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HomeNEWS & UPDATES > Garbage Pail Kids Are Back - 8/1/2003
| Garbage Pail Kids are back !!! And many other 'retro toys' too, including Strawberry Shortcake, classic yo-yos, and Atari. August 1, 2003: 9:52 AM EDT By Parija Bhatnagar, CNN/Money Staff Writer NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Toy makers are keen on bringing the 80s back to life in their Christmas arsenal this year -- recruiting the likes of Strawberry Shortcake, Atari video games, and My Little Pony. "I feel like I'm in a time warp, stuck in the mid-80s," said Jim Silver, publisher of industry monthly Toy Book. "In 1983, the toys that were hot were Creepy Crawlers, the Strawberry Shortcake doll, Care Bears, the yo-yos. On the back cover of our magazine we had Spiderman and the Hulk. What was old is new again." Toy consultant Chris Byrne thinks that many more toymakers are falling back on the golden oldies as a quick-fix to their sagging numbers. "Toymakers are bringing back proven hits because it's less risky than betting on something new," said Byrne. Here are just some of the retro-toys they're betting on. Garbage Pail Kids. Remember the gross-out Garbage Pail Kids sticker fad from way back? Harry Potty spoof sticker from the new Garbage Pail Kids Collection, priced at 99 cents for a pack of 4 stickers, including 4 sticks of gum. (Courtesy: Topps Company) Kids loved them because they showed funny characters engaged in all kinds of bodily functions. Plenty of adults became fans of the stickers, which soon developed a cult following. Now New York-based Topps Co. (TOPP: Research, Estimates), also the distributor of Pokemon cards and stickers, in August will re-release the hugely popular stickers after nearly 15 years. The original cards debuted in 1985 but lasted only three years, after selling millions of cards and stickers, according to Clay Luraschi, spokesman with Topps. "We ran 15 different series of the Garbage Pail Kids in those three years, which is a lot," said Luraschi. The new stickers have been updated, and include a spoof showing "Harry Potty" holding a toilet plunger while sitting on the potty. |
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