GUESSTIMATED
RELEASE PERIOD : MID 1987 The UK 7th Series Garbage Pail Kids set was intended for a mid 1987 release but shelved due to either dwindling sales or the lawsuit settlement. Or, a combination of both; these particular character images may have missed the deadline to be released due to the lawsuit settlement. The set would have been like previous releases and would have mimicked the U.S. 9th U.S. Series release, possibly non-numerical since previous UK GPK sets were nonsequential. Since only U.S. 9th Series images have been seen it is unknown if any of the previously unpublished U.S. 7th Series charactersthat did not show up in the UK 6th Series setor any from the U.S. 8th Series characters would have made it into the release. As with the later 'The Garbage Gang' releases, you can see where the images are missing the white numbers and most likely would have been implemented a white box with a black card number The set also accomodates the settlement agreement where the GPK logo must be a banner-style going forward and not curved like the Cabbage Patch Kids branding; it may have been Topps' last ditch effort to make money off of these CPK looking images. The cards were mocked-up and almost ready for production. The UK Garbage Pail Kids were released after the initial hype and craze of the U.S. phenomenon. The cards were released in the UK (England, Ireland, Scotland) as well as distributed in Holland and parts of Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway, Denmark), slapped with a clocal price tag. Unlike the U.S. cards that measure 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches and are die-cut, the UK cards are smaller, measuring 2 1/8 x 3 inches and are non die-cut, peeling from the edges, and are sometimes referred to as 'mini' because of their cigarette-card size. The sticker cards come three to a plastic or cellophane pack with a slab of gum, except for the OS5 set that comes four cards to a pack. The price is marked on the box rather than on the packs. Fifteen original series U.S. sets were released by Topps compared to only eight UK series released by Topps Ireland; Topps International Limited established in November 1975. All international GPK are a direct reproduction of the U.S. version or sequential international release and are changed to accommodate each country that they are released in. This includes any nomenclature, numbering or header and logo changesalso, covering up card numbers with overlaying boxed numbers or old 'PEEL HERE' arrows with boxes or larger arrows pointing in the opposite direction. A 15-card Giant set was also released in the UK which is same as the U.S. version, but with different copyright date information and matte finished backs. An unpublished OS7 UK set was also produced but never printed or released in the United Kingdom. |
ITEM |
CODE |
REVISION |
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION |
Display
Poster | UNK |
NA |
Retailer
Product Box Insert |
Wrapper |
0-UNK-0-7 |
NA |
Sealed Plastic Pack |
Display
Box | 1-UNK-0-7 |
NA |
Cardboard Display Box |
Case
Box | #UNK |
NA |
Corrugated Cardboard Shipping
Carton |
Uncut Sheet |
#UNK |
NA |
Uncut
Production Sheet : Sticker Format |
UNK
TOTAL CARDS = UNK BASE CARDS + UNK VARIATIONS UNPUBLISHED DISPLAY BOX CODE 1-UNK-0-7 BOX ARTWORK : JOHN POUND UNPUBLISHED WRAPPER CODE 0-UNK-0-7 RENDERED ARTWORK : TOM BUNK |
On
August 29th, 1986 the Topps company was found to be intentionally violating OAA's
rights following a lawsuit the makers of the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls held against
the makers of the Garbage Pail Kids cards. Topps eventually settled the case out
of court on February 2nd, 1987 by entering a stipulation that granted Topps unqualified
use of the 'Garbage Pail Kids' name through September 1st, 1987 in the U.S. This
is the reason that the 10th Series GPK cards released in September of that same
year had a new banner-style logo and a new character modelthe U.S. 8th and
9th Series sets were already ready for production or near completion after the
case was settled during the 7th Series release in February of 1987. Topps could
also use the 'Garbage Pail Kids' name through February 1988 abroud; all future
international GPK releases, within a certain time frame, were changed to 'The
Garbage Gang' word mark; the trademark was filed in April of 1987 and the registeration
date occured in December of 1987. Thus, all GPK released internationally from
1988 onward, until the All-New Series set in 2004, were titled 'The Garbage Gang'. Below are several unpublished UK 7th Series Garbage Pail Kids acetate overlay proof images as auctioned off of eBay through the Topps Vault in 2005 and 2006 with the newer banner-style header. The numbers would most likely have changed to be closer in line with the UK 6th Series set numbering. |
![]() 341a JUICY BRUCE (- 341b FRUITY RUDY) ~ | ![]() 343a CON VIC (- 343b AL CATRAZ) ~ | ![]() 345a CYRIL BOWL (- 345b SOGGY OGGIE) ~ |
![]() 353a BAZOOKA JOANNE (- 353b BUBBLY BABS) ~ | ![]() 358a MAC THE KNIFE (- 358b WADE BLADE) ~ | ![]() 360a MARCUS MUCUS (- 360b GUN BERYL) ~ |
![]() 364a STICKY RICKY (- 364b GOOEY LOUIE) ~ | ![]() 367a DENT AL (- 367b FLUORIDE IDA) ~ | ![]() 370a CEMENTIN' QUENTIN (- 370b MINUS HANS) ~ |
![]() 371a GRIPPIN' GRIFFIN (- 371b REN WRENCH) NOTE: THE HEADER MAY HAVE BEEN PURPLE LIKE THE PURPLE HEADERS LOCATED WITHIN THE 1994 DTKK GERMAN SET. | ![]() 373a DESI ISLAND (- 373b MAROONED MAUREEN) | |
![]() 376a RETCHIN' GRETCHEN (- 376b ILL JILL) | ![]() 377a CLOSET CLYDE (- 377b HOOKED HOWIE) |