Garbage Pail Kids is a series of trading cards that were sold in the US between 1985 – 1988, and have since been reissued periodically. The cards portraying grotesque and abnormal children were also popular in Sweden and internationally. When Garbage Pail Kids first came out, they caused some controversy in the US and were banned in Mexico, for example, because of its crude humor.
The story behind Garbage Pail Kids
In the early 1980s, the "Cabbage Patch Kids" dolls were giants on the toy scene. The dolls, which in Swedish are called "Kålungar" had round faces and cute clothes. The company behind the cabbage babies, Original Appalachian Artworks also released a series of trading cards aimed at children who built the dolls which were a sales success.
Topps, one of the largest trading card companies, wanted to find a collaboration with Original Appalachian Artworks, but was turned down citing that they did not want to be associated with Topps' cheap trading cards. Their high-end product would not be associated with Topps bubble gum cards and movie ices.
However, then Topps CEO Arthur Shorin did not give up. And finally a solution was found. They decided to make a parody of the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls, or as Shorin himself put it, a "Fuck you" version. The result was Garbage Pail Kids!
Garbage Pail Kids was the brainchild of comic creator Art Spiegelman. Spiegelman and fellow series creator Mark Newgarden worked together as editors and art directors on the project. After the initial success of the cards, several additional artists and writers were hired to contribute to the series.
Garbage Pail Kids now and today
Garbage Pail Kids were huge in the mid-1980s and in addition to cards, they released a movie based on the cards.
The Garbage Pail Kids movie was a 1987 comedy horror film about a young man named Dodger who runs an antique store. One day he discovers a jar of magic dust and uses it to bring to life some of the deformed and disgusting dolls from the Garbage Pail Kids card series.
The dolls quickly befriend Dodger and help him deal with a group of teenagers who are terrorizing him and his girlfriend. But when the dolls escape and get into trouble with an evil factory owner who wants to use them to create an army of monsters, Dodger must try to save them.
The film is loosely based on the Garbage Pail Kids card series and includes many of the characters from the cards.
Unfortunately, the film was not a success and has, for example, only 2.7 out of 10 points on IMDB. Shortly after the release of the film, the trading cards began to lose popularity, although they still live on. Garbage Pail Kids have been released in new card editions since 2007 and remain popular with collectors and nostalgics alike.
What are the Garbage Pail Kids cards worth today?
The value of Garbage Pail Kids cards varies based on factors such as condition, vintage and rarity. Some cards can be worth just a few kroner while others can be worth thousands. For example, common cards from the early years (1985-1988) can be sold for ten kroner each on Ebay, while rare cards in good condition such as Adam Bomb from the 1st series, can be sold for thousands of kroner. Cards that are rare due to misprints, printing on the wrong paper, or other anomalies can also have high value in the collector's market.
It is important to note that the value of trading cards can vary over time based on demand and supply. To get a current price idea, look at Ebay or Tradera.
The story behind Garbage Pail Kids
In the early 1980s, the "Cabbage Patch Kids" dolls were giants on the toy scene. The dolls, which in Swedish are called "Kålungar" had round faces and cute clothes. The company behind the cabbage babies, Original Appalachian Artworks also released a series of trading cards aimed at children who built the dolls which were a sales success.
Topps, one of the largest trading card companies, wanted to find a collaboration with Original Appalachian Artworks, but was turned down citing that they did not want to be associated with Topps' cheap trading cards. Their high-end product would not be associated with Topps bubble gum cards and movie ices.
However, then Topps CEO Arthur Shorin did not give up. And finally a solution was found. They decided to make a parody of the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls, or as Shorin himself put it, a "Fuck you" version. The result was Garbage Pail Kids!
Garbage Pail Kids was the brainchild of comic creator Art Spiegelman. Spiegelman and fellow series creator Mark Newgarden worked together as editors and art directors on the project. After the initial success of the cards, several additional artists and writers were hired to contribute to the series.
Garbage Pail Kids now and today
Garbage Pail Kids were huge in the mid-1980s and in addition to cards, they released a movie based on the cards.
The Garbage Pail Kids movie was a 1987 comedy horror film about a young man named Dodger who runs an antique store. One day he discovers a jar of magic dust and uses it to bring to life some of the deformed and disgusting dolls from the Garbage Pail Kids card series.
The dolls quickly befriend Dodger and help him deal with a group of teenagers who are terrorizing him and his girlfriend. But when the dolls escape and get into trouble with an evil factory owner who wants to use them to create an army of monsters, Dodger must try to save them.
The film is loosely based on the Garbage Pail Kids card series and includes many of the characters from the cards.
Unfortunately, the film was not a success and has, for example, only 2.7 out of 10 points on IMDB. Shortly after the release of the film, the trading cards began to lose popularity, although they still live on. Garbage Pail Kids have been released in new card editions since 2007 and remain popular with collectors and nostalgics alike.
What are the Garbage Pail Kids cards worth today?
The value of Garbage Pail Kids cards varies based on factors such as condition, vintage and rarity. Some cards can be worth just a few kroner while others can be worth thousands. For example, common cards from the early years (1985-1988) can be sold for ten kroner each on Ebay, while rare cards in good condition such as Adam Bomb from the 1st series, can be sold for thousands of kroner. Cards that are rare due to misprints, printing on the wrong paper, or other anomalies can also have high value in the collector's market.
It is important to note that the value of trading cards can vary over time based on demand and supply. To get a current price idea, look at Ebay or Tradera.
