Author Topic: Wacky Economics  (Read 6829 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline BattleCaps

  • Posts: 306
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #35 on: April 28, 2022, 05:43:51 AM »
Its true, kids (and some adults) like to chase rares. (Thus the name chase cards.) However, it gets expensive and frustrating trying to get a 1 in 256 card. As kids, we had a checklist, which drove sales…Sales and Marketing remain based on the premise that if you can get word of mouth….kids (and adults) will buy because they want to keep up with, or outdo, the cool kids…

  I agree. I was trying to think when I was a kid in my earlier post above.  At the time, I wanted to get a complete set and wanted it obtainable via trading or by NOT spending all of my limited monies at the time on it.

  You want some semi-rare cards to make it exciting to open a pack to try to find them and at the same time not too rare to make it a frustrating experience.   You also do need a 'cool' factor as well, so adding some controversy to the titles, would help sales.  Creative subsets are nice, but you really wouldn't need them if the base cards are interesting enough.

  The inset craze has really tarnished the entire card industry for me and has made it into a type of gambling, making the base cards of any particular set practically unwanted and worthless to most 'collectors' (speculators)
« Last Edit: April 28, 2022, 05:45:55 AM by BattleCaps »

Offline JailOJohn

  • Posts: 736
  • Sticking Wackys on Furniture since 1973...
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #36 on: April 28, 2022, 05:54:40 AM »
To me, the Old School sets are cool. I would prefer to open packs, but don't mind buying them online. What is frustrating is how Topps puts them on sale for only one week at a time, and if you miss out, you miss out. Almost like the secret club that you cannot get into if you don't know where the line forms. They probably think the limited run helps drive interest, but it for sure hurts sales. It seems like every month I (the typical adult customer) get busy and forget to buy during the special one-week sales window...

Offline lcummins

  • Posts: 50
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #37 on: April 28, 2022, 06:01:18 AM »
...When we were kids, we stuck them everywhere and we were not brainwashed into saving everything because it has "value" so the functional aspect of wacky packs being stickers is lost when there are prebuilt in "rares" and back variations.  The backs are meant to be discarded...

Speaking of "stuck them everywhere"... let me start by saying, like most siblings, my older brother and I fought a lot when we were young. I would usually end up running to my bedroom and locking the door. Where upon, my brother would get pissed and punch the door! Then, after we cooled down, we would figure out how to cover the holes before our Mom got home and saw them. It never worked!!! Here are some pics of my childhood bedroom door, still the same after almost 5 decades! My Mom never tried to fix the door and over time the stickers and thin wood haven't aged well.

By the way, can anybody figure out the Wacky to the right of Hawaiian Punks?







« Last Edit: April 28, 2022, 06:03:37 AM by lcummins »

Offline RawGoo

  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 7061
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #38 on: April 28, 2022, 06:14:35 AM »
Motorzola?

Offline roughwriter

  • Rough Writer
  • Posts: 453
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #39 on: April 28, 2022, 06:28:40 AM »
Motorzola?

Yup, I agree. Forensic analysis indicates Motorzola is the identity of the deceased!

Offline lcummins

  • Posts: 50
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #40 on: April 28, 2022, 06:28:54 AM »
Motorzola?

I think you are right! All three are from the original 3rd series, so it makes sense.

Offline JailOJohn

  • Posts: 736
  • Sticking Wackys on Furniture since 1973...
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #41 on: April 28, 2022, 07:33:31 AM »
Those Marvel superhero stickers are worth a lot of money …if they werent already stuck….LOL!

Offline JailOJohn

  • Posts: 736
  • Sticking Wackys on Furniture since 1973...
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #42 on: April 28, 2022, 07:52:05 AM »
Are Pokemon cards still popular? That would seem to be the most recent/most similar product… I see a lot of those for sale on e-bay…is it adults or kids buying those?
« Last Edit: April 28, 2022, 07:59:10 AM by JailOJohn »

Offline RawGoo

  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 7061
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #43 on: April 28, 2022, 10:05:39 AM »
Are Pokemon cards still popular? That would seem to be the most recent/most similar product… I see a lot of those for sale on e-bay…is it adults or kids buying those?

The kids who got hooked on them are young adults now, so I'd say "Yes."

Offline drono

  • Posts: 1412
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #44 on: April 28, 2022, 01:37:40 PM »
I would have to say as a kid, I never paid attention to back variations.  The series were so short-lived in the stores that I never got different backs in the few series that had them.  I wasn't aware until years later when I saw it in a non-sports guide.  As I said before, the only back variation I've seen that adds to the sticker itself is the coupon but only when it's a coupon for the sticker on the front.  I rarely even looked at the other coupons.  I think the puzzle is outdated too unless it's on the checklist, but even that seems redundant.

I'm not really sure why I got hooked on wackys.  I don't think it was their being "racy" that did it.  I certainly didn't think any differently about alcohol-based wackys or even cigarette-based wackys because it was only a few years after tobacco advertising was banned on television, so I remembered the commercials.  It's our politically-correct culture now that says these things are taboo, so I'm not sure what would make them more appealing to today's kids.  I have handed them to various kids, and they were only really interested in the products they could identify, so maybe that's an answer.

I would venture a guess that those of us adults who are still hooked have some sort of "wacky bone" in us that makes us like that kind of parody.  If that's the case, then it would limit the kids who get hooked today.  Either way, I'd love to see them in stores again because I agree that opening packs is the best way to collect.  I also like to keep some product "unopened" to preserve for posterity.

Offline JailOJohn

  • Posts: 736
  • Sticking Wackys on Furniture since 1973...
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #45 on: April 28, 2022, 01:41:41 PM »
Unopened packs are hard to come by, because its been 45 years, they were a disposable product, and because of pack openers like me….

Offline 70s_Kid

  • Posts: 512
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #46 on: April 29, 2022, 04:39:43 PM »
Thought I'd wait a little while to chime in here. Lots of interesting and valid points, so far! The one thing most everyone seems to agree on is the importance of opening packs (and the thrill that goes along with the hunt). That would definitely be the #1 thing in my book, too.

 As for back variations and things like coupons, keep in mind, these were never really meant to be chase items, just a small way to enhance the front side of the card and make the cards more interesting. At least, that's the primary intent. Inevitably, we want to collect all the cards, so it's natural that people choose to go after the coupon backs, too.

And then there's things like the wonkys, playing cards, sketch cards and portraits (the chase cards). We put a lot of thought into trying to find things that would be fun to collect. Naturally, some are more popular than others, but if they don't catch on with, we're always open to looking at new ideas.

The bottom line is that there will always be something people enjoy about wackys, but trying to find something that everyone enjoys is a bit more elusive. We may never get there, but in the meantime, I encourage you to support the sets we do get. Who knows how long we get to ride this train?

As an artist, a fan and a general card enthusiast, I'm just happy to see so many people share their enthusiasm here. Thanks for a lively discussion!

One of my fondest memories as a kid was opening 2 boxes of 3rd series Wackys in 1973 as an 8 year old for Christmas...  it cost my Mom like 6 bucks I think.  I loved trading with my friends and classmates.  I just wish I kept the wrappers and the boxes which are worth more than most of the stickers! Go figure!


Offline JailOJohn

  • Posts: 736
  • Sticking Wackys on Furniture since 1973...
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #47 on: April 29, 2022, 08:42:12 PM »
As Napoleon would say …”Dang! Lucky!” I would have traded any gift i ever got for 2 boxes of Wackys…including my Shogun Warrior AND my Stretch Armstrong…
« Last Edit: May 01, 2022, 09:30:15 AM by JailOJohn »

Offline Swiski

  • Posts: 2107
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #48 on: April 29, 2022, 08:49:26 PM »
Nothing like the early days - opened up a nickel pack of Wackies, excited to see which stickers you were going to get, hoping for the elusive short print! Chewing that flavorless gum and admiring every last detail on the artwork, not caring about the primitive off-register printing. Looking at titles like Windchester cigarettes and being reminded of the song Winchester Cathedral by the New Vaudeville Band which played on the radio earlier that day.

Offline bandaches

  • Posts: 4714
  • http://www.wackypackage.com/
    • Visit my Wacky Pack Website
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #49 on: April 30, 2022, 06:34:53 PM »
Another important point made more succinctly than I.   Back in the 70's, and again I bring up that era because Wackys were without a doubt a most successful product during that time aimed at kids, nothing was intentionally produced to be "rare".   The only stickers that became "rare" were due to pulled titles over which Topps had no control.   Sure, there were some stickers that appeared more often on an uncut sheet than others, but that only enhanced the thrill of the chase.   Nothing was intentionally made, say, a 1 in 200 chance of obtaining.
Purposeful chasers drive sales today which is why adults are buying out supplies of stuff before kids would ever see it, investments.
Contact me at bandaches@yahoo.com as I have tons of wackys for sale!  Visit my website http://www.wackypackage.com/

Offline FourRoses

  • Posts: 713
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #50 on: May 01, 2022, 09:20:12 AM »
Another important point made more succinctly than I.   Back in the 70's, and again I bring up that era because Wackys were without a doubt a most successful product during that time aimed at kids, nothing was intentionally produced to be "rare".   The only stickers that became "rare" were due to pulled titles over which Topps had no control.   Sure, there were some stickers that appeared more often on an uncut sheet than others, but that only enhanced the thrill of the chase.   Nothing was intentionally made, say, a 1 in 200 chance of obtaining.

If you speak strictly of 1970's Wacky Packages not intentionally being made rare, sure I guess. In the grand scheme of things many lines (besides WP) from that era and beyond did have some sort of rarity. I know much of what I collected and still collect (cards, figures, etc..,) always had the same peg warmers with a particular figure being the needle in the haystack. I don't believe these types of rarities were mere coincidences.

Wacky Packages of the past twenty years needed something or someway to compete with the various other collectibles out there.

Offline crackedjerk

  • Posts: 1509
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #51 on: May 01, 2022, 04:43:15 PM »
As noted, this discussion seems to be two-fold: how to engage kids and how to engage us adult collectors who loved OS back in the day.  I'll refrain from talking about the kids as I don't have any nor feel confident in what they might want.  As for us adults, I can only speak for myself.  I noted on another thread that I love opening packs and I think the first few series of Old School had a perfect formula for me personally.  If we can't have packs, one change I would like to see with the monthly series (and things like Wonkys and Old School) would be to have different "tiers".  In other words, a base set costs x dollars and a certain subset cost y dollars and another subset costs z dollars.  I'm a completist and typically want either a full set/subset or none at all.  When I buy a monthly set and get just 1 of 4 wonkys and 2 of 4 playing cards or whatever, it leaves me feeling incomplete.  And I'm not willing to buy multiples in hopes of completing the various subsets, especially with lots of trading (trading was fun in person as a kid; it's kind of a pain as an adult to have to find multiple trading partners and make multiple trades in hopes of completing the various subsets).

Offline FourRoses

  • Posts: 713
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #52 on: May 02, 2022, 04:46:25 PM »
As an adult, I am not limited with how many packs I could purchase at retail and I doubt many of you would be constricted either. Part of "the feel" as kids was only being able to purchase a small amount and desperately hoping beyond hope not to get doubles or triples with each pack because you couldn't just go back to the store the next day as finances would not permit it from happening. That feeling is gone and as an adult it can't feel the same and really it shouldn't. If anything it should have an evolved feeling and to me it does with the OS online series.

Offline vahsurfer

  • Posts: 1523
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #53 on: May 03, 2022, 04:41:58 PM »
Here is my Wacky 2-cents:

I agree with many of the the thoughts here including Marc and Neil.

- Base Set with real peel stickers (true to form)
- 1 Puzzle / checklist (true to form) on real card stock
- Prizes - Soooooo here is where it gets interesting.  I really do like neat new cool and different:
  - Patch Cards
  - Patches
  - Sketch Cards - Different Variations
  - Redemption Cards (TOPPS!!! YOU must ACTUALLY SET ASIDE THE ITEMS (Chrome Refractor Uncut Sheet)) - Ehhemmmmm
  - Mixed Up Characters and Alternate Artwork
  - Wood Cards
  - Printing Plates
  - Artist Roughs (Redemption)
 

STOP THE MADNESS with ridiculous subsets of Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet Borders!!!!!!!!
The joke was received with the base card - GET BACK TO BASICS OF THE ART of Wackies! Norm and Jay would be appalled!

QUALITY - NOT Quantity ........ Be creative and encourage more ! - Kickstarter is a great way to help in this area

Finally my pet peeve - Bonus Cards / Sets / Etc - 9 cards - the 10 card sets create a display problem - Please remedy!

That's All Folks!

Richard
#StayWacky   

Offline bandaches

  • Posts: 4714
  • http://www.wackypackage.com/
    • Visit my Wacky Pack Website
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #54 on: May 04, 2022, 10:24:05 AM »
Here is my Wacky 2-cents:

I agree with many of the the thoughts here including Marc and Neil.

- Base Set with real peel stickers (true to form)
- 1 Puzzle / checklist (true to form) on real card stock
- Prizes - Soooooo here is where it gets interesting.  I really do like neat new cool and different:
  - Patch Cards
  - Patches
  - Sketch Cards - Different Variations
  - Redemption Cards (TOPPS!!! YOU must ACTUALLY SET ASIDE THE ITEMS (Chrome Refractor Uncut Sheet)) - Ehhemmmmm
  - Mixed Up Characters and Alternate Artwork
  - Wood Cards
  - Printing Plates
  - Artist Roughs (Redemption)
 

STOP THE MADNESS with ridiculous subsets of Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet Borders!!!!!!!!
The joke was received with the base card - GET BACK TO BASICS OF THE ART of Wackies! Norm and Jay would be appalled!

QUALITY - NOT Quantity ........ Be creative and encourage more ! - Kickstarter is a great way to help in this area

Finally my pet peeve - Bonus Cards / Sets / Etc - 9 cards - the 10 card sets create a display problem - Please remedy!

That's All Folks!

Richard
#StayWacky
Well stated!
Contact me at bandaches@yahoo.com as I have tons of wackys for sale!  Visit my website http://www.wackypackage.com/

Offline crackedjerk

  • Posts: 1509
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #55 on: May 04, 2022, 02:47:09 PM »
Here is my Wacky 2-cents:

I agree with many of the the thoughts here including Marc and Neil.

- Base Set with real peel stickers (true to form)
- 1 Puzzle / checklist (true to form) on real card stock
- Prizes - Soooooo here is where it gets interesting.  I really do like neat new cool and different:
  - Patch Cards
  - Patches
  - Sketch Cards - Different Variations
  - Redemption Cards (TOPPS!!! YOU must ACTUALLY SET ASIDE THE ITEMS (Chrome Refractor Uncut Sheet)) - Ehhemmmmm
  - Mixed Up Characters and Alternate Artwork
  - Wood Cards
  - Printing Plates
  - Artist Roughs (Redemption)
 

STOP THE MADNESS with ridiculous subsets of Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet Borders!!!!!!!!
The joke was received with the base card - GET BACK TO BASICS OF THE ART of Wackies! Norm and Jay would be appalled!

QUALITY - NOT Quantity ........ Be creative and encourage more ! - Kickstarter is a great way to help in this area

Finally my pet peeve - Bonus Cards / Sets / Etc - 9 cards - the 10 card sets create a display problem - Please remedy!

That's All Folks!

Richard
#StayWacky

Totally agree!  I love your bit about the colored borders.  Ugh, those are awful and add nothing to the experience.  If they truly had to be done, I could kinda see them adding some visual enhancement if the color made sense (ie, having a violet color border for Kook-Aid).  The only other thing I'd add is that I'd love to see magnets brought back.  They are probably my favorite insert and one I've liberally used on my frig and filing cabinet.  In fact, I could see a whole series of just magnets.  Oh, and please make a set of playing cards based on the inserts from last year.  The art is done and I can't imagine it would be super expensive to create sets (especially if done to order).  Don't tell Topps this, but I would pay a pretty penny for a set of those.

Offline MoldRush

  • Posts: 1146
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #56 on: May 04, 2022, 04:38:00 PM »
Totally agree!  I love your bit about the colored borders.  Ugh, those are awful and add nothing to the experience.
The only border variants I ever liked were those funky flash foil polka dot borders from one of the later series, I’m thinking ANS 8 maybe.  Could have been done in a couple of series, not sure.  That being said, in the overall scheme of things, still kinda gimmicky and unnecessary.

Offline mikecho

  • Posts: 2675
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #57 on: May 10, 2022, 04:49:24 PM »
The only border variants I ever liked were those funky flash foil polka dot borders from one of the later series, I’m thinking ANS 8 maybe.  Could have been done in a couple of series, not sure.  That being said, in the overall scheme of things, still kinda gimmicky and unnecessary.
There were two types of these: silver flash foil and gold flash foil. Topps started doing them in ANS7, then did them again in both ANS8 and ANS9. ANS7 did both types only on its 20-card Wack-O-Mercials subset, while ANS8 and ANS9 did both of them on each of their 55 base card sets. After that both types were gone, never to be seen again, and beginning with ANS10, Topps immediately proceeded to go stark raving crazy with a whole bunch of myriad Wacky variations other than these two. The whole thing didn't actually end until Wacky Packages Go to the Movies came out in 2018. After that, it was definitely all over when Wackys stopped being sold in brick-and-mortar stores after that. It hasn't been done again ever since, and a lot of Wacky fans most likely thought it was good riddance to bad rubbish.
« Last Edit: May 10, 2022, 05:27:06 PM by mikecho »

Offline mikecho

  • Posts: 2675
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #58 on: May 10, 2022, 05:14:24 PM »
Totally agree!  I love your bit about the colored borders.  Ugh, those are awful and add nothing to the experience.  If they truly had to be done, I could kinda see them adding some visual enhancement if the color made sense (ie, having a violet color border for Kook-Aid).  The only other thing I'd add is that I'd love to see magnets brought back.  They are probably my favorite insert and one I've liberally used on my frig and filing cabinet.  In fact, I could see a whole series of just magnets.  Oh, and please make a set of playing cards based on the inserts from last year.  The art is done and I can't imagine it would be super expensive to create sets (especially if done to order).  Don't tell Topps this, but I would pay a pretty penny for a set of those.
I totally agree on the playing cards. Make them an actual 52-playing card deck, card box and all, and this time include the two Jokers, please!
« Last Edit: May 10, 2022, 05:27:42 PM by mikecho »

Offline quas

  • Posts: 1806
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #59 on: May 10, 2022, 05:23:47 PM »
But please make them in some way different than the set that was issued with the monthlies, either front or back, so that those of us who painstakingly collected a full deck can treasure its uniqueness compared to the later-issued deck!
Marc

Offline mikecho

  • Posts: 2675
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #60 on: May 10, 2022, 05:29:37 PM »
But please make them in some way different than the set that was issued with the monthlies, either front or back, so that those of us who painstakingly collected a full deck can treasure its uniqueness compared to the later-issued deck!
I never thought of that! That's a terrific idea! Should the deck be all OS like before, all ANS, or a combination of both?

Offline RawGoo

  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 7061
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #61 on: May 11, 2022, 02:04:21 AM »
But please make them in some way different than the set that was issued with the monthlies, either front or back, so that those of us who painstakingly collected a full deck can treasure its uniqueness compared to the later-issued deck!

Round corners if possible, thicker, coated card material, and a red back would do it.  All they would need is Neil's artwork for two Jokers!

Offline Swiski

  • Posts: 2107
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #62 on: May 11, 2022, 07:24:57 AM »
Maybe the box can be the Icicle Playing Cards parody?

Or better yet...make a complete Icicle Playing Cards deck where the pips and court cards all look frozen. Maybe a joint venture with Bicycle PC Co.

Playing card deck collecting is extremely hot right now!

I started collecting decks seriously last fall, but will rarely spend over $20 a deck. Most decks I own cost under $10.
« Last Edit: May 11, 2022, 07:29:11 AM by Swiski »

Offline quas

  • Posts: 1806
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #63 on: May 11, 2022, 07:42:03 AM »
Maybe the box can be the Icicle Playing Cards parody?

Or better yet...make a complete Icicle Playing Cards deck where the pips and court cards all look frozen. Maybe a joint venture with Bicycle PC Co.

Playing card deck collecting is extremely hot right now!

I started collecting decks seriously last fall, but will rarely spend over $20 a deck. Most decks I own cost under $10.

Great idea, using Icicle!  And I would buy a deck using cold hard cash.
Marc

Offline Plastered Peanut

  • Posts: 731
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #64 on: May 12, 2022, 01:15:31 AM »
Back to the Economics portion of this thread, I was browsing the toy section at a local Walmart and saw Hot Wheels for 94 cents a pop.   I always look for Z cars when I see miniature cars, and was jazzed to find a yellow 2022 Z!   

And after I was jazzed about finding a Z, I was also jazzed that it was only 94 cents!   

I can't remember what Hot Wheels cars cost in the 70's, but I'm damn sure 94 cents today is nowhere near the markup on Wacky Packages from then to now!!   5 cents (for 2 stickers and a checklist) to 2 bucks (for 8 stickers)?   

Looks like Hot Wheels has a better finger on the purchase power of kids today than Wacky Packages.   Just sayin.....
Send me your borderless wackys!

Offline RawGoo

  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 7061
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #65 on: May 12, 2022, 02:53:34 AM »
Back to the Economics portion of this thread, I was browsing the toy section at a local Walmart and saw Hot Wheels for 94 cents a pop.   I always look for Z cars when I see miniature cars, and was jazzed to find a yellow 2022 Z!   

And after I was jazzed about finding a Z, I was also jazzed that it was only 94 cents!   

I can't remember what Hot Wheels cars cost in the 70's, but I'm damn sure 94 cents today is nowhere near the markup on Wacky Packages from then to now!!   5 cents (for 2 stickers and a checklist) to 2 bucks (for 8 stickers)?   

Looks like Hot Wheels has a better finger on the purchase power of kids today than Wacky Packages.   Just sayin.....

Yeah, but they no longer have any metal.  They are all plastic.

Offline ToadallyDude

  • Posts: 514
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #66 on: July 29, 2022, 04:58:36 PM »
Even with plastic, I've gotta think that it costs way more to produce a hotwheels car and packaging than the contents of any Topps card or sticker pack.  Printing in bulk on card stock, robotic machine cutters & assemblers ... vs. most likely some human assembly of the cars that are mold-injected in at least 8 separate pieces and wheels that have to spin nice and smooth?  Just sayin'.  I seem to remember Hotweels being 25¢ to 39¢ when I was a kid.  Never less than a quarter anyway.  Maybe 19¢ on sale.  But still multiples of a Wacky pack.

Offline NationalSpittoon

  • Posts: 1394
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #67 on: July 29, 2022, 05:04:24 PM »
I work in the injection molding industry. I don’t know much about the pricing of product because I’m in the engineering area. However I will say the toy car parts have a small shot size, they likely have very few features to form with the tooling, and tolerances probably don’t need to be tight. So they probably don’t cost as much to assemble as you think.

Now stickers are still almost certainly cheaper to produce, granted…

Offline ToadallyDude

  • Posts: 514
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #68 on: August 02, 2022, 02:41:43 PM »
If we all didn't mind driving plastic cars, imagine how much $ we could save on our rides if we just let Mattel make 'em!  And they'd look much cooler than the crap the consumer-grade car companies have been putting out since... well, 1974, really.  (With the exception of the DeLorean, of course.)  The new Mustangs & Chargers may be fast... but they look nothing like their earlier namesakes.  Might as well drive a Sonata or Camry.  I guess the Challenger was an OK reboot.  But 95% of the cars on the road now look like cookie-cutters of each other that match the design of ergonomic running-shoes more than vehicles with character.  What happened to make our collective taste in design so bland?  On a related topic, anyone out there still have their collection of cereal-box prize parody-cards, like "Toyboata" or "MonkeyCarlo"?  I remember finally completing that set & selling it years ago.  But they seem to turn up now and then.  Certainly Wacky-related.

Offline NationalSpittoon

  • Posts: 1394
Re: Wacky Economics
« Reply #69 on: August 02, 2022, 04:50:29 PM »
I think (like many things) government regulation is the major issue when it comes to the appearance of cars like the Challenger. If it were up to me, the body line would move down, the shaker bubble would be larger, and I would shed about 1,500 lbs off of it. Two of those things are Chrysler problems. The biggest issue is a government problem. Those HEMI’s are some of the best on the market imo, but since the car is a boat then it’s really a moot point.

And, at this point, I think we are pretty much driving plastic cars.