GARBAGE,
GUM & LAWSUITS
Everything
You Ever Wanted to Know About the GARBAGE PAIL KIDS, But Were Afraid to Ask. By Monte Beauchamp I believe
it was Carl Sandburg who mused rhetorically, "Why oh why did the children
put beans in their ears, when the one thing we told them not to
do was put beans in their ears?" Of
course, what we're referring to are Garbage
Pail Kids stickers from the Topps Chewing Gum
Co. -one of the hottest preteen fads of this, or any decade. And the interview
with Garbage Pail Kids
creator Mark Newgarden that follows is the brand of eclectic irrelevancy you'll
only find in the warped (but acid-free) pages of Blab!. * * * How Did the
concept to do a gum card series based on such perverse characters as the Garbage
Pail Kids originate?
Did
you have any idea that the first set would be such a success with the kids, yet
at the same time outrage a lot of parents? Have
you submitted any cards that shocked ethe executives at Topps? Any that they've
refused to release?
Have
you come up with any card concepts for the series so disgusting that you've censored
them yourself? So
you guys do have a set of standards. Would
these be drug-induced dreams? What
other cultural trash did you enjoy as a kid? As creator of the Garbage Pail
Kids, something must have really warped your mind. |
CABBAGE
PATCH DOLLS GET DUMPED
Critics say that the Garbage Kids are beyond the pale, but card collections nearing the 1,000 mark have been spotted across the country. Trends:
February 17, 1986 Two decades from now, when today’s kids want to show their children their favorite trading cards, they won’t be pulling out Pete Roses, George Bretts, or Buddy Blancalanas. Instead they’ll be dusting off such treasured images as Leaky Lindsay, a stringy-haired little she-monster whose runny nose equals Linda Blair’s in The Exorcist. Or they’ll haul out Wrinkled Rita, Oliver Twisted, Bad Breath Seth, Messy Tessy, Dead Fred and the rest of the 88 dirt bags who populate the world of the Garbage Pail Kids. A cross between Cabbage Patch dolls and Mad magazine cartoons, Garbage Pail Kids are the new kings and queens of the trading card world. Introduced last June by Topps Chewing Gum, Inc.--the Brooklyn N.Y. company of baseball card and Bazooka Bubble Gum fame--the Kids are a spin-off of Topp’s Garbage Pail Candy- a plastic waste can filled with confectionary versions of fish heads, old shoes and other detritus. Yet company spokesman Norman Liss admits that the sight of the peel-off cards plastered on the nation’s buses, books and doorways "was really unexpected." Priced at 25 cents for a pack of five cards and a slab of pink bubble gum, the lowlife Kids are apparently turning high profits. Mohmmed Khan, who owns two Manhattan candy stores, reports sales of nearly 500 packs a day. Joan Fernbacher, owner of Candy Alley in Los Angeles, sells out her stock "within two days, and if your store is near a school, like mine is, that’s to be expected." Chicago teacher Judy Feiertag says her students "like the takeoffs on the Cabbage Patch dolls, which they thought were a little silly." But the real gauge of the Garbage Pail phenomenon is that at least one school, Manhattan’s PS 6, has banned the Kids from its premises. "They’re a disruption, a distraction," says principal Jack Zucherman, who concedes that the cards "are the most popular things in creation." If
some children have long held that Topps’s bubble gum lacks taste, some adults
are now making the same complaint about the company’s latest product. "The
cards have a risque bathroom humor that 8 or 9 year olds think is funny,"
says Chicago teacher Feiertag. "They’re also nasty and insulting, which
might appeal to an insecure child." Even the Garbage Pail Kids’ most
ardent defenders make no claims for propriety. "They’re funny and gross,"
explains New York’s Ariel Siegelberg, 9," and I like gross things." *
By Marian Dozier of The Journal staff The Milwaukee Journal Sunday, June 22, 1986 It all started
innocently enough. A few months back, you had taken your kid along shopping and
in some store, the kid promptly plunked down a quarter for a pack of what looked
like trading cards. Mom and Dad, that’s where you were wrong. What your beloved child had purchased were Garbage Pail Kids, and by now, he – and she – probably has hundreds of them and no allowance left. Hundreds? Yep. These things are bigger than last year’s craze, the Cabbage Patch dolls, and incidently, they bear a striking resemblance to the sweet, pudgy-faced darlings. But the similarities don’t stretch for miles and miles: the Garbage Pail kids are as nasty and disgusting as the Cabbage Patch-ers are sweet and beguiling. These new-fangled trading cards/stickers that show pictures of plump, round-faced kids doing all sorts of disgusting things, are not so amusing, according to some parents, psychologists and educators. John Schmuhl, principal of MacDowell Elementary at 1706 W. Highland Ave., said he took the necessary step of banning them last winter, as did some educators here and across the country. "Besides the fact we weren’t really thrilled at the content, they were becoming a disruptive factor," said Schmuhl. "They were getting stuck all over things, causing a rash of arguments. Plus, they really weren’t consistent with what we’re trying to teach." But perhaps that’s the essence of the cards’ appeal. "They have all these really neat and gross things on them," said Daniel Huyssen, a 9-year-old collector with more than 100 cards. "Me and my brother David both collect them." These cards, which poke fun at everything from fat kids (Broad Maud) to Uncle Sam (Snooty Sam) to nuclear bombs (Blasted Billy) have become their very own subject heading. "The interest in these things has been just incredible," said Norman Liss, spokesman for Topps Chewing Gum, Inc., which manufactures the cards. "We’ve done no PR, no advertising. We get waves of telephone calls and letters. We’re not surprised; we’re just simply amazed." And these waves are not all notices of complaint, either. People – adults – are checking on where they can get more, Liss said. The fourth series is due out any day now. ------ Please see Cards, Page 6 JUST ANOTHER FAD, ANOTHER PHASE
Garbage Pail Kids are in short supply in many stores Cards, from Page 1 ------ Why are these things so popular? Everyone has a theory. Some say kids like whatever their parents don’t. Another says it could be linked to an underlying tension produced by a child’s insecurity about how he looks and whether he fits in (this, obviously, from a social psychologist). The most promising theory is that told by one who should know: a parent. "Fortunately, I don’t think it’s the hideousness of the cards that attract children," said Amy Lewis, 3369 N. Newhall, mother of two collectors. "They’re just caught up in this collectomania: this whole plastic toy craze (that says) get one, get them all." Itzhak Matusiak, a child and family psychologist in private practice in Milwaukee, while saying he sees nothing wrong with the cards in and of themselves, finds them problematic in a larger sense. "They represent another form of child exploitation," he said. "And when there’s no thought-out parental philosophy, as is the case within our society today, children become very accustomed to passive influences."
Children are a captive audience, he said, and more subject to exploitation by peers or savvy marketers. Indeed, Topps marketers were savvy enough to realize years ago what kids like: gross and degenerate humor. Remember Wacky Packages’ satirical takeoff on everyday products ("Neveready" batteries, "Grave Train" dog food) from 1973? Or 1964’s Nutty Awards, brought back as the Kooky Awards in 1967? This is formula stuff. "Almost every product we do eventually comes back around as a new product, and I think that’s the secret of our success," said Liss. "The same things today appealed to kids generations ago." Besides repetition of ideas, it’s as simple as adding three other things: use of actual peoples’ names, ludicrous, exaggerated drawings and the product name itself. For example, the "Garbage Pail Kids" is a takeoff of a Topps product from a few years back called "Garbage Can-dy," which was a plastic garbage pail filled with little candies shaped like fish bones, soup cans and other stuff found in garbage cans. So. You say you want to get a few of these cards, just to check them out. Forget it. Not only is demand outstripping supply at the company plant in Brooklyn, but now Topps is engaged in a lawsuit with the manufacturer of the Cabbage Patch Kids over appearance and reputation infringement. "There is absolutely no basis for the suit," said Liss. "These cards are not pointed at any product." Though Liss refused to comment further because the lawsuit is still in litigation, a report in the Washington Post quoted Topps’ lawyers as saying the Garbage Pail Kids "are in the nature of satire or parody" and that any similarity between the two ‘Kid" types constitutes "fair use" of the Cabbage Patch trademark. Though introduced just last June, listen to what retailers are saying about these cards: "We haven’t had them for five weeks. But when we do get them, we allow two per kid, one per adult, and you must come in and get them yourself," said a matter-of-fact store owner in South Milwaukee. "We’ve got a standing order for 10 boxes, but we haven’t heard from the supplier yet," said a clerk at Superamerica at 3102 S. Chicago Ave. "We always put a sign up in the window saying ‘we got Garbage Pail,’ But if the sign’s not up, then we don’t have them." And this from a distributor: "Nobody’s got them. We get people calling all the time, even from Illinois. It’s been like this for the last four months. They’re hotter than a pistol." Even so, there are signs that the Garbage Pail Kids popularity may be on the wane. Lewis said her 10-year-old son had lost his zest for collecting them and Principal Schmuhl said he did not see them around anywhere, even off-campus. But a more telling sign may be the half-full carton of them spotted on a shelf in Downtown Woolworth’s recently, as passing little ones gave them barely a glance. Oh well, if the Cabbage Patch-ers will move over in fad heaven, there may be room for Blasted Billy, Stoned Sean and Acne Amy.
CABBAGE
KIDS Act Like Brats THE DAILY NEWS June 24, 1986 Atlanta
- The Cabbage Patch Kids have a date today with "Beaky BECKY", "Dirty
HARRY", "Green DEAN" and the trio's wretched sidekicks, the Garbage
Pail Kids, but it's not down at the malt shop. It's in federal court. Their
Garbage Pail counterparts showed up last year on bubble-gum cards distributed
by Topps Chewing Gum Co. of Brooklyn. They bear a strong facial resemblence to
the Cabbage Patch Kids and are wildly popular in adolescent America. He is
suing Topps to have the cards withdrawn and destroyed. He also wants all the profit
from the Garbage Pail Kids sales, claiming infringement of copyright and trademark,
that the Garbage Pail Kids are unwholesome and that the similarities make it impossible
to see the new kids on the block, without thinking of his own product.
HAVE YOU MET THE NEW 'KIDS'?
Garbage Pail Kids cause controversy By Jackie Risse The Daily Dispatch Have you met the new "Kids" on the block – the Garbage Pail Kids? No, they’re not cousins to the Cabbage Patchers, though their chubby-cheeked profiles are reminiscent of the "Kids" who took the world by storm a few years ago. Some might term the Garbage Pail gang as Cabbage Patch kids gone delinquent, but Norman Liss of Topps Chewing Gum, Inc., which manufactures Garbage Pail Kids stickers on cards and sells them five to a pack with a piece of gum for a quarter, says the characters are not based on the Coleco dolls. Whatever their origins, the Garbage Pail Kids have wormed their way into the hearts and pockets of millions of American schoolchildren. Like baseball cards, kids collect and trade the different characters, while adults try to decide what to make of the sometimes tasteless cards. Meet Spikey Mikey, impaled on a bed of spikes. Or Travellin’ Travis dotted with used bubble gum and tire treads, wrapped around the rear tire of a car. Then there’s Formalde Heidi, chemically preserved in a jar. Losing Faith is tied to a nuclear warhead, on rapid decent. Let’s not forget Baked Jake, the sizzling sunburned youngster crawling across the desert. In all, there are more than 200 different cards, said Liss, spokesman for the bubblegum company, which began business in the late 1930’s selling gum and baseball cards. Liss refused to disclose how much money the company has made off the cards and how many have been sold since the cards were introduced in June 1985. He did say they are selling so well that the company has added workers to try to meet the demand. "We’ve got three shifts going and we still can’t keep up. We’re in our fifth series, planning to start our sixth. Now they’re becoming popular in Europe, too. "We still hear about kids who go from store to store to buy the cards. A lot of people call the stores to ask when the next shipment will be in." Doyle Weber, manager of the 7-Eleven store at 1305 15th St., Moline, said demand for the cards is still brisk, but not as much as it was last spring. "It’s kind of dying down now. We were selling about 15 boxes a week (48 packs to a box). We’re selling about three boxes a week now." Sheila Wells, owner of Convenient Food store at 702 17th Ave., East Moline, agreed the cards aren’t as popular as they once were, but still sell quickly when a new shipment comes in. "When we can get them, they sell," she said. "We usually can get only three boxes at a time and they sell out in about a day and a half." Weber and Wells said card collectors range in age from 3 to junior high school age. Wells said that although parents usually frown when their child wants a package of the cards, they usually allow them to buy them. Liss said the company is not unaware of the controversy the cards have created. Different parents’ groups across the country are angry because they say the cards portray violence. Some elementary schools have banned the cards. Local schools don’t appear to be having a major problem with the cards. Spokespeople for Roosevelt and Horace Mann elementary schools in Moline, Apollo in Carbon Cliff, Hawthorne-Irving in Rock Island, George O. Barr in Silvis and Hillcrest in East Moline, say they haven’t seen too many of the cards at their schools. A secretary at Hillcrest said a few students brought the cards to school last spring, but had to leave them in the office until the end of the school day. Dr. Dewat Chaudhry, a Moline child psychiatrist, likens the effect Garbage Pail cards have on kids to the violence they see on television. "My feeling is that they (cards) don’t foster good emotional health for kids. They’re a distortion and not conducive to good emotional being." Mike Carl, a psychologist with the Moline school system, said he thinks the cards are harmless. "Personally I don’t think they do any harm. It’s just something to collect. The kids like to get a reaction out of the parents. It’s more of a competition to collect something than a way to work out violence." Dr. Richard Hutchison, a psychologist at Southpark Psychology, specializes in child psychology. Many of his patients, he said, collect the cards. "I’ve never seen any damage done to kids by the stickers. "Adults probably read more into them than the kids do. Some of them (cards) are geared more to the adults. Some are puns on things kids might not understand. The cards are crude, but I don’t think they damage the psyche." He agrees with Carl that kids are more interested in completing a collection of something than the content of the cards. "They’re not interested in the details of the cards." Therese Roman and Cheryl Vyncke, both of Silvis, have sons who collect the cards. Though both mothers say they personally don’t like the cards, they don’t feel they have a harmful effect on their kids. "I think they’re wrong," said Roman. "They’re cute in a certain way, but they’re not flattering to certain names. They’re in poor taste. As a mother, I really don’t care for them." She said she was reluctant to order her 8-year-old son Kevin not to collect the cards because she didn’t want to draw a lot of attention to them. When he started collecting them last spring she hoped he’d just lose interest on his own – a theory that seems to have worked. Lately he hasn’t made any real effort to enlarge his small collection, she said. Kevin says he likes the cards because "they’re funny and stuff. They have good pictures." Vyncke’s two sons, 9-year-old Carsten and 4-year-old Patrick, both collect the cards. "It’s like any violence, " she said. "You need to explain to your kids the context it’s meant in. Just because they see a Baked Jake doesn’t mean they can put baby Jake in the oven." Carsten said he doesn’t think the cards promote violence. "I collect them because I think they’re neat and they’re fun to trade. My mom thinks they’re gross, but I don’t." Liss said the cards have no worse effect on kids than the Monster Valentines of the ‘60s and ‘70s had on their parents. "The company wouldn’t put out anything they thought was wrong. We realize we have a responsibility to the kids who buy our products."
THE RIVAL KIDS PATCH THINGS UP
GROSS OUT: Expect the Garbage Pail Kids to look less Cabbage Patchy. By Tracey Wong Briggs USA TODAY Topps won’t have to trash Icky Ricky, Acne Amy and the other popular Garbage Pail Kids, but future versions won’t look like Cabbage Patch Kids. Topps Chewing Gum reached a settlement Monday with Cabbage Patch copyright owner Original Appalachian Artworks of Cleveland, Ga., in the $30 million copyright infringement suit filed by OAA in March. The undisclosed settlement came after a weekend recess in the U.S. District Court trial in Atlanta. "It’s no secret (Cabbage Patch creator) Xaviar Roberts is elated," says OAA spokeswoman Laura Meier. "He’s having a company-wide celebration." Topps, which introduced the gross character bubblegum cards in June 1985, will introduce the made-over Garbage Pail Kids "later this year," says Topps spokesman Norman Liss. The seventh edition of the parody cards, still resembling the phenomenally successful Cabbage Patch Kids, will be out as scheduled this week. OAA claims Topps has earned $64 million on sales of the 25-cent package of five cards and related products such as lunch boxes. Lawyers from both sides agreed not to discuss details; neither side is sure what will happen to Garbage Pail Kids licensed products. |
