After a down year for Garbage Pail Kids in 2024, there was some optimism going to 2025 that GPK would have a comeback in their 40th anniversary year. While there were more releases, 2025 will be seen as a letdown due to a lackluster 40th anniversary effort by Topps, and massive changes to everything GPK. Retail, or more realistic, “Hobby sets”, were the main focus in 2025 for GPK. Fanatics has now implemented many of the changes they have wanted to since purchasing the company more than three years ago. Gone are the usual yearly themed releases, and standard chrome releases. 2025 did see a Chrome release, allbeit with major structure changes. That was followed by the 40th anniversary release, which was popular, but with that ushered in a new distribution model that was followed by Sapphire and Green Day sets. For a lot of collectors, 2025 will also be seen as the year of the reprint. The majority of releases in 2025 featured reprints or reimagined artwork based on old characters. Only the controversial Green Day set saw fully new artwork. 2025 also saw a continued focus on GPKs being inserted into other brands. Three baseball releases saw the inclusion of GPK cards during the year. Collectors should expect much more of this in 2026.
Online sets saw a bit of a decrease in launches in 2025. Only one packed out release, two six week series, and a couple of standard releases this year. Licensed merchandise surprisingly saw an some new licensees in 2025. After trimming down the old licenses, it looks like the company has started to make new partnerships with companies like ThrillJoy, Homage, and Bull Airs. With some of the others still involved, 2025 was a solid year for licensed GPK merchandise.
There was still a lot to celebrate in 2025. Sketch card artwork may have had its best year ever due to changes in quality standards set by Topps. There was also the largest group of new artists in years to choose from. The following is the 9th annual 2025 GPKNews.com Best of GPK Awards. Winners have been selected by the editor of GPKNews.com in eight categories. Additionally, a Reader’s Choice winner was also named in each category. Readers of GPKNews were able to vote in a poll on GPKNews’ Facebook page in mid-December. On some awards there is agreement, while others vary in opinion. Let the debate begin! It’s time to celebrate the best in GPKs for 2025!
And the winners are…
2025 Hobby/Retail GPK Set of the Year
Winner: 2025 Worst of GPK 40th Anniversary Edition
Reader’s Choice: 2025 Worst of GPK 40th Anniversary Edition
This category was a letdown in 2025. The releases were mostly reprints. Chrome did have insert sets with new artwork, but the major one was reimagined artwork of OS cards. Sapphire and the 40th anniversary set were nearly all reprinted cards. The only set that fully featured new artwork was the controversial Green Day set that upset half of collectors before it was even released. So the winner this year is the set that was by far the most popular, 2025 Worst of GPK 40th Anniversary Edition. The new format, more focused on a breaker friendly product, along with popular reprinted characters like Adam Bomb and Nasty Nick, saw this product rise sharply in price with collectors and gave collectors that rush of finding product at GameStop stores around the country. We are in a new era for Hobby/Retails sets, 2026 will continue to see changes in this category. Honorable mention: 2024 Chrome 7, 2024 GPK Sapphire.
2025 Online GPK Set of the Year
Winner: 2025 Oh the Horror-ible Expansion Set (1-6)
Reader’s Choice: 2025 Oh the Horror-ible Expansion Set (1-6)
Some collectors on Facebook groups may be posting their proclamations that “GPK is dead”. However, that couldn’t be any further from the truth with online sales numbers in 2025. All online release did excellent sales results. Of course the leader was the ever popular 2025 Oh the Horror-ible Expansion Set (1-6). GPK collectors have proven over the years that horror is their favorite. There will surely be more horror in the future for collectors. Honorable mention: 2025 GPK Valentine’s Day, 2025 GPK InterGoolatic Mayhem (1-6), 2025 GPK Media Menace..
2025 Non-Traditional Set of the Year
Winner: Roxanne Toser Tribure Set
Reader’s Choice: Roxanne Toser Tribute
After passing away in late 2024, there was only one way to honor non-sports card hobby legend Roxanne Toser, a tribute set in her memory! Artists Joe Simko, David Gross, Neil Camera, and Joe McWilliams teamed up and all turned Roxanne into a GPK card that focused on some of the favorite things in her life. Promoters of the Philly Non-Sports card show gave away cards at their show and offered complete sets for a donation. GPK collectors were able to add great memories of Roxanne to their collections in 2025. Honorable mention: 2025 Bowman Chrome GPK x MLB, 2025 Dynamic Duels MLB
2025 Topps GPK Licensee of the Year
Winner: GetAGrip Skateboards
Reader’s Choice: GetAGrip Skateboards
For another year GetAGrip continues their strangle hold on the GPK Licensee of the Year award. The company continues to put out a large variety of GPK merchandise that ends up being a huge hit with collectors. This year’s large Art Prints set was a surprise that was very popular with collectors. From skateboard decks, to jewelry, to promos for next year’s Cheap Toy release, GetAGrip dominates the licensed GPK space. Honorable mention: ThrillJoy, Greenlight Collectibles, Atomic Toybox, Homage.
2025 Rookie Sketch Artist of the Year
Winner: David Day
Reader’s Choice: Vincent Rappa
Up to this point in the awards there has been agreement with the readers of GPKNews on everything. Let’s change things up! 2025 was another banner year for new sketch artists to the GPK brand. There were 23 new artists to pick from this year. The 2025 Rookie Sketch Artist of the year is David Day. While he might be new to GPK, David has sketched for many different brands and companies over the years. He made his debut with the 40th anniversary set, and his sketch work for both pack inserted and artist returns was spectacular. There were a number of artists that could have easily won this category this year. GPK appears to be in good hands moving into 2026! Honorable mention: Vincent Rappa. Sandy Meeks, “Ghoulie” Julie Kuaniver, “Albino Ryno” Ryan Harris.
2025 Sketch Artist of the Year
Winner: Mike Stephens
Reader’s Choice: David Acevedo
This is another category where there could have easily been multiple winners. With over 100 artists working on sketch cards in 2025, there was so much to choose from. New quality standards instituted by Topps resulted in maybe the best year, top to bottom, for sketch card work. Leading the way this year was the 2025 Sketch Artist of the year, Mike Stephens. Mike’s work has gained in popularity since he begin working on GPK sketches. Mike’s work on both Chrome 7 and the 40th set was superb. His sketches this year were some of the most sought after by collectors. He work has lead him to be added as a final card artist on some online sets this year. Collectors are spoiled with such high quality work being done. Honorable mention: David Acevedo, Mike Ritchey, Nik Muggli, Chris Meeks, Fox Layng.
2025 GPK Artist of the Year
Winner: David Gross
Reader’s Choice: Rory McQueen
2025 was a down year for new artwork and GPK gags. Topps focused more on reprint sets, and new styles. Perhaps it’s not surprising then that the hugely popular reimagining of the OS 7 artwork by Rory McQueen in the Chrome set lead him to winning the Reader’s Choice vote in this category. There is a large portion of the longtime collector base that has clamored for new art styles in GPK sets, and for the first time there were multiple examples of that throughout the year. However, so far these new styles have shined the most with reimagined artwork from older sets. Half of GPK is the gags, and that’s why the 2025 Artist of the Year is once again, David Gross. Gross remains the top gag writer in the hobby. David had the most new characters in 2025 with his highlights being 50 cards in the Bowman Chrome MLB set, multiple cards in InterGoolatic Mayhem and Oh the Horrorible, and the Green Day set. Topps certainly kept Gross busy in 2025! Honorable Mention: Rory McQueen, Joe Simko, Brent Engstrom, Joe McWilliams.
2025 GPK Card of the Year
Winner: Adam Boom Art by Rory (Chrome 7 #RA-AB Artist/Concept Rory McQueen)
Reader’s Choice: Adam Boom Art by Rory (Chrome 7 #RA-AB Artist/Concept Rory McQueen)
More and more collectors are demanding different art styles with their GPK cards. In 2025 Topps obliged! Lowell Isaac’s Green Day Insert set, and the multiple artist Adam Bomb Homage insert in the 40th series were two examples of the company testing the waters with new styles. Perhaps the most popular example of this, was Rory Mcqueen’s reimagining of OS 7 artwork in Chrome 7’s Art By Rory insert set. Rory’s style has been used previously in online sets and GetAGrip artwork, but this was the first time it was featured in a retail set. The insert set proved to be one that was sought after by collectors. So much so, that the most popular card in the set, Adam Boom, proved to be the 2025 GPK Card of the Year. Topps is not slowing down with experimenting with various styles in future sets. Collectors can expect more of this is 2026. What will be interesting to see if new GPK gags can be translated to these new styles. Honorable mention: Fightin Freddy, Ringo Leader, Rockin Roxanne, and Adam Bomb 40th Anniversary.
