Garbage Pail Kids (also known as "The Garbage Gang" in Australia and New Zealand and later United Kingdom versions, "La Pandilla Basura" or "Basuritas" in Latin America, "Gang do Lixo" in Brazil, "Sgorbions" in Italy, "Les Crados" in France and Belgium, and "Die total kaputten Kids" in Germany) is a series of trading cards produced by the Topps Company, originally released in 1985 and designed to parody the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls created by Xavier Roberts which were immensely popular at the time.
Each sticker card features a Garbage Pail Kid character having some comical abnormality and/or suffering a terrible fate, with a humorous, word play-rich character name such as Glandular Angela or Half-Nelson. Two versions of each card were produced, with variations featuring the same artwork but a different character name denoted by an "a" or "b" letter after the card number. The sticker fronts are die-cut so just the kid with its nameplate and the GPK logo can be peeled from the backing. Many of the card backs feature puzzle pieces to form giant 9-card murals; other back subjects vary greatly among the series, from humorous licenses and awards to comic strips and, in more recent releases, "Fakebook" profiles.
15 original series of regular trading cards were released in the United States, with various sets released in other countries. Two large-format card editions were also released, as well as a set of fold-out posters. All-New Series sets were introduced in 2003, Flashback re-releases began in 2010, and a Brand-New Series was announced for 2012.
Read more about Garbage Pail Kids: History, Variations, Commercial Success, All-New Series Sets, Flashback Re-releases, Brand-New Series Sets
Famous quotes containing the words garbage, pail and/or kids:
“To be an editor, as I was.
Then to lie here close by the river over the place
Where the sewage flows from the village,
And the empty cans and garbage are dumped,
And abortions are hidden.”
—Edgar Lee Masters (1869–1950)
“[O]ur people are steadily increasing their spending for higher standards of living ... the slogan of progress is changing from the full dinner pail to the full garage.”
—Herbert Hoover (1874–1964)
“Teasing is universal. Anthropologists have found the same fundamental patterns of teasing among New Zealand aborigine children and inner-city kids on the playgrounds of Philadelphia.”
—Lawrence Kutner (20th century)