Garbage Pail Kids News
Just in time for Halloween, Mishka NYC today launched a new Garbage Pail Kids x Halloween clothing collection. There are three new designs being offered on t-shirts and hoodies in various colors. Ghouls Grave, Devil’s Rejects, and Witches Brew all feature Halloween themed GPK characters. Artwork for the shirts was done by woodcut master Brian Reedy. The shirts are available now at Mishka’s website.
Today Mishka NYC launched a line of clothes and a blanket based on the Garbage Pail Kids x Madballs crossover. Mishka launched a number of new products after their initial t-shirt launch a few months ago. This time all the products are available on their website. First up in a 70 x 50 inch fleece blanket featuring the same Joe Simko monster box artwork that was on the t-shirt. The blanket is available for $40. The same monster box artwork is also available on a hoodie ($75) and a long sleeve shirt ($45). Two new print shirts, “Headlick” and “All Over” are also available for $49.99 each. All artwork for the shirts were also done by Joe Simko.
Does it seem like you have 10 Garbage Pail Kids products on preorder? Read on for updates on when all the announced officially licensed products are expected to ship!
Pinfinity
Pinfinity offered the first products to come from the GPK x Madballs crossover that was announced earlier in the year. Three different pin sets went up for preorder a couple months back. After initially expecting the pins to ship in May, they actually begin shipping last week. Collectors started receiving pins just in the last couple of days. Individual pins are still available for purchase at their website.
Mishka
The second product to use the GPK x Madballs crossover is Mishka. A t-shirt and promo card, (to the first 300 buyers), was sold via the NTWRK app back in early May. The shirts are no longer available for sale. The company tells GPKNews they expect to start shipping later this week.
Greenlight
Greenlight Series 3 diecast cars have been out for a few weeks now. However, collectors have been waiting even longer for the GPK Mack Truck. The truck was offered for presale by 3000Toys.com back in Sept. 2020! The original expected ship date was Mar/Apr. That date slipped to May/June a couple months back. Just last week word came out that the ship date has once again slipped, now to July/Aug. Will Greenlight beat the one year mark? Collectors can still preorder the truck at 3000toys.com.
The Loyal Subjects
TLS is taking advantage of the GPK x WWE crossover with four new figures of wrestlers based off of artwork previously used on cards and clothing. The figures are a Wal-Mart exclusive and first went up for sale in early April. Wal-Mart preorders still show the original delivery date as 7/9/21, while new purchases show delivery as 7/15/21. Collectors can still preorder the figures at Walmart’s website.
USAopoly
The game and puzzle maker are going all out this summer with new puzzles and games based on Garbage Pail Kids. The Thrills & Chills puzzle is out now and recently started shipping to collectors. The 4th GPK puzzle, Home Gross Home, is available for preorder on Amazon with an expected shipping date of 7/19/21. Finally, USAopoly will be coming out with a GPK Rubik’s Cube, which is also available to preorder on Amazon. Shipping on the cube is expected for 9/6/21.
GetAGrip Slateboards
GetAGrip opened up preorder sales recently for their second deck, a double Semi-Colin deck set. The decks are limited to 300, and the company sold the last available decks this past weekend. Collectors who were able to grab one can expect shipping towards the end of August.
Abrams
Last on the preorder bandwagon is the third book in the RL Stine Garbage Pail Kids series. Camp Daze is currently available for preorder with an expected release date of 10/12/21.
There will be many more Garbage Pail Kids items launching in the Fall and Winter. With Comic Cons opening back up, you can expect companies to return to traditional Con exclusives and launches. Buckle up it’s going to be a busy remainder of 2021.
The Garbage Pail Kids x Madballs partnership continues on. The next item launching is a t-shirt from Mishka. The company is planning on launching a shirt through the NTWRK app on Thursday, May 6 at 8:00 PM EST. The shirt features all new artwork designed by Mishka’s Greg Rivera, and painted by Joe Simko. The company also had promo cards printed by Topps with the same artwork. The cards will be given to the first 300 t-shirt purchasers.
Topps and Cloudco Entertainment announced a massive crossover collaboration today for the company’s iconic brands. 2021 will see a Garbage Pail Kids and Madballs gross out battle that will result in a number of new collectible products. According to the press release, collectors can expect to see cards, toys, clothing, pins, figures, and much more. New artwork will be done by original Madballs artist Jim Gorman, and longtime GPK artist Joe Simko. Characters for both brands will be featured in both group and individual one on one tongue in cheek battles. A number of companies were announced that will be releasing products as part of the crossover. Collectors can expect to see:
There will be other partners announced shortly for mobile app, retail, and publishing. As part of the announcement Topps VP of Global Licensing Ira Friedman said, “Shared nostalgic roots and over-the-top zaniness make this collab a no-brainer. Our respective fan bases as well as pop-culture aficionados everywhere are going to have fun with this outrageous mash-up.” See below for the full press release from the companies.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
MADBALLS™ vs. GARBAGE PAIL KIDS®FACE–OFF IN “A BATTLE OF THE GROSSEST” BRAND COLLABORATION
LOS ANGELES. January 14, 2020. CloudcoEntertainment, owner of the venerable-but-irreverent Madballs™ brand, and The Topps Company, owner of the renowned-yet-subversive Garbage Pail Kids® brand(“GPK”), have teamed up for a collaboration that playfully pits classic 1980s icons and “co-heavyweights of gross”against one another. The collaboration will feature all-new1980s inspired artwork from veteran Madballs and GPK illustrators and kick-off with a number of consumer goods partners, including trading cards, collector toys, soft lines, collectible augmented reality pins, and more.
As an original “gross out” brand of the 1980s, Topps released its Garbage Pail Kids series of trading cards in 1985, featuring hilariously revolting characters with appropriately irreverent names. Fifteen different card series were produced over the next three years in addition to a Garbage Pail Kids animated series and a full slate of globally-licensed consumer products, with ongoing product lines that continue to the present day. For its part, Madballs launched its irregularly-shaped toy foam balls in 1986, featuring its own proprietary and often-socially-inappropriate characters with ghastly faces, grotesque names, and disruptively funny attitudes to match. Madballswent on to sell tens of millions of toys, inspire a series of animated specials, and launch an extensive consumer products program that included comic books, softlines, video games, collectibles, seasons, and back-to-school products.
For over three decades, Madballs and GPK have both been known as the “grossest of the gross”, co-ruling counterculture with their pun-heavy names and subversive humor, and this collaboration features all-new artwork that pits entire groups of Garbage Pail Kids and Madballs’characters against one another, as well as individualcharacters from each brand in fun and tongue-and-cheek one-on-one face-offs. Artwork will remain “authentically 80s” via all-new imagery from long-time veterans of each brand like Jim Groman, who worked on the original Madballs brand launch in the 1980s, and Joe Simko, a fan favorite and master illustrator of Garbage Pail Kids whose GPK artwork has been prominently featured in the brand’s trading cards and packaging.
Consumer product launch partners include: Topps (trading cards), Megalopolis (two-pack action figures), Mad Engine (apparel and accessories), Chalk Line (jackets), MishkaNYC (streetwear, apparel, accessories, and vinyl Medicomfigures), Pinfinity (augmented reality pins), and Super Impulse (collectible toys), with specific mobile app, retail, publishing, and other partnerships to be announced shortly.
“Madballs and GPK are of the same era and share tons of irreverent attributes so we love the idea of a fun ‘confrontational collaboration’ that plays off the two brands as competitors,” said Robert Prinzo, CloudcoEntertainment’s Head of Global Licensing. “Whether it’s Hollywood monsters, horror icons or comic book superheroes, fans always want to see ‘impossible’ match-ups from different universes, so we’re grateful to partner with Topps and deliver the ‘grossest’ possible version of that here.”
“Shared nostalgic roots and over-the-top zaniness make this collab a no-brainer,” said Ira Friedman, Topps’ VP of Global Licensing. “Our respective fan bases as well as pop-culture aficionados everywhere are going to have fun with this outrageous mash-up.”
“This is one of those crossovers that many of us have imagined since we were kids collecting both lines. I’ve had these match ups in my imagination since the 80s,” said Ben Westover, Megalopolis’ Creative Director. “Garbage Pail Kids is a timeless treasure, and one of my absolute favorite properties from childhood. I’m thrilled that we have the chance to introduce the GPK and Madballs universes to one another. It’s a perfect, monstrous synergy!” added Matt Westover, Megalopolis’ CEO.
“Here at Mad Engine we are thrilled to be part of this very fun and unique collaboration of Mad Balls vs. Garbage Pail Kids brands. We can’t wait to present this kitschy collection of tees, hoodies, joggers, headwear, and other accessories to our retailers. The celebration of these two iconic pop culture brands from the 80s is just what we all need right now!” – Cindy Levitt, SVP of Licensing, Mad Engine Global LLC
“We are humbled to be a part of The Madballs x Garbage Pail Kids brand collaboration, it represents the ultimate nostalgic marriage as two powerful properties of our youth collide. Having worked with the Garbage Pail Kids brandalready, we are thrilled to pick up from where we left off while adding an incredible partner like Madballs into the mix!” – Ilan Friedman, Co-Owner, Chalk Line
“Mishkais excited to be part of the Madballs x GPK collaboration project! We grew up collecting and obsessing over both the Madballs & Garbage Pails Kids brands. They have heavily inspired us as a brand as well as artists and creatives. We can’t wait to mix our world with the GPK x Madballs world incorporating our characters and design sensibility for graphics that will excite fans as well as opening an entire new crowd to these classic properties.” – Greg Rivera, President, Mishka NYC
“We are excited to be a part of theMadballsx Garbage Pail Kids brand collaboration and helping fans relive the 80s and 90s through disgustingly awesome augmented reality pin badges.” – Caleb Paullus, Founder, Pinfinity
“We at Super Impulse are absolutely appalled at the pairing of these despicable creatures, and cannot wait to bring our collectible toys to the grimy little hands of kids and kids-at-heart everywhere.” – Alan Dorfman, CEO, Super Impulse