Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Wacky Packages, Art Spiegelman and Nerds




So in my last post* I mentioned Wacky Packages and a few people said how much they loved those stickers. I knew there were a lot of old farts reading this blog. For the youngsters, Wacky Packages were stickers that spoofed products. I met a few of the original artists at the Licensing Show in NYC a few years ago. Or was it the International Toy Fair? I forget.

Here's a YouTube video that features some of the stickers. To view it, click here.

They also have a Wacky Packages book out with a forward by Art Spiegelman. Did you know he was one of the artists? He was. And I had a nice long conversation with him. You see, nobody knew who he was because it was an industry show I attended which means "no comic book nerds allowed". Sorry nerds - maybe next time.

*If you haven't read all of the comments in my last post ("the sex talk post"), go do it now. They're hysterical!

17 comments:

  1. Didn't some of those come in cereal boxes. You know, when they use to actually put toys/prizes in cereal boxes. Take THAT youth of today! I'm pretty sure there was a spoof on Lucky Charms that I had.

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  2. Wacky packs ranked right up there with Mad Magazine and Wretched Mess News. No wonder we are all so disturbed!

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  3. These are toooo funny. I like the DUZN'T DO NUTHIN' laundry detergent... I've been using that crap for years...

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  5. That was my childhood budget, baseball cards, wacky packages and plastic model kits. Loved the gum that came with the cards that had that wierd dust on them and then they would break into shards and cut the inside of your mouth.

    Good times

    Oh and Mad Magazine, but trying to buy one where the back page wasn't already folded to reveal the hidden drawing was tough!

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  6. Wait a minute, did you just call me an OLD FART??? ( I laugh every time I type the word fart..)

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  7. Old Fart right here!! Yep, I especially remember (and relate) to Mrs. Klean, because I became Mrs. Klean personified later in life. :-)

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  8. I was going to revisit the wacky package thing but it looks like others beat me to it...

    Mathdude and I had the most illin' collection stuck on the headboards of our beds back in 1973 while my father was on a hardship tour on Korea for a year. He returned just a few days before we moved to our next duty station and he was furious that we had stuck those things all over the beds. He grounded us until every bit of sticky gum was cleaned off. We couldn't get it all done before the movers showed up, so when our stuff was unloaded in KS we remained on restriction for the first couple of days until we finished the job. But I'm not bitter at all.

    We had the entire series 1 thru 3. The artists were the same guys who illustrated 'Mad Magazine'. What adolecent male growing up in the 70's could resist right?

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  9. I just thought you were referring to Little Dr. Zibbs when you said "wacky package."

    I kid. I loved those things but I think I got mine out of cereal or something. We were too poor for toys that didn't smell like oats.

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  10. I think we're around the same age and I've never heard of Wacky Packages. Then again, I never heard of H.R. Pufnstuf until about two years ago. So I'm probably not the best source.

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  11. Those were cool-kinda remember those! Reminds me of the Mad Mag. art.

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  12. I didn't have Wacky Packages because I'm not old but I did have me a ton of Garbage Pail Kids!

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  13. I was a fool for Wacky Packs. I loved that unnervingly strange and otherworldly gum that shattered.

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  14. I LOVED Wacky Packs. My bedroom door was covered in them. I just bought them for my kids and nieces and nephews at Five Below. They weren't nearly as entertained by them as I was.

    Stupid kids.

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  15. P.S. Did you listen to Dr. Demento when you were a kid?

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  16. Caffeine Court - I'd listen to Dr Demento once in a while but wasn't a huge fan.

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  17. Ha I love wacky packs..

    and the work of Art S.

    and I had a friend in High School that would torture with me with that "fishheads" song from the Dr. Demento album.

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