Garbage Pail Kids Original Series 9 Art Gallery

PRODUCTION ARTWORK — BITS &
BOBS BACKSTORY —ANNOTATED NOMENCLATURE

BASE
CARDS: 335a—378b

335a
CUTE TIPPI = Q-Tip ®;
un-identified.
Q-Tip; Cotton tips; Cottons swabs — Used to clean
earwax residue from the ear.
def’n: Swab — A bit of sponge, cloth
or cotton for cleansing some part of the body, etc.
def’n: Cute —
Being attractive in an endearing way.

335b
WAXY WENDY — Wendy; a W forename to go
with the word ‘wax+y’.
def’n: Wax — Earwax; cerumen.
def’n:
Earwax — The sticky, yellowish substance secreted by glands along the canal
of the outer ear.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Pound’s EARDRUM(S) PENETRATION gag, plural, was one of several
approved concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts
a cute GPKid jamming and ramming a larger-than-life cotton swab through her left
ear canal and protruding out her right ear canal, going through her skull &
brain. As pigtails go, they are sitting quite high on the character’s head, perhaps
as not to get in the way of her heavy-handed hygiene practices. The usually careful
technique of delicately holding a cotton swab is replaced by a fisting method,
most likely also ridding the ear canal of more than just built-up earwax. The
gag is further driven by the inclusion of a comedic lit candle; which of course
are made from various ‘real’ sources, ie. beeswax, paraffin wax, gel, plant waxes,
et cetera.
— The GPK character can be as
a miniature toy product within the 2014 Series 2 MiniKins release, as #21 within
the set.

336a
LASER RAY — Parody of the laser (beam) gun game
called ‘Laser Tag’.
def’n: Laser — A device which generates and
amplifies light waves in a narrow and extremely intense beam of light of only
one wavelength going in only one direction.
def’n: Laser gun —
A handheld device that incorporates a laser beam; both as a reader and within
science fiction.
def’n: Tag — A children’s game of “It”
and chasing.
def’n: Ray — A line or beam of light: rays of the sun.

336b
SIZZLIN’ SID — Sid; S name to go with
the word ‘sizzle+ing’.
def’n: Sizzle — Make a hissing sound, as
fat does when it is frying or burning. Be very hot: sizzle in a heat wave.
Burn up with intense heat.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Pound’s ZAPPED BY LASER GUN gag was listed as ‘9-JP-19
REV.‘, the 19th Topps-approved concept that John executed for the OS9 set.
It is unknown where the revision came into play, since previous thumbnail and
original concept artwork has not been shared with the public, but Pound does note:
“ALT. LYING ON GROUND?“, per tight line artwork,
located at the bottom of the mid-production piece. The brand name Lazer Tag, generically
known as ‘laser tag’, was developed by Worlds of Wonder (a subsidaiary of Hasbro
in 1998) and released in 1986. The “tag” pursuit game uses infrared
toy guns and came with the laser gun and chest plate reader. Not to be confused
with the Nintendo Zapper. Note the character is wearing a pair of light-blue striped
CPK shoes.

337a
EARLY BERT = Early bird; as in the phrase, “The
early bird gets the worm.”
def’n: Early bird — informal.
Person who gets up or arrives early.
def’n: Bird — Any of a class,
Aves, of warm-blooded vertebrates that lay eggs, have a body covered with feathers,
two legs, modified forelimbs to form wings with which most species use to fly.

337b
ROTTEN ROBIN = Rotten robin; adj, noun.
def’n: Rotten — Decayed or spoiled: a rotten egg. Corrupt; dishonest.
Bad; nasty.
def’n: Robin — A large thrush, bird of North America,
brownish-gray with a reddish breast and white on the lower abdomen and throat.

BITS & BOBS:
— Bunk’s BIRD FOOD gag
was one of several approved concepts by Topps that Tom executed for the OS9 set.
The image depicts a mother robin (or similar bird) feeding a GPKid to her two
young pre-fledglings that are sitting in their nest expecting mouth-to-mouth food
at a regular basis. A brood of young are born with their eyes shut and first open
them roughtly five days after hatching. The miniaturized character is seen showing
signs of profusely sweating, most likely out of fear and due to intense stress.
Per Bunk’s early colour rough artwork, the smaller nest seen more in the distance
and tucked between two branches, hold four baby birds; the blacker bird was made
more robin-like in color.

338a
SEE-SAWYER = See saw.
def’n: See saw —
A children’s game in which the children sit at opposite ends of a plank and move
alternately up and down. A plank resting on a support near it’s middle so the
ends can move up and down; a teeter-totter.

338b
TEETER TODD = Teeter-totter.
def’n: Teeter-totter
— See saw; see above.
def’n: Teeter — To move or attempt
to balance unsteadily; to sway back and forth.
def’n: Totter —
To move in a feeble or very unsteady way.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Bunk’s TEETERING ON THE BRINK gag was one of several approved
concepts by Topps that Tom executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid
attempting to see-saw with his own noggin as a counterweight, and doing quite
well in balancing. Per Bunk’s original colour rough, the character started out
as a girl sporting a yellow sun dress and blue shoes. The art director simply
wrote ‘BOY’ at the top of the concept, telling the artist to change the character
to the male gender for the final artwork. The message “Backgr. light calm”
was also scrawled over on the right border to have Bunk paint a nice serene background
atmosphere giving the painting a lonley, almost dusktime feeling of playing alone
in a playground with no other children up until dinner/suppertime.

339a
SNOT ROPE HOPE — Hope; an H forename
to rhyme with the words ‘snot rope’ = jump rope.
def’n: Snot —
Nasal mucus; phlegm. An untrustworthy, or malicious person.
def’n:
Jump — To spring off the ground or other base by a muscular effort of the
legs and feet.
def’n: Rope — A heavy, strong cord made of twisted
strands of fiber, wire, or other material.

339b
DRIPPY DEBBIE — Debbie; a D forename
to go with the word ‘drip+py’.
def’n: Drip — To fall or let fall
in drops. slang. An unpleasant person.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Bunk’s SNOT ROPE gag was one of several approved concepts
by Topps that Tom executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid jumping
rope down a cityscape with her own ‘snot rope’; the thick rubbery drainage from
the nose caused by excessive mucus production… similar to thicker spit rope!
Per Bunk’s colour rough artwork, the final artwork feels like it’s a combination
of both pre-production pieces. The brown and green rope of snot has become more
yellow-tinged, still placed on a yellow background, and surrounded by Pound’s
signature purple, background buildings. The light & dark brunette hair became
black and the light green & pink dress became an aqua green sun dress. The
shoes and ponytail ties are all different colours for all three renditions. Additional
snot was added to the dress and bottom of one shoe at one point during the process,
and a blue string at the neck of the final dress to match the blue socks.

340a
HALF-BAKED BETTY — Betty; a B forename
to go with the words ‘half-baked’.
A possible parody of the “Betty Crocker”
brand name and baking products.
def’n: Half-baked — Only partly
baked. informal. Ill-conceived; foolish. Lacking good judgement or common
sense.
def’n: Bake — The act or process of baking. informal.
Baked; fully stoned (Half-backed; half stoned).

340b
ROLLIN’ ROLANDA — Semi-rhyme; the forename Rolanda
with the word ‘roll+ing’.
def’n: Roll — To move by turning over
and over. To spread, compress, or flatten by applying pressure with a roller.
def’n: Rolling pin — A smooth cylinder for rolling out dough.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Warhola’s ROLLING IN DOUGH gag was one of several approved
concepts by Topps that James executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid
using a rolling pin to roll out her head and neck as thougth it’s acting as backing
dough. Additional skin-coloured dough is pictured to the right and a flour shaker
to the left—used to decrease the sticky effect the dough has on a rolling
board; which apparently isn’t working too well. The downward forced perspective
of the image makes the arms appear super extended and not quite like a CPKid.
Little flour handprints can be seen all over the kitchen: on the countertop, on
the kitchen drawers & cupboards, and on the back of the chair. The nomenclature
of ‘half-baked’ suggests the slang meaning being ‘half stoned’, especially since
the doughy girl isn’t even partly baked or baked at all just yet; and the slang
for ‘baked’ would then mean fully stoned.

341a
JUICY BRUCE — Rhyme; the name Bruce with the
word ‘juice+y’.
A possible parody of the “Betty Crocker” brand name
and baking products.
def’n: Juice — A fluid naturally contained
in plant or animal tissue. A bodily secretion. To extract the juice from.
def’n: Juicy — Full of juice; succulent. Interesting, colorful, or
racy.

341b FRUITY
RUDY — Rhyme; the name Rudy with the word ‘fruit+y’.
def’n:
Fruit — The ripened, seed-bearing part of a plant, especially when fleshy
and edible.
def’n: Fruity — Tasting or smelling of fruit.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Bunk’s SQUEEZED-TO-THE-LAST-DROP gag was one of several
approved concepts by Topps that Tom executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts
a GPKid being juiced like an orange on top of a manual juicer. Although the Kid
is an inanimate object, an actual piece of fruit, the facial features are still
somewhat animated. Moreso with Bunk’s original concept of a lemon being squeezed—instead
of an orange—with a puckered mouth , worried eyebrows, and a nervous sweat
squirting out along with the character’s liquid essence. The bright atmosphere
and background of the ‘lemon concept’, being squeezed by a lady’s hand, was replaced
with a very dark background for the ‘orange concept’, where the character is now
being squeezed by a male hand, who definitely has the upper hand in this scenario.

WHAT
IF?

342a
JIM EQUIPMENT = Gym equipment.
def’n:
Gym — informal. A gymnasium.
def’n: Gymnasium — A
room or building equipped for sports.
def’n: Equipment — The things
with which one is equipped (weights, punching bag, et cetera).

342b
BUDDY BUILDER = Body builder [n]; body building.
def’n: Body building — The pratice of developing the body through
physical excercise and diet, especially for competitive exhibition.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Bunk’s MOUTH EXPANDER gag was one of several approved concepts
by Topps that Tom executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid being used
as a spring chest pull (or expander) exercise equipment for building the chest
muscles, et cetera. Keep in mind, the MMO, maximal mouth opening, on average,
is around 50mm for adults; this being 50-60mm for the male gender and 45-55mm
for the female sex. In general, Bunk tends to submit one to three color pencil
roughs for each concept, giving a variety of different color schemes and whatnot,
where at times his tight ink artwork appears to be the reworked or revised concept
prior to the final artwork. In the earlier, color rough iteration, the tiny GPK
character is wearing pants, not sporting CPK shoes, does not have teeth all around
the cheeks (just centralized), and doesn’t have the tongue sticking out (remains
behind the teeth and jaw area), weights are relocated, and straining sweat added
to the body builder. This is mostly missed due to the nameplate, but the shadow
of the GPK character is seen splayed acrossed the green gym shorts.

343a
CON VIC = Convict.
def’n: Convict —
A person found guilty of a crime, especially one serving a prison sentence.
def’n: Con — slang. To swindle. A convict.

343b
AL CATRAZ = Alcatraz.
def’n: Alcatraz
— A small island in San Francisco Bay. A former penitentiary on the island
used by the U.S. Government for dangerous criminals.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Bunk’s JAILBIRD gag was one of several approved concepts
by Topps that Tom executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid behind bars,
obviously a ‘repeat’ offender and jailbird; def’n = a person who is or
has been in prison, especially a criminal who has been jailed repeatedly. The
striped prison uniform (often associated with chain gangs) was en vogue during
the 19th century but began to be abolished in parts of the U.S. during the early
20th century. Bunk’s revised tight line artwork, with the GPK character sporting
a checkered shirt, is based off of a concept by artist Jay Lynch where you see
the character’s full body standing inside his prison cell rather than at the prison
window. The nomenclature of ‘Jailhouse RICK’ is a parody of the 1957 musical Jailhouse
Rock starring Elvis Presley.

344a
PERRY CHUTE = Parachute.
def’n: Parachute
— An umbrella-shaped device used especially to retard free fall from an aircraft
(or vehicles).
def’n: Chute — informal. A parachute.

344b
RIP CORD = Ripcord.
def’n: Ripcord —
A cord pulled to release a parachute from its pack.
def’n: Cord —
A string or small rope of twisted strands of fibers.
def’n: Rip —
To tear or become torn apart. To split.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Bunk’s RIPPED-A-NEW-ONE gag was one of several approved
concepts by Topps that Tom executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts an oversized
GPKid landing on a building and being torn & enveloping the building as though
made out of parachute material. The character obviously wasn’t following PLF (parachute
landing fall), a safety technique that allows a parachutist to land safely and
without injury. The level of surprise on the face has changed from the tight line
artwork to the final artwork, where the character is shocked to, “Uh oh,
something just ripped me in half.” The hand position has also changed, the
thumbs pointing down are not two thumbs up!

345a
CYRIL BOWL = Cereal bowl.
def’n: Cereal
— An edible grain, as wheat or corn. A food prepared from such grain.
def’n: Bowl — A rounded, hollow container for liquids and food.

345b
SOGGY OGGIE — Rhyme; the forename Oggie with
the word ‘soggy’.
def’n: Soggy — Saturated with moisture; soaked.

BITS & BOBS:
— Bunk’s BRAIN FOOD gag
was one of several approved concepts by Topps that Tom executed for the OS9 set.
The image depicts a GPKid, most notably just its head, as a breakfast cereal bowl.
To keep the character GPK-like, the head retained its flesh colour tone and was
made real by being ‘MISSING‘ as seen on the milk carton.
In December 1984 and January 1985, the nonprofit National Child Safety Council
began a nationwide program called the Missing Children Milk Carton Program in
the U.S. by placing photos of missing children on milk cartons; let me tell you,
it was not as fun as reading the cereal box backside. The monkey brains-like concept
“ALL BRAIN” is a name parody of the “ALL
BRAN” cereal product; basically the leftover pieces of grain husk
after flour is milled. The character, and representation of the character, is
seen three times within the artwork, including a glimpse of the bowl on the cereal
packaging.
— Per Bunk’s tight line artwork,
several changes took place from the conceptual to final artwork stages. The milk
carton tagline of “WE ‘HEART’ GARBAGE“, and the
full cereal box title of “ALL BRAIN GARBAGE” were
dropped. The overhanging brain matter, flopping over the sides of the cereal bowl,
and the character drooling (including the milk carton kid) were all removed. The
cereal box information line of “LOTS OF SUGAR, NATURAL NUTTY”
was changed to “DELICIOUS NUTTY” as notated at
the top of the tight line artwork by the art director, and the hype ad of “FREE”
was changed to “SAVE 5¢“.

346a
PEELED PAUL — Semi-rhyme; the forename Paul
with the word ‘peel+ed’.
def’n: Peel — The skin or rind, especially
of a fruit. To strip the skin, rind, or bark from; pare. To remove by or as if
by peeling; pull off. To lose or shed skin, rind, or bark.

345b
SKIN LES = Skinless; adjective.
def’n:
Skin — The membranous tissue that forms the outer covering of an animal.
An animal hide or pelt. An outer layer or covering, as the rind of fruit. Skinned;
to remove skin from.
def’n: Less — Lacking.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Pound’s PEELING BACK A LAYER gag was one of several approved
concepts by John that Tom executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid
accidentally peeling away his skin. The background shows a closet full of identical
‘outer layering’ clothing on hangers and previous changings littered around the
carpeted floor. The character shows an element of surprise on his face for unintentionally
tearing his identical uniform.
—
Artist James Warhola completed the first final artwork piece prior to the art
director at Topps having John Pound paint a different, alternate version, for
the printed card. Per Mark Newgarden: “The consensus was, it just wasn’t
working. Compare it to John’s and you can see why. Definitely a tough concept
to solve. Even John’s doesn’t read if silhouetted. What’s unusual is that we went
this far and then started all over again with another artist.” In previous
sets, John Pound’s tight pencil or final artwork was used for new GPK artists
coming on board to mimic; this was a reversal, bringing in Pound to solve the
concept. Newgarden has a number ’14’ circled on the artwork—possibly for
the fourteenth final artwork piece turned in for the OS9 set and the artist’s
initials circled ‘JW’ along with several potential card names including; Raw RON,
CURT Shirt, Inside OTTO and Peeled PAYNE (none were obviously used). Without the
closet of skins in the background and nomenclature the concept wouldn’t read well
with Warhola’s finished product; the character is simply removing an ‘outfit’
with hardly any face showing. Compared to Pound’s piece, with better footing and
hand placement, John adds another layer of humor by making the character accidentally
tearing his ‘outfit’ whilst removing it; thus, putting that closet of skins to
good use.

347a
DAM DAN — Rhyme; the forename Dan with the
word ‘dam’.
def’n: Dam — A barrier built across a waterway to
control the flow of water. Dammed.
def’n: Damming — To hold back.

347b
MIKE DIKE — Rhyme; the forename Mike with the
word ‘dike’.
def’n: Dike — A wall or embankment built to hold
back water and prevent floods. A ditch or channel.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Bunk’s WATERLOGGED gag was one of several approved concepts
by Topps that Tom executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a young Dutch GPKid
blocking a cracking dam with his right pointer finger, while attempting to hollar
for help whilst waiving his left hand. However, a flood of dammed water and aqautic
lifeforms are protruding from his opened mouth, shutting out any attempts at screaming
for help. One can assume that wall didn’t last intact too long. Per Bunk’s many
color-rough pieces, the original concept had the character sporting quite unique
clothing, including wooden clogs, and headgear (called an ‘ear iron’) that are
triangular flaps or wings, usually seen as part of the female’s traditional gear;
which is why there was most likely a revision. The updated color roughs have the
character sporting the Dutch national costume (woolen pants with silver buttons
on the front square flap, wooden clogs, kerchief, shirt, and jacket), including
the Dutch cap. The woodmill disappears and a shadow under the fish appears.

348a
PLANE JANE — Rhyme; the forename Jane with the
word ‘plane’.
def’n: Plane — A carpenter’s tool for smoothing
and leveling wood. To smooth or finish.

348b
WOODY SHOP = Wood shop.
def’n: Wood —
The tough, fibrous supporting substance beneath the bark of trees. Used for building
material.
def’n: Woody — Consisting of or containing wood. Suggestive
of wood.
def’n: Shop — A workshop.
def’n: Workshop
– An area, room, or establishment in which manual work is done.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Bunk’s NOT-SO-PLANE-JANE gag was one of several approved
concepts by Topps that Tom executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid
using a wood hand plane on themselves, specifically on their head. Planer, another
term for a bench plane, is ususally power operated. Per Bunk’s early color rough
artwork, the hand plane was being handled a bit awkwardly & the hand position
eventually “changed hands”, while the character also manhandled a hammer.
The character is sporting a plain t-shirt which was changed to a collared work
shirt & overalls for the follow-up color rough & final artwork. The dripping
& drops of blood, plus the nail poking of the character’s arm, were removed
from the concept, the hammer was laid down on the workbench, and the ruler in
the bib pocket changed positions.

349a
POLLUTED PERCY — Percy; a P forename
to go with the word ‘pollute+d’.
def’n: Pollute — To make impure
or unlean; contaminate.

349b
BARNACLE BILL — Bill; a B forename to
go with the word ‘barnacle’.
def’n: Barnacle — A small, hard-shelled
marine crustacean that attaches itself to submerged surfaces.
def’n:
Bill — A beak-like mouth.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Bunk’s LIFE-IN-A-FISHBOWL gag was one of several approved
concepts by Topps that Tom executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid
with a clear, circular, glass fishbowl as a head with fish tank-like contents
within. Compared to an alternate color rough concept, where the character is sporting
a striped t-shirt, the attire has been replaced with a more nautical (concerning
sailors; maritime) theme, and the character is sporting a sailor suit; a popular
clothing style for children, to boot. The fish bowl’s contents consist of several
skeletal fish, a dead upside-down fish, a pair of dentures, an old sardine can,
and bones; suggesting the water may be a bit polluted and unsafe for living conditions.

350a
MISTY SUDS = Words to describe a bubble or bubbles.
def’n: Bubble — A rounded object with gas trapped in a liquid to form
or give off bubbles.
def’n: Misty — Consisting of or resembling
mist. Vague.
def’n: Suds — Soapy water. Foam.

350b
AMELIA AIRHEAD = Amelia Earhart; 1898-1937? American
aviator.
def’n: Airhead —un-identified. Clueless; ditzy.
def’n: Dumb —informal. Stupid.
def’n: Dumbbell —slang.
A stupid person; dolt.
def’n: Dolt — A stupid person; blockhead.
def’n: Blockhead — A stupid person.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Pound’s BOTTLE OF BUBBLES gag was one of several approved
concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a surreal
GPKid moment frozen in time where a headless character is blowing air into a bubble
wand, producing a very large bubble in the shape and form of her head. Perhaps
to enhance the color of the clear bubbles, Pound added a very colourful, rainbow-esque
colour palette to the background. It may show up in the color rough artwork, but
the tight line artwork does not show the warped images of the GPK header within
its three upper bubbles; the complete, albeit distorted, GPK header can be seen
on the printed card.

351a
CHERYL PERIL — Rhyme; the forename Cheryl with
the word ‘peril’.
def’n: Peril — Danger. Something that endangers.
def’n: Danger — Exposure or liability to evil, injury, or harm.

351b
DEFLATIN’ NATHAN — Rhyme; the forename Nathan
with the word ‘deflate+ing’.
def’n: Deflate — To release contained
air or gas from. To collapse by such a release.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Warhola’s FEELING DEFLATED gag was one of several approved
concepts by Topps that James executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid
as a deflating hot air balloon, inanimate object. The head region has a puncture
leak with air escaping and the whole right side of the face region has caught
on fire. Hot air balloons fly by heating gas inside the balloon with a burner
at the mouth (which causes it to be lighter than the cold air on the outside);
thus, the tying off of the balloon at the bottom—like a regular kid balloon
with string—would cause the air inside to overheat, which would eventually
catch the balloon, rope & basket on fire, and potentially explode. The artwork
showcases an older style of balloon, pre nylon or dacron, where the bag is enveloped
with and outside netting. Humourously, the wicker basket (or gondola) aslo has
a ship anchor attached to it, along with ballasts (sanddbags or lead weights).
—
Oftentimes, a GPK originates from a simple concept sketch and the artist further
fleshes out the idea. Art Spiegelman supplied a large sketch of the character
with the suggested ‘HOT AARON‘ nomenclature, which unfortuantely,
was not kept for one of the final twin cards. ‘Hot air balloons’ was located on
the OS9 GPK flowchart with the New Product Development (NPD) office.
—
The tight pencil artwork, by artist James Warhola, added more billowing smoke
and a popped hole section, and later removed the clouds. Art Spiegelman, playing
art director for this particular character, added the key notes, “put guy
in basket” and “deflated, wounded expression”, once reviewed, prior
to the final artwork being created.

352a
HERMAN HORMONE — Semi-rhyme; the forename Herman
with the word ‘hormone’.
def’n: Hormone — A substance produced
by living cells that is transported, as by blood or sap, and stimulates other
cells by means of chemical action.

352b
TURNED-ON RON — Rhyme; the forename Ron with
the words ‘turned-on’.
def’n: Turn on —slang. Something
that brings great pleasure or excitement.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Bunk’s FUNNY FEELINGS gag was one of several approved concepts
by Topps that Tom executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a prepubescent (pre-pubes,
pre-scent) GPKid hitting a pubescent stage, unfolding and ogling at a ‘PLAYTOY‘
centerfold. The magazine being an obvious parody of the “gentleman’s”
magazine ‘PLAYBOY‘. The character’s head mimics the excciting
process of unfolding the centerfold, standing erect and at attention, as they
say. Per Bunk’s many color and tight line artwork, the character went through
a few subtle changes; the character’s legs were placed together rather than spread
apart, the head shows signs of a vistigial ear, and the ‘PLAY TRASH‘
mag showcases a model inside a garbage can. The various out line artwork also
shows a baseball cap flying off, a gust of air added below the character (dramatic
wind), a bow tie & ears appearing and disappearing, an open-mouth & tongue
moment.

353a
BAZOOKA JOANNE — Parody of the Topps chewing
gum product and mascot name ‘Bazooka Joe’.
Bazooka Joe was spoofed in OS3
as cards 84a/b; Bazooka Joe Comics come with the gum.
def’n: Bazooka
— A crude wind instrument , invented and named by Bob Burns (1896-1956);
Topps named their gum after this instrument. A portable rocket launcher used against
tanks.

353b BUBBLY
BABS — Babs; a B forename to go with the word ‘bubble+y’.
def’n: Bubble — A rounded, generally spherical, hollow or sometimes
solid object.
def’n: Babble — To utter indistinct, meaningless
sounds.
def’n: Chewing gum — A sweetened, flavored preperation
for chewing usually made of chicle; aka ‘bubble gum’.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Pound’s STICKY SITUATION gag, titled ‘BIG
BUBBLE BURST 9-JP-17; REV.‘, was one of several approved concepts by Topps
that John executed for the OS9 set; the seventeenth completed for the set with
a revision. The image depicts a GPKid and the aftermath of an explosion of her
chewing gum bubble. Since earlier thumbnail concept sketches have not been shared
with the public, it is uknown where the revision took place for the artwork; although,
it may have involved sticking part of the exploded bubble to the GPK header. From
the pile of Bazooka Gum wrappers in from of the character, a minimum of twenty
pieces of gum were used to create the ‘big bubble’.

354a
CLARK SHARK — Rhyme; then forename Clark with
the word ‘shark’.
def’n: Shark — Any of various often large and
voracious marine fishes with tough skin and small, toothlike scales. A ruthless,
greedy, or dishonest person.

354b
MANNY EATER = Man eater/maneater.
def’n:
Man — A human being; person. Mankind.
def’n: Eat — To consume
(food); to consume or ravage as if by eating.
def’n: Maneater — An animal
that has a propensity (natural tendency) for killing and eating humans.

BITS & BOBS:
— Pound’s SHARK WEEK gag,
titled ‘“JAWS” SHARK 9-JP1; REV.‘, was one of
several approved concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS9 set. The image
depicts a GPKid as an actual, maneating shark. Pound questioned “PINK
SKIN?“, within the preproduction artwork, which would “humanize”
the animal and give it the color of human skin, rather than the natural grey skin
of a killer, great white shark. Steven Spielberg gave the animatronic shark the
name ‘Bruce’ that was used in the 1975 film JAWS. Unlike an actual shark, the
facial features were placed on the underside of the nose area of the animal, instead
of to the sides, to make it look more like a GPK character. Beyond the large fishhook,
human arm and hand, and behind the rows of teeth, one can comically see an uvula
at the back of the shark’s throat. Per tight line artwork, this character was
the first concept for the OS9 set by Pound.

355a
BEASTY BOYD = A name parody of the 80’s-90’s Caucasion
rap group the Beastie Boys.
def’n: Beast — Any animal, especially
a large four-footed animal. A brutal person.
def’n: Beastly —
Of or like a beast; savage. Disagreeable; nasty.

355b
SEMI COLIN = Semicolon.
def’n: Semicolon
— A mark of punctuation (;) indicating a degree of seperation intermediate
in value between the comma and the period.
def’n: Semi — Half-partial;
partially. Occuring twice.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Pound’s HALF BEAST gag, titled ‘1/2 MONSTER
FACE 9-JP4‘, was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John executed
for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid that has a face and body that consists
of exactly half a golden-boy human and half a monster-like creature. The beast
is reminiscent of the old Topps Monster Initials release(s), with a horn protruding
out of the character’s head and tufts of CPK hair sprouting in various places.
The preproduction artwork heavily suggests that the image would be slightly lopsided
and show a bit more of the creature’s green arm, displaying the entire hand within
the tight line artwork; the human’s side is left undrawn and the arm is even left
unpainted for the final artwork. Per tight line artwork, this character was the
fourth concept for the OS9 set by Pound.

356a
MOMMA MIA = Momma mia. An Italian exclamation. A
song title of the Swedish group ABBA.
def’n: Exclamation — A sudden
utterance, an interjection.
def’n: Momma — informal. Mother;
mamma. Also: Mommy; mammy; mama.

356b
ELECTRIC SHARI = Electric chair.
def’n:
Electric chair — A chair used to electrocute a person sentenced to death.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Bunk’s OLD-TIME ELECTRIC CHAIR gag was one of several approved
concepts by Topps that Tom executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid,
or rather, a much older woman, strapped to an old-fashioned, wooden electric chair.
Per Bunk’s color rough and tight line artwork, quite a bit of the additional electrical
components were removed from the piece, leaving the chair a bit more streamlined
and clean. Although the framed picture shows a picture-within-a-picture effect,
much-like the earlier GPK prisoner for cards 343, it’s actually a minaiture replica
of the famous painting Whistler’s Mother, in which the GPK painting is
a parody of, except it adds a bit of electricity to the subject matter. The 1871
painting, by American-born painter James Abbott McNeil Whistler, is also casually
known as Portrait of Artist’s Mother, but is actually titled Arrangement
in Grey and Black No. 1. The artwork is of Whistler’s mother, Anna McNeill
Whistler.

357a
3-DEE = 3-D; three-dimensional.
def’n:
Three-dimensional — A three-dimensional motion picture, etc. Of, having,
or existing in three dimensions. Having or appearing to have extension in depth.

357b
BLURRY BLAIR — Blair; a BL forename to
go with the word ‘blur+ry’.
def’n: Blur — To make or become indistinct;
obscure. To smear or smudge. Something that is hazy and indistinct.
def’n:
Blurry — Something that is not clearly or distinctly visible; hazy.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Pound’s 3-D GLASSES gag, titled ‘3D COMIC
9-JP-‘, was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John executed
for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid holding a generic 3-D comic where the
character’s outine matches the red and green/blue lines of the comic strip; the
double-headed and double-visioned character has their eyeballs flying out for
one head and barfing for the other. Double vision, known as ‘Diplopia’, is when
you see two images of the same thing. The tight line artwork states ‘(RED/GREEN
LINE ART)‘ to help drive the concept, although three-dimensional viewing
glasses tend to be red and blue, but can also be green. Per pencil line artwork,
this character was an unnumbered concept for the OS9 set by Pound, so it’s unclear,
numerically, when it was approved.

358a
MAC THE KNIFE = Mack the Knife.
A song title
from the Theme from the Three Penny Opera written in 1928; words by Berthold
Brecht and music by Kurt Weill. Louis Armstrong recorded the song in Sept of 1955
and was later a cover song of the Grateful Dead band.
def’n: Knife
— A cutting instrument consisting of a sharp blade with a handle. A cutting
edge.
def’n: Pocket knife — A small knife with a blade(s) folding
into a handle.

358b
WADE BLADE — Rhyme; the forename Wade with the
word ‘blade’.
def’n: Blade — The flat-edged cutting part of a
sharpened tool or weapon.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Pound’s POCKET KNIFED gag was one of several approved concepts
by Topps that John executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid as a pocket
knife, modeled after the popular red Swiss Army Knife. Most survival or scout
pocket knives contain both a spoon and a fork, however, this particular parody
of a pocket knife sports a spork; a spoon-shaped eating utensil with very short
tines at the tip. The spork (character’s head) and other popular parts of the
pocket knife have been turned into the character’s four limbs; a left arm file
(nail filer), and three re-shaped and blunted blades (pen blade, large knife blade,
small knife blade) for the other limbs, all with ‘nail nicks’ for access. The
pocket knife also contains a short knife blade—that has poked the human and
drew blood, a key ring, a corkscrew, a ruler with fish scaler, and a small tweezer
or toothpick (usually one located on each side).

359a
KEROSENE KERRY — Kerry; a K forename
to go with the word ‘kerosene’.
def’n: Kerosene — A thin oil distilled
from petroleum or shale oil, used as a fuel and alcohol denaturant.

359b
BLAZIN’ BLAKE — Blake; a B forename to
go with the word ‘blaze+ing’.
def’n: Blaze — A brightly burning
fire. A destructive fire. To burn brightly.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Bunk’s PYROMANIAC gag was one of several approved concepts
by Topps that Tom executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid with pyromania
tendencies that happens to be a fireman, so instead of spraying much-needed water
onto the burning school building, the character is feeding the fire with more
flames instead. The building is quite engulfed in flames and billowing black smoke,
and the fireman appears to be on a fire engine truck’s ladder, albeit an older
version. Per Bunk’s many colour roughs, the school started out as a ‘PUBLIC
SCHOOL‘ where the character was at the entrance with no hose hooked up
to the fire hydrant next to him. One colour version showed the color concept as
if it were burnt by fire, where the fireman has a friendly face that was later
turned into a more mean, vampiric mouth with furrowed brows. Another similar colour
rough that matches the final artwork layout, not shown, has the flames more cylindrical
like the line artwork. The ‘1/2‘ on the helmet is the station
number where the fireman is stationed.

360a
MARCUS MUCUS — Rhyme; the name Marcus with the
word ‘mucus’.
def’n: Mucus — The viscous liquid secreted as a
protective lubricant coating by glands in the mucous membrane.

360b
GUN BERYL = Gun barrel.
def’n: Gun —
A weapon consisting esentially of a metal tube from which a projectile is fired.
A protable firearm.
def’n: Barrel — The long tube of a gun.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Pound’s GUNSNOT gag was one of several approved concepts
by Topps that John executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid being manhandled
and its trigger being squeezed in the form of an inanimate object revolver that’s
being fired, but instead of a gunshot, the end result is a wad of ‘gunsnot’ hitting
a brick wall. The handgun is most likely modeled after the Smith & Wesson
model 29, a six-shot, double-action revolver. The gun was made famous by the “Dirty
Harry” Callahan character from the Dirty Harry series of films starring
actor Clint Eastwood. Several barrel lengths were offered as standard models,
with the shortest being three inches in length, and up to ten inches; this piece
is obviously a ‘special’ order. The character seamingly has no earholes, so doesn’t
have to worry about their eardrums, but is still squeezing its eyes shut due to
the handgun recoil and sneeze-like effect/affect.

361a
DICED BRICE — Rhyme; the forename Brice with
the word ‘dice+d’.
def’n: Dice — A small cube, as of food. To
cut into cubes.

361b
CHOPPED CHET — Chet; a CH forename to
go with the word ‘chop+ped’.
def’n: Chop — To cut by striking
with a heavy, sharp tool. To cut into bits; mince. A cut of meat, usually taken
from the rib, shoulder, or loin and containing a bone.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Warhola’s SELF MUTILATION gag was one of several approved
concepts by Topps that James executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid
in barbarian-like attire with battle axe in hand, slicing and dicing himself up.
Although no blood appears around the wounds, there is a nice amount on the axe
blade. A collapsed warrior appears in the background, still reaching up to the
heavens, and a skull is present within the foreground of the artwork. The character
is sporting a battle helmet, two warrior bracelts, a teeth necklace with medallion,
fur loincloth with skull buckle, two warrior anklets, and fur boots with leather
straps/string. The character is separated into eighteen parts.

362a
DOUG FOOD = Dog food.
def’n: Dog —
A domesticated carnivorous mammal related to wolves and foxes.
def’n:
Food — A substance taken in the body and assimilated by an organism to maintain
lie and growth; nourishment.

362b
NICK YICK — Rhyme; the forename Nick with the
word ‘yick’; yuck.
def’n: Yuck — slang. Exclamation expressing
disgust, strong distaste, etc. Also, yuk.
def’n: Yucky — slang.
Disgusting; very unpleasant; distasteful: yucky food.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Pound’s CANNED DOG FOOD gag was one of several approved
concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid
made out of mush that has been emptied into a dog bowl for immediate consumption,
an empty tincan of dog food in the background that reads “GPK
DOG FOOD” (a leading competitor) and “FOR DOGS”
(naturally). The character made out of minced mystery meat by-products is seen
drooling and dripping, clumped in a sitting position in no apparant distress about
his dire straits situation. The dog owner may want to invest in a new can opener
from the jagged looks of things.

363a
SLIDIN’ SLOAN — Sloan; a SL forename
to go with the word ‘slide+ing’.
def’n: Slide — To move
or cause to move over a surface while maintaining continuous contact. A sliding
movement or action. A smooth surface or track for sliding.

363b
FLAMIN’ DAMON — Rhyme; the forename Damon with
the word ‘flame+ing’.
def’n: Flame — To burn with a flame;
blaze. To break into or as if into flames. A condition of active combustion.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Bunk’s SLIP SLIDIN’ FOOD gag was one of several approved
concepts by Topps that Tom executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid
with sever slide burn to the point of spontaneous combustion—an instant ignition
caused by an element self-heating followed by thermal runaway and autoignition.
A friction burn is a form of abrasion injury caused by the friction of skin rubbing
against a surface, in this case, a sun-scorched, hot metal summer slide. Both
of Bunk’s colour rough and final atwork show the character flying down the slide,
arms out wide, with the victim’s feet, legs, buttocks, and hips having burned
away, leaving a billowing cloud of black smoke in his wake.

364a
STICKY RICKY — Rhyme; the forename Ricky with
the word ‘sticky’.
def’n: Sticky — Sticking or tending
to stick; adhesive.
def’n: Stick — To be or become fixed
or embedded in place.
def’n: Flypaper — Paper coated with a sticky
substance for catching flies; aka fly strip.

364b
GOOEY LOUIE — Rhyme; the forename Louie with
the word ‘goo+ey’.
def’n: Goo — A sticky, wet substance.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Warhola’s STICKY SITUATION gag was one of seven approved
concepts by Topps that James executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid
as a fly strip; aka fly sticky tape, et cetera. The character appears to
have been abandoned, much like the environment around them; the decrepit room
contains smashed windows, pull shades with holes, cracked and peeling paint on
the walls, and cobwebs/spiderwebs on the wooden ceiling beams. Flypaper, aka
fly ribbon, fly strip, fly capture tape, fly catcher, et cetera, is a fly life-ending
device made of paper coated with a sweetly fragrant, and extremley sticky substance
that traps flies and other insects when landed upon. The head and extended neck
make up the reel of the fly strip, where the rest of the body makes up the cone/container.
The ‘pest control’ character has no less than 50 flies attached to it, and his
twin brother can be seen in the distance.

365a
SHRAP NELL = Shrapnel.
def’n: Shrapnel
— An artillery shell containing metal balls, fused to explode in the air
above enemy troops. Shell fragments from any high-explosive shell.

365b
HANNA GRENADE = Hand grenade.
def’n: Hand
— The terminal part of the arm below the wrist.
def’n: Grenade
— A small bomb detonated by a fuse, designed to be thrown by hand or fired
from a rifle or grenade launcher.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Pound’s FRAG OUT gag was one of several approved concepts
by Topps that John executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid as an inanimate
object in the form of a fragmentation-type anti-personnel hand grenade. The character
is seen having been tossed into a live battlefield full of previous thrown grenades
and their divots—plus a victim’s boot, two grenades post-explostion taking
out an enemy soldier, and one mid-explosion grenade in the upper background. The
hand grenade could possibly be the Mk 2 grenade (aka Mk II), introduced
by the U.S. armed forces in 1918 during WWII, but I like to consider it to be
the replaced and failed Mk 1 grenade of 1917, designed to be simple but fool-proof,
yet had major problems in the field and was retired from servcie by the Mk 2 before
the war ended.

366a
LOW-LIFE LOLA — Lola; L name to go with
the words ‘low-life’.
def’n: Low — Below average, as in amount,
degree, or intensity. Of small value or quality. At a low position or level.
def’n: Life — A manner of living.
def’n: Lower class —
The group in society of low social and economic status, ranking below the middle
class.

366b SIS POOL = Cesspool.
def’n:
Cesspool — A covered hole or pit for receiving waste or sewage. Drainpipe.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Pound’s HEAD IN THE GUTTER gag was one of several approved
concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a ‘down
in the dumps’, yet hopeful, GPKid using their tongue to extend well beyond a city
sewer grate in attempts to gather scrapes or remnants of food or riches dropped
by the passing pedestrians and tossed garbage of vehicles within the gutters of
the street(s). The free curbside pick-up offers a plethora of unwanted items,
including a ball of wadded paper, a bottle cap, a can’s pull-tab, five cigarette
butts (two with lipstick), rocks/pebbles/gravel, potential spit, an open food
tin, a wad of pink gum, a green gum wrapper (Wrigley spearmint?), a paperclip,
a possible used teabag, and some pooled water. The shoe might be modeled after
the popular and colorful kids shoe brand KangaROOS, found with a zipper and pocket
(on the side).

367a
DENT AL = Dental.
def’n: Dental —
Of or pertaining to the teeth.

367b FLOURIDE IDA
— Semi-rhyme; the forename Ida with the word ‘flouride’.
def’n:
Flouride — A binary compound of flourine with another element.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Pound’s TUBE SQUEEZE gag was one of several approved concepts
by Topps that John executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid, as as
a lump of toothpaste, having been squeezed from an old Crest® tooth paste
tube and onto a yellow toothbrush. The red triangle at the bottom of the toothpaste
tube read ‘WITH FLOURISTAN‘ and the top portion read ‘REGULAR
FLAVOR‘. Pound’s artwork also heavily shows a teenager going through puberty,
with acne, whiteheads, boils, blackheads, scarring, et cetera, plus a real need
to brush their plaque-ridden, green teeth. Perhaps Pound had this tube on hand
(or rather, in hand) as a tube model for the piece.

368a
NAT SPLAT — Rhyme; the forename Nat with the
word ‘splat’.
def’n: Splat — A slapping noise.
def’n:
Splatter — To spatter; blend of ‘splash’ and ‘spatter’.
def’n:
Splash — A flying mass of liquid.

368b JUGGLIN’
JUD — Jud; a J forename to go with the word ‘juggle+ing’.
def’n: Juggle — To keep (two or more objects) in the air at one time
by alternately tossing and catching them.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Bunk’s JUGGLING ACT gag was one of several approved concepts
by Topps that Tom executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid with, count
them, four heads. Bunk’s colour rough and final artwork potrays the character
as a professional juggler, the later being in Arabian Night-like attire. The misjuggled
& dropped head has splatted to the ground and has splashed his own right foot
& pant leg. The heads contain an assortment of band-aids/plasters, bumps,
and abrasions showcasing that the noggins have fallen an umpteenth dozen times
before, so perhaps not so professional of a juggler. Two sets of eyes are onlooking,
one set is looking skywards, and the third is cross eyed.

369a
SCALPED RALPH — Rhyme; the forename Ralph with
the word ‘scalp+ed’.
def’n: Scalp — The skin covering the top
of the human head. To cut or tear the scalp from.

369b BONE-HEAD
FRED — Rhyme; the forename Fred with the words ‘bone + head’.
def’n: Bone head — informal. A stupid person; blockhead.
def’n: Bone — The hard, dense, calcified tissue that forms the skeleton
of most vertebrates.
def’n: Head — The upper or anterior bodily
extremity.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Pound’s BUZZKILL gag was one of several approved concepts
by Topps that John executed for the OS9 set, listed as the twentieth concept by
Pound titled “AT BARBER’S 9-JP-20“. The image
depicts a GPKid sitting in a barber’s chair getting a buzzcut, but the clippers
have ‘slipped’ and shaved the character to the bone, from his chin right to the
top of his head, revealing his skull & removing much more than just his hair.
Interestingly, hair clippers are intended for bulk hair cutting on larger areas,
but does not cut extremely close to the skin (unless a guard is not used, as seen
in this case); a hair trimmer is designed for outlining, shaping, and for cleaning
up around the neck, ears, and sideburns.
—
The characer was used as the main and side box artwork, the wrapper character,
the retail movie poster ad, and for one of the two set puzzles.

370a
CEMENTIN’ QUENTIN — Rhyme; the forename Quentin
with the word ‘cement+ing’.
def’n: Cement — A construction adhesive
consisting essentially of powdered rock and clay substances that forms a paste
with water and sets as a solid mass.

370b MINUS HANS
= Minus hands.
def’n: Minus — Reduced by; less. informal.
Lacking; without. A loss, deficiency, or disadvantage.
def’n: Hand
— The terminal part of the arm below the wrist.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Pound’s HEAVY-HANDED gag was one of several approved concepts
by Topps that John executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid that has
held his hands in wet cement for much too long, allowing it to dry for far too
long, and has lost his hands in the long process. Keep in mind, in general, a
sidewalk with freshly poured concrete isn’t ready for foot traffic for at least
24 hours; the time for it to safely cure. Instead of a sign reading “KEEP
OFF THE GRASS” that’s stuck into the lawn, we have a “KEEP
OUT FRESH CEMENT” with a stake stuck in the cement. The sidewalk
shows foot traffic occured while the character was waiting for the cement to cure,
and someone wrote ‘G.P.K. WAS HERE‘ right in front of him.
The CPK-shoe sporting kid does seem quite surprised at the hard facts and outcome.

371a
GRIPPIN’ GRIFFIN — Rhyme; the forename Griffin
with the word ‘grip+ping’.
def’n: Grip — A tight hold; firm grasp.
To get and maintain a tight hold on.

371b REN WRENCH
— Semi-rhyme; the forename Ren with the word ‘wrench’.
def’n:
Wrench — A sudden, forcible twist or turn. An injury produced by twisting
or straining. Any of various tools with fixed or adjustable jaws for gripping,
turning, or twisting an object such as a nut. To twist or turn suddenly and forcibly.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Bunk’s THROW A WRENCH IN THE WORKS gag was one of several
approved concepts by Topps that Tom executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts
a GPKid as an inanimate object, an adjustable wrench tool, where the teeth are
acting as the grip and are breaking to pieces. Per Bunk’s earlier colour rough,
the character was basically a silver/grey wrench, but eventually was ‘clothed’
to make it look more like a humanoid with legs and a defined head. The striped
overalls were made solid and the bow tie disappeared. The human hand was also
covered with a green work glove, possibly so the skin-like colour of the character
stuck out more.

372a
JACK FROST = Jack Frost.
def’n: Jack Frost
— Frost or freezing weather thought of as a person or character: Jack
Frost nipped at my nose/toes.
def’n: Frost — A covering of
small ice crystals formed from frozen water vapor.

372b WINDOW
PAYNE = Windowpane.
def’n: Windowpane — A pane of glass
in a window.
def’n: Window — An opening constructed in a wall
in order to admit light or air.
def’n: Pain — An unpleasant sensation
arising from injury.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Warhola’s FROSTBITE gag was one of several approved concepts
by Topps that James executed for the OS9 set. The image depicts a GPKid with his
toungue stuck under a shut windowpane, causing pain, and being subjected to the
elements. In this case, extremely cold weather conditions causing severe frostbite
= def’n: an injury to body tissue caused by exposure to extreme
cold, usually affecting body extremities such as the nose, fingers, or toes; sometimes
resulting in gangrene = def’n: the localized death and decompisition
of body tissue due to obstructed circulation, etc. With the number of tiny birds
checking out the incident, spring might be around the corner.

373a
DESI ISLAND = Deserted island.
def’n:
Desert — To forsake or leave; abandon.
def’n: Island — A
land mass, one smaller than a continent, surrounded by water. Something isolated
or surrounded.

373b MAROONED MAUREEN —
Semi-rhyme; the forename Maureen with the word ‘maroon+ed’.
def’n:
Maroon — To abandon, as on a deserted island. To leave (a person) helpless.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Warhola’s STOOL STRANDED gag was one of several approved
concepts by Topps that James executed for the OS9 set; original concept execution
by artist Tom Bunk. The image depicts a GPKid stranded on a small island-like
structure within a toilet bowl. Per Bunk’s colour artwork which eventually stated
“LATER PAINTED BY JAMES WARHOLA” by the artist,
the bathroom was a bit cleaner overall and a palm tree was sprouting from the
brown ‘dirt’. For Warhola’s final artwork, a greener colour was added for the
‘ground’, the palm tree removed, and a bit more debri and filfth added to the
surroundings, including brown ‘substance’ on the ground, yellow backsplash on
the walls, fingerprints all over, and several GPK cards on top of the tank of
the toilet—mostly cut out for the printed card.

374a
SWISS KRIS — Rhyme; the forename Kris with the
word ‘Swiss’; Switzerland.
Swiss cheese was first made in Switzerland in the
15th century; aka emmental or emmentaller.
def’n: Swiss cheese
— A firm white or pale yellow cheese with many large holes.

374b CHEESY
CHANDRA — Chandra; a CH forename to go with the word ‘cheese+y’.
def’n: Cheesy — Of or like cheese. slang. Of low quality; inferior.
def’n: Cheese — A solid food made from the curds of milk.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Pound’s CHEESE HEAD gag was one of several approved concepts
by Topps that John executed for the OS9 set, titled ‘SWISS CHEESE
9-JP-9 REV.‘, the nineth concept by the artist for this particular set.
The image depicts a GPKid as a block of Swiss cheese being thinly sliced, showing
duplication of the character. Per Pound’s colour rough, once suggested name “Swiss
JESUS” may have been tongue-in-cheek for the hole-y cheese being thy holy
Lord; it is unkown what type of revision took place since earlier thumbnail sketches
and early concepts have not been shared with the public. The character is sporting
a white CPK-like diaper and appears to be quite content with its cheesy condition.

375a
TRAP DORA = Trap door.
def’n: Trap door
— A hinged or sliding door in a floor or ceiling.

375b REAR
VIEW MYRA = Rear veiw mirror; a vehicle mirror to view out the rear window.
def’n: Rear — The back or hind part. Located in the rear.
def’n:
View — The act of seeing; sight.
def’n: Mirror — A surface
capable of forming an image of an object placed in front of it.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Pound’s BUTT FLAP gag was one of several approved concepts
by Topps that John executed for the OS9 set, titled ‘2 FACE‘.
The image depicts a GPKid pulling up the back flap (aka butt flap, trap
door, et cetera) of their one-piece jumpsuit sleepwear, revealing a second, creepy
face that’s peering out; reminiscent of “Here’s Johnny!” from The Shining.
Pound’s colour rough shows the same reveal, with the character smiling at the
revelation and standing within a very colorful, tiled bathroom with sailboat pjs.
—
The characer was used as one of the two set puzzles for the release.

376a
RETCHIN’ GRETCHEN — Rhyme; the forename Gretchen
with the word ‘retch+ing’.
def’n: Retch — To try to vomit.

376b
ILL JILL — Rhyme; the forename Jill with the
word ‘ill’.
def’n: Ill — Not healthy, sick. Not normal; unsound. Not
well. An ailment.

BITS & BOBS:
— Pound’s quilt gag, titled ‘PATCHWORK
GPK‘, was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John
executed for the OS9 set, labeled ‘9-J-16 REV’. Without earlier thumbnails
or sketch concepts, it is currently unknown what revision took place,
besides some of the patchwork having added design. Pound did ask the
question, “ALT – STUFFING?‘, off to the
bottom of the concept artwork. As the vomit? The image depicts a colorful
GPKid character made up of completely patchwork components, including
their cascading column of vomit. Patchwork is basically needlework
where small sections of cloth, usually quite random &unmatching
with different designs, colors, and/or textures are sewn together;
often seen in quiltwork. The image shows three flies still attracted
to the pseudo flow of throw up.

377a
CLOSET CLYDE — Clyde; a CL forename to
go with the word ‘closet’.
def’n: Closet — A small room for storing
supplies or clothing.

377b HOOKED HOWIE —
Howie; an H forename to go with the word ‘hook+ed’.
The phrase ‘hang
out to dry’ or ‘hung on a hook’ means to leave someone or something behind; to
be abandoned, especially at a time or moment of great difficulty.
def’n:
Hook — A curved or sharply bent device, often of metal, used to catch, pull,
or hold something.

BITS
& BOBS:
—
Warhola’s HUNG UP ON A HOOK gag was one of several approved
concepts by Topps that John executed for the OS9. The image depicts a GPKid hung
up on a coat rack, surrounded by an umbrella to their left and a scarft &
hat and a jacket to their right (the coat is strangely hung up in reverse). The
shelf above shows off a row of very fancy high-society hats. Not much backstory
is known about this character, why he was hung up on the hook, why he’s green,
and why he even has a hole in his head. It is interesting to note that the last
two GPK characters of the set are both ‘hung up’, as-in retiring, and are the
last two characters to have an extreme cloth-doll appearance before the OS10 set;
one up on a hook and in the closet and the second up on a nail in a garage.

378a
EMPTY EMMY — Rhyme; the forename Emmy with the
word ’empty’.
def’n: Empty — Containing nothing. Lacking substance,
value, or effect. To make or become empty.

378b RAGGED
AGGIE — Semi-rhyme; the forename Aggie with the word ‘rag+ged’.
def’n: Ragged — Tattered. Dressed in tattered clothes. Having a rough
surface. Imperfect.
slang. Warn down; warn out. Run ragged.
def’n:
Rag — A scrap of cloth.
def’n: Ragamuffin — A dirty or unkempt
child.

BITS
& BOBS:
— Pound’s RAGAMUFFIN
gag was one of several approved concepts by Topps that John
executed for the OS9 set, titled ‘TORN RAG GPK 9-JP-6
REV.‘, the sixth concept by the artist for this particular
set. The image depicts a GPKid looking a bit ragged and lonely, left
to hang on a nail, rather discarded. The phrase ‘run ragged’ means
to be utterly tired or extremely exhausted from long, tedious work;
cleaning, chores, etc. It is interesting to note that the last two
GPK characters of the set are both ‘hung up’, as-in retiring, and
are the last two characters to have an extreme cloth-doll appearance
before the OS10 set; one up on a hook and in the closet, and the second
up on a nail in a garage.