In the 1980s a bunch of underground cartoonists parodied a popular doll.   The resulting commercial product tapped into the international kid zeitgeist.   That young generation felt, rather than knew, that this product spoke to the rebellious nature they had for the corporate pop culture that was being fed to them.   To quote Art Spiegelman, “We were bringing the counter culture to a new generation of kids, only it was the candy counter.“

Bubble gum cards, wax packs, cigarette cards: yard sale trash or treasure? There’s a rich cartoon, parody history hidden in these small time capsules known as trading cards.  How and why did Garbage Pail Kids trading cards become a colossal, 1980’s pop-cultural phenomenon?  Let’s celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Topps Company Garbage Pail Kids with a documentary that is jam-packed with interviews with the original creators, artists and actors of the movie with the same name.  Grown-up kids share nostalgic memories of what it was like to be a part of an international sensation.  Superfans give us a peek of a 30-year amassment of Garbage Pail Kids memorabilia.   We will mark this simple bubble gum collectible as a true art form of the 20th century. 

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ABOUT THE DIRECTORS

 

Joe Simko, current Garbage Pail Kids artist/illustrator, leads the 30 Years of Garbage production team in aesthetics and content.  Joe has his own freelance art career and is the CCO at Wax Eye, Stuff That'll Make Your Eyes Melt! Learn more about Joe here! 

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Jeff Zapata, Topps Art Director (1997-2013), acts as a bridge from the veteran '80s GPK artists/creators to current time artists. Jeff provides the heart of the film with commentary, historical content, and access to key, essential interviews. Jeff's background includes Valiant Comics and freelancing as an artist for numerous comic/trading card companies. Learn more about Jeff here!