Garbage Pail Kids Giant Series 2

RELEASE PERIOD : MAY 1986
PRODUCT #452 : #4 ENTERTAINMENT + #52 PROJECT

An initial Garbage Pail Kids GIANT Stickers set was released by Topps in May of 1986, with the due date of February, containing an 'ALL NEW' tagline. Additional sets were requested by upper management to capitalize on the successful sales of the cards during the hype of the parody card craze; including the Giant 1st Series and GPK Poster sets. The set was released after the OS3 Garbage Pail Kids set that was released in January of that year and during the OS4 Garbage Pail Kids set which was released in May of 1986. The fifteen card set contained original GPK artwork, including several previously unpublished pieces that were poster-like in layout, and measured slightly smaller than 5x7 inches. Each pack cost 99¢ and came with '3 Giant Stickers' with award backs. The same set was released in the UK with different copyright information. An eighteen-card GIANT 2nd Series GPK set was planned, but it became the GPK Poster set instead.

ARTISTS : JOHN POUND, TOM BUNK, MAE JEON & HOWARD CRUISE
WRITERS : MARK NEWGARDEN

— Card artwork #2 Bony JOANIE ... Thin LYNN, by Tom Bunk, is the only card with an actual PEEL HERE Arrow on the card front due to the theme of the joke. All fifteen cards have a 'BEND HERE AND PEEL BACK' arrow on the backside of the cards in the lower right hand corner instead.

— Card back #11 Living Deatch Certificate can be found within the Giant 1st Series set found on the card back for #30 New Wave DAVE due to a Production Anomoly. Per social media, Mark Newgarden mentioned on June 28, 2020 that "In-joke here: 'Abe Morgue' is a reference to Abe Morgenstern who was NPD's product manager/production schedule butt-kicker." Morgue is definsed as a [cold] place where bodies are kept on hold to be identified or claimed.

— The image for 5x7 card #14 BUSTED! from the Garbage Pail Kids Giant Sticker set painted by artist John Pound is used for the OS5 through OS8 Retail Ad Posters with an enlarged, straight GPK banner at the bottom. The image can also be found on the #18 BUSTED! from the 12x17 GPK Poster set with the new straight GPK banner rather than the original, curved GPK header. The original poster contains a much smaller GPK banner.

— In both the posters and card, along with various award and license card backs, there are several OS1 and OS2 GPK Card Characters found throughout the image. As can be discerned from L-R from the 'SCHOOL' sign to the ground: 45a Leaky Lindsay & 45b Messy TESSIE, 27a Brainy JANIE & 27b JENNY Genius, 49a Double Heather & 49b Schizo FRAN/FRAN FRAN, 30a New Wave DAVE & 30b Graffiti PETEY, 8a ADAM Bomb & 8b Blasted BILLY, 73a Gorgeous GEORGE & 73b Dollar BILL, 3a Up CHUCK & 3b Heavin' STEVEN, 83a Ugh LEE & 83b Sumo SID, 77a Ghastley ASHLEY & 77b Acne AMY, 54a Fryin' RYAN & 54b Charred CHAD, 79a Sewer SUE & 79b MICHELLE Muck, 74a MARK Bark & 74b Kennel KENNY, 57a TOMMY Gun & 57b Dead FRED, 67a Phony LISA & 67b MONA Loser, 43a Smelly KELLY & 43b DOUG Plug, 44a SY CLOPS & 44b One-Eyed JACK, 66a MATT Ratt & 66b RACHEL Rodent, 62a Greaser GREG & 62b CHRIS Hiss, 5a Dead TED & 5b JAY Decay, 65a Shrunken ED & 65b Cheeky CHARLES, 42a PATTY Putty & 42b Muggin' MEGAN, 18a Cranky FRANKIE & 18b Bad BRAD, 75a Off-The-Wall PAUL & 75b ZACH Plaque, 46a Rappin' RON & 46b RAY Gun, 4a Fryin' BRIAN & 4b Electric BILL, 39a Buggy BETTY & 39b Green JEAN, 41a Mean GENE & 41b Joltin' JOE, and 40a Unstitched MITCH & 40b Damaged DON.

— The two previous GPK Characters in card #15 GARBAGE PAIL SCHOOL are OS1 card characters 30a New Wave DAVE & 30b Graffiti PETEY and 5a Dead TED & 5b JAY Decay. The character blowing a chewing gum bubble is holding three indestinguishable GPK cards.

— The reverse card back for #9 GARBAGE PAIL NATIONAL PARK is the only Giant Sticker card back with no border or ribbon artwork as seen on the other forteen cards; it is made to look like the back of an actual Postcard. The postmark is from 'Barfburg' NJ with the date Feb 31st, the sets due date month for Topps, but with a bogus calendar date.

— The Checklist is located on the reverse back of Card #14 BUSTED! GPK; the wrapper back only states 'Collect All 15 Stickers'.

— The images for all 15 Giant Sticker set can be found on Mini Giant Cards released within retail jumbo packs for the 2015 Series 2 '30th Anniversary' GPK set. The backside portrays the original card backs. The GPK logo has been replaced with a newer GPK logo and on the front side of many cards. Previously, the card front and backs were reprinted as card backs for the Flashback 1 set in 2010 for cards #1 through #12 (front) and the Flashback 3 set in 2011 for cards #12 (back) through #15.

— Per artist John Pound's Reference Notes card #5 HAVE A NICE DAY and card #8 TAKE A GPK TO LUNCH were unpublished OS1 paintings. Card #6 HOOKED ON GPKS was an unpublished OS2 piece and card #7 WHY FIGHT IT? was an unpublished piece submitted for the OS3 set.

— The reverse card artwork for card back #1 LICENSE TO CHEW, a 'License to Kill' title parody, and the other 14 GIANT card backs, were completed by artist Howard Cruse, including the border framing. The ribbon artwork with number was created and drawn by art director Mark Newgarden.

— Two Unpublished Pieces intended for the Giant 5x7 set, or GPK Poster set, were titled MIAMI LICE, a parody of the television show 'Miami Vice', and E PLURIBUS GARBAGE, a GPK coat-of-arms parody. An unpublished award back was titled 'Creative Writing Award'. Most of the artwork pieces for the Giant GPK set were unpublished OS1 and OS2 concept pieces per art director Mark Newgarden.

— Per artist John Pound's Pencil Artwork the character for card #11 HOW TO BE A GARBAGE PAIL KID was originally titled (the) ULTIMATE GPK.

— Card #3 GARBAGE PAIL KIDS RULE was completed by an in-house art department employee at Topps by the name of Mae Jeon. The rough and tight pencil artwork were completed by Mark Newgarden. Topps liked the security of a 'staffer' who could fill in at times of need. Only a handful of her artwork can be found including two pieces within the OS3 set based off of artist John Pound tight pencils.

#	NOMENCLATUR	ARTIST FRONT	ARTIST BACK	WRITER BACK
1	BAZOOKA JERK AND HIS GARBAGE	Tom Bunk	HOWARD Cruse	MARK Newgarden
2	BONY JOANIE ... THIN LYNN ...	Tom Bunk	HOWARD Cruse	MARK Newgarden
3	GARBAGE PAIL KIDS RULE!	Mae Jeon	HOWARD Cruse	MARK Newgarden
4	GARBAGE PAILS ... FOUL BILL	Tom Bunk	HOWARD Cruse	MARK Newgarden
5	HAVE A NICE DAY ... GPK	John Pound : OS1	HOWARD Cruse	MARK Newgarden
6	HOOKED ON GPKIDS	John Pound : OS2	HOWARD Cruse	MARK Newgarden
7	WHY FIGHT IT? COLLECT GPK — SOLDER BLOWN-UP	John Pound : 3-28 OS3	HOWARD Cruse	MARK Newgarden
8	TAKE A GPK TO LUNCH!	John Pound : OS1	HOWARD Cruse	MARK Newgarden
9	GARBAGE PAIL NATIONAL PARK	Tom Bunk	HOWARD Cruse	MARK Newgarden
10	GARBAGE PAIL CIRCUS!	Tom Bunk	HOWARD Cruse	MARK Newgarden
11	HOW TO BE A GPK : ULTIMATE GPK	John Pound	HOWARD Cruse	MARK Newgarden
12	IT TAKES GUTS TO BE A GPK	John Pound	HOWARD Cruse	MARK Newgarden
13	AND THE WINNER IS ... MISS GPK	John Pound	HOWARD Cruse	MARK Newgarden
14	BUSTED! GPK	John Pound	HOWARD Cruse	MARK Newgarden
15	GARBAGE PAIL SCHOOL	John Pound	HOWARD Cruse	MARK Newgarden