Former longtime Topps Director of New Product Development (NPD) Len Brown passed away this past Tuesday, 8/11/26. Over his 41 years working for Topps, Len Brown, 84, had a hand in creating and managing many of the card brands the company produced. Len’s odyssey with Topps began as a boy after purchasing a Davy Crockett magazine published by Woody Gelman, the legendary Topps Director of New Product Development. Len would write Woody a letter to share ideas for future magazine subjects. Woody took a liking towards Len and kept in touch for years, eventually bringing on Len as an employee at Topps as a young man.
In his first years at Topps, Len wrote the backs for baseball card sets in the early 1960’s. Topps would realize that non-sports sets could be just as popular as baseball and football cards, and soon Len was working on numerous early Topps non-sport releases. Len might be best known for being a co-creator of Mars Attacks and T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents brands. Len would eventually become the Director of New Product Development at Topps, the title his mentor held. Part of his management responsibilities included the launch of Garbage Pail Kids in 1985. Len worked with Art Spiegelman, Mark Newgarden, and John Pound to release the hugely popular first series that would become popular with kids around the country. Len continued to work with artists and art directors throughout the OS releases for GPK. Former Topps Vice President, Ira Friedman, who worked with Len for years at Topps, shared with GPKNews some thoughts on Len, “Suffice it to say, that as the company Creative Director he played a unique and irreplaceable part in the creative DNA of Topps, throughout all aspects of its range of products for many decades. His love and appreciation of pop culture, and ability to tap into the consciousness of kids were among many of his very special talents. On a personal note, there was not a nicer, kinder and more friendly person one could ever want to know. He was like a big brother to me and I will cherish our time together for the rest of my days.”
Former GPK Art Director Jeff Zapata shared with GPKNews his memories of working with Len, “At Topps we had the Amber Room, which no one knew much about. It had everything they ever made or tested, candy and cards. It was filled with shelves full of card binders and candy boxes from a better, vanished time. Around 4:30-5:00 PM I’d go to Lens office and we’d visit the room and he’d tell me who made what and why. We would end up at his office, where his computer was like a campfire, and tell me stories and theories of how to make good novelty candy or card sets. We became instant friends! We also loved the same music and movies. We made some projects together, but that lost amber room, (which will never be seen again after it was gutted), will never be seen again. Len was a close friend and a great guide to history of Topps’ past. I’ll miss talking to him greatly. I’ll remember those times by his computer like it was Little House on the Prairie. It was when Topps was still Topps. He was a great mentor and close friend, I’ll miss him greatly.”
After retiring from Topps, Len and his wife Abby moved to the Austin, TX area. For years, Len hosted a weekly country music show on local Texas radio station KOOP. In 2023, Austin comic book store owner, and GPK collector, Brandon Zuern told the story in his post of how the long lost original artwork for the inspiration behind GPK came in to his store from Len. The unpublished John Pound Wacky Packages painting, Juvenile Doll-inquent, was long rumored to have been destroyed by Topps ownership. However, that ended up not being the case, as Len had saved the artwork from the rumored inferno. To help commemorate his contributions to GPK, Topps included Len Brown autographs in the GPK 30th Anniversary set. In retirement Len did numerous interviews over the years, including one for the 30 Years of Garbage Pail Kids documentary. Executive Producer of that documentary and former GPK Art Director Jeff Zapata shared on his Facebook page the news of his mentor’s passing. Jeff remembered Len’s motto that Len would instill in his coworkers at Topps as he managed these launches, “For the Kids!” This is something the current regime at Topps could surely learn from today.
