Episode 11: Wacky Packages, Garbage Pail Kids and the MAD Magazine Connection
In this episode, we talk parody in glorious sticker form. As it turns out, both Wacky Packages and Garbage Pail Kids sprang from the same fountain of genius as MAD Magazine and both were printed and distributed by the trading card company Topps. We discuss the origins of each, the products they poked fun at and connect the dots to share what makes both collections so much fun.
E X T R A S :
Wacky Packages
Everything there is to know about Wacky Packages.
Even more information about Wacky Packages!
Wacky Packages (book)
Jay Lynch obituary (New York Times article)
Art Spiegelman biography
“The Irreverent Legacy of MAD Magazine” (CBS News Sunday Morning video)
Garbage Pail Kids
An Oral History of the Garbage Pail Kids (article)
Original 1985 Series (fronts and backs)
“Every Garbage Pail Kids Card from 1985-2013” (YouTube video)
“The History of the Garbage Pail Kids: From Parody to Pop Culture” (Toy Galaxy YouTube video)
John Pound’s illustration website
Garbage Pail Kids movie trailer (YouTube video)
Cabbage Patch Kids Riots (ABC7 archive footage)