Garbage Down Memory Lane

in OCD3 years ago (edited)

~ Nostalgia ~

I have many fond childhood memories from the 80's. Some of y'all are probably too young to share my exact sentiment towards this post's topic... but i am sure you all can relate in your own ways. Some of the best memories i have from then were waiting in the car as my dad would go inside the store and begging him to buy me back a pack of Garbage Pail Kids.

The excitement i would feel when he would come back with a pack or two and a box of nerds or some other candy is beyond words. Sometimes, dad would even come home from work with a pack or two. The thrill of opening up a pack and looking at all there was to see on the fronts and backs of the cards can still be felt to this very day.

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I was going through some of my old cards recently and came across my old Garbage Pail Kids cards. I kept many but not all the ones i remember having were in my small collection. I used to be an avid card collector- Baseball, (American) Football, Basketball, Comic cards and more... but none were quite as special as these to me. In fact, they may have been my first cards to collect which led to my interest in the others.

So, after happening upon these Garbage Pail Kids i decided to scan a few and share them here with you. For those that don't know, GPK were a spoof on the fad at the time of Cabbage Patch Kids. Topps was a major card brand and they produced these crude gems of childhood memorabilia.

To be honest, these cards were not for children at all as you will see. Fortunately, my dad and the rest of my family had a dark humor and these fit right in with our family. Garbage Pail Kids came in a wax paper pack, with a stick of old crusty gum that Topps was famous for. The cool thing about GPK is they were actually all stickers. You can see the white line around many of the card images and the arrow in the top left corner telling you to peel here. I actually tried my best to not ever unstick them unless i had doubles. You can also see the middle card below, Hector Collector, unpeeling himself.

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I added some of my favorites in the images above. I had to adjust the color a little since they were quite old and a bit faded. You can see Outerspace Chase is an ode to Mars Attacks, which before it became a Tim Burton film was also a Topps produced card series.

As an artist, i was not only drawn by the creativity and gross nature of many of the characters but to the vivid colors. I do believe the artistry behind these cards was lost mostly due to the controversial nature of most of the cards. For the middle 80's, the blood and gore and gross-out factors were pretty incredible. Below, Skin Les & Peeled Paul are a good example along with Ground Chuck!

Skin Les & Peeled Paul are also examples of how almost every card had a secondary name for a duplicate image. These two are actually featured as a puzzle. On the backs of some cards were portions of a GPK character. If you collected the right cards you could put them together to reveal the character. Skin Les & Peeled Paul were that series' character.

There are/were so many creative nuances that made these cards special. Momma Mia, the bottom left card, is a recreation of a classical artwork you can see in the background of her card. To her right is Bright Dwight where you can see a few Garbage Pail Kids cards on the table. They are actually super small versions of real cards. I remember trying to see which ones they were and if i had already collected them.

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Below, you can see what one of the original packs actually looked like. If you click that image or the link it will take you to an article on Old Sports Cards.com of the 15 Most Valuable Garbage Pail Kids. Of course, none of mine are probably in good enough condition to resale at market values... but the memories are priceless.

Just looking through these and scanning them brought back so many memories. I remember trading with my brother and sisters for the cards that i liked. I was more into the art of the characters and their cards than anything else. I have a feeling these things had a bigger impact on my own art than i probably realize.

image.png15 Most Valuable GPK Cards

Just to give you a taste of a few things not very kid-friendly i included Herman Hormone in the top left for an example. Not my favorite card... but he has a copy of a magazine called PLAYTOY with a very busty woman on the cover. He also has the fold-out unfolded in full and his head is shaped in a similar fashion. This is clearly spoofing perving out on a PlayBoy centerfold.

Just below, you can see the back of a card with a wanted poster. It's a mailman wanted for blackmail. You may not be able to read it... but one of his crimes is delivering Bran Illustrated on time but delivering your PlayBoys 3 weeks late... and reading your love letters. One can only imagine what Mr. Mailmain is doing with that magazine for three weeks. So, there are some pervy aspects here and there that are probably lost on kids my age at the time.

If you look at Mickey Mouths you can see he is wearing a diaper and a couple of his mouths are smoking a pipe and a cig. I could only imagine what the Social Justice Cancel Culture Warriors would say if that came out today. I am sure they wouldn't mind the cross-dressing Marty Gras though, which you can see at the bottom.

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You can also see the back of a card that has the Would We Lie To You? comic strips. They are usually funny with some real dark humor... and yes, they either lie or tell you something super obvious.

I felt like Dupli Kit when i was trying to scan these cards. They all have a slight bend and getting them to line up and lay flat in the scanner was quite difficult.

One thing that is/was cool with these cards was how they spoofed relevant pop-culture at the time. Above you can see Blockhead Blake is a reference to the Rubik's Cube which was fairly new and at it's height of popularity at the time... until the recent resurgence in popularity. Oh, you can also see Miles Smiles got unstuck as the sticker and how i didn't succeed too well in placing him back in his spot.

Below, is a link to the Topps official website and archive. Click on the image or link to go check it out. Topps has started to produce GPK cards again and are still spoofing pop-culture. That is an image of the Tiger King Joe Chaotic instead of Exotic! Looks like they stayed true to their roots.

image.pngTopps GPK Archive

Another thing i noticed was the cultural diversity in the characters. Considering how much race is a charged topic these days... GPK had no hangups on using all colors to spoof. Minus Hands, Misty Suds, and Tiffany Lamp are all people of color. I appreciate the fact they didn't exclude anyone from being targeted even back in the 80's.

As i mentioned, the art was really what drew me to these characters and cards. The color palettes chosen to illustrate with were and still are quite beautiful. I liked the role reversal of the ventriloquist Whisperin' Woody. I liked the stone look of Slimin Simon. The bearded lady Bushy Bernice was breaking the conventional circus model. The dirty look but attention to detail in Empty Emmy i found to be exemplary in the prowess of art to accomplish the themes. The hand in Overflow Joe is another example and it used to give me the creeps.

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If anyone looks beyond the rude and crude shock value of the cards and their characters, there is a real quality about these images. I am sure the butt-face of Swollen Sue Ellen would anger almost any mom during that era... but who could deny the artistry of Knittin' Brittany? Hanna Grenade might have some intrinsic violence due to the nature of it's content but who didn't know a grandma like Wrinkled Rita?

No matter the offense, the wordplay of these names can not be denied in it's level of cleverness... take Moe Bile, Cyril Bowl, and Bowen Arrow for examples!

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We grew up in the 80's with horror movies and dark humor and these cards were only a byproduct and reflection of those few people on the fringes culturally speaking. The gross and dark nature of these cards were too much for many back then. Today, Adult Swim or even an average cartoon has worse things than GPK. Garbage Pail Kids weren't taboo... but they weren't widely adopted or well-received by many households at that time.

But there was a core group of fans that held these cards in high regard. There were many kids, like myself, and young adults that got the dark humor and appreciated the statements of many of these cards. They truly did embody the exact opposite of what they were contrasting, which were the Cabbage Patch Kid dolls. This alternative that had a much wider range in potential for appreciators drew a cult following. This is why they are still revered, valued, and created to this day.

As you can see below, not all the cards were grotesque or out for shock value. I remember Haunted Forrest giving me a creepy vibe when i was very young. I really liked the art and something about the eyes and mouth really set the tone.

When Garbage Pail Kids were considered to be a commercial success there was a live-action movie made. I would recommend just enjoying the cards because that movie lived up to the name.... GARBAGE!

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The memories that these cards bring is really where the value is. When i see some of these i remember where i was when i opened the pack... or how i felt once i traded to make one of them mine. The images invoke a sense of feeling and thought that are often lost over time in memory. It's cool how sometimes these things can come back so quickly.

Blown Joan with the hairdryer melting and splatting on the wall was one that i recall because we had a hairdryer at the time that looked very similar. Fortunately, it went kaput before melting or splattering anyone on the bathroom wall.

I remember Marcus Mucus looking like a real revolver... up to the point of having puffy cheeks and instead of bullets shooting snot. Phil 'Er Up always reminded me of the opening of Laverne and Shirley on the assembly line. Spikey Mikey reminded me that laying on a bed of nails may not always be successful.

Seeing Viv E. Section was funny because it's usually the frog getting dissected... not the other way around. I don't think i got the pun of Gullivered Travis until now... Gulliver's Travels.

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Considering this Bull Market and Bull Run in Crypto... i often find myself thinking of the Bull Runs in Spain or Bull Fighters. So, i thought this card below would be a nice representation. If you click that card or link you can see every Garbage Pail Kid card ever made if you want to go peruse. There were many cards i remember having or wanting that i didn't see in my refound collection. There were so many memories that came back just from looking around.


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See ALL CARDS from the ORIGINAL SERIES

To wrap things up, Topps has recently joined up with the WAX Blockchain to begin marketing their cards as NFT's. Garbage Pail Kids is one of the lines of cards marketed there. I didn't spend a great deal of time looking there and many of them are sold out already... but the NFT option is a pretty cool advancement.

Many of the old cards are now animated in gifs. Scarcity is a guarantee and the adoption of major brands and companies using blockchain technology to stay relevant moving into the future is a great indicator. It's really cool seeing old things become new again. Click the image or link below to go the the Topps WAX page and you can see for yourself. I liked that some of the GPK NFTs are just the artwork, like the image below.

image.png Topps Garbage Pail Kids on the WAX BLOCKCHAIN

With all the craziness going on in the world at this time it was really nice to find a small respite and a little bit of levity in these cards. If i could go back to being the little kid in the backseat of that car, chewing that nasty stick of gum while ravaging through one of those wax paper covered packs of cards, i would.

Those were simpler and better times. It's nice to know that little nostalgic touchstones of the past can transcend the current circumstance and transport us to that magical moment when nothing else mattered.

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Because of Garbage Pail Kids, i find it to be true that one person's trash is another person's treasure! Thanks for taking the time to read this and walk down memory lane with me appreciating the Garbage along the way!

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Ahhh those were the days :)
I wish I would have kept mine instead of sticking them all over the headboard of my waterbed.
Nice write up!

 3 years ago  

Thanks for taking the time to read it and comment! Hope you are doing well. I am glad i kept mine as intact as possible. Now, i want to stick them on things... how funny and backwards life can be! I bet your headboard was RAD! =)

I loved Garbage Pail Kids. I had so many of them when I was younger. I would probably be rich if I still had them all and sold them.

 3 years ago  

Yeah, i remember having way more than the little stack i found hidden away in a box of my old cards. I guess some was better than none! Thanks for taking the time to check out the post and comment.

Hello my friend! It's the first time I read you and it's quite interesting everything I've read, quite extensive but entertaining. I honestly had no knowledge of those decks, although it may also influence the aspect that we are from different countries, but despite this I can understand you, I can know what it's like to feel that nostalgia, you can feel it so vividly in how you express your experience with those Garbage Pail Kids decks. As a coincidence of life, yesterday I wrote an article about my first video game console. When I started writing all those memories full of good times came to my head, without a doubt the best moments of my childhood, I would give the same as you to go back to the past, the truth is that we were very happy and as simple kids we didn't perceive it that way.
On the other hand it is quite interesting that today these decks are still being taken into account and now even more that they are joining the blockchain technology in the way of exchanges! It's great how everything has been evolving and that those old things from the past look like new today. Thanks for sharing this very interesting article, greetings bro!

 3 years ago  

Your post was a really good one of sharing great nostalgic memories. Cards and video games express my youthful interests. My childhood could be summed up talking about video games, card collecting, and comic books. Thanks for taking time to read my post and share your thoughtful comments. Even though you didn't know about the cards before hearing about them then and knowing where there are going into the future is a good catching up with the times. Welcome back to HIVE and i am glad you could join me.

Thanks for the welcome bro! Retro video games are part of my childhood and nowadays I still play them to feel in yesterday where I forget everything. It will be a pleasure to follow you, as I said it's the first time I read you and I really liked your article, a lot of history, many moments lived, it was nice!

 3 years ago  

If you scroll down my blog i have a couple of posts about retro gaming! I think you will enjoy them. Pleasure to meet you Leogolj!

I am an 80's child and yes I think I vaguely remember those... although I think I was a little more into sticker collecting at that point in my life haha. Either way, that's a pretty cool collection and a really awesome post covering the trip down memory lane.

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 3 years ago  

The 80's had the best stickers. I miss those puffy one that bubbled up and smelled like rubber. They were mostly girly so i didn't collect them but i grew up with sisters and appreciated some of their things. Thanks for taking the time to read my post and comment!

Omg the puffy, smelly ones were the best, lol. And if they had glitter... even better 🤣

 3 years ago  

I will admit that even i liked the glittery puffy smelly ones too! hahha

Lol. Impossible not to!

My best friend from like 3rd grade had an old fridge COVERED IN THOSE STICKERS, i couldn't believe his parents let him do it, it was crazy looking. I wish i had a photo of it. We're talking like '91/92

 3 years ago  

That's super awesome! My brother and sisters used to put them on things... i really tried to keep them intact. Now, i need find some things to stick them on! hahaha I wish you had a picture of that too.

Surreal deranged - just the stuff I love. At that time I was not a kid anymore, so I missed all that. On the other hand, the "adult version" that I painted already in the Seventies got quite successful in its own way much later in print and found its way on record covers for heavy metal bands: https://www.artofthemystic.com/deterioration-of-mind-over-matter.html.

 3 years ago  

I have been enjoying your art for a while now after seeing some of your posts in the art community. Awesome website and i see how your art fits in with a more serious type of similar derangement! I really like your surrealism. Glad you liked the post. If you haven't checked out the links i provided... you should to see all the cards. It may give you some inspiration! Thanks for reading, sharing, and taking the time to comment!

Thanks for checking my art out. I seen your reply too late, it is already 8 days old, lol
I am sure, if you don't know it already, that you would like the Blogger posts of Monster Brains. I've been following him for at least 10 years.

 3 years ago  

No worries on the late reply @thermoplastic ... I am sure i don't catch them all myself. Better late than never is what i always say! That Monster Brains site was super cool. Y'all have some similar tastes i see! Looking forward to seeing more!

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Very cool post! I love nostalgia, recently I myself took apart and looked through my belongings from childhood) (Comics, gum inserts, cards, etc.)
By the way, I haven't heard anything about "Garbage Pail Kids" ...

 3 years ago  

Garbage Pail Kids were pretty popular in the mid 80's. I don't know how widespread they would have been... but they sure were a part of the nostalgia from when i was a kid. Hope you found some cool stuff in your belongings that brought back some old memories! Thanks for taking the time to check out my post and comment!

Yes, I found a lot of interesting things, and returned to those days) Someday I will write a post about this, and not even one!)

Wooooooow! I love this cards! Was very intense and dark from that times. In 80s i was a little child that listen extreme metal and My mom was simple horrorized when I was very interesting in this cards and colect that and the álbum. Lol. Si She get all of My cards (I have a small colection. Like 25) and put into garbage. Sadly day for me lol. Awesome post for the memories. The same vibes get the mád ball (i have a zombie one). I love all of this kind of art: rotten and fantastic with bizarre touchs - but well My personal colection now it's about aliens and giger world (since 90s).
Very cool post btw lml

 3 years ago  

Thanks! I feel ya... i had a couple of the MAD Balls too! My Pet Monster was cool and a whole bunch of other bizarre things from our childhood. Fortunately for me, my dad was into weird stuff too... He bought me some Giger books for a few Christmases. Giger inspired a lot of my own artwork. Thanks for taking the time to check out my post and comment!

Yes I have an álbum very cool - Terror (was amazing very creepy) and a mini cemetary Cross that My old sister, her boyfriend metalhead / the cure vibes had theirs crosses and give me ones lol very 80s góthic mood in that times! Giger is the Best I love his art and Moebious too. Yes My art from músic and paints was inspired by giger and all the heavy metal magazine stuff like Luis Royo, My mom take away from me that cards cause i had only 5-6 old. I born in 82 lol
Your welcome I like your content. I'm photographer too here in My country from amazonian etnic antropology and experimental side :)

My madball zombie
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And My alien toys (old post) ir You wanna take a look:

https://hive.blog/spanish/@nahupuku/mis-juguetes-de-aliens-my-aliens-toys-bilingual-post