“New Fad for the Skeptical Children of the Seventies”
Topps’ Wacky Packs trading cards (Amazon.com search*) were originally published back in the seventies. These cards poked fun at packaging, blending gross humor and bad puns with near-familiar packaging designs in an attempt to capture the attention of kids.
Reporter Owen Edwards, writing in the October 1, 1973 issue of New York Magazine, clearly points out that Topps succeeded in grabbing those kids of the time. Edwards writes:
” . . . Wacky Packages may be the biggest marketing coup of all for the slightly warped visionaries at Topps who are, they say, charged with “actively creating and introducing innovative new products designed to entertain children”–i.e., getting the little freaks to buy stuff.”
Fantastic! A very tongue-in-cheek article for a very tongue-in-cheek set of trading cards. You will want to read this entire article as you wait for Topps to get today’s freaks to buy stuff; there’s another Topps brand on Kickstarter right now as the company explores going directly to their fans. The Mars Attacks project, if it goes well, may be a hint of what we can expect next from Topps and I wouldn’t be too surprised if a successful Mars Attacks project eventually leads to something Wacky Packs-related.
Related articles
- 25 Non-Sports Trading Cards That Actually Existed (neatorama.com)
- Mars Attacks – Topps Heads to Kickstarter for New Series (dreadcentral.com)