This past weekend’s Philly Non-Sports show, by all reports, featured a wide assortment of Garbage Pail Kids cards and merchandise for collectors. Current GPK artist David Gross debuted new prints and blankets featuring official GPK artwork at the show. There were a total of 14 prints measuring 11” x 14”. They all feature some of Gross’ most popular pieces. The prints are not numbered, and all are signed by the artist. Additionally, there are also two throw blankets measuring 50” x 40”, although only one blanket features official GPK artwork.
So just how was Gross allowed to sell these items? A new policy from Topps now allows the final card GPK artists to use their own artwork to create and sell anything in a limited amount, as long as it’s not a card or something Topps wants to use the artwork for. Topps still retains ownership of the art, but is giving the rights to the artists, similar to a licensing agreement. The items are not produced by Topps, nor are they officially licensed. They also aren’t bootleg, since Topps is giving the artists the rights. So we now have a third category of GPK merchandise that won’t have Topps copyrights, but does legally use official artwork. To help combat future bootlegs at least with prints, Gross will only be selling signed prints, so any secondary sales that are unsigned would be unauthorized. It’s not known yet how or if any other artists will be using their artwork. This could be a boon for the artists, and collectors might get plenty of new merchandise featuring their favorite artwork.
