As far as the terminology regarding "sets" and "series," there seems to be a bit of confusion. To begin with, I think Topps was in error when they first began to label the sets as series (Series #1, Series #2, and so on.) But they did, and now we are saddled with that terminology.
Actually, "Wacky Packages" is the "series" - much like a television series. The series isn't simply season #1. It's all of the seasons combined, all of the episodes combined. Despite its hiatuses and changes, Wacky Packages is a single huge series that's been running for 50 years. And within this series, we have a run of "sets" beginning with the die-cuts. Series #5, for example, or ANS7 or the 2010 Halloween postcards, are all "sets" within the "Wacky Packages" series. And then there are the subsets within the sets: Rude Foods, Lame Games, etc.. Consider: What is a "subset" a subset of? Just that, a set.
At any rate, I've digressed.
A few days ago, member "dth1971" posted the following:
If a Wacky Packages Christmas edition is a go, could there be by 2018-2019 an OFFICAL Topps made Wacky Packages Halloween edition?
My response was:
It really strikes me as somewhat odd that Topps never issued such a series, what with the Halloween postcards all of those many years.
When I first read this member's post, I, like some of you, perhaps, thought, "But, wait! We've already had Halloween sets. What is this member talking about?"
Did they completely miss out on the Halloween postcard sets?
Highly unlikely.
Are they simply off their rocker?
Perhaps. But then and again, anybody who makes posts on a Wacky Packages forum must be slightly off their rocker. (And we revel in that!)
So I gave it a bit more thought. Perhaps what the member was suggesting and/or requesting was a Halloween set that was a reflection of the regular, standard sets. A set larger than the postcard sets (that is, more cards,) as well as a set with more variety. (And, as of this moment, there is no such Halloween set as the one in which I just described, such as the set the forum member was alluding to. Hence, their post and my reply.) I do, believe, though that their suggestion has merit and should be taken under consideration. Perhaps this is what people desire?
Mind, please don't take my words the wrong way. I was simply trying to understand and address a post I received. Personally, I admire the Halloween sets and hold them in high regard. In my opinion, they are up there among my favorites, some of the best sets released to date. In particular, I appreciate the fact that most are printed on larger cards enabling me to appreciate the fine artwork in closer detail. (It's kind of like the thing with the old record album covers VS. the smaller artwork on compact disc covers.) Also, the fact that the products were candies handed out on Halloween to trick-or-treaters - individual Tootsie Rolls, Smarties, etc. - was not lost on me - and I enjoyed them for exactly what they were. If one were to produce a set like the aforementioned forum member suggested - the larger set with more variety - it would, compared to the other Halloween sets, obviously be different. That doesn't necessarily imply that one set would be better or worse than the other. They would just be different.
On another note, downsizing to 25 cards in the Old School 6 set is tampering with tradition. 33 was not a randomly selected number. Far from it. It was chosen because it had meaning. Personally, I don't care if there were 25, 33, or 55 cards in the set. But some people do. To me, it makes little or no difference. To others, though, the difference is vast. And they MUST have 33 cards in their set. Not a mishmash set of 33 cards made up of different sets. But an actual bonafide set of 33 cards.
As a teacher, I often create my own math worksheets for my kids. This way I can target a specific skill, area of difficulty, etc.. Usually, I put around 10 problems on an assignment (thinking, perhaps wishfully, that the children will spend more time and care on them.) Sometimes, though, I might only include 9 problems. And that's when it starts:
"Mr. Teacher Man, you only put 9 problems on the homework!"
"Yes, I know."
"But there's supposed to be ten"
"Yes?"
That means each problem is going to be worth 11 points, not 10 points. One hundred divided by 9 is 11 points."
"You're absolutely right."
"But they should all be worth 10 points each."
"Okay," I say. "You can round all of the answers to 10 points each."
"But they're worth 11 points."
"Fine. Tomorrow I'll give you 11 problems, and everything will even out."
"Eleven? But there's only supposed to be ten!"
And so it goes.
As George Clooney's character said in O Brother Where Art Thou, "It's a fool that looks for logic in the chambers of the human heart."
Logic or reasoning makes little or no difference in the scenario above. One only wastes their breath trying to persuade or convince. The best one can do is simply to accept. It has taken me a long while to understand this (and I'll probably never fully understand it), but some people are just this way: very precise, very sequential, very exact. To them, if there are supposed to be ten problems, then that's the way it has to be. To them, if there are supposed to be 33 cards, then that's they way it has to be. Children or adults, it really doesn't matter. This is just their nature. Black socks in this stack, gray socks in that stack, white socks in this stack - in that exact order, mind - and undies over there, lined parallel with the right hand side of the dresser drawer. This is the order of things - and must not, cannot be broken. (My dresser drawer, on the other hand, could contain literally anything: foreign coins, pens, a five inch long, dead grasshopper in a jar, you name it.)
McDonalds has spent millions to ensure that Big Mucs taste the same from Tampa to San Diego to Seattle to Bangor. People expect Big Mucs to taste a certain way, and McDonalds has taken it upon themselves to cater to the people, rather than dismiss and alienate them somewhere outside of the bell curve. They prefer the curve to be as wide as possible. The more numbers inside, the higher the financial gain. The more outliers, the greater the loss of revenue.
Whether precise, sequential, technical, or confluent, most people embrace consistency; They like tradition. Traditions are formed, and more importantly, traditions prevail. People find comfort in that. They like to know that things will remain the same. And this matters a lot. Why? I suppose that consistency, tradition, etc. all add up to the same thing, the one thing that people desire most above everything else: security.
So, do people seek security, can people find security even in such a thing as Wacky Packages?
Without a doubt.
I often see my students with their Wackys treating them in almost a sacred way. They've forged a relationship with them, carry the cards with them and keep them close like Linus with his blanket.
Change, of course, is inevitable. And many, many changes have been made for the better. Sometimes, though, even the slightest change can quickly escalate from a ripple into a wave, producing severe and profound consequences. And sometimes even the slightest difference will make all the difference in the world.