In 1998, Comic Images, with distribution by Dark Horse Comics, came out with the most innovative non-sport card parody set since the Garbage Pail Kids releases called the Meanie Babies—right amidst the hype of the Beanie Babies collecting craze going on at the time.  The creative team behind these great pieces of artwork were none other than artist extraordinaire John Pound of GPK fame and writer Jay Lynch who worked on all of the reverse card backs. The cards came packaged six to a foil pack with the possibility of a insert or chase card plus one sticker, that measure 2.5 X 3.5 inches.



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136 CARD SET : 61 BASE + 75 CHASE CARDS
CHASE CARDS : 61 STICKERS + 1 BONUS CARD + 3 PROMO CARDS
+ 3 SKETCH CARDS + 6 OMNI-CHOME CARDS + 1 AUTOGRAPH CARDS



COUNTER DISPLAY BOX — TWO VARIATIONS : 30 COUNT OR 48 COUNT
ARTWORK : JOHN POUND




TRADING CARD PACK — NO WRAPPER CODE



GUFF! COMIC — INCLUDED CY-CLONE BONUS CARD



ADVERTISEMENT SHEET — DESIGN BY MCNABB STUDIOS — 8.5 x 11 INCHES



MAIL-AWAY BINDER OFFER — FRONT & BACK — MEASURES 10 x 11.5 INCHES



MAGAZINE COVER — TUFF STUFF'S COLLECT! — JANUARY 1998



MAGAZINE COVER — NON-SPORT UPDATE — VOL 9, NO.1 FEB-MAR 1998



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Various Autograph Cards could be located in randomly in the Meanie Babies boxes and signed by artist John Pound. The autographs could be found on any of the three promo cards produced for the set, signed on the front, with an 'Authentic Comic Images Autograph' sticker on the backside. 500 cards were signed by Pound in total.



Besides the base card set, there is also a Parallel Sticker Set that contains a blank, completely white reverse card back to collect. Card #61, the checklist card, has card information only on the frontside since the reverse card back is blank.

The Promo Cards were distributed prior to the set being released and contained a GPK-like yellow nameplate. The nameplate was dropped for the regular release with the card showing the characters names in one of the six various colors found within the Meanie Babies header. The reverse card backs give a nice break-down of the set.



Cards #3 UPCHUCK the Duck and #35 DOWNCHUCK the DUCK are either the Same Character, vomiting after stuffing its gullet and stuffing its gullet before vomiting, or they are antithesis twins.

As pictured below, card #59 GRRRILLA the Gorilla is the only card character that uses the Meanie Babies Logo Header as part of the card humor.



A deluxe, three-ring Meanie Babies Binder was offered on the back of the wrappers for only $19.95 and came with nine, nine-pocket pages; pictured above in the 'Product Overview' section.

The first parody set to have random Chase Cards located within the packs—not including the promo cards and bonus card. Besides the harder-to-find Autograph Cards, the Sketch and Omni-Chrome card could be found randomly in every box of Meanie Babies, averaging one sketch card and 3 chromium cards per box. The Sketch card reverse backs give a humorous account of the history of the three characters that John Pound created and contain the color rough for the final card image. The Omni-Chrome reverse card backs are in a vertical presentation rather than the horizontal layout of the base card and has an altogether different rhyme.



Unfortunately, there is No Puzzle within the release; the blank sticker backs would have been ideal for several puzzles.

A Guff! Comic featuring the Meanie Babies was produced by Dark Horse Comics around the same time the series was released, featuring a storyboard by Jay Lynch and final artwork by John Pound. As an added insentive, the comic included a Bonus Card (CY-CLONE the Sheep)whose image cannot be found in the regular base set and whose artwork is on the front of the comic; featured above in 'Product Overview' section. The reverse card back layout is more like the vertical presentation of the Omni-Chrome cards backs.



Card #38 SWAMPY has a Cabbage Patch Kid doll floating in the sewer water—the brand that led to the Garbage Pail Kids brand and to John Pound's second parody assigment for the Topps Company after the Wacky Packages.



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FINAL ARTWORK SAMPLES

#2 SNOTTY
#15 FLUSH

#27 FLAT

#38 SWAMPY
#47 GONUTS
#48 EXSTINKT

#50 BEAVIS

#52 GAME-BOAR

#57 HOT LIPPS



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Comic Images had artist John Pound helmed the entire Meanie Babies set himself containing 61 different card characters; almost roughly 20 more images than a regular Garbage Pail Kids set; ie. Pound completed 41+ pieces for the OS1 set. The entire first printing sold out but the Beanie Babies' lawyers politely asked with a cease and desist letter that Dark Hourse not reprint the cards, let alone think about a second series. Card #45 POUND the Groundhog is a self-named card after the artist's last name and is reminiscent of the Whac-a-Mole game—which is called Mole Buster in Japan when translated to English.



During 2003, artist Jay Lynch was commisioned by the Topps company to create character drawings for a potential new parody set called Garbage Pail Pets. Although the product was never produced, Lynch developed three pre-production pen and ink concept sketches for the proposed set. Instead, Topps slightly rendered and eventually released the unpublished OS16 set from 1988 re-titled All-New Series from their non-sport card division. The idea is very similar to the 1998 Meanie Babies set by Comic Images, though the Garbage Pail Pets are a parody of the GPK format. The artwork was redrawn by artist Mark Pingitore and included in the Garbage Pail Pets subset for cards #1 through #3 for the 2015S2 30th anniversary set.



Artist and writer Jay Lynch wrote all of the limericks on the reverse card backs for the set and mini-profiles; his writing is exceptional as usual, and is very reminiscent of the profile backs of some of the earlier GPK card backs.



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#
CARD & STICKER NAME + MINI MEANINGS
ARTIST
WRITER
1HAIRBALL the Catdef'n: A ball of hair formed in the stomach from licking fur.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
2SNOTTY the Baby Bulldef'n: A cow's runny nose.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
3UPCHUCK the Duckdef'n: To vomit; throw up.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
4SPHINXTER the Baby Sphinxdef'n: sphinx + sphincter, the muscle of the anus.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
5NO BRAINER the Cameldef'n: parody of Joe Camel, the cigarette mascot.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
6PICKLES the Pickled Pigdef'n: pickled pig feet + pickled cucumbers.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
7LITTERS the Catdef'n: kitty litter box.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
8BABY CUE the Unicorndef'n: barbecue skewer.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
9SCUMMY the Baby Pond Scumdef'n: a mass of algae formed on stagnant water.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
10WARTY the Frogdef'n: warts + frog, although, toads have warts, not frogs.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
11VAL the Crowdef'n: Velcro + black crow, fastening strip.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
12FROGENSTEIN the Frogdef'n: frog + Frankenstein.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
13MOLDIE the Dead Goldfishdef'n: fungus growing on damp decaying organic matter.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
14ROADHOG the Pigdef'n: road hog, a motorist who drives recklessly or inconsiderately.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
15FLUSH the Alligatordef'n: a parody of 'sewer alligator' stories, urban legends.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
16E.COLI the Baby Bacteriadef'n: Escherichia coli bacteria that lives in the intestines.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
17EDDIE the Yettidef'n: rhyming parody of a mythical apelike creature resembling Bigfoot.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
18BAD HARE the Rabbitdef'n: bad hair + hare, a fast-running, long-eared & hind legs mammal.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
19SALMONELLA the Salmondef'n: a bacterium that occurs in the intestine; food poisoning.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
20PIERCY the Rhinodef'n: body & face piercing + rhinoplasty; thick skinned.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
21FARTFACE the Beardef'n: slang for worthless talk + gas releasing magical beans.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
22SPRITZER the Cobradef'n: spitting cobra + spritzer, a mixture of wine & soda water.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
23HIPPY the Hippopotamusdef'n: hippy + hippo, similar-sounding.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
24ROTO ROOSTER the Domestic Fowldef'n: a parody of Roto-Rooter plumbing service.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
25PICKY-PICKY the Elephantdef'n: to pick with the fingers (trunk proboscis), pick the nose.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
26ZIPPITY the Bunnydef'n: to zip or zipper + hippity hop bunny movements.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
27FLAT the Squished Catdef'n: roadkill flattened by traffic; parody of Goodyear tires (marks).
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
28BUM-BEE the Beedef'n: bum + bumblebee, no money/no honey panhandling parody.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
29DOWNSIZE the Dogdef'n: to make smaller, to press.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
30HOLEY COW the Heavenly Cowdef'n: holy cow exclamation + swiss cheese w/ holes.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
31SUCKER the Mosquitodef'n: bloodsucking mosquitos + an easily deceived person.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
32SPOT-LESS the Dalmationdef'n: Spot the dog + spot remover = spotlessly immaculate.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
33CLEARCUT the Beaverdef'n: clear cut forests + beaver felled trees.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
34BIG MOUTH the Mousedef'n: the juxtpostion of a very small rodent + largest mouth.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
35DOWNCHUCK the Duckdef'n: down-chuck means to drop or 'throw down'; an idiot.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
36VILE-RUS the Computer Virusdef'n: vile + walrus, an extremely unpleasant infective agent.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
37RAT-RACE the Ratdef'n: a frustratig, hard-to-break financial lifestyle; competitive.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
38SWAMPY the Sewer Creaturedef'n: a murky, muddy, dirty conduit for waste & refuse.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
39PIDDLES the Poodledef'n: piddle, to urinate, or the act of urinating; puddles of piddle.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
40OXYMORON the Oxdef'n: ox + moron (stupid person), opposing terms appearing in conjunction.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
41DE-ODOR-ANT the Antdef'n: de- prefix (to remove) + odor (unpleasant body stink), conceal.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
42HUNGRY the Liondef'n: a strong desire for food, hungry like a wolf, bear, etc; self-cannibalism.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
43BULL-ONEY the Bulldef'n: foolish talk, nonsense; the variant of bologna mystery meat product.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
44MAGGOTY the Maggotdef'n: the legless, soft-bodied, wormlike larva found in decaying matter.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
45POUND the Groundhogdef'n: to hit severely; a pounding, splitting headache; Bayer aspirin.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
46SMARTASS the Donkeydef'n: smart + ass (a hoofed mammal, jackass or stupid person).
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
47GONUTS the Squirreldef'n: idiom, to do something enthusiastically; squirrels zipper & eat nuts.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
48EXSTINKT the Saber-Toothed Skunkdef'n: stink + extinct, to smell + no longer exist.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
49NOSEJOB the Reindeerdef'n: a Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer parody; rinoplasty.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
50BEAVIS the Butt-Erflydef'n: Beavis and Butt-head protagonists name parody, MTV show.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
51WHINOSAUR the Dinosaurdef'n: whine + dinosaur, to cry, wail or weep loudly, a tantrum.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
52GAME-BOAR the Wild Boardef'n: Game Boy, the Nintendo handheld gaming system + a boar.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
53CHESTER the Turtledef'n: chest of drawers, a bureau, furniture with stacked drawers.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
54WEBSTER the Spiderdef'n: spider web + WWW, a network of fine threads + World Wide Web network + the online Webster dictionary.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
55ARMPIT the Amorphous Creaturedef'n: a bushy armpit + an unclassifiable undefined form.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
56HOUSEFLY the Flydef'n: quite literally, a fly shaped like a house.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
57HOT LIPPS the Dragondef'n: in the heat of the moment; unresistable; kissable; trumpet player.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
58HOOOTERS the Owldef'n: hoot + hooters, an owl noise + chichis, a woman's breast.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
59GRRRILLA the Gorilladef'n: Grrr + Gorilla, a growling, angry sound + a chest-beating great ape.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
60TICKED OFF the Deerdef'n: ticked off + deer tick, upset or angry + an ixodid tick, parasitic on deer that transmit infectious agents including the bacterium causing Lyme disease.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
61CHECKLIST
NONE
NONE
#
CHASE CARDS — BONUS, PROMO, SKETCH, OMNI + AUTO
ARTIST
ARTIST
BCY-CLONEdef'n: Guff Comic Bonus Card); closed, rotating circular fluid motion + clone, a organism or cell, or group, produced asexually from one ancestor or stock; genetically identical.
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
P1LITTERS
JOHN Pound
NONE
P2UPCHUCK
JOHN Pound
NONE
P3SPHINXTER
JOHN Pound
NONE
S1VILE-RUS
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
S2NO-BRAINER
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
S3BAD-HARE
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
O1FLUSH
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
O2WARTY
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
O3MOLDIE
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
O4BABY CUE
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
O5ROTO ROOSTER
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
O6ZIPPITY
JOHN Pound
JAY Lynch
A1LITTERS — Autograph Card w/ Seal
JOHN Pound
NONE
A2UPCHUCK — Autograph Card w/ Seal
JOHN Pound
NONE
A3SPHINXTER — Autograph Card w/ Seal
JOHN Pound
NONE
#
CHASE CARDS
ARTIST
ARTIST


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