Controversy
CBS ordered an entire season, and heavily promoted it in the run-up to the 1987-88 season. However, it was abruptly pulled a few days before its debut, and was replaced with an extra half hour of Muppet Babies, which was expanded to 90 minutes in order to fill the time-slot after Garbage Pail Kids was pulled from the schedule.
CBS removed the series from their schedule, following protests from Action for Children's Television, the National Coalition on Television Violence, and the Christian Leaders for Responsible Television (a part of the American Family Association). The reasons given were that the series ridiculed the handicapped, glorified violence, and served mainly as an infomercial for the cards.
Some advertisers, such as Nabisco, McDonald's and Crayola also pulled out, either due to pressure from interest groups, or the fact that a preview tape of the show was not available in time for review.
A few CBS affiliates, such as WIBW-TV in Topeka, Kansas; KOTV in Tulsa, Oklahoma and KREM-TV in Spokane, Washington, opted not to carry the program, notifying CBS of their pre-emption weeks in advance of the debut.
Despite never airing in the United States, it did air in several other countries, including Spain, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Israel and the Philippines.
Read more about this topic: Garbage Pail Kids (TV Series)
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