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This is Part 1 of a 2 part series on the production of 2020 Series 2 Garbage Pail Kids 35th Anniversary. Part 2 will be posting soon.

2020 has been defined by one thing, Covid-19. The collectibles market overall has responded huge during the pandemic. This is also true with Garbage Pail Kids. Secondary market demand for older sets and merchandise has reached heights previously unknown. So has demand for new product. 2020 also happens to be the 35th anniversary of GPKs. When you combine these two things, you get huge demand. How huge? Well, Topps delayed the set by a month. If I had to guess why, its because the printing presses had to run longer! There will be a theme in these production articles…production is up, up, up! As you’ll see, this is the highest produced set by Topps in 10 years. You have to go back to the BNS 1 days of 2010 to see production this high. Just how much was printed, and what does that mean for collectors? Let’s find out…

First my disclaimer! Production numbers are never an exact science, and Topps makes it tough on us. In order to attempt to solve this riddle we need to look very closely at the clues in both the odds and the sell sheets. Some things to keep in mind for this post. 1) Topps doesn’t want the public to know exactly how much of each card was made. Why? No idea really, I think its dumb, but historically Topps only provides enough information to get close. 2) We need to make some assumptions. Those assumptions will be based on the clues we have, but still some guessing has to happen. 3) The odds never quite seem to come out completely equal. However, we can round and get pretty close to how much was produced. 4) Topps changes what is printed from what the sell sheet says all the time. This will throw off all our numbers. 5) Keep in mind Topps historically holds back up to 5% of the print run to cover missing hits, damaged cards, and their No Purchase Necessary program. These numbers would include that 5%. With all that in mind let’s get started…(Warning lots of math coming up. If you don’t want to read about the process, skip to the bottom for the answer sheet!)

First thing we need to do is figure out how many packs were made for the entire print run. In order to do that we need a card type where the odds are exactly the same in all pack types. Once again, that holds true with the Gold parallels. However, there is one important thing to keep in mind. Once again, Topps has overstated the odds on the parallels by double. This happens almost every retail release. Topps even put Green odds on retail packs at 1:2, those come 1 per pack, always have, always well. Also after see many breaks, its obvious based on how many blues, reds, yellows, etc. are being pulled from boxes. I have a plea for Topps, get the odds right! Just keep in mind that going forward for this article the odds I quote for parallels will be the actual odds, which are 1/2 of what is printed on the packs. Another thing Topps has been consistent on the past couple releases is Fat Pack odds are once again 1/3 of retail packs. So for some of our calculations I’ll be counting Fat Packs as 3 retail packs.

Gold borders this time are listed at 1:317 packs for Collector, Retail, and Blaster. Fat packs have them at 1:106. Again, since the odds are overstated by double. I’ll be using 1:159 as the more realistic odds. There are 200 base cards in the set, and this release Gold parallels are /35 on the back. Therefore, 200 * 35 number of golds per card = 7,500 total Gold borders * 159 odds = 1,113,000 total packs made for release. Wait, what?!?! There’s over 1 million packs!?!?!?! Holy crap that’s a lot of cards. That’s can’t be right, can it?

It’s right. Now, its hard for us to completely confirm this number because there are no other card type that has similar odds across all pack types. So let’s try to figure out how many of each pack type there are. Collector packs are always the easiest to figure out because there are certain exclusive numbered cards in Collector. We can check out Red borders and Relics.

• Relic Cards – 10 cards in set X 250 made per card = 2,500 total patches x 52 odds = 130,000 Collector packs made
• Bloody Red borders – 200 cards in set X 75 made per card = 15,000 total Red borders X 9 odds = 135,000 Collector packs made

Both of those numbers are pretty darn close, and give us a good starting point. I’m going to use the 130,000 number because I’ve noticed that a few breaks collectors pull 3 or 4 reds. Due to rounding, the odds might be slightly off on the reds. So I think it’s safe to use the 130,000 number for Collector packs made. Here’s our first clue production is up big, Collector production is up nearly double over the previous release! Was it the addition of the Garbage Can Tins? Just demand for the 35th set? A note on Collector production. The week before release, GTS Distribution, the largest card distribution company in the US, confirmed with GPKNews that Topps cut production on Collector boxes by 60%. E-mails to Topps for confirmation went unanswered. I only heard orders from one seller get cut. All other card companies were able to fulfill their orders as far as I can tell. I’ll let the readers draw their own conclusions. If production was cut we don’t know if the odds on the Collector packs were before or after the cut. I’m going to assume it was after the cut for our production discussion.

How about other pack types? In order to figure out the production of retail pack types we need a card type that is only offered in one retail pack type, and we need to know how many were made. Topps made some changes, and fix some problems from last release. So its actually easier than ever to figure out the various retail pack types. The easiest is the Retail Display box, (also sold a “Hobby” boxes). Topps moved the Blue borders to the Retail Display box for the first time this release, and we know those are numbered to /99.

• Spit Blue borders – 200 cards in set X 99 made per card = 19,800 total Blue borders X 12 odds = 237,600 Retail Display packs made

Wow that’s a lot of Retail Display packs. Now let’s work on Blaster and Fat packs. Topps appears to have gotten it right this time. Both Loaded sketches and Panoramic sketches show up in Blaster boxes. We know there were 52 sketch artists complete sketches for this set. We also know how many of each sketch type Topps asked artists to complete.

• Loaded sketches – 52 artists * 6 sketches each = 312 total Loaded sketches * 314 odds per box = 97,968 Blaster boxes * 5 packs per box = 489,840 blaster packs
• Pano sketches – 52 artists * 3 sketches each = 156 total Loaded sketches * 2,590 odds per box = 404,040 Blaster packs

So again, wow that’s a lot of Blaster boxes! But given production is up so much, the numbers made sense. However, if you notice the two amounts are 85,000 apart if packs. Why is this, and which number should be use? Once thing to keep in mind on every release. There are some artists that don’t complete all their sketches, and only turn in some. There are also some that get destroyed in the process. In addition, the odds are always rounded, so that could account for some of the difference. Regardless there are a lot of Blaster boxes. So, what number should be go with? That takes some guess work, but for reasons that will be clear in Part 2 of the production article, I’ll be using the 404,040 number from the pano sketches. In a nut shell, using the lower number is the only way the Pack redemption odds on Fat packs makes any sense, see Part 2 for a longer explanation.

We know there are 130,000 Collector packs. If total packs are 1,113,000 – 130,000 Collector packs = 983,000 retail packs. Let’s take it even further. 983,000 retail packs – 237,600 Retail Display packs – 404,040 blaster packs = 341,360 / 3 = 113,786 Fat packs. With this release we can get a good idea how many packs of each different retail type there is. That will make figuring out the number of inserts in Part 2 a lot easier!

What do the numbers tell us? Quite simply Topps printed a ton of this set. There was a large demand from distributors and collectors for this set.

Here’s what I believe the total production numbers to be for Late to School:

• Total Production – 1,113,000 Packs
• Collector – 130,000 Collector Packs or about 5,416 Collector Boxes or about 677 Collector Cases
• Retail Display – 237,600 Retail Display Packs or about 9,900 RD Boxes or about 1,237 RD Cases
• Blaster – 404,040 Blaster Packs or 80,808 Blaster boxes or 2,020 Blaster Cases
• Fat Packs – 113,786 Fat Packs or 1,094 Fat Pack Cases

Production is way up for this set. when you compare it to anything released recently, there is nothing close. I went back quickly through all past sets where Topps printed odds and we can figure out production. This set is the second highest produced set, since BNS 1 in 2010, and the pack numbers are only a few thousand off of BNS 1. This is even bigger than Chrome OS1 or the 30th Anniversary sets. Let’s look at how production compares to other recent sets.

• Total Pack Production
  • We Hate the 90’s – 473,000
  • Revenge of Oh the Horror-ible – 748,000
  • Late to School – 670,000
  • 35th Anniversary – 1,113,000 (66% increase in production vs. LTS)
• Collector Pack Production
  • We Hate the 90’s – 50,000
  • Revenge of Oh the Horror-ible – 69,000
  • Late to School – 74,000
  • 35th Anniversary – 130,000 (76% increase in production vs. LTS)
• Retail Pack Production
  • We Hate the 90’s – 423,000
  • Revenge of Oh the Horror-ible – 679,000
  • Late to School – 596,000
  • 35th Anniversary – 983,000 (65% increase in production vs. LTS)

Its hard to put in perspective just how much was printed of 2020S2 35th Anniversary. Collectors opening packs will find longer odds than they’ve even seen when searching for sketches, plates and autos. At the same time these numbers are great for Topps and the GPK brand. Walmart and Target are both carrying the product. Demand is at a high that hasn’t been seen in years. This will lead to more GPK products in the coming months and into 2021. Chrome OS 3 is less than a month away. Collectors have shown a huge demand for that set. How will the success of the 35th Anniversary set play into the numbers for the Chrome set? We won’t have long to find out!

This is Part 1 of a 2 part series on the production of 2020 Series 2 Garbage Pail Kids 35th Anniversary. In Part 2 we will look at production numbers for all parallel and insert sets. Part 2 will be posted soon.

Updated 10/31 – Artist & Employee insert card set updated to 9 total cards in set.

GPK collectors have gone 9 months without a retail release. While that would seem like a lot, Topps has kept them busy with a long year dedicated to the 35th anniversary of GPKs. The retail set celebrating that anniversary is now out. 2020 Series 2 Garbage Pail Kids 35th Anniversary is filled with a number of changes compared to recent sets. Subsets return once again to retail. However, Topps has tempered that with keeping numbering 1-100a/b, and incorporating puzzles, back card art, and checklists. Once again all the artwork for the set was done by David Gross, Brent Engstrom, Joe Simko, and Joe McWilliams. Also, former GPK Brand Manager Colin Walton returns on the set with back card artwork. As usual, Topps struggles with listing correct odds on packs. Once again odds on the parallels are overstated by double. Perhaps the biggest shock collectors will find is the massive increase in production. I’ll be running the numbers in a few days, but all indications are this is the largest printed set by Topps since they started using odds. The current pandemic has caused a huge increase in demand for both sports and non-sports cards, and GPK is no exception. The levels of production here are unmatched. A lot of the same formula Topps has been using, is repeated in this set with parallels, inserts, and hits.

There are a few notable changes. The higher production, means Topps has had to increase the print run on hits. Artist Autographs are /50, while the Location Relics are /250. However, the Fool’s Gold parallels moved back to /35, perhaps to match the anniversary. Blue Spit borders have moved to Retail display boxes from Collector boxes with this series. There are also some surprise goodies inserted in the packs both listed on the odds, and unannounced. There are redemption cards for OS1 & OS2 packs, along with Be a GPK redemption cards. This is the first time since BNS 3 that Topps has done the Be a GPK contest. Topps also has inserted an unannounced insert set, Artist & Employee cards. Each of the final card artists completed two cards, one of themselves and another of a Topps employee. These cards are numbered SP-#, and are rare inserts in packs. There is also a RL Stine promo card to help promote the recently released Welcome to Smellville book. There are no odds listed on packs for the artist/employee and RL Stine cards.

I will have articles in the coming days looking at production numbers in more detail. To see the official Topps checklist click here. For now here is what you can find, and where you can find it in 2020 Series 2 Garbage Pail Kids 35th Anniversary.

(Note: I will continue to update this post as new information comes to light and any new parallels/inserts are found.)

• Base Set – 5 Subsets/100a/b (200 Cards).
  • All Grown Up (1-20a/b)
  • Snot Another Anniversary (21-30a/b)
  • 135th Anniversary Flash Forward (31-55a/b)
  • 35 Years of GPK (56-90a/b)
  • Battle of the Decades (91-100a/b)

• Parallel Sets – Same exact cards from the Base set, except with a different speckled color border. (Note: Odds on parallels are overstated by double.)
  • Bruised Black Border (Black)) – 1:2 – Collector (200 Cards)
  • Spit Blue Border (Light Blue) /99 – 1:24 – Retail Display (200 Cards)
  • Blood Nose Red Border (Red) /75 – 1:18– Collector (200 Cards)
  • Fool’s Gold Border (Gold) /35 – 1:317 – Retail Display/Value, 1:317 – Collector, 1:106 Fat Packs (200 Cards)
  • Booger Green Border (Green) – 1:2 – Retail (200 Cards)
  • Jelly Purple Border (Purple) – 1:2 – Fat Packs (200 Cards)
  • Phlegm Yellow Border (Yellow) – 1:10 – Value Box Packs (200 Cards)
  • Printing Plates – 1:1,281 Collector, 1:3,184 Value, 1:3,184 Retail Display, 1:1,053 Fat Packs (400 Total Plates – 4 per card artwork)

• Insert Sets – All the various insert subsets that can be found in packs.
  • GPK Wacky Packages – 1:24 – Collector (10 cards)
  • Fan Favorites – 2 Per Fat Pack (10a/b – 20 Cards)
  • No Regerts Tattoo – 1:3 – Retail Display (5a/b – 10 Cards))
  • Midlife Crisis – 3 Per Value Box (10a/b – 20 Total Cards)
  • Location Relic Cards /250 – 1:52 – Collector (10 Total Cards)
  • Artist & Employee Cards – No odds listed on packs (9 Total Cards)
  • RL Stine Promo Card – No odds listed on packs (1 Card)
  • Collectible Garbage Bin – 1 Per Collector Box (2 Total Garbage Bins)
  • Artist Autograph /50 – 1:111 Collector, 1:249 Retail Display, 1:249 Value, 1:83 Fat Packs (100 Total Cards – 1 per card artwork)
  • OS1 & OS2 Pack Redemption Card – 1:124,200 Collector, 1:123,888 Retail Display/Value, 1:112,655 Fat Packs (?? Total Printed)
  • Be a GPK Redemption Card – 1:124,200 Collector, 1:123,888 Retail Display/Value (?? Total Printed)
  • Sketch Card – 1:481 Retail Display/Value, 1:160 Fat Packs (52 Artists)
  • Shaped Sketch – 1:127 – Collector (52 Artists)
  • Triptych Sketch – 1:1,268 – Collector (52 Artists)
  • Loaded Sketch – 1:314 – Value Box (52 Artists)
  • Panoramic Sketch Cards – 1:2,590 – Value (52 Artists)

It’s been a long year celebrating the 35th anniversary of GPKs, and now the retail set doing just that is finally starting to appear. Thanks to collector Trenton McAnally for sending over pictures of the Retail Display pack odds, and Sam Park for the pictures of the Blaster odds. Once again, in a Topps tradition, the odds appear to be overstated by double for the parallels. Greens are in explicitly listed as 1:2 packs on Retail Display packs, when each retail pack comes with one green parallel. Also the Blues are listed at 1 per box, but on the break I saw, two blues were pulled. Yellows are also listed as 1:10, but really come 1 per blaster. It happens every series, and this one is no exception. Production is through the roof on the Retail Display boxes. Based on the odds for the Blues, production is up 1000% on these. However the other odds, while much higher, are not 10x as high, so something isn’t adding up. Odds for Blasters are also significantly higher than the Late to School series. There is at least one unannounced thing listed on the pack odds, with redemption cards for OS 1 or OS 2 packs. The odds are long on those, in addition to the Be a GPK Redemptions. There also appears to be a RL Stine promo card inserted into packs, to help advertise the recently released book. (This article will be updated with Blaster and Fat Pack Odds when we get them.)

2020S2 GPK 35th Anniversary Retail Display Odds

• Booger Green 1:2
• Spit Blue 1:24
• Fool’s Gold 1:317
• Printing Plate 1:3,184
• Artist Autograph 1:249
• “No Regerts” Temporary Tattoo 1:3
• Regular Sketch 1:481
• OS1 or OS2 Pack Redemption 1:123,888
• Be a GPK Redemption 1:123,888

2020S2 GPK 35th Anniversary Value Pack/Box Odds

• Phlegm Yellow 1:10
• Fool’s Gold 1:317
• Printing Plate 1:3,219
• Artist Autograph 1:249
• Sketch Card 1:480
• Panoramic Sketch 1:2,590
• OS1 or OS 2 Pack Redemption 1:225,315
• Be a GPK Redemption 1:225,315
• Loaded Sketch 1:314 (Boxes)

2020S2 GPK 35th Anniversary Fat Pack Retail Odds

• Jelly Purple 1:2
• Fool’s Gold 1:106
• Printing Plate 1:1,053
• Artist Autograph 1:83
• Regular Sketch 1:160
• OS1 or OS2 Pack Redemption 1:112,655

After Retail pack odds begin to appear earlier today, tonight brings us the Collector Box odds for 2020 Series 2 Garbage Pail Kids 35th Anniversary. Thanks to collector Norma Collazo for sending over the odds. Just like with retail, based on the odds, Collectors box production is also way up over previous series. However, word earlier in the week from GTS Distribution, said Topps cut Collector box production by 60%. It’s not known if the pack odds are before or after the production cut. One example of the huge production increases are the relics are numbered /250 this time. Additionally, just like with the retail packs, the odds for the parallels appear to be overstated by double. For example each collector pack comes with 1 black parallel, but pack odds show 1:2.

Also this evening another unannounced card type surfaced. The first Artist/Employee card was posted to eBay this evening. New Wave David was done by artist David Gross. There are 8 total artist/employee cards inserted randomly into the set. Each artist did their own card in addition to one Topps employee.

2020S2 GPK 35th Anniversary Collector Pack Odds

• Blood Nose Red 1:18
• Fool’s Gold 1:317
• Printing Plate 1:1,281
• Artist Autograph 1:111
• GPK Wacky Packages 1:24
• Location Relic 1:52
• Shaped Sketch 1:127
• Tryptych Sketch 1:1,268
• OS1 or OS2 Pack Redemption 1:124,200
• Be a GPK Redemption 1:124,200