BIG BAD BUTTONS
Tom Bunk's 1985
Topps parody button set that poked fun at the then very popular Care
Bears stuffed animal dolls; a slogan-filled series named the Gross
Bears. The Gross Bears button set did not take off like the
success of the Garbage Pail Kids, or, may have been more easily
overlooked considering the non-trading card format. Topps went with
a button series considering the button craze of the 80's and earlier
success with button sets. Several of the Gross Bears ideas and
concepts can be seen sporadically reintroduced throughout the GPK
sets since a lot of parody material is rehashed over time at Topps.
The set was worked on and released during the time that artist Tom Bunk
was working on the reverse card artwork of the first two Garbage
Pail Kids sets.
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1. The
Tagline for button #4 Barf Bear
was changed from the original sketch artwork 'Let's Share Lunch'
to 'Ready for Lunch?' for the
published final artwork; all of the barf material remains intact and
unchanged.
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2. Two
Gross Bears images found their way into the 1988 Topps T-Shirt
Factory Iron-Ons set. The series consisted of 18 different Iron-Ons
with artwork that appears to be taken from various, older Topps sets.
The two Gross Bears images found within the set are #13 Spiky
Bear (Hug Someone Else!) and #28 Butt
Bear (I Get a Kick Out of You!),
#4 and #5, respectively the later being changed to 'KISS
ME!' for the iron-on set.
Topps product # 4-594-60-01-8. |
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3. A dealer
Sell Sheet can be located for the T-Shirt Factory Iron-Ons
set, #594 which shows a very small picture of the Gross Bears
image for button #28 Butt Bear (I Get a
Kick Out of You!) that reads 'KISS ME!' for the #5 iron-on.
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4. The Concept
for button #21 Punk Bear (I'm a Sharp Dresser!)
had several subtle changes from the color rough to the final artwork.
The patriotic red-white-and-blue spiked hair was changed to punk green,
a cigarette was added to the mouth it looks like the original
color rough had one in its mouth or it was whistling, and a safety pin
was added to attach the razer blade stomach emblem blade shape
being revised.
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5. Thirty-two
Gross Bears Mini-Cards have been released within the Yearly
sets: six cards were released in the 2016S1 GPK Applie Pie (In
Your Face!) set within certain Value retail boxes;
the images are printed on card for the first time, measure 2.5 x 2.5in,
and include Gross Bears characters: #1 Flare
Bear, #2 Killer Bear, #3 Flat
Bear, #4 Barf Bear, #5 Pig-Out Bear
(numbered #6 in the Button set) and L1 Blender
Bear (Lost artwork). #5 Goodbye Bear
has been passed up for the release due to the subject of suicide. Six
cards were released in the 2016S2 GPK Prime Slime Trashy TV set
within Wal*Mart and online Value retail boxes; the images include characters:
#6 Heady Bear, #7 RamBear, #8 Big Shot Bear, #9 Rug Bear, #10 Everywhere
Bear and L2 Deady Bear. Six additional cards were released in the 2017S1
GPK ADAM-Geddon set; the characters include: #11 Bonkers Bear,
#12 Spikey Bear, #13 Tear Bear, #14 FrankenBear, #15 B.O. Bear and L3
Burger Bear. Six additional cards were released in the 2017S2 GPK
Battle of the Bands set; the characters include: #16 Go Bear, #17 Lousy
Bear, #18 Cyclops Bear, #19 Scar Bear, #20 Punk Bear and L4 Not-All-There
Bear. Eight additional cards were released for the 2018S1 GPK
We Hate the 80's set without any lost card and two additional images;
the characters include: #21 Zit Bear, #22 Melted Bear, #23 Bony Bear,
#24 Trash Bear, #25 Bat Bear, #26 Bicep Bear, #27 Butt Bear and #28
Bare Bear. Topps continued to release the Gross Bears within
Value boxes for five Yearly sets and finished out the special chase
card subset. Note: the original box artwork is used for the card backs
minus the '36 Buttons' (per box) message.
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6. Martian Toys held
a Who Cares Bears opening at the Mothership Art Gallery on Saturday
April 21st, 2018 from 6-10pm in the Philly, PA area and on the 223 W.
Girard Ave block. There were custom, original and bootleg toys
similar to the items found on their website, along with original Gross
Bears color rough artwork on display by artist Tom Bunk along with
a new piece that Bunk created for the show titled 'The Zombear'.
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7. The actual
Button Size is about 1 1/2 inches in circular diameter, very
similar to the Garbage Pail Kids buttons that were released,
also with a tagline. The Yearly mini-cards measure roughtly
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FINAL ARTWORK SAMPLES, BOX & BUTTONS
![]() #1 FLARE BEAR |
![]() #3 FLAT BEAR |
![]() #10 RUG BEAR |
![]() #17 GO BEAR |
![]() #24 BONY BEAR |
![]() BOX FINAL ARTWORK |
1. The following,
at-the-time, Unpublished GROSS BEARS were slightly reworked,
with subtle changes from the sketch artwork to the final artwork, and
often could be found reworked and used as Garbage Pail Kids characters
in later GPK sets. Have It Your Way Burger Bear (Burger
King slogan parody) was an idea sketch that made it to the final stages
and slightly reworked from the color rough stage, minus the chef's hat.
The concept was later painted as an OS10 GPK piece by James Warhola.
The image was later released on mini-card for the 2017S1 set as #L3
Burger Bear.
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Not-All-There Bear
made it to the final stages and was slightly reworked as well, the crossbones
bear insignia changed to a broken heart.
The concept was later reworked and painted as a similar idea for an
OS7 GPK piece by James Warhola. The
image was later released on mini-card for the 2017S2 set as #L4 Not-All-There
Bear .
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The Blender
Bear piece was previously unpublished and was later reworked for
an OS5 GPK piece painted by Tom Bunk. The character is in the
same position, similar style of blender (with an added cord), tongue
sticking out and blood replaced with water. The image was later released
on mini-card for the 2016S1 set as #L1 Blender
Bear.
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Deaddy Bear (teddy
bear rhyme) or Zombie Bear was never published or released in another
parody set. The stomach emblem was changed from a comical bear skull
crossbones to a human skull with no bones for the final artwork, the
foreground forepaw added and the atmospheric colors changed. It is very
similar to the OS3 GPK Frankenstein character painted by Tom
Bunk. The tombstone in the background has bear ears on it. The image
was later released on mini-card for the 2016S2 set as #L2 Deady
Bear.
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2. The Gross
Bear character #24 Bony Bear had her Death Scythe Removed
and a heart balloon (to match her heart) added instead. The balloon
concept was removed from the #25 Trash Bear character and added to Bony
Bear, per the colour rough artwork.
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3. Like
many Topps' humor and parody sets, the Gross Bears Big Bad Buttons
theme came from the 1976 Topps release simply called Big Bad
Buttons. Button examples: #4 Change Your Deodorant! and #18 Where's
Your Leash?
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4. The artist
behind the buttons, Tom Bunk, in December of 1985 sporting all
of the Big Bad Buttons. The Gross Bears buttons were released
after the OS2 GPK cards were released in October of the same
year; Bunk worked on the Gross Bears artwork while he was working
on the OS1 and OS2 GPK reverse card artwork.
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![]() NOTE: BIG BAD BUNK SPORTING ALL 29 GROSS BEARS BUTTONS |
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CHARACTER NAME
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FINAL ARTWORK
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CONCEPT ARTIST
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YEARLY SERIES
CARDS
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1 | FLARE BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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JOHN Mariano
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2016S1 #1
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2 | KILLER BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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JOHN Mariano
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2016S1 #2
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3 | FLAT BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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JOHN Mariano
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2016S1 #3
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4 | BARF BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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MARK Newgarden
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2016S1 #4
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5 | GOODBYE BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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MARK Newgarden
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UNPUBLISHED
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6 | PIG-OUT BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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JOHN Mariano
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2016S1 #5
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7 | HEADY BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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MARK Newgarden
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2016S2 #6
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8 | RAMBEAR |
TOM Bunk
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JOHN Mariano
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2016S2 #7
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9 | BIG SHOT BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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MARK Newgarden
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2016S2 #8
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10 | RUG BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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MARK Newgarden
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2016S2 #9
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11 | EVERYWHERE BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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JOHN Mariano
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2016S2 #10
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12 | BONKERS BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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MARK Newgarden
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2017S1 #11
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13 | SPIKY BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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MARK Newgarden
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2017S1 #12
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14 | TEAR BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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MARK Newgarden
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2017S1 #13
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15 | FRANKENBEAR |
TOM Bunk
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MARK Newgarden
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2017S1 #14
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16 | B.O. BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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MARK Newgarden
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2017S1 #15
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17 | GO BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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JOHN Mariano
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2017S2 #16
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18 | LOUSY BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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MARK Newgarden
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2017S2 #17
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19 | CYCLOPS BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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MARK Newgarden
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2017S2 #18
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20 | SCAR BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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MARK Newgarden
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2017S2 #19
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21 | PUNK BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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MARK Newgarden
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2017S2 #20
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22 | ZIT BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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MARK Newgarden
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2017S1 #21
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23 | MELTED BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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JOHN Mariano
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2017S1 #22
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24 | BONY BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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MARK Newgarden
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2017S1 #23
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25 | TRASH BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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MARK Newgarden
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2017S2 #24
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26 | BAT BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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MARK Newgarden
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2017S2 #25
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27 | BICEP BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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MARK Newgarden
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2017S2 #26
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28 | BUTT BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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MARK Newgarden
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2017S2 #27
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29 | BARE BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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JOHN Mariano
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2017S2 #28
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UNPUB | BLENDER BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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UNKNOWN
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2016S1 #L1
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UNPUB | DEADY BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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UNKNOWN
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2016S2 #L2
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UNPUB | BURGER BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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UNKNOWN
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2017S1 #L3
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UNPUB | NOT-ALL-THERE BEAR |
TOM Bunk
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UNKNOWN
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2017S2 #L4
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