Topps offering special Obama trading cards

Barack Obama is already a Marvel comic-book superhero, so perhaps an "Inaugural Edition" Topps collectors' set of trading cards was to be expected. It retails for $1.99 per pack—or a 24-pack box for about $50. The 90 cards follow the 44th president's life from his boyhood in Hawaii through his college days to his election to the U.S. Senate and presidential run. Perhaps there's an action card of Obama proposing some legislation. The set includes 18 stickers and "a free poster in every box!" As befitting these times of austerity, bubble gum is not included. Topps has issued similar historical sets in the past. Some notables include 2001's "Enduring Freedom" edition following 9/11, and a 1963 set following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. There were even Lyndon Johnson vs. Barry Goldwater cards in 1964. An unopened mint-condition pack of that particular set is currently on eBay—a steal with the auction starting at $24.99. So far, nobody's placed a bid. Poor LBJ, never gets any respect.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on January 21, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Filed under Barack Obama, Gianatasio, Topps, Trading cards

Wacky Packages: relive the gross old days

There's a new book out that tells the story of Wacky Packages, the popular Topps product-parody stickers from the '70s. Pulitzer Prize winner Art Spiegelman (Maus) created some of the Wacky Packs. Who knew? I can recall entire desktops at Jane Ryan Elementary decorated with those (mildy) grotesque images, most of them affixed by me. The satire prefigured (and clearly inspired) everything from Saturday Night Live's parody commercials to AdFreak. In that Wacky world, Minute Rice became "Minute Lice," squirming in the bowl. Cap'n Crunch morphed into "Cap'n Crud," which made broccoli (every 6-year-old's nemesis) seem appealing. Monopoly was "Monotony," which was truth in advertising, as far as I'm concerned. And Comet was re-imagined as "Commie Cleanser" ("Gets rid of reds, hippies, yippies, pinkos and flippies"). Crest, of course, was "Crust," a personal favorite. While the real products could always be made "new and improved," their Wacky renditions achieved timeless perfection. Crust! It still works after all these years.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on August 13, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3)
Filed under Gianatasio, Trading cards

Sports ‘blooper’ boosts the Topps brand

How hot is the Topps baseball-card brand? White hot since last week, apparently, when news of a “prank” card “accidentally” printed by “an unnamed employee” began leaking out. (Word of intriguing error and blooper cards typically send packs flying off the shelves.) The card is Derek Jeter’s, but the intriguing details are in the background: President Bush sits in the stands, and Mickey Mantle holds a bat in the dugout. Wags might note that both Dubya and the Mick enjoyed a few cold ones at the old ballyard, but Topps wouldn’t dare be so crass—though one hears rumors of an ’03 Barry Bonds card where you can just make out his steroid patch on one bicep and a Balco tattoo on the other. I’d upload an image, but I Photoshopped it myself, so that would be cheating—something Major League Baseball and Topps would never condone.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on March 5, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Filed under Topps, Trading cards

‘Trade Brett!’ ad is a big hit with vandals

Cheeseheads don’t just grumble when you insult Brett Favre. They throw red paint. A “Trade Brett” billboard that went up in Wisconsin this month has been defaced by unknown vandals, ruining what was probably a teaser ad from Topps, the trading card company. (Earlier this spring, a “Trade Barry” ad went up in San Francisco that turned out to be a teaser for Barry Bonds trading cards. This is probably the same deal here.) “We’re pretty upset about it,” a rep at the outdoor ad company says about the vandalism. “That is our property that they’re defacing, and the property of the client.” (What did they expect, though, really?) The rep confirmed that a new message will grace the board in the next few days. “Once they see it, people are going to be like, ‘Aww.’ People need to relax.”

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on May 16, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (3)
Filed under Topps, Trading cards

A gift for that wacky someone

If the kids on your list didn't appreciate the tube socks they found in their holiday stockings, make it up to them with Wacky Packages.

Topps introduced the classic product-spoof trading cards in 1967, and brought them back this year with the first big new series since 1976. (Brief, unsuccessful revivals in the ’80s and ’90s didn’t really count.) The great new spoof products include Chimps Ahoy (“Real insects in every bite!”), Frosted Snakes (“They’re g-r-r-r-oss!”), Slop Tarts (“The disgustingly different snack”) and Mean Cuisine (“Best when not served”). You can look at the rest of the new additions here.

The original series from the ’60s featured illustrations by then-underground artists Art Spiegelman, Bill Griffith, Drew Friedman, Jay Lynch and Mark Newgarden. Lynch, who’s involved with the new cards, says Wacky Packages offer more than gross-out humor. “They bring the fantasy of advertising down to reality,” he tells the Chicago Reader. “They teach kids to think for themselves, and that what’s good for GM and Coca-Cola isn’t necessarily good for them. This is important, because these are the people 20 years down the road who will be doing your heart bypass.”

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on December 27, 2004 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Trading cards