COUNTDOWN TO THE 2017 WACKY PACKAGES 50th ANNIVERSARY!

[koduck]

I was originally waiting to post this until  January 1, but I saw a related thread regarding a possible 50th Wacky book, so why not start the official Anniversary discussion sooner than later?!

From my perspective, the countdown to the 50th really begins January 1, 2016 (just two weeks away). That gives us exactly 1 year to prepare for the big event! Aside from a possible book, how would you like to see the Anniversary celebrated?! What unique Wacky ideas/events/releases do you think would be suitable for the occasion?!

Please share your ideas here and maybe for 2017, we can put the spotlight back on Wacky Packages - where it belongs!

And of course, feel free to share your favorite memories, stories and/or factoids about Wackys!

[deadpresidentsvisa]

Limited edition set featuring Jay Lynch among others,including a postcard or 7 x 5 collectible and hopefully something like a hot wheel sized LE wacky packages car/truck !  (@)  (@)  (@)    SEE no more worries about being suspended/banned !!

[koduck]

Both ideas sound great! I'd love to see an official "Shot Wheels" die-cast car! Maybe it could include a limited edition Jay Lynch wacky sticker!

Another idea that I would like to see happen is an Anniversary video, similar to the 30th GPK...

[deadpresidentsvisa]

Assuming legal issues regarding a possible HW sized toy ?

[Ruffs]

How about a trading card with an actual picture of every artist that created cards whether it's 1 or 100 cards going back to 1967 till now

[quas]

How about a trading card with an actual picture of every artist that created cards whether it's 1 or 100 cards going back to 1967 till now

Whatever gets done, it's gotta somehow pay tribute to Norm Saunders.

[Pupsi-Cola]

Whatever gets done, it's gotta somehow pay tribute to Norm Saunders.

Absolutely Marc, You have to give Norm S. a plug in there somewhere.

[bigtomi]

You have to give Norm S. a plug in there somewhere.

More than a plug....he deserves an entire circuit breaker panel!   

[7-Pup]

How about a set of Wonky Packages featuring all Die Cut titles ( Including rare titles) with the original titles on the back? As a tribute to that series being a die cut set, the cards could be actual die cut cards as well.

[DrDeal]

I trust they will honor Norm in some way. I think we should start saving now for this release. I have a feeling we will be buying alot of whatever they release.
Maybe a 100 card "Best of" set with about 4 cards from every Wacky set produced that had new titles. Add in multiple subsets and chase cards you have a celebration of Wackys.

[koduck]

Whatever gets done, it's gotta somehow pay tribute to Norm Saunders.

Great ideas so far and no matter what projects come from this, Norm Saunders would definitely need to be front and center. Period.

[koduck]

I'd love to see a book with some of the original concepts from Art Speigelman, Jay Lynch and the rest of the original wacky club. But the ultimate prize would be some of Norm's pencils from the early stages of his paintings. I don't believe I've ever seen any posted, but there must be some out there somewhere!

[quas]

I'd love to see a book with some of the original concepts from Art Speigelman, Jay Lynch and the rest of the original wacky club. But the ultimate prize would be some of Norm's pencils from the early stages of his paintings. I don't believe I've ever seen any posted, but there must be some out there somewhere!

Maybe his son David Saunders could be instrumental in helping to put the book together.....

[Paul_Maul]

I'd love to see a book with some of the original concepts from Art Speigelman, Jay Lynch and the rest of the original wacky club. But the ultimate prize would be some of Norm's pencils from the early stages of his paintings. I don't believe I've ever seen any posted, but there must be some out there somewhere!

Of course, in a dream world, all of this stuff would be fantastic. I just can't imagine how stuff with such niche appeal can justify a "brick and mortar" book these days. I would think such material would have way less mass appeal than say the Abrams books. I'd be happy to just see stuff like this posted on a web page somewhere, if indeed it exists.

[koduck]

Of course, in a dream world, all of this stuff would be fantastic. I just can't imagine how stuff with such niche appeal can justify a "brick and mortar" book these days. I would think such material would have way less mass appeal than say the Abrams books. I'd be happy to just see stuff like this posted on a web page somewhere, if indeed it exists.

You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but I think the idea would appeal to more than a "niche" audience. Especially, if you posted the original concepts alongside the final published images. Since the concepts are the building blocks to the final art, presenting an inside look at the development would make for a very attractive presentation with at least as much appeal as the current abrams books.

[koduck]

Maybe his son David Saunders could be instrumental in helping to put the book together.....

Agreed! David (and Zina) would be a great resource.

[Joe G.]

How about a trading card with an actual picture of every artist that created cards whether it's 1 or 100 cards going back to 1967 till now

There are some great ideas here but this one is my favorite.  I can't see Topps doing it but it would make a fun and Wacky custom set.  We should start a thread asking for permission and make up a set of cards of artists on the forum who want to participate.  Not sure we'd get to 100 but since we have a year to get it together, could be a fun side project.  It would be a group effort and a forum exclusive.

[Paul_Maul]

You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but I think the idea would appeal to more than a "niche" audience. Especially, if you posted the original concepts alongside the final published images. Since the concepts are the building blocks to the final art, presenting an inside look at the development would make for a very attractive presentation with at least as much appeal as the current abrams books.

Personally, I think the Abrams style book, with its relatively low price point and simple image based format, is of interest to anyone who comes across it that fondly remembers wackys. A more elaborate format (roughs, photos of more obscure items, a lot of text) with a necessarily higher price tag decreases the potential audience both through the higher price and the lower accessibility. Not everyone who fondly remembers wackys cares about such detailed information. I can see such a book as possible only if directed at wacky super-fans willing to pay the price to support a small print run.

And in case it's not obvious, I would pay whatever it took for a comprehensive, high quality, everything-you'd-ever-want-about-wackys  type book. I'm just trying to be realistic about the feasibility of things.

[Paul_Maul]

And please, don't perceive this as negative, but I have to ask. Wackys have had renewed exposure since ANS 1 over a decade ago. A certain percentage of those who remember wackys fondly will see a book, or a new set in Target, and impulse buy it out of nostalgic excitement. Many of them will then go back to their normal lives and forget about wackys again. It seems to me that with each new project, there is a decreased pool of such buyers, as someone re-discovering wackys for the 2nd, 3rd or 4th time will not be excited about it anymore. So at a certain point, it's fair to ask whether new books or even sets come up against decreased marketability due to this effect. Does anyone else think that might be a limiting factor going forward, at least for products intended to have appeal beyond the hardcore fan?

[Paul_Maul]

If I were able to pick any book project, I'd like one which (like the Gallery did) emphasizes the collecting side of wackys, at least in part. There is a rich and interesting story to be told there, though obviously it would be directed at a pretty limited audience.

[koduck]

And please, don't perceive this as negative, but I have to ask. Wackys have had renewed exposure since ANS 1 over a decade ago. A certain percentage of those who remember wackys fondly will see a book, or a new set in Target, and impulse buy it out of nostalgic excitement. Many of them will then go back to their normal lives and forget about wackys again. It seems to me that with each new project, there is a decreased pool of such buyers, as someone re-discovering wackys for the 2nd, 3rd or 4th time will not be excited about it anymore. So at a certain point, it's fair to ask whether new books or even sets come up against decreased marketability due to this effect. Does anyone else think that might be a limiting factor going forward, at least for products intended to have appeal beyond the hardcore fan?

All good points. And yes, it'll be a challenge to reach beyond the current fan base with any book. I'd like to expand more on this, but with limited time this afternoon, I'd just like to say this: The 50th is obviously an important event. Maybe not for casual collectors, but for the real fans (the ones who grew up with these in the 70's), this should be a once-in-a-lifetime thing. With a year to plan this, my hope is that we can all come up with something that means something special. Whether it's a book, or cards or whatever, it's got to be good. More to follow...

[jaylynch]

Norm appears briefly in chapter 1 of Zina's animated autobiography.   https://vimeo.com/107498913

[koduck]

Jeez, Zina is amazing! Thanks for sharing the link Jay!

[drono]

I would love to see old photos from the artists during the Wacky craze of the early 70s along with writings of their fondest memories.   I think a book would be the best medium for that.  I missed the big Wacky Package reunion many years ago because I was raising kids and struggling to pay the mortgage, etc.  Now that I'm older, the kids are gone, and I have more disposable income, I'd love to do it again.

If you want to do a tribute to Norm Saunders, maybe there could be a small set of stickers where the other Wacky artists redo his most popular stickers or have them draw their own stickers "as Norm would have drawn them."  Sort of like doing an impression as an artist rather than a performer.

I still like my idea of having a "draw off" with the current artists, giving them a list of real products and having them each draw their own version of it.  Instead of having 55 stickers with four different backs, there could be 55 stickers with four different artist drawing their own version.

[koduck]

I think your last idea is my favorite (the "draw off"), although they're all good ones!

One thing to keep in mind is that there may (or may not) be official Topps promotions behind the 50th, but there will undoubtably be unofficial fan tributes. So, while Topps may not sponsor a "draw off", it's still possible that an ambitious fan could make something like this happen...

[crackedjerk]

There are many good ideas mentioned here and, whatever happens, I do hope Topps acknowledges the 50th of Wackys in some way.  Off the top of my head, here are a few things I'd love to see.

*A book that highlights the history of Wackys.  I think it might be something that is probably more for a hard-core fan, but looks at all aspects of Wackys: the artists behind them, the business side, the collector frenzy from the 70's, the licensed products, fan recollections, etc.  Perhaps something along the line of books that have looked at, say, the history of Marvel comics.

*Some kind of card/sticker set.  It's the cards/stickers that started it all in the first place.  I'm not sure what format I'd want to see, but something that manages to both catch the spirit of the original 2-stickers-in-a-pack yet with a unique spin.

*Any sort of fun, licensed products.  I was in Walgreens yesterday and saw little boxed GPK vinyl figures.  Didn't buy one and I couldn't quite tell what the figures looked like, but I'd love to have some of the classic characters (Weakies, Plastered, Cap'n Crud, etc) in three dimensional glory!  And that's just one idea but spin-offs, but I do like expanding my Wacky collection beyond stickers/cards alone.

[sco(o)t]

I'd still like to see the Original Series in postcard format.

[RawGoo]

I'd still like to see the Original Series in postcard format.

Postcard size would be nice.  So would lenticulars like they did for Flashback 2.

[koduck]

How 'bout postcard sized lenticulars?! That was one of the ideas we tossed around when we did series 9, but got nixed in favor of the shaped sketched cards. Who knows, maybe we can make it happen for the 50th?!

[vahsurfer]

WHATEVER! It is - PLEASE!!!!! Have a notebook this time - Just a sayin' - and too all a good night!

[sco(o)t]

How 'bout postcard sized lenticulars?! That was one of the ideas we tossed around when we did series 9, but got nixed in favor of the shaped sketched cards. Who knows, maybe we can make it happen for the 50th?!

I like it,.. I like it a lot.

[DrDeal]

How 'bout postcard sized lenticulars?! That was one of the ideas we tossed around when we did series 9, but got nixed in favor of the shaped sketched cards. Who knows, maybe we can make it happen for the 50th?!

Yes!

[koduck]

OK, forget the books and the cards and all the other miscellany! What we need for the 50th Anniversary is a MOVIE!!! Call me nuts, but they did it for GPK and Mars Attacks! Why not Wacky Packages?! Of course, it would have to be a big budget production with some top Hollywood names (Christopher Lloyd comes immediately to mind and the Coen Brothers would HAVE to direct it) but I can see it now: An average suburban family has to battle it's way out of a Mega-Super-Market full of man-eating products (the goo from a big-business industrial spill has brought them to life)!

OK, the script is basically done, all we need are a few fat cat producers to fund this wacky blockbuster! Who's in?!

[deadpresidentsvisa]

                                                                         I'LL DIRECT .......       .......       .......

[crackedjerk]

OK, forget the books and the cards and all the other miscellany! What we need for the 50th Anniversary is a MOVIE!!! Call me nuts, but they did it for GPK and Mars Attacks! Why not Wacky Packages?! Of course, it would have to be a big budget production with some top Hollywood names (Christopher Lloyd comes immediately to mind and the Coen Brothers would HAVE to direct it) but I can see it now: An average suburban family has to battle it's way out of a Mega-Super-Market full of man-eating products (the goo from a big-business industrial spill has brought them to life)!

OK, the script is basically done, all we need are a few fat cat producers to fund this wacky blockbuster! Who's in?!

I like your idea, but would prefer a documentary.  I'd find that endlessly interesting.