gentleness. The French version adds a level of love’s extent with ‘a little’, ‘a lot’, ‘passionately’, ‘to madness’ or ‘not at all’. |
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297A
YUL TIED — Nomenclature = Yuletide. def’n: Yuletide — The Christmas season. def’n: Tied — To fasten or secure with a cord, rope or line. To draw together with strings. To restrict. 297B MURRAY CHRISTMAS — Nomenclature = Merry Christmas; the seasonal phrase. def’n: Merry — Full of high spirited gaiety; jolly; fun; laughter. def’n: Christmas — A holiday celebrated as the anniversary of the birst of Jesus.
& BOBS: — Warhola’s X-MAS TREE gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that James executed for the OS8 set. The painting depicts a Christmas tree character tied up in a string of Christmas lights and tinsel and stuffed into a Christmas tree stand. The potential crime scene displays a butcher knife sticking into a teddy bear, opened Christmas presents, a beheaded doll, a train soon to be derailed, a destroyed drum, candy canes stuffed into different orifices (a nose and ear that can be seen), and a star Christmas tree topper stuffed unceremoniously on top of and into the victim’s head. — The character image found its way onto the front of two, 5×7 Holiday Greeting Cards released by Topps in ‘November, 2013 (First Printing)’ within the ‘B Box’ version with the final artwork on the frontside, a white center with the message ‘Wreck the Halls!’ and a backside with the card image of either character, except with a banner-style header instead of the traditional and nostalgic curved header. The box also came with a stack of green-border envelopes with the ADAM Bomb character in the bottom right-hand corner and the GPK logo on the backside flap. |
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298A
BLOODY MARY — Nomenclature = Bloody mary. def’n: Bloody mary — A drink made with vodka and tomato juice. def’n: Bloody — Bleeding. Causing or marked by bloodshed. 298B DONNA DONOR — Donna; a D forename to go with the word ‘donor’. def’n: Donor — One who contributes, gives or donates. A person who donates blood, tissue, et cetera, to another person.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s FINGER PRICK gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that Tom executed for the OS8 set. The image portrays a possible cat-scratch fever victim with the character attempting to place an adhesive bandage on her poked finger that’s gushing blood. The little girl is wailing at the top of her lungs, bawling and submerged in a lake of blood soaked and stained tears. The character is surrounded by a floating first-aid kit, grey cat, chair and box for both the sticker card image and the color rough artwork. Per Bunk’s final color rough, the girl’s pigtail ribbons were changed from green to blue, the curtains from blue to purple and the blue and yellow wallpaper to a solid blue color — thus, not to draw the eye to the background. The tree limb was entirely removed. — In 2011, artist Shannon Bonatakis created a painting titled ‘Bloody Mary’, acrylic on canvas measuring 9″ x 12″, taken from the Garbage Pail Kids group show for Gallery1988 LA in Los Angeles, CA. The artwork was a tribute piece to it’s GPK counterpart and actually contains a striped wallpaper like the original color rough. |
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299A
BUCK PUCK — Rhyme; the forename Buck with the word ‘puck’. def’n: Puck — A hard, black rubber disk used in the game of ice hockey. def’n: Puck — A mischievous or evil sprite. 299B LOWELL GOAL — Rhyme; the forename Lowell with the word ‘goal’. def’n: Goal — In certain sports, a structure or area into which players must propel the ball or puck in order to score. The score awarded for this.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s HOLE-IN-ONE gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that Tom executed for the OS8 set. The freeze-frame action sequence showcases a hockey player getting a hockey puck scored through his mouth and punching out through his cheek. Per Bunk’s color roughs, the first color concept has the puck hitting the bald player at a different angle and sending the puck through the top of the head instead of the cheek, with the brain and pieces of skull popping out; the player is covered in bandages. The final tight pencil and second color rough shows the player with a crown of yellow hair and an old-fashion ice hockey helmet; two helmets are seen within the tight pencil artwork. some subtle pain-symbols are seen floating over the character’s head which find themselves more evident in the final artwork. The final artwork also shows different colored stripes on the hockey stick, a green hockey jersey instead of blue, black ice skates, brown hair and a green stripe down the pant leg instead of yellow.
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300A
CORRINA CORONA — Semi-rhyme; the surname Corrina with the word ‘corona’. A brand of cigar. A possible parody of the old folk song title “Corrina, Corrina”. def’n: Corona — A crownlike part; crown. def’n: Cigar — A small, compact roll of tobacco leaves prepared for smoking. 300B SMOKY JOE — Nomenclature = Smoky Joe; a type of charcoal grill manufactured by the Weber Co. def’n: Smoky — Giving off much smoke. Full of smoke. def’n: Smoke — Something that is smoked; cigarette, pipe, etc. An act or period of smoking.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s STINKY CIGAR gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that Tom created for the OS8 set, although not all concepts made it into the release. The image depicts a cigar smoking another cigar, repeatedly until the cigars characters indistinguishable; a similar concept was also used within the OS5 set with tongues sticking out. The perspective of the character facing right-to-left within the final color rough was switched to left-to-right for the final artwork. The human’s lips were made thinner and reduced in size and a green collared shirt replaced the green t-shirt. The cigar label was switched from mostly red and some yellow from the color rough, to mostly yellow with some red for the final artwork image. The GPK’s head was changed from being skin toned to being more ashen, and the shocked or surprised eyes looking at the flame became much more unfocused and dazed, like pothead eyes. The cigar name, ‘El Stinko Cigar’ remained the same. |
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301A
BOWLING ELAINE — Nomenclature = Bowling lane. def’n: Bowling alley — A level, wooden lane used for bowling. def’n: Bowling — A game played by rolling a heavy ball down a wooden alley in an attempt to knock down a triangular formation of ten wooden pins. 301B MIKE STRIKE — Rhyme; the forename Mike with the word ‘strike’. def’n: Strike — bowling. The knocking down of all the pins with the first ball in a frame.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s STRIKE DOWN gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that Tom created for the OS8 set, although not all concepts made it into the release. The freeze-frame image shows a doll head used in place of a bowling ball striking wooden pins on a bowling lane, or rather, the ball getting bowled over by the wooden pins and showing damage from the many hits. To strike = to hit forcibly and deliberately with one’s hand or a weapon or other implement. Per Bunk’s tight pencil artwork, the character’s face has been rotated from its original runway path to face the audience. The final artwork image portrays a black eye, a half-lidded wounded eye, two adhesive bandages (three on the tight pencil), two flying teeth, and tons of scuff marks. It’s interesting to point out that the final artwork shows 11 pins in a 10 pin game — and the tight pencil shows a tentative number of 13 pins within the artwork. Also per Bunk’s tight pencil, the only art direction visible on the artwork is a note at that top that reads ‘DARK —>‘ and the left side of the image being shaded in; this shows the gradient from dark to light focusing on the head. |
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302A
MIXED-UP MICK — Semi-rhyme; the forename Mick with the words ‘mixed-up’. def’n: Mix-up — A confused situation; a muddle. def’n: Muddle — To mix confusedly; jumble. def’n: Jumble — To mix in a disordered mass. 302B ARTIFICIAL MITCHELL — Rhyme; the forename Mitchell with the word ‘artificial’. def’n: Artificial — Made by man rather than occuring in nature. Made in imitation of something natural.
& BOBS: — Pound’s INSTANT GPK gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS8 set. This is the first Pound entry into the series. With both the box and wrapper artwork, the puzzle character, and first card image in the set being Bunk’s, the release has a very different feel with a lot of the artists’ entries being lumped together. The artwork portrays a box of insta-GPK powder, a side cup of water, and an incomplete character blob with the mixture not completely mixed; leaving lumps of matter, remnants of hair, and no Kid. This is the first set to have the card header as part of the artwork; as the logo found on the product packaging. This leaves the ‘header’ being and feeling 4x smaller than usual and makes the die-cut sticker appear like there’s something missing. Not only that, this is the first header where the logo is not plural and not ending in ‘Kids’, but ending in the singular ‘Kid’. ‘Just Add Water’ products have been popular for some time, with science kits, dried spud rations (potatoes), cleaning solutions, et cetera… there being just one easy ingredient (not provided) needed to be added to the product solution. |
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303A
HUNG UP HANK — Hank; an H forename to go with the words ‘hung up’. def’n: Hang up — Put on a hook, peg, etc. Hold back; delay; detain. def’n: Hung up —slang. Unable to get away; delayed. 303B COAT RACK ZACK — Rhyme; the forename Zack with the words ‘coat rack’. def’n: Coat — An outer garment covering. def’n: Rack — Frame with bars, shelves, or pegs to hold, arrange, or keep things on.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s BUREAU GPK gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that Tom executed for the OS8 set. The character is seen hanging from a wooden coat hanger within a wardrobe bureau—a piece of furniture or cabinet with drawers, doors and/or shelves for keeping clothes—with the character’s head turned upwards so he’s peering out the wardrobe upside down. Per Bunk’s two different but very similar color rough artwork submissions, the final result is a combination of both characters showing the same composition, both containing the exact outfit and a closet full of moths, but one color rough shows the shelving sectionalized, a shadow under the character’s feet to show ‘levitation’, and a spiderweb added to show how long garments have been stored in the cabinet. Subtle changes to the final artwork shows the hanger bar to be straight instead of bowed by weight and one of the doors with a mirror to be slightly closed rather than both ajar. Obviously the owner of the wardrobe has not invested in a bag of mothballs — small pellets of a pungent substance, usually naphthalene, that are placed among stored clothes to keep moths away. Moths have a specific diet and tend to eat clothes made from animal fibers such as silk, wool, cashmere, angora, fur, et cetera, materials that contain keratin; fibrous proteins. |
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304A
RUBBIN’ ROBYN — Rhyme; the forename Robyn with the word ‘rub+bing’. A possible parody of the old song title “Rockin’ Robin”. def’n: Rub — To move (one thing) back and forth (against another). To move one’s hand or an object over the surface of; push and press along the surface of. To clean, smooth, or polish. 304B SOAPY OPIE — Rhyme; the forename Opie with the word ‘soapy’. def’n: Soapy — Covered with soap or soapsuds. Containing soap. def’n: Soap — Substance used for washing. Rub with soap.
& BOBS: — Pound’s SCRUB-SPONGE GPK gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS8 set. The image portrays an inanimate object, a cleaning sponge—a soft, light, porous framework made out of synthetic material used to absorb liquid and for washing and cleaning—being slathered along some bathroom tiles. The character is seen with a pleasing look with his tongue sticking out in a good sportsmanship manner, not fighting against the aggresive scrubbing, and actually looks like it’s assisting with the cleaning duties by licking. — Per Pound’s tight pencil and color rough, the character and composition didn’t go through any changes for the final artwork, except the male-like thumbnail was extended and painted red with nailpolish to portray it as “woman’s work”; any previous concept stages have not been shared with the public. A clean area of tiles, which has turned the sponge black with mildew and grime, was demonstrated for the color rough and not really seen within the tight pencil; this also acts as a nice ‘spotlight’ for the character within the artwork. The dripping suds are expertly detailed and executed by Pound. |
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305A
GRATE SCOTT — Nomenclature = Great scott; Great Scot! A phrase for something large, surprising, dismaying, etc. Similar to the phrase Holly Molly! = holey moley. def’n: Grate — To wear down or grind off in small pieces: grate cheese. To rub harshly together. 305B REGGIE VEGGIE — Rhyme; the forename Reggie with the word ‘veggie’. def’n: Veggie — informal. A vegetable. To be vegetarian. def’n: Vegetable — A plant whose fruit, shoots, stems, leaves, roots or other parts are used for food.
& BOBS: — Pound’s GRATED GPK gag was listed as ‘8-39 REV.‘, the 39th Topps-approved concept that John executed for the OS8 set. Although ‘the Hand of God’ is holding a potato, the concept title is ‘GRATED CHEESE GPK‘; this is most likely where the major revision (‘REV.‘) came into play, the original concept was possibly a block of cheese and the art director felt that a rounded potato could be more humanizing. Per Pound’s tight pencil artwork, the following nomenclature was scrawled at the bottom of the concept: Mr. Potato ED—a name parody of the ‘Mr. Potato Head’ toy, first manufactured and distributed by Hasbro in 1952—the rhyme BUD Spud, and the incomplete ‘Spud For You’ suggestion… this was most likely a riff on the Budweiser advertisement campaign This Bud’s For You started in 1979. — Per Pound’s color rough artwork, the eye color was changed from bright blue to hazel brown for the final artwork, and much like the previous artwork for #304, the male-like thumbnail was extended and painted red with nailpolish to portray it as “woman’s work” in-the-kitchen. This is also back-to-back cards that have an inanimate object being held by ‘the Hand of God’ and both pieces show a very happy and content character. It’s interesting to note that the grater is just propped up against a counter and wall without being held; this would be virtually impossible to operate. It is also interesting to note that the red Garbage Pail Kids header below the upper grater handle is missing a layer of color during printing and appears yellow for the sticker card. |
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306A
MIDGE FRIDGE — Rhyme; the forename Midge with the word ‘fridge’. def’n: Fridge — informal. A refrigerator. def’n: Refrigerator — Ice box, appliance, etc., that keeps foods and other items cool, usually by mechanical means or ice in the past. 306B LEFTOVER GROVER — Rhyme; the forename Grover with the word ‘leftover’. def’n: Leftover — A thing that is left. Scraps of food from a meal are leftovers. Left; remaining: leftover meat.
& BOBS: — Pound’s CHILLED INTESTINTES gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS8 set. The image depicts a nighttime kitchen setting, that brings to mind midnight cravings and ransacking the refrigerator, where, once again, the character is not a doll but an inanimate object. The top portion and freezer door of the refrigerator acts as the head of the character, the last 2/3rds and main door acts as the character’s body, with the sides of the fridge contaning the character’s arms, one at its side and the other opening the main door, and the feet as the ventilation grate at the very bottom. Like a science lab, the character’s “insides” holds its heart on the upper shelf and its lungs and intestines on the bottom shelf, with a mysterious liquid leaking out onto the reflective, kitchen tile floor — mainly covered up by the nameplate on the card image. |
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307A
DIVIN’ IVAN — Rhyme; the forename Ivan with the word ‘dive+ing’. def’n: Dive — To plunge, usually headfirst, into or under water. To enter deeply or plunge. The act of diving. def’n: Diver — A person or thing that dives. 307B WALTER SPORT — Nomenclature = Water sport. def’n: Water — The liquid that constitutes rain, oceans, rivers, lakes, and ponds. A body of water. def’n: Water sports — Sports carried out on water. informal. Sexual activity involving urination.
& BOBS: — Pound’s ‘SWIMMING IN TOILET‘ gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS8 set, listed as ‘8-‘. The bird’s-eye view and perspective of the porcelain throne show’s the character in full wetsuit attire with fins and partial-face mask and snorkel, along with spearfishing gear. Parents sometimes flush unwanted goldfish down the toilet (not recommended), or the commode is often used for a watery grave burial site for fish that have passed on as a means to meet their maker and to possibly lesson the shock of the child pet owner; perhaps it subtly suggests to the kid that the fish is just peacefully swimming away. The image portrays a young character that has dived into the toilet with a purpose and come out with their mission accomplished. |
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308A
FRITZ SPRITZ — Rhyme; the forename Fritz with the word ‘spritz’. Parody of the old RCA records logo and mascot, of the dog, Nipper, putting his face/ear up to a speaker cone. def’n: Spritz — To spray water or other liquid on; sprinkle. A jet of liquid; spray. 308B ELLA P. RECORD — Nomenclature = LP record; long-playing (vinyl record). def’n: Long-playing record — A phonograph record playing at 33 1/3 revolutions per minute.
& BOBS: — Warhola’s RCA gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that James created for the OS8 set, although not all concepts made it into the release. The image is a riff on the old RCA logo and mascot, Nipper, who is seen with his head cocked and ear perked, listening to music through a record player speaker cone. The parody shows the character, not shakin’ a leg to the music but, after urinating on the record player, as seen by the questionable puddle next to the player. The dog character is all white, much like the mascot, with solid black ears and a black dog collar, where the only anthromporphic-like trait is the over-blushing of the cheeks on top of a layer of thick, white fur. A second vinyl record, not on the record player, sits at the feet of the character which has been treated like a chew toy with bite marks. Speaking of care, the speaker cone has also seen better days showing many dents and hollows on its surface. |
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309A
HEARTLESS HAL — Hal; an H forename to go with the word ‘heartless’. def’n: Heartless — Without kindness or sympathy. Unfeeling; cruel. Without courage, spirit, emotion, or enthusiasm. 309B BOWEN ARROW — Nomenclature = Bow and arrow. A parody of the Valentine’s character ‘Cupid’. def’n: Bow — A weapon for shooting arrows (sharpened shaft with feathers or vanes), usually consisting of an arched strip of flexible wood with a string or cord stretched tight between the two ends. def’n: Cupid — The figure of a cherub-like winged child used as a symbol of love.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s CUPID GPK gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that Tom executed for the OS8 set. The stupid cupid character can be seen firing an arrow from a bow in the wrong direction, instead of hitting the two lovebirds sitting within the park setting, he has inadvertently shot himself through the heart. The image depicts a bloody ending to the love scenario and a very shocked face upon the accidentally self-inflicted victim. Per Bunk’s color rough, the character was facing left-to-right which was switched to the character facing a right-to-left direction instead, along with changing the position of the parkbenched lovebirds. The green bow and arrow was changed to red for the final artwork and a few ‘pain’ stars added around the backside wound. The cupid’s wings were also changed to a more in-flight position, a diaper pin added to the character’s waistband and a lampost and small townscape added to the darkened nightscape background. The card number has been reduced in size due to the arrow and artwork so close to the upper right hand corner of the image. — The GPK Cupid character, from Roman mythology as the god and symbol of love and amor (counterpart of Greek Eros), was also used as the main box artwork and as the wrapper mascot character. Artist Tom Bunk also rendered the character for the wrapper artwork as seen within the tight pencil artwork pictured and the color rough version on the main OS8 page; Tom rendered all the wrapper artwork for the OS releases. The original final artwork contains two green stars whereas the final wrapper artwork contains three red stars. |
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310A
STINKIN’ STELLA — Stella; an S forename to go with the word ‘stink+ing’. def’n: Stink — A very bad smell. To have a bad smell. Have a very bad reputation. To be offensive. 310B SMELLIN’ HELEN — Rhyme; the forename Helen with the word ‘smell+ing’. def’n: Smell — Cause to have a bad odor or scent. To give out a bad smell; stink. The act of smelling; sniff.
& BOBS: — Pound’s SMELLY OCTOPUS gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John created for the OS8 set, although not all concepts made it into the release. If you look past that fact that the non-doll GPK is an octopus — a cephalopod mollusc animal with eight sucker-bearing arms and a soft belly — and the ability to smell underwater, let alone spray an aerosol can not operating the same suspended in liquid, the gag of the image is that the anthropomorphic octopus has eight legs, therefore, has seven armpits and potential odor to deal with, instead of just two. The image shows the character holding two cans of shaving cream along with one shaving razor and two cans of underarm deodorant while attempting to plug her nose with a puteo (P.U.) look of distate emphasized with her tongue sticking out in ‘blech’ formation. Incidentally, “P.U.” is a shortened term for puteo which is actually spelled “piu”, often pronounced as “pyoo” or “pee-yew”. Latin for “to stink, to smell bed, be redolent.”; it’s root is Indo-European word “pu” meaning to rot or decay. |
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311A
STU SPEW — Rhyme; the forename Stu with the word ‘spew’. def’n: Spew — To expel large quantities of something very rapidly, suddenly and forcibly. To throw out; cast forth; vomit. Something that is spewed; vomited. 311B SLIMIN’ SIMON — Rhyme; the forename Simon with the word ‘slime+ing’. def’n: Slime — Soft, sticky mud or something like it. A sticky substance given off by snails, slugs, etc. Disgusting filth. To cover or smear with or as if with slime.
& BOBS: — Warhola’s BUILDING RELIEF gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that James executed for the OS8 set. The bird’s-eye view and perspective of the building and sidewalk cityscape shows the relief sculpture character ‘welcoming’ visitors by forcibly vomiting upon them. Left feeling relieved. A relief sculpture, in this case, is a sculptural technique where the sculpted stone remains attached to the solid background of the stone material and building. The character can be seen bending over with hands on his knees straddling a half-round spoked window and standing on two columns that sandwich the glass doors. The aerial view shows six different birds, one covered by the ‘PEEL HERE‘ arrow on the card image, that have left a number of bird droppings all over the building ledge and the relief character. The sticker is one of only a handful of cards that has a reduced logo header to accomodate the artwork. |
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312A
MOE BILE — Nomenclature = Mobile. def’n: Mobile — Decoration suspended on wires or threads to shift in currents of air. def’n: Bile — A bitter greenish-brown fluid that aids in digestion. 312B DANG LEN — Nomenclature = Dangling. def’n: Dangle — To hang or swing loosely. To hang about. To cause to dangle. def’n: Dang — An euphemism for damn.
& BOBS: — Warhola’s HANGING MOBILE gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that James executed for the OS8 set. The dismembered character can be seen in six different pieces attached to a mobile — a kind of kinetic sculpture constructed to exploit the principle of equilibrium; often hung in nurseries over cribs to give infants entertainment and visual stimulation, or in this case, nightmares, where the eyes follow you. The mobile is accompanied by two pieces of artwork, fine artwork to the left showing a woman with a painting palette and an abstract, child-like drawing to the right. The clean-cut character with straight-edged severed limbs and head shows no inner stuffing or cavities. |
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313A
GRAHAM BELL — Nomenclature = Alexander Graham Bell. Alexander Graham Bell — 1847-1922. American physicist, born in Scotland, inventor of the telephone. def’n: Bell — A hollow metal cup that makes a musical sound when struck by a capper or hammer. 313B DEATH NELL — Nomenclature = Death knell or death’s toll; the tolling of a bell to mark someone’s death. def’n: Death — The act of dying or condition of being dead. A cause or manner of dying. def’n: Bell — A stroke on a bell to mark the hour. The time indicated by the striking of a bell. def’n: Toll — To announce or summon by tolling. The sound of a tolling bell.
& BOBS: — Warhola’s DEATH KNELL gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that James executed for the OS8 set. The character is found inside the bell and playing the part of the ‘clapper’ (or dinger) that hits the sound rim and makes that resounding gong and tolling noise; the vibrations that our ears pick up is the sound. The character can be seen with several cuts and bruises from being knocked around and the bell itself is an image parody of the infamous cracked Liberty Bell. A death knell is the ringing of a church bell right after a death is announced. Historically, the three bells rung aroudn death are the passing bell to warn of impending death, the death knell to announce a death, and the lych or corpse bell — which nowadays is known as a funeral toll heard during burials. |
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314A
SHIFTING SANDY — Nomenclature = Shifting Sand; as in the phrase “The shifting sands of time”. def’n: Shift — To move from one place, position, person, etc., to another. def’n: Sand — Tiny grains of warn-down or disintegrated rock: the sands of the desert. Sand in an hour glass. 314B GRAINY JANEY — Rhyme; the forename Janey with the word ‘grainy’. def’n: Grainy — To be made up of grains; granular. def’n: Granular — Consisting of or containing grains or granules.
& BOBS: — Warhola’s HOURGLASS gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that James executed for the OS8 set. The character can be seen taking the shape of an hourglass — an invertible calculating device with two connected glass bulbs containing sand that takes an hour to pass from the upper bulb to the lower bulb; the sand having taken the shape of the head within the upper bulb and the body within the lower bulb. The artwork image shows a cracked and broken open lower bulb with sand spilling out showing that the character’s time (aka life) is running out. |
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315A
MESSY BESSIE — Rhyme; the forename Bessie with the word ‘messy’. def’n: Messy — In a mess; like a mess; untidy; in disorder; dirty. 315B UNCLEAN HELENE — Rhyme; the forename Helene with the word ‘unclean’. def’n: Un —prefix. As in “not”; the opposite of. def’n: Clean — Free from dirt or filth; not soiled or stained. def’n: Clean — To be dirty. Morally wrong.
& BOBS: — Warhola’s GARBAGE SHOWER gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that James executed for the OS8 set. The character can be seen within a tiled shower stall amongst a plethora of garbage. Detritus and grime appears to also be coming out of the tiny-holed showerhead along with very little water. Minus the scrub brush and wash cloth that the character is holding, there is no actual cleaning product like soap or shampoo that can be identified. The artwork contains, but is not limited to, old tin cans and lids, a rotten fish, old bread, banana peels, apple cores, bottles, et cetera. Because the GPK header is on a different layer of the printing process, the ‘G’ and ‘DS®’ was painted onto the shower curtain, however, on the actual sticker card these letters do not matchup with the header. |
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316A
FLOWIN’ OWEN — Rhyme; the forename Owen with the word ‘flow+ing’. def’n: Flow — To run like water. To pour out. An overflowing. To be plentiful; to be full and overflowing. def’n: Overflow — To flow over the brim of a receptacle, especially liquid. 316B RUSSELL SPOUT — Nomenclature = A name pun on the food item ‘brussel sprout(s)’. def’n: Spout — To throw out (a liquid) in a stream or spray. To flow out with force; spurt.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s FAUCET FACE gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that Tom executed for the OS8 set. The character is seen standing flush against a tiled wall much like a bathroom sink, with a basin for a lower jaw, a spout for a nose, and an on/off handle on top of the head. Per Bunk’s color rough artwork, a single upper tooth has been removed from the concept, several splashes of snot on his face also removed, and the green colored eyes switched to a set of hazel brown eyes. The striped green shirt has been replaced with a solid blue t-shirt, and a lake of snot has been added to the lower section of the artwork to show the state of the overflow and the bathroom full of snot. |
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317A
JAMES FLAMES — Rhyme; the forename James with the word ‘flames’. def’n: Flame — Burn with flames; blaze. One of the glowing tongues of light that shoot out from a blazing fire. def’n: Flaming — Burning with flames; on fire; hot. 317B BURNIN’ VERNON — Rhyme; the forename Vernon with the word ‘burn+ing’. def’n: Burning — Glowing; hot. def’n: Burn — To be on fire; be very hot; blaze; glowing.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s HOT SAUCE gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that Tom executed for the OS8 set. The character is seen ‘jumping’ out of his seat due to the extreme burning from the hot sauce poured over his meal to the extent that his eyes are bulging out from the pain and flames are shooting out of his mouth and ears like a cartoon character. Per Bunk’s color rough artwork, the orginal concept had the character dropping or letting go of the bottle and cap of the hot sauce, no chair, table or plate of food was present, and the perspective of the character was slightly different where you could still make out the flame from the other ear hole. A fork sketch can be made out on the tablecloth to the left of the plate (and a second salt or pepper shaker to the right of the plate) that’s been added to the final artwork, but rearranged a bit. The bulging eyes from the first color rough artwork has been extended for the second color rough with bloodshot veins added, the brunette hair has been changed to blond, and a single upper tooth and tongue sticking out added as well. The hot sauce label went through several different designs… from a Tobasco™ sauce-type diamond shaped label within the first color rough, to a generic white wrap-around label within the second color rough, to a generic yellow wrap-around label of the final artwork with an abundance of sauce leaking out. |
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318A
HALEY’S VOMIT — Nomenclature = Halley’s Comet. Comet named after the English astronomer Edmond Halley, 1656-1742. def’n: Comet — Bright heavenly body with a starlike center and cloudy tail of light that rotates the sun. def’n: Vomit — To expel the contents of the stomach through the mouth. 318B INTER STELLA — Nomenclature = Interstellar. def’n: Interstellar — Situated or taking place between the stars; in the region of the stars: interstellar space.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s SPACE CADET gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that Tom executed for the OS8 set. The character is seen dealing with space-sickness whilst battling zero gravity where the puke is floating upwards instead of being pulled downwards. Per Bunk’s color rough artwork, an earlier concept had the character more rotated and almost upside down while vomiting, but the space person has been placed more upright for the final artwork. Per Bunk’s revised tight pencil artwork, the space suit now has five cords instead of two, but reduced to only three cords for the final artwork… and the visor-toggle switch on the helmet on the tight pencil has been moved to the bottom of the panel and switched to a different direction. The spider seen on the tight pencil artwork, lowering itself by a thread from the character’s right foot as though there’s some gravitational pull is now seen floating from the character’s left foot within the final artwork and being manipulated by the zero gravity. A single tooth has been added to the character’s mouth cavity for the final artwork and two asterisks, a star and a spiral above the character’s head. Both the color rough and final artwork both contain a sardine can with key, a brain with imbedded nail, an apple core, a regular tin can, bones, and a fish. The color rough appears to also contain an eyeball, a pizza slice, a glass bottle, and other indistinguishable items such as possible toys while the final artwork has a cola can, human heart, half-eaten sandwich, sausage links, a set of false teeth, a chicken leg drumstick, and a Garbage Pail Kids card that can be seen above the second ‘A’ in ‘GARBAGE‘ of the header on the sticker card. |
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319A
CHOPPED SUSIE — Nomenclature = Chop suey. def’n: Chop suey — Fried or stewed meat and vegetables cut up and cooked together in a sauce, served with rice. def’n: Chop — To cut by hitting with something sharp. To make by cutting. 319B SHANA SAW — Nomenclature = Chain saw. def’n: Chain saw — A power saw with an endless chain of saw-toothed links, used in logging, etc. def’n: Saw — Tool for cutting; machine with such a tool for cutting.
& BOBS: — Pound’s ‘HAND PUPPET‘ gag was listed as ‘8-C REV.‘, possibly the third Topps-approved concept that John executed for the OS8 set; it’s unknown at this time where the revision (‘REV.‘) came into play, since not all early thumbnail concepts have been shared with the public. The rosy-cheeked, hand-puppet character can be seen sawing off the hand that’s controlling her with a miniature doll-size chain saw right below ‘THE HAND OF GOD‘s wrist exposing arm innards but no bone. The GPK smiley-face cuff link is also joyfully smiling much like the main character. Per Pound’s tight pencil and color rough artwork no changes occured through the final artwork. The middle puppet stage section — the character and curtains — are professionally painted, but the puppet theatre border is made to look quickly hand painted and flat on corrugated cardboard. Although the corrugated fiberboard cannot be made out within the tight pencil and color rough artwork, the fluted corrugated sheet detail can be seen added to the final artwork stage. A puppet show is a very ancient form of theatre first recorded in the 5th centry BC in ancient Greece as well as in ancient Egypt. Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance invovling the manipulation of puppets controlled by a puppeteer, with hands, rods, string, control devices, etc cetera, through pantomime with or without voice over. |
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320A
PUMPING AARON — Nomenclature = The sentence: ‘Pumping air in’. def’n: Pump — Blow air into: pump up a car’s flat tires. def’n: Air — The invisible mixture of gases that surrounds the earth and supports life; atmosphere. def’n: In — In or into some place. 320B WILL EXPLODE — Nomenclature = The statement: ‘Will explode’. def’n: Will — To be able to; can; may. def’n: Explode — Burst with a loud noise; blow up. Burst violently because of the pressure of gases.
& BOBS: — Pound’s HAND PUMP gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS8 set. The visual narrative of the image tells the story of the character attempting to use the hand pump to fill up his two bike tires—which are seen completely blown out—and then proceeds to use the hand pump upon himself. The painting portrays a character with so much air pumped into him that he’s floating, as if using helium instead of regular air. The character is at full optimum, his ‘recommended human pressure’ or PSI (pounds per square inch) and will eventually explode like the bike tires. The character is wearing a pair of CPK-like shoes with a blue stripe, instead of the regular white shoes with stripes. Stripes, in general, are just not very slimming on a shirt. |
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321A
SQUASHED JOSH — Rhyme; the forename Josh with the word ‘squash+ed’. def’n: Squash — To squeeze, press or flatten into a mass or pulp; crush. Be pressed into a flat mass or pulp. def’n: Squeeze you to death — To give someone a very enthusiastic and loving hug or squeeze. 321B SQUOZE ROSE — Rhyme; the forename Rose with the word ‘squoze’; past tense of ‘squeeze’. def’n: Sqeeze — To press together; compress. An act of squeezing. def’n: Rosy palm (Rosie palms) — slang. To masturbate; ‘Rosy palm and her five sisters’.
& BOBS: — Pound’s ‘SQUEEZED‘ gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS8 set, listed as ‘8- REV.‘ on the conceptual artwork. The character can literally be seen being squeezed to death by ‘THE HAND OF GOD‘ with the feet, hands and head inflating like a squeeze toy or stress ball; with the tongue, ears and eyes being comically extended outside the head region; much like a Schylling ‘Panic Pete’ squeeze toy. Per Pound’s tight pencil artwork, he noted that the character’s flesh would be flushed red and hot; ‘SKIN FLUSHED PINK-RED‘, showing the blood being rushed to the surface. The eyes, at first extended behind the ears have been raised above the ears within the tight pencil artwork; the eyes are a bit lost within the blue and white GPK header on the sticker card of the same color. |
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322A
K.O.’D KARL — Karl; a K forename to go with the words ‘knock out+ed’. def’n: Knock out — To make helpless, unconscious, etc.; defeat. To defeat an opponent by hitting him so that he falls to the canvas ten seconds or more. To destroy. 322B SPARRIN’ WARREN — Rhyme; the forename Warren with the word ‘spar+ring’. def’n: Spar — To make motions of attack and defense with the arms and fists; box. A boxing match. def’n: Punching bag — A stuffed bag suspended in order to be punched for training by a boxer, etc.
& BOBS: — Pound’s ‘LONG NECK / PUNCHING BAG HEAD‘ gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS8 set, listed as ‘8-‘ on the concept artwork. Per Pound’s tight pencil and color rough artwork, the artist questioned ‘ALT. – HEAD/FACE UPSIDE-DOWN?‘; this would have made the neck and head attachment anatomically correct. As seen within Pound’s color rough artwork, the GPK logo placement has been suggested to show the stretched neck hanging over the header like a punching bag in order to be pummeled. The image shows the boxer character in a self-sparring war with himself, causing considerable damage to his face including a heavy bandage, black-eye, stitches, missing tooth, and knocking himself senseless until he’s seeing stars. Three smaller ‘pain’ stars surround the swollen face of the character while a large multi-colored ‘punch’ star displays the hard knuckle-sandwich hit. |
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323A
PIECE O’ LISA — Semi-rhyme; the forename Lisa with the words ‘piece of’. Piece of cake. def’n: Piece — One of the parts into which a thing is divided or broken; bit: a piece of wood. def’n: Cake — A soft, sweet spongy food from a mixture of baking ingredients and often decorated. 323B WEDDING BELLA — Nomenclature = Wedding bell(s). def’n: Wedding — A marriage ceremony. def’n: Bell — A hollow metal cup that makes a musical sound when struck by a clapper or hammer.
— Pound’s ‘GPK BRIDE ON CAKE‘ gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS8 set, listed as ‘8- REV.‘ on the conceptual artwork. Traditionally, wedding cakes are solid white, like the dress, and were made and handed out to bring good luck to all the guests and the couple. Wedding cake toppers are usually plastic, ceramic, et cetera, but the image portrays the unblissfully wedded couple as part of the cake, at least as far as the bride goes. The cake is a pinkish-red color instead of white, conveying blood, or the innards of the character. The artwork also displays the ceremonial cutting of the cake which symbolizes commitment and love to one another when fed to each other; however, traditionally the top tier of the cake would be kept for the christening of the first child or, more commonly nowadays, for the first wedding anniversary and not cut into. — Per Pound’s color rough, the white flowers have been painted red for the final artwork; red often symbolizes auspiciousness, prosperity or passion and white represents purity like the dress… this red color may signify blood and death, however. Two final artwork images have been found, the first image supplied by Topps during the Topps Vault auctions where the cake appears a bit more washed out and the background has a greener hue (used by Topps for the sticker card)—this may have been changed digitally at Topps—and a second image which is a direct scan of the final artwork which shows a much darker blue background (used by Mad MIKE for the card mock-up). |
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324A
WAFFLE IRA — Nomenclature = Waffle iron. def’n: Waffle iron — Utensil in which waffles are cooked, consisting of two hinged griddles having projections on the inside which form indentations in the waffle. 324B GRIDDLED GRETA — Greta; a G forename to go with the word ‘griddle+d’. def’n: Griddle — A heavy, flat plate, usually of metal, on which to cook pancakes, bacon, etc. def’n: Grid — A network of spaced lines that criss-cross each other to form a series of squares; lattice.
& BOBS: — Pound’s HOMUNCULUS WAFFLE gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS8 set. The final artwork portrays a gingerbread-shaped waffle man spilling over the waffle iron; no real harm has come to the waffle, even at high tempatures, since it was made using basic baking ingredients. Somehow there is still uncooked waffle batter within. The ‘LE WAFFLE™’ iron appears to be an older model as far as electric waffle irons go, with two handles on the side for the lower portion and a third handle in the center for the lid to lift the upper portion; reminiscent of a vintage chrome Westinghouse or Seneca round electric waffle iron. |
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325A
MARCEL PARCEL — Rhyme; the forename Marcel with the word ‘parcel’. def’n: Parcel — A bundle of things wrapped or packed together; package. 325B HANDLE WITH CAREN — Nomenclature = The postal phrase ‘Handle with care’. United States Postal System package stamp warning postal workers to handle item carefully. def’n: Handle — To touch, feel, hold, or move with the hand. def’n: With — Having, wearing, carrying, etc. by means of. def’n: Care — Serious attention. Object of concern or attention.
& BOBS: — Pound’s RETURN TO SENDER gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS8 set. The final artwork shows a character wrapped in packaging paper, brown packing tape, clear tape, and tied with twine after being processed and abused by the postal service with a ‘CANCELED‘ stamp and mailed ‘6TH CLASS‘—a parody of First Class Mail, but instead of the first best, it’s the sixth best method of deliver—and ignoring the handwritten ‘FRAGILE‘ declaration. Although the return address is illegible minus the California zip code where artist John Pound lives, the package is addressed to the ‘Topps (Che)wing (Gum) Co’ at their principal office and place of business located at ‘254 36th Street Brooklyn, NY 11232’ within the Sunset Park neighborhood and waterfront district; before their relocation to the Wallstreet district. The recipient name is slightly distorted, but the ‘c/o’ (care of) address line may be intended for employee Len Brown. |
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326A
LEATHER HEATHER — Rhyme; the forename Heather with the word ‘leather’. def’n: Leather — Material made from the skin of animals. Article made of leather: leather gloves. 326B CHAINED SHANE — Rhyme; the forename Shane with the word ‘chain+ed’. def’n: Chain — Series of metal or other links joined together. Bonds; fetters. Imprisonment or bondage. Bind; restrain; fetter. Keep in prison; make a slave of.
& BOBS: — Pound’s SADO-MASOCHIST [S-M, S and M] gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS8 set. The final artwork shows a character completely tethered in leather and chained experiencing a state of sadomasochist—a psychological tendency or sexual practice characterized by both sadism and masochism. Sadism is the tendency to derive pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from inflicting pain, suffering or humiliation on another or others, while masochism is the tendency to derive pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from one’s own pain or humiliation. Complete BDSM: bondange/discipline domination/submission sadism/masochism. The artwork displays eight zippers (one with doll stuffing coming out), two chest straps, studs (on the bodysuit, diaper and cuffs), spiked boots, a leather mask zipper-hood forcing a mohawk-yarn hairdo, and straps and buckles on the legs and boots. The shackling is painted in such a way that the GPK header is suspending the character off of the floor. |
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327A
NEEDLED NINA — Nina; an N forename to go with the word ‘needle+d’. def’n: Needle — A slender rod used in knitting. A rod with a hook at one end used in crocheting, et cetera. A slender tool used in sewing. 327B KNITTIN’ BRITTANY — Semi-rhyme; the forename Brittany with the word ‘knit+ting’. def’n: Knit — To make cloth or an article of clothing by looping yarn or thread together with long needles. def’n: Yarn — Spun thread used for knitting, weaving or sewing.
& BOBS: — Pound’s KNITTED GPK gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS8 set. The final artwork shows a character in the process of being knitted with the head being sealed, but the character’s left foot either unfinished or having been unraveled. The primary colored character would use three different skeins—a length of yarn that’s loosely coiled and knotted (or in a tangled and complicated state)—and a pair of knitting needles; a long, thin and pointed rod used as part of a pair for knitting by hand. The simple pattern contains no decorative cross stitching. This particular character actually has a frown instead of a smile; total CPK knock-off. |
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328A
GLOWING AMBER — Nomenclature = Glowing embers. def’n: Ember — A piece of wood or coal still glowing in the ashes of a fire. Ashes in which there is still some fire remaining; burning hot. 328B BRIGHT DWIGHT — Rhyme: the forename Dwight with the word ‘bright’. def’n: Bright — Giving much light; shining vivid; glowing. Luminous. Lively or cheerful: a bright smile. def’n: Bright — Intelligent and quick-witted.
& BOBS: — Pound’s ‘GPK SKULL W/ CANDLE‘ gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS8 set, listed as ‘7-31‘ on the conceptual artwork; this was an approved concept from the OS7 set that was held back for the OS8 release. The Vanitas-like candle and skull in the painting can also be found on the original OS1 card #1 concept; the candle/fire represent life/time and the skull represents death. The animated eyes (severely crossed-eyed) and mouth, with a side tongue sticking out [and a single tooth] gives the dark theme a comical appeal and feel; this facial expression in comics and cartoons translates to the character being silly, stupid, and/or crazy. Not to mention the moth in flames… if you are attracted to someone or to something [ie. GPK] “like a moth to a flame” (aka “like a moth around a flame” or “like a moth around a candle”), as the idiom goes, you are irresistibly attracted to them. Crazy for GPK. The character is sourrounded by nine non-specific Garbage Pail Kids sticker cards. |
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329A
LEM PHLEGM — Rhyme; the forename Lem with the word ‘phlegm’. def’n: Phlegm — The thick mucus discharged into the mouth and throat during a cold, resp. disease, etc. 329B GEZUNDT HEIDI — Nomenclature = Gezundteight. German word for “Bless you” or “Excuse you” (ie. after sneezing). def’n: Bless — Wish good to. def’n: Excuse — Pardon to forgive. def’n: Sneeze — To expel air forcibly from the mouth and nose in an explosive, involuntary spasm.
& BOBS: — Pound’s SNEEZE gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS8 set. The image portrays a character holding his/her nose after an explosive urge to sneeze where the heavy discharge is being expelled forcibly through his/her ear canals. The character can be seen with his/her face squinched up, eyes sealed shut and body bunched up from the spastic reaction. The character evidently has had a cold or has been having allergy attacks since he/she is holding a used tissue from previously blowing his/her nose and a box of tissue is at his/her feet. Overall, the image has a nice OS1 feel to it. |
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330A
LOTTA LOTTA — Lotta; same-sounding forename to go with the words ‘Lot of’ (lotta). def’n: A lot of or, often, Lots of – informal. A great many; much. One of a set of objects, like bits of paper, etc. 330B DUPLI-KIT — Nomenclature = Duplicate. def’n: Duplicate — Exactly like something else. One or two things exactly alike; an exact copy. Make an exact copy of; to repeat exactly. def’n: Dupe — To deceive; to trick.
& BOBS: — Pound’s ‘XEROX‘ gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS8 set, listed as ‘8-28 REV.‘ on the conceptual artwork, but it is unknown at this time what was revised since not all thumbnail concepts have been shared with the public. Per Pound’s tight pencil and color rough artwork, the artist had suggested the name ‘PRESTON Button’ that was not chosen for the printed product. Perhaps a bring-your-kid-to-work father figure (or arm & Hand of God) forced the character onto the photocopier; the photocopy—a photographic copy of printed material produced by a process involving the action of light on a prepared surface—automatically turned the printout into a Garbage Pail Kids card-like mugshot image with GPK header and nameplate. The character is sporting white CPK-like shoes with blue stripes. |
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331A
PAGE CAGE — Rhyme; the forename Page with the word ‘cage’. def’n: Cage — Frame or place closed in with wires, strong iron bars, or wood. Birds and wild animals are kept in cages. Thing shaped or used like a cage. 331B TOMMY ACHE — Nomenclature = Tummy ache. def’n: Tummy — informal. Stomach. def’n: Stomachache — Pain in the stomach.
& BOBS: — Pound’s ‘MONSTER INSIDE GPK/CAGE‘ gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS8 set, listed as ‘8-32 REV.‘ on the conceptual artwork, but it is unknown at this time what was revised since not all thumbnail concepts have been shared with the public. Per Pound’s tight pencil and color rough artwork, the concept and coloring stayed the same throughout the final artwork. The surreal imagery shows a character hiking up his shirt to surprisingly reveal a caged midsection with a caged green monster within, heavily tentacled with a curling tongue, drooling heavily. Hunger pangs in the abdominal stomach region occur in the early stages of hunger and are contractions of an empty stomach or intestines. The beast within looks like he could eat anything. The character is wearing CPK-like white shoes with red stripes. |
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332A
SLING SCOTT — Nomenclature = Sling shot. def’n: Sling shot — A Y-shaped stick with a band of rubber between its prongs, used to shoot pebbles, rocks, etc. 332B TEDDY AIM FIRE — Nomenclature = The phrase: ‘Ready, aim, fire!’. def’n: Ready — Prepared for action or use at once. def’n: Aim — To point or direct (a gun, blow, etc.) in order to hit a target. def’n: Fire — The shooting or discharge of guns, etc.
& BOBS: — Pound’s ‘SLINGSHOT‘ gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John created for the OS8 set, listed as ‘8- REV.‘, but not all approved concepts made it into the set. Per Pound’s tight pencil and color rough artwork, the only known change is that ‘THE HANDS OF GOD‘ shirt is no longer striped for the final artwork image and the blue eyes were changed to hazel. The character can be seen in the formation of a slingshot, with his head removed, flattened, and attached to his wrists in a crucified style, ready to sling—a simple weapon in the form of a strap or loop used to hurl stones, etc. informal (British) to throw or fling. The character is sporting white CPK-like shoes with blue stripes. |
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333A
ORTHO DONNY — Nomenclature = Orthodontist. def’n: Orthodontist — Dentist who specializes in orthodontics. def’n: Orthodontics — Branch of dentistry that deals with straightening and adjusting teeth. 333B RUTH CANAL — Nomenclature = Root canal. def’n: Root canal — Passage in the root of a tooth through which nerves and vessels pass to the pulp. def’n: Root — To establish deeply and firmly.
& BOBS: — Pound’s ‘DRILLED‘ gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS8 set. Per Pound’s final artwork image, the character’s routine filling procedure has become a bigger problem. The dentists ‘HAND OF GOD‘ arm, and the arm of the drill, has protruded out of the backside of the character’s head and the mandible appears broken and the face slack-jawed; showing an extended, drooling tongue and a quadruple chin. The root of the problem seems to be malpractice. NOTE: there are several muscles and nerves around one’s jaw that work together to open and cose a person’s mandibles. On average, most people can open their mouth 1.4 to 2.2 inches (35 to 55 mil), this is roughly the width of three fingers; of course, finger width can vary greatly. |
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334A
ASHLEY TO ASHES — Nomenclature = The funeral phrase: ‘Ashes to ashes’. def’n: Ashes — What remains of a dead body when burned. A dead body; corpse. A powdery residue left after burning of a substance; wood, body, etc. 334B DUSTIN TO DUST — Nomenclature = The funeral phrase: ‘Dust to dust’. def’n: Dust — Fine, dry earth. Earth; ground. Tiny particles of earth, waste matter, etc., lying on the ground or on surfaces carried by the air.
& BOBS: — Warhola’s ‘TOMBSTONE‘ gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that James executed for the OS8 set. Per Warhola’s final artwork image, the painting depicts the final resting place of GPK which reads ‘REST IN PIECES GPK‘ rather than the traditional ‘REST IN PEACE GPK‘, which is only fitting. The nomenclature derives from the old English Burial Service, the text in part—”… take unto himself the soul of our dear brother here departed, we therefore commit his body to the ground; eath to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust…”—of which is adapted from the Biblical text, Genesis 3:19 (King James version): “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” The character has a cherub face and wings with bird crap on one cheek and two skeleton columns resting their had on their heads like they’ve been bored to death. — All GPK releases have been produced series by series; once the NPD Dept. was given the green light they’d start on the new set, but each series was worked on like it was the last. Some were treated that way moreso than others, especially the OS8 and OS9 sets which were being worked on while the lawsuit was pending which was filed during the OS7 release. In-house humor and sarcasm that was placed into the artwork by the art directors was placed at the end of the set due to this great unknown. Much like the OS8 set with the ‘death of GPK’ last-card theme, the OS9 set with the ‘put to rest’ imagery of the last two cards in the set (hook & nail), the OS14 set with the reverse card artwork with all of the creators’ tombstones, and the OS15 set with the fitting farewell of the final twin cards being a female version of the forever infamous ADAM Bomb mascot character. |
WHAT
IF?
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NO#A
Anar-KEITH — non-Nomenclature = Anarchy; aka: Punk’d PAUL. def’n: Anarchy — A state of disorder due to the absence or nonrecognition of authority. NO#B Screw HUGH — non-Nomenclature = Screw you; aka: UPTON Yours. def’n: Screw — slang. A less offensive version of ‘F@%# you.’.
& BOBS: — Bunk’s ‘MIDDLE FINGER‘ gag was not necessarily an approved concept by Topps for Tom to execute for the OS8 set, although it did make it to the final artwork stage, it was most likely denied by the legal staff and never made it into any set; this may also have been an in-house tongue-in-cheek joke after Topps was sued by Original Appalachian Artworks, Inc., the makers of the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls, which allegedly was the same reaction Topps had when they were denied the rights to make CPK trading cards which spurred the birth of the Garbage Pail Kids. This also would have made a final card image for this set to go along with the ‘ending’ tombstone-themed card. |
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.
