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RELEASE PERIOD : FEBRUARY 2018

Magic Marker Art's Nintendopes Series 1 set was released during the first quater of 2018, during the winter season of February, premiering at the ToyCon in Las Vegas, NV between the 23rd and the 25th of that same month. The entire button-mashing set was created by artist Mark Pingitore who sketched and painted all nine characters to create an eighteen, twin-card parody release poking fun at the Nintendo brand, most notably the NES, the game catridge covers and its plethura of characters. The first print run set, containing one asterisk (* © 2018 MARK PINGITORE PRTD. IN U.S.A.), was posted for sale on the Magic Marker Art website on February 27th with 150 sets being produced. The 'PEEL HERE' matte finish, vinyl stickers, measuring 2.5 x 3.5 inches, contain a unique cartridge-shaped die-cut which is reminiscent of the earlier Garbage Pail Kids releases. Pingitore's various titles (Disasters of the Universe, Slop! Culture Kids, Horrorible Kids, G.I. Jokes, Mutagen Canister Kids, Trashformers, Star Warped Kids, et cetera) and other products are wonderfully influenced by the 80's nostalgic toy and cartoon era. ~

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def'n: Dope - noun informal. A very stupid person; unintellectual. def'n: Dope - adjective informal. Very good; very cool. ~

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		1a LUXURIOUS LINK ~ Nomenclature — C; the specific name Link to go with the word 'luxurious'. ~ Game memory: Link (aka Rinku) — The main protagonist in The Legend of Zelda game series. His character is the everlasting hero of the ages that reappears throughout time to save the princess of Hyrule over and over again. def'n: Luxurious — Deluxe, rich, grand, lavish or sumptuous; of a superior kind. def'n: Link — A relationship between two things or situations, especially where one thing affects the other.
		1b GILD ED ~ Nomenclature = Gilded. ~ Game memory: Triforce — Three sacred triangles from the Golden Land (Sacred Realm) that form the force of Power (top), the force of Wisdom (left) and the force of Courage (right); Link being the holder of the later. def’n: Gild — To be covered thinly with a layer of gold; gold-plated.
		GPK STATS: ~ None; minus that fact that there is a gold-plated award character within the BNS release. ~ For the Nintendopes image, the character can be seen holding, albeit levitating, the completed golden Triforce. The conception also pays tribute to the first gold-colored game catridge released in 1988 by Nintendo of America. The smart packaging design featured a small cutaway that revealed a small portion of the unique game cartridge that was quite different than the normal gray cartridge color at the time. That game unit sold more than 2 million copies for the NES, that's a LOT of rupies/rupees!

		2a SMACKED MAC ~ Nomenclature — Rhyme; the specific name Mac with the word 'smack+ed'. ~ Game memory: Little Mac (aka Ritoru Makku) — The main protagonist within the Nintendo Punch-Out franchise of video games, first appearing in Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! with his signature attack move "Star Uppercut". def'n: Smack — A sharp slap or blow usually given with the palm of one's hand; to strike someone.
		2b PUNCHED-OUT SCOUT ~ Nomenclature — Rhyme; the name Scout with the words 'punch+ed-out'. ~ Game memory: Punch-Out!! (aka Panchiauto!!) — A boxing sports fighting video game for the NES released in 1987 as a port of both arcade games Punch-Out!! and Super Punch-Out!! with minor tweaks. def’n: Punch-out — A fistfight; usually a spontaneous fight with bare knuckles.
		GPK STATS: ~ The artwork painfully (in a good way) pays tribute to the Garbage Pail Kids image for OS3 cards 102a Mugged MARCUS and 102b Kayo'd CODY painted by artist John Pound; seen beaten to a bloody pulp. However, the layout of the image pays tribute to the OS7 'profile card' reverse artwork of the same character by artist Tom Bunk (cards 258a MICKEY Mouths and 258b Oral LAUREL). ~ For the Nintendopes image, the character can be seen with his signature green boxing gloves being undercut and pummeled by figther Mike Tyson (off- camera), punching bag-style.

		3a POOPER MARIO ~ Nomenclature = Paper Mario. ~ Game memory: Mario — The main protagonist of the plethora of (Super) Mario Bros. plumbing video games often seen potrayed in his overalls and puffy mustache, most notably in Nintendo's 1985 release and later in the Paper Mario series of games, Mario Kart, et cetera. def'n: Party pooper — A person that refuses to join in the fun of a (Mario) party. def'n: Poop — informal. Excrement; feces. Waste matter discharged from the bowels after digestion.
		3b PLUMB EARL ~ Nomenclature = Plumber. ~ Game memory: Warp Pipe — One of the main modes of transportation within the Mario video game franchise located within a level or world and Warp Zones. Caution: most pipes house dangerous enemies. def’n: Plumber — A person who installs and repairs the pipes and fittings of water, sanitation & heating systems.
		GPK STATS: ~ The artwork spotlessly pays tribute to the Garbage Pail Kids image for OS1 cards 14a Potty SCOTTY and 14b JASON Basin painted by artist John Pound; seen sporting a toilet bowl scrub brush, holding a cleaning sponge with a can of scouring powder and a toilet plunger littering the floor. ~ For the Nintendopes image, the character can be seen warping out of a noted septic pipe holding onto a toilet plunger and grasping onto a pipe-clogging turd, which also litters the floor along with fecal tainted water. I'm sure the character's hat would hold the letter 'M' or 'MMA' for Magic Marker Art or for artist Mark Pingitore, but unfortunately the 'M' also stands for Mario. The dirty white gloves is a nice subtle touch to the piece (of artwork and poop). Both characters can be seen in blue overalls and a red shirt with smiling dimples.

		4a SAMUS I. RAN ~ Nomenclature = Samus Aran. ~ Game memory: Samus Aran (aka Samusu Aran) — The solo portagonist of the Nintendo Metroid science fiction action-adventure game franchise introduced in 1986. An intergalactic bounty hunter. def'n: Ran — Run; to move at a speed faster than a walk, not having both feet on the ground at the same time.
		4b MET ROY ~ Nomenclature = Metroid. ~ Game memory: Metroid — An extraterrestrial species that acts as a parasitic organism often exploited by the antagonistic Space Pirates out for galactic domination. def’n: Met — Meet; to come into the presence, company or contact with.
		GPK STATS: ~ None. ~ For the Nintendopes image, the bounty hunter character can be seen running amok, haphazardly shooting off her Arm Cannon with a life energy siphoning Metroid parasite attached to her unprotected head with pincer-like feet. Samus Aran can be seen outfitted with her regular powered-up exoskeleton Power Suit. Both characters, human and creature have been given the Cabbage Patch Kids treatment with one of the Metroid's tripartite nuclei also sporting a CPK-like head.

		5a COOKED KIRBY ~ Nomenclature — C; the specific name Kirby to go with the word 'cook+ed'. ~ Game memory: Kirby — The titular protagonist of the Nintendo Kirby series of video games first appearing in 1992 in Kirby's Dream Land for the Game Boy handheld system. def'n: Cook — To prepare food by an element of heating; roasted over an open fire.
		5b MELLOW MARSHALL ~ Nomenclature = Marshmallow. ~ Game memory: Kirby (character) — Has the ability to inhale objects and creatures to gain abilities. def’n: Marshmallow — A soft, chewy confection made with sugar and gelatin. A tall pink-flowered European plant that typically grows in brackish marshes; the roots were formerly used to make marshmallow.
		GPK STATS: ~ None; although there are many 'melting' and marshmallow subjected characters. ~ For the Nintendopes image, the melty misfit is seen impaled on a two prong stick being held over an open flame. The Kirby-esque kabob character is starting to melt and beginning to smoke, usually a sign of impending combustion of flames.

		6a VAMPIRE KILLIAN ~ Nomenclature = Vampire Killer. ~ Game memory: Vampire Killer (aka Akumajo Dracula) — Although never released alone in the U.S., a Japan platform-adventure game produced by Konami in 1986; the second game in the Castlevania series. def'n: Vampire — A corpse in European folklore that leaves its grave at night to drink the blood of the living. def'n: Killer — A person that kills. To cause the death of a person or thing.
		6b CASTLE VAN ~ Nomenclature = Castlevania. ~ Game memory: Castlevania — A series of gothic fantasy, at times side-scrolling, action-adventure video game where the first installment was released in 1986, originally for the Family Computer Disk System. def’n: Castle — A large building fortified by thick walls, battlements, towers and a moat. Stronghold.
		GPK STATS: ~ None; although there are some 'restricted' characters. ~ For the Nintendopes image, the vampire hunter can be seen whiplashed and coiled by his own cat-o'-nine-tails. The character is splendidly displayed in front of a dusk background with a large GPK-esque full moon and several GPK-like bats first seen pictured on OS1 cards 1a Nasty NICK and 1b Evil EDIE. Simon Belmont, the main protagonist in the first few installments of the main series can also be seen next to some dropped Tasty Meat as well as two sub-weapons in his 'inventory', the Cross and two bottles of Holy Water.

		7a GARBAGE MANNY ~ Nomenclature = Garbage Man. ~ Game memory: Garbage Man (aka Robot Master) — Created by Dr. Wright to literally trash the six Robt Masters from the first Mega Man game once Dr. Wily attempts to use them to conquer Megaland. def'n: Garbage — Trash, rubbish, refuse, waste, detritus, litter, junk, scrap, et cetera. def'n: Man — Human form. An adult human male speciman.
		7b BROCK MAN ~ Nomenclature = Rockman. ~ Game memory: Rockman (aka Mega Man) — The title character from the classic Mega Man series developed by Capcom since 1987; the character is known as Rock, from "Rock 'n Roll", or Mega in his original form. def’n: Rock — A genre of music. def'n: Man — Human form. An adult human male speciman.
		GPK STATS: ~ None; although there are some 'trashy' characters. ~ For the Nintendopes image, the Mega Buster arm cannon has been replaced by garbage can that's full and spilling over of rotten and spoiled food. The Capcom robot character is seen in his classic blue suit, sans arm cannon, very pleased with his new acquired weapon and 'downgrade' replacement.

		8a DUCK HUNTER ~ Nomenclature = Duck Hunt. ~ Game memory: Duck Hunt — A light gun shooter video game developed and published by Nintendo for the NES console released in 1985. The NES Zapper is used to shoot ducks as they appear on the TV screen. def'n: Duck — A waterbird with a broad blunt bill, short legs and webbed feet for paddling. def’n: Hunter — A person or animal that hunts. def'n: Hunt — To pursue and kill for sport or food.
		8b RETRIEVIN' STEVEN ~ Nomenclature — Rhyme; the name Steven with the word 'retrieve+ing'. ~ Game memory: Retriever — The hunting dog shows up during the bonus stage occasionally jumping out in line of fire creating a distraction; the bonus level ends prematurely if the dog is shot. def’n: Retrieve — To fetch and bring back (something). def’n: Retriever — A dog of a breed used for retrieving game.
		GPK STATS: ~ None, but reminiscent of the head and body shots of OS2 victim 57a TOMMY Gun and 57b Dead FRED . ~ For the Nintendopes image, the annoying dog is seen retrieving a dead duck from within the tall grass while another duck escapes in the near distance. The canine stands on hind legs with no less than thirteen bullet holes across both arms and chest, with one bullet hole through the head, much like the aforementioned OS2 character.

		9a DONNY KONG ~ Nomenclature = Donkey Kong. ~ Game memory: Donkey Kong — A series of video games featuring the mis-adventures of an ape-like character called Donkey Kong first appearing in an arcade game in 1981. def'n: Donkey — informal. A stupid or foolish person. def'n: Kong — informal. Someone or something of outstanding size or strength.
		9b DEE KAY ~ Nomenclature = DK. ~ Game memory: DK Series — Any of various Donkey Kong games found within the game franchise. The first genre single-creen platform-action puzzle types feature Donkey Kong as the opponent in an industrial construction setting and the Nintendo mascot Mario as the main protagonist before his celebrity status. def’n: Kay — informal. Nonstardard spelling of the word OK (okay).
		GPK STATS: ~ The artwork is a monkey mimicry tribute piece to the Garbage Pail Kids image for OS1 cards 34a KIM Kong and 34b ANNA Banana painted by artist John Pound; showing the leapord cloth diaper ape holding a banana and a baby bottle with its hindlimb. ~ For the Nintendopes image, the great ape is holding a drinking barrel with it's forelimb and the banana with its hindlimb while grasping onto a ladder rather than a tree branch. Both apes are sticking their tongues out, licking their hairy chomps and drooling profusely.

DEFINITIONS TAKEN IN PART FROM THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY + WIKI

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1. A Teaser Ad for Nintendopes was initially posted to social media on November 26th, 2017 with the following comment "I'm taking time the rest of the year to finish some commissions and enjoy the holidays, but early 2018, my next release will be Nintendopes - Series 1. Thanks for all of the support this year! Much more planned for 2018."; the image is very reminiscent of the NES' game cartridge sleeve design. ~

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2. The first Original Concept for Nintendopes was initially seen as a tight sketch on social media but would not be released until February of the new year during the ToyCon/Gross Card Con show with the image showcasing the infamous Link character of The Legend of Zelda game series and the Triforce. As with Mark's previous parody releases, the sets continue to be based off of nostalgic 80's toylines, and in this case video games, that fed into the cartoon realm as well as other mediums back in the day and are still relevant and successful franchises today. ~

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3. An early Preview mock-up for the card image was created in mid-December in order to test out the design for a future partnership with the Strange Kids Club; a sneak peak of the artwork was posted to social media on December 13, 2017 showcasing the dog from Duck Hunt. Usually final artwork is used for this step instead of the color rough, but time was of the essence. The card mock-up showed off the new cartridge die-cut, the new nameplate and the first card image of the set; however, the card became P2a for the promo card and 8a for the set release. ~

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4. A Nintendopes Promo Card was released by the Strange Kids Club on January 4th, 2018 as a partnership with Magic Marker Art and artist Mark Pingitore through their 'Artist Series' of Circle Jerks Stickers showcasing the second card image in the release. The 'P2a' promo card is not a vinyl die-cut sticker like the normal Magic Marcker Art releases, but a regular promo card on cardstock with an advertisement on the backside notifying the collector of the upcoming release; the 'PEEL HERE' arrow lets the collector know these will be stickers. The nameplate for the actual card release has been changed to black and the character is found later in the set as card #8. The Strange Kids Club website paid tribute to the NES cartridge packaging for the three stickers. ~

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5. Artist Mark Pingitore shared the images for the tight sketch sketches and final Artwork at the time of the release. The Strange Kids Club website stated: "Circle Jerks Stickers™ Series 8A — $8.00, Experience the action-packed parody excitement of three classic video game icons designed by illustrator Mark Pingitore (Garbage Pail Kids, Horrorible Kids)! This pack includes: 1 x Stupor Mario, 1 x Little Smack and 1 x Missing Link BONUS: Free trading card pack, mini stickers PLUS exclusive Nintendopes promo trading card!" A Series 8B should be expected, considering the history of the Circle Jerks Stickers releases. ~

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6. As with the late 2017 sneak peek of the Duck Hunt parody Color Rough on the December 13th, the Magic Marker Art took to social media pages to show partial glimpses of the impending parody release with a few additional color rough images. On January 8th, 2018 the second Nintendopes color rough was previewed portraying a parody of The Legend of Zelda game and the 'Link' character and on January 17th, 2018 a third and final color rough was posted for the Castlevnia parody and the 'Simon Belmont' character. ~

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7. The promotional material in the form of an e-Sheet acted as an online ad for the Nintendopes Series 1 posted on social media on February 1st, 2018 that portrayed the two of the previously previewed characters plus a new parody of Mega Man. The second preview ad was posted to social media on the release date with the tagline 'NOW AVAILABLE'. This ad sheet was the first official look at the cartridge-shaped die-cut and the sequence for the first and sixth entries in the release. The set was advertised and released on February 27th, 2018 but collectors could purchase the set early if attending the ToyCon/Gross Card Con in Las Vegas the weekend of February 23rd-25th. ~

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8. The Magic Marker Art social media pages displayed an image of the card set and the circular sticker used for the Nintendopes packs the week before and after the Las Vegas Gross Card Con on February 19th and the 26th, 2018 which was the picture eventually used for the sale link of the set at $35 on the website; a decent price tag for the set when considering an independent release, vinyl material, die-cuts and a small profit.The circular sticker seen in the bottom left hand corner seals the protective wrap on the backside of the 'pack'. ~

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9. On March 4th of 2019, the Magic Marker Art website posted a limited edition 2nd Series pack of 8 Magnets for $15.00 with a unspecified print run under the Slop Culture Kids moniker after the Gross Card Con #4 weekend in Las Vegas. The set was announced on social media on February 2nd of 2019 and contains two characters from the Disasters of the Universe set with a castle die cut, two characters from the Horrorible Kids release with a tombstone die-cut, two characters from the Trashformers set with a trashcan die cut, and two characters from the Nintendopes release with a cartridge die cut. The cardboard packaging is modeled after a nostalgic Topps GPK wrapper that contained a logo, a yellow background, 'STICKERS' in bold with a white background, a series announcement (starting after the OS1 set) and '5 STICKERS • 1 STICK BUBBLE GUM' printed at the bottom. ~

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10. On November 25, 2019, Magic Marker Art shared a sneak peek for a Nintendo parody of the two Contra game commandos, Bill Rizer and Lance Bean of the Earth Marine Corp's Contra unit. The patriotic-colored rough displayed the two guerrilla warfare warriors very close together and simply described the image with arrow buttons for the infamous Konami cheat code + 'BA' (but no 'Start'). ~

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11. Around January 13, 2020, Magic Marker Art posted the Gross Card Con card image to Facebook that would be available at the ToyCon show for the Gross Xperience event with the set printed, once again, by GPK and Wacky Warehouse. The Gross Xperience event, presented by ToyCon, took place on March 13-15, 2020 at the Eastside Cannery casino in Las Vegas. Pingitore stated: "Contra DICK / Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, ABE Gross Card Con (Gross Xperience) is only a couple months away, March 13th-15th in Las Vegas! Here's a look at the card I did for the show set. Just a taste of the fun being planned!" GPK & Wacky Warehouse had the cards printed for the parody event and a black-and-white matte card was also available in a premium pack. ~

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12. On January 30, 2020, Magic Marker Art posted a Nintendopes promo card image, a parody of the Super Mario Bros 'Toad' character, to social media that would be part of the special Trash-Formers Promo Pack available exclusively at the ToyCon show and Gross Xperience event. The pack included two Nintendopes cards numbering GCC2020-3 and GCC2020-4, as well as two Horrorible Kids cards numbering GCC2020-1 and GCC2020-2. Pingitore stated: "TODD Stool - GCC/Gross Xperience ALL NEW promo pack card #3! Available March 13th-15th at Las Vegas Toycon. More reveals to come!" ~

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13. On February 3, 2020, Magic Marker Art posted the Nintendopes card version of the Contra parody to Instagram that would be part of the special Trash-Formers Promo Pack available exclusively at the ToyCon show and Gross Xperience event. The pack included two Nintendopes cards numbering GCC2020-3 and GCC2020-4, as well as two Horrorible Kids cards numbering GCC2020-1 and GCC2020-2. Pingitore stated: "Contra DICK - GCC/Gross Xperience ALL NEW promo pack card #4! Available March 13th-15th at Las Vegas Toycon. More reveals to come!" ~

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14. On March 8, 2020, Magic Marker Art posted an image of the complete Promo Pack-age exclusive to the Gross Xperience, but extra would be sold online afterwards while supplies lasted. The total package included, a Trash-Formers cover, two Nintendopes cards numbering GCC2020-3 and GCC2020-4, two Horrorible Kids cards numbering GCC2020-1 and GCC2020-2, two prism stickers, and a random printing plate. Pingitore stated: "[the Toycon] Gross Card Con/Gross Xperience is next weekend! I’ll be debuting a few new products in addition to these promo packs, along with my usual wares. Hope to see you there!" ~

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15. A Nintendopes S2 Color Rough sneak peek was shared to social media on November 13, 2020 where Magic Marker Art simply stated, "Nintendopes - Series 2 color rough preview!" A month later, Pingitore shared the mock-up card image to social media on December 9, 2020 with an update on the pre-orders: "Jagged JASON - Nintendopes pre-orders will be open for all of December. Gold foil boxes have sold out, but regular boxes are still available at magicmarkerart.storenvy.com. Thanks to everyone who has already pre-ordered!" ~

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16. A week in advance, on November 23, 2020, Magic Marker Art shared a 'PRE-ORDER STARTS DECEMBER 1ST' ad to social media stating, "Nintendopes Pre-Orders and full release details on Dec 1st!" Only the left image was shared to socila media; details on the limited edition gold-foil box variant wasn't revealed until December 1, 2020. ~

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17. The full length, stretch ad with complete details on the Nintendopes Series 2 set was shared to social media on December 1, 2020 where Magic Marker Art stated, "Pre-order early and you’ll be golden! The first 100 Nintendopes orders will get a gold foil box! 24 pack boxes will be $80. Pre-order starting today at 10am EST on magicmarkerart.storenvy.com!" Pingitore later had to ad, "(UPDATE: Gold foil boxes have sold out, but regular boxes still available for pre-order for all of December)", once the gold-foil boxes had sold out, limited to 100, one per household. ~

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18. On December 1, 2020, the pre-order items for the Nintendopes Series 2 items hit the Magic Marker art website which would run the full month of December and be available once released in March. The page description: PRE-ORDER Nintendopes - Series 1 & 2 Trading Cards - 24 Pack Box. DESCRIPTION (UPDATE: GOLD FOIL BOXES HAVE SOLD OUT) FIRST 100 ORDERS WILL GET A GOLD FOIL BOX! 1 FOIL BOX PER CUSTOMER DESCRIPTION Each box comes with: A full 90 card base set (45 characters, each with an "a" and "b" alias), An exclusive box poster, One 1/1 Printing Plate, 2 foil cards per pack, Vintage style cardstock (die-cut stickers!), BACK ART - Checklists, Puzzles and more. Expected Release: March 2021 ~

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19. The black nameplate for cards #8 was Edited and changed from red as seen on the P2a promo card released within the Strange Kids Club Circle Jerks Stickers pack; the character was also placed further back in the card release. The Nintendopes header has been changed to a darker color for cards #2 due to the red background of the artwork but the remaining cards all have a red logo. ~

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CARD NO.	CHARACTER NAME	SERIES NO.	YEAR
1a	LUXURIOUS LINK + MAGNET S2 : 2019	1	FEB 2018
1b	GILD ED	1	FEB 2018
2a	SMACKED MAC	1	FEB 2018
2b	PUNCHED-OUT SCOUT	1	FEB 2018
3a	POOPER MARIO	1	FEB 2018
3b	PLUMB EARL	1	FEB 2018
4a	SAMUS I. RAN	1	FEB 2018
4b	MET ROY	1	FEB 2018
5a	COOKED KIRBY	1	FEB 2018
5b	MELLOW MARSHALL	1	FEB 2018
6a	VAMPIRE KILLIAN	1	FEB 2018
6b	CASTLE VAN	1	FEB 2018
7a	GARBAGE MANNY	1	FEB 2018
7b	BROCK MAN	1	FEB 2018
8a	DUCK HUNTER + MAGNET S2 : 2019	1	FEB 2018
8b	RETRIEVIN' STEVEN	1	FEB 2018
9a	DONNY KONG	1	FEB 2018
9b	DEE KAY	1	FEB 2018
GCC2020-3	TODD STOOL — PROMO	2	MAR 2020
GCC2020-4	CONTRA DICK — PROMO	2	MAR 2020
#?	GROSS CARD CON (CONTRA DICK) — PROMO	2	MAR 2020
CARD NO.	CHARACTER NAME	SERIES NO.	ARTIST

A BIG THANK-YOU TO PING FOR FINAL ARTWORK IMAGES AND LOGOS



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