Wacky Mini Series 4

[Fanatical_and_Sickly]

I just discovered at my Target today that Zuru Mini Brands released a Retro series. I was going to buy a few, but the high price scared me off a little. Would love to get a few of these that match the vintage Wacky Packages minis. I found a photo of them and a scan of the checklist.

Six levels of rarities.
Are Legendary, Iconic and Luxury all tougher than even Ultra Rare?
It all looks insane!

[crackedjerk]

I purchased about a dozen of these in order to get the cereal and Pez ones.  Didn't have a great amount of luck, but did have a good time opening them.  Bought the ones I wanted, and didn't get, off ebay and sold off my extras.  Wasn't a moneymaker at all, just the opposite, but I do think these items are very impressive versions of the products themselves.  I wish there weren't so many levels of rarity and I liked more of the products themselves than maybe half a dozen, but it was a fun little collectible experience.

And I did think about pairing some of the Retro Minis with the Wacky Minis, but I don't think there were too many that lined up.  Plus, I thought it might be strange to have a few "real" products among my display of Wacky Minis.

I'd be all in for a Kickstarter Wacky Minis series 4!  Can't imagine it'd happen, but I'd be down for it.

[Plastered Peanut]

   Wasn't a moneymaker at all, just the opposite

Anyone do this for the fun of it any more?

That's why I stopped with ANS11.   Not fun any more.

[Plastered Peanut]

Six levels of rarities.
Are Legendary, Iconic and Luxury all tougher than even Ultra Rare?
It all looks insane!

Completely insane.   Remember 30 or so titles that were kind of on the up and up?   Yeh sure there might have been a "short print' or two, but never a "hey fuc**ng forget about it"!   Or,  you can buy a million of these and not get this title!   

These manufacturers have dug their own grave with greed.   

[crackedjerk]

Anyone do this for the fun of it any more?

That's why I stopped with ANS11.   Not fun any more.

I agree that it's not fun.  I was saying I wasn't doing it as a moneymaker.  I enjoyed cracking some "packs" and then sold off the extras because I didn't want crap lying around.  Had I made money, that would have been gravy.  But the fun was opening some packs, getting a few I wanted, and then clearing out the detritus while at least minimizing my expenses.

[mikecho]

Anyone do this for the fun of it any more?

That's why I stopped with ANS11.   Not fun any more.

I stopped at ANS11 too, but for different reasons which I've already revealed. To view these reasons if you're interested, refer to Replies #61 and 68 of "When did Wackys "jump the shark?".

[roughwriter]

Anyone do this for the fun of it any more?

That's why I stopped with ANS11.   Not fun any more.

I sure as Hell do it for the fun of it! I love coming up with crazy ideas, and I get a huge kick out of seeing them painted up as real cards! Does anyone else actually LOOK at the cards anymore? They're actually FUNNY! Look at everything you've missed since ANS11, and you might find yourself laughing again and remembering why you liked them in the first place! The HUMOR!

[Joe G.]

David you wound me!  ANS 11 was the first set I contributed to!  Ha!  No, I get it.  For me when the things I enjoy get a little hard to manage I just scale back.  Have you thought about snagging the base sets?  Wacky Packages 2014 and especially the 110 card, massive 2015 are classic, heavy bordered, kiss cut cards perfect for sticking on your locker or notebook.  As Pete pointed out, they do have some fun gags and art and should/might give a smile and a laugh.  For me I’ve never been a completest or condition collector and I do find joy in just flipping through card sets.  So yes I do find collecting fun.  I only dabble in the non-card stuff (minis, erasers, cups, posters, et) but when I snag a few of those, I enjoy ‘em as well.

Anyone do this for the fun of it any more?

That's why I stopped with ANS11.   Not fun any more.

[Plastered Peanut]

David you wound me!  ANS 11 was the first set I contributed to!  Ha!  No, I get it.  For me when the things I enjoy get a little hard to manage I just scale back.  Have you thought about snagging the base sets?  Wacky Packages 2014 and especially the 110 card, massive 2015 are classic, heavy bordered, kiss cut cards perfect for sticking on your locker or notebook.  As Pete pointed out, they do have some fun gags and art and should/might give a smile and a laugh.  For me I’ve never been a completest or condition collector and I do find joy in just flipping through card sets.  So yes I do find collecting fun.  I only dabble in the non-card stuff (minis, erasers, cups, posters, et) but when I snag a few of those, I enjoy ‘em as well.

Hey Joe, I certainly meant nothing personal to the artists here.   

I just don't like the potty humor and gross-out humor that seemed to migrate from GPK to Wackys.   Plus the sets were becoming too large, and the subsets kept multiplying and getting tougher and tougher to complete, and rare chase cards kept getting rarer and rarer to the point it seemed like you had to buy packs by the case to have any hope of finding just one.

Wackys will always hold a special place in my heart, both OS and ANS, but the contemporary on-line sets just don't do it for me.   Again, nothing personal!!!

[Joe G.]

David, thanks!  I do appreciate that and I was trying to be tongue in cheek with my original response. 

No, I know everyone on the forum wouldn’t be here without a strong connection to Wackys and would be happy to collect ‘em all!  All your points are good ones and we all collect within our own enjoyment/comfort zone.  For some spending $100 plus on a card seems outrageous and others don’t bat an eye. I guess my hope would be that most collectors find some middle ground and that we can keep Wackys going.  I’ve said this before but I’m much happier living in a world where new Wackys (and Wacky items) are made than otherwise.

Hey Joe, I certainly meant nothing personal to the artists here.   

I just don't like the potty humor and gross-out humor that seemed to migrate from GPK to Wackys.   Plus the sets were becoming too large, and the subsets kept multiplying and getting tougher and tougher to complete, and rare chase cards kept getting rarer and rarer to the point it seemed like you had to buy packs by the case to have any hope of finding just one.

Wackys will always hold a special place in my heart, both OS and ANS, but the contemporary on-line sets just don't do it for me.   Again, nothing personal!!!

[bandaches]

I sure as Hell do it for the fun of it! I love coming up with crazy ideas, and I get a huge kick out of seeing them painted up as real cards! Does anyone else actually LOOK at the cards anymore? They're actually FUNNY! Look at everything you've missed since ANS11, and you might find yourself laughing again and remembering why you liked them in the first place! The HUMOR!

The problem is most don't...the first analysis of upcoming sets is how to obtain chases, how much will they be worth and they are on ebay before anyone has actually done a title by title discussion of the humor or art of the cards.  The reason chases have taken over is value but also it is the only thing left to "collect" as just about everything else is handed out as complete sets...there is no pack buying and collating.   The world is turned to instant gratification mode which is why 3 minute social media quips can dominate someone's attention 30 at a time for 90 minutes vs people having conversations with each other.  Instant gratification means instant sets and the concept of collecting has died.

[roughwriter]

The problem is most don't...the first analysis of upcoming sets is how to obtain chases, how much will they be worth and they are on ebay before anyone has actually done a title by title discussion of the humor or art of the cards.  The reason chases have taken over is value but also it is the only thing left to "collect" as just about everything else is handed out as complete sets...there is no pack buying and collating.   The world is turned to instant gratification mode which is why 3 minute social media quips can dominate someone's attention 30 at a time for 90 minutes vs people having conversations with each other.  Instant gratification means instant sets and the concept of collecting has died.

I agree that the lack of retail packs is hurting Wackys seriously. My guess is that the problem is economics. The Wackys fan base is getting old and shrinking (and some of you don't buy the new stuff) so the costs/benefits analysis comes out against retail sales. If we could get numbers higher it might become possible, but realistically packs are a thing of the past. Even the recent attempt at online sales in packs met with significant criticism. As the old saying goes, "There's Just No Pleasing Some People!" Just like so many other things from our youth, the days of buying packs at the corner store are gone. Sad, but true!

[JailOJohn]

When would you say pack buying “jumped the shark?” I recall buying flashback 1 and 2 packs and boxes in stores….and the first few ANS series….Purchasing full sets is not exciting or fulfilling….it is easier….

[mikecho]

Sometimes I wonder if the fact that the last three series that were sold in retail stores - namely, MLB Wacky Packages (2016), Wacky Packages 50th Anniversary (2017) and Wacky Packages Go to the Movies (2018) - were so entirely different from all 15 of the modern series that had come before them (i.e., they were completely made up of groups of subsets with no base cards (at least, that's how I see it)) and the collectors and fans didn't like this change at all was one of the reasons that Topps stopped selling Wackys at them.

Also, what I'd like to know is how well did these last three retail series sell in comparison to everything else that was released between 2004 and 2015? Did they sell well or poorly in comparison to the previous series from ANS1 all the way up to 2015 S1 (including the two Wacky Pack Flashback series of 2008), and if the latter, did this reason that I've mentioned here have anything to do with it or not? And what exactly were the final sales figures for all 20 of these retail series that were released between 2004 and 2018?

Btw, here's a little fact that's probably not too well known: 2009 was the only year in this entire period that didn't have an ANS release. The only two major things that were released in that year Wacky-wise were the Wacky Packages 2010 Calendar and Wacky Packages Postcards 4th Series (the latter of which was notable for featuring in it Wacky Halloween Postcards 2009).

[rdsjnk]

Just showed up on Ebay. is this part of Series 4?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/176675753051?_skw=wacky+trans+planted&itmmeta=01JCE19Q6XEJ4F9QY7NMVDQ8S0&hash=item2922b20c5b:g:8D0AAOSws4hnMf6x&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKnmGrbXPnw1Q01CWCp47r7Skmq35UUSGVF6wjLUxeLFyrVAe%2BpG6yKjBk3AxspTEJQjxL4FCp7qH3bVf4HMSuwAhLl56a7TheMXmp0sXZNIOcEGyWOMZUKHvHdp79ogVCJ5rOUVF2tbqPba22vkkeErW6Dx9LEYVM0ZGsi9tzt0g0xgkKlWuSM9zDlLLfnzyqmF9dwzajR419OZx%2BXS9dyze5SLmPpzkk0SJ%2B80gv3Drx5q%2BfgfukEZ1lyJByRX28DUx%2Bql9U%2BXWMJnk9DuI1%2BzbZv%2B1PvHSkendCQJ8qSbVQ%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR8jzpsHjZA

[Lavirus]

Isn't that part of a GPK mini series?

[bigtomi]

Just showed up on Ebay. is this part of Series 4?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/176675753051

I'd say no. The title is from the Wacky Packages GPK Food Fight Inserts of 2021, so probably really a GPK mini or something of that nature?

[Fanatical_and_Sickly]

Just showed up on Ebay. is this part of Series 4?

that's a GPK mini Wacky grocery item from the Super Impulse GPK Micro set from a few years back

[rdsjnk]

OK, thanks!

[DrDeal]

I think we will see S4 sometime next year.  The fact that they put S4 info in the insert that comes with new SI items is why I say this. Time will tell.

[JailOJohn]

Do we have any idea whether SI made money on the minis or if the next set is coming?

[DrDeal]

Just checked in with my contact at SI.   Worlds Smallest Hot Wheels S10 coming early next year.      No info on Wacky S4 timing.   :(

Andrew

[koduck]

[quote ]
Btw, here's a little fact that's probably not too well known: 2009 was the only year in this entire period that didn't have an ANS release. The only thing that was released in that year was the Wacky Packages 2010 Calendar.
[/quote]

We made up for it with the postcard series

[mikecho]

We made up for it with the postcard series

Oh, that's right. Thanks for reminding me, Neil.

Actually, Wacky Halloween Postcards first appeared in 2009; Wacky Packages Postcards themselves first appeared two years earlier in 2007.

[RawGoo]

We made up for it with the postcard series

Aaahhh, 2009, the year we got Postcard series 4 and the Halloween bonus cards, including Bots!!  And the special Halloween sketch cards!  What a year it was 

[vahsurfer]

Postcards Series 4 Sketches



Halloween 2009 Sketches



Richard
#StayWacky