| The Garbage
Pail Kids was the title of a series of trading
cards produced by the Topps Company starting in
1985. The cards parodied the birth certificates
included with the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls. Each
card contained a picture of a Garbage Pail Kid
(such as the baby covered in tattoos named, "Art
Gallery" or the vomiting "Heavin' Steven")
and came with an "a" or "b"
version, each with a different name. Each series
of cards also included a few cards that had rare
"triplets", meaning a second "a"
or "b", for a total of three different
names. There were a total of 15 regular series
released in the United States with many more sets
released in other countries. Two large card editions
were released along with a set of posters as well.
The commercial success of the trading cards led to the production
of a movie of the same name in 1987. Garbage Pail
Kids: The Movie was a financial failure and one
of the most universally and vehemently panned
films in Hollywood history. There was also a cartoon
made that never aired because of parent complaints.
The cards themselves continued, although they
underwent some redesign when the creator of the
Cabbage Patch Kids sued Topps for trademark infringement.
Garbage Pail Kids have made a comeback in recent years thanks
to fan sites on the web, and individuals buying/selling
them on eBay. Topps even began selling the original
art in 2001 with much success.
Wacky Packages/Garbage Pail Kids link
A little-known fact on Garbage Pail Kids, is that it began as an unreleased Wacky Packages title. The management at Topps decided GPK was a good idea for a spinoff series, and released the new series instead of the original Garbage Pail Kids Wacky Pack.
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