Hi Jerry, and welcome to the forum! You'll find a lot of great, knowledgeable wacky fans here, all of them eager to help. Here are some short answers to your questions, although other members can offer you a lot more info:
1) 1976.
2) approx. 480 (16 series x an average of 30 stickers)
3) 2004. All New Series 8 is currently in stores, but you can usually find loose packs of previous sets.
4) "All New Series"
5) Brad (Bum Chex) can give you all the information you need regarding the wacky base.
Hope the info helps!
Koduck