Author Topic: Month of Issue for Original Wackies  (Read 2864 times)

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Offline Tie Boot Tea

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Month of Issue for Original Wackies
« on: July 06, 2020, 12:48:51 PM »
Hi, there.  Has anyone ever kept a record of the month of issuance for each Wacky series?  I seem to remember that the 1st and 2nd series came out in the summer of '73, mainly because I'm pretty sure that I bought packs from the ice cream man.  I can remember the third and fourth coming out during the school year because I remember trading with friends from school.

I remember how slow it would take for a new series to come out.  It seemed like a lifetime and kids would loiter around the candy store bugging the shop keeper like junkies looking for a fix, waiting for the new issue.  I'm pretty sure that the boxes never said what series they were.  Only the word "New" - which meant nothing since Topps would regularly trick us by changing the color of the box at the end of the run, causing us to buy packs for series we had completed weeks ago.

Anyway, got a bit nostalgic today, so thought I would ask.

Offline Paul_Maul

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Offline Paul_Maul

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Re: Month of Issue for Original Wackies
« Reply #2 on: July 06, 2020, 01:00:04 PM »
And the boxes generally did say what series they contained when the box was not a new color. In other words, the series 1 box did not mention a series, but the 2nd and 3rd purple boxes did have a series sticker. The blue 3rd series box did not have a sticker, but the blue 4th and 5th series boxes did.



Offline RawGoo

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Re: Month of Issue for Original Wackies
« Reply #3 on: July 06, 2020, 01:06:42 PM »
What used to happen to me was that the drug store just kept refilling the box on the counter with whatever they received.  I distinctly remember getting a Series 1 pack and a Series 2 pack in the same purchase.

Offline Tie Boot Tea

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Re: Month of Issue for Original Wackies
« Reply #4 on: July 06, 2020, 01:21:58 PM »
And the boxes generally did say what series they contained when the box was not a new color. In other words, the series 1 box did not mention a series, but the 2nd and 3rd purple boxes did have a series sticker. The blue 3rd series box did not have a sticker, but the blue 4th and 5th series boxes did.

(Image removed from quote.)

Well, I know that's how these boxes are marked now, but I can remember back then that there were plenty of times that I got cheated.  Maybe the store owners were ripping off the covers when they sold them?  I don't remember that detail.


Offline MoldRush

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Re: Month of Issue for Original Wackies
« Reply #6 on: July 06, 2020, 06:54:31 PM »
What used to happen to me was that the drug store just kept refilling the box on the counter with whatever they received.  I distinctly remember getting a Series 1 pack and a Series 2 pack in the same purchase.
Also easy to miss the label if it was affixed to the lid rather than front edge, given the way the lid is folded back for the typical open-box counter display.  My recollection was just being thrilled if there were any Wackys available and I had some change in my pocket to buy some.  Which series was in those packs was less important, because I rarely got very close to finishing a set.

I agree with Greg’s timeline for the most part, except for two series.  Maybe a regional thing?

5th - I distinctly remember buying some at a candy store in early fall, maybe late Sept./early Oct.

13th - I know I got most of mine from ice cream trucks, which weren’t prevalent until May/June.

Offline ToadallyDude

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Re: Month of Issue for Original Wackies
« Reply #7 on: July 10, 2020, 06:45:54 PM »
Not sure how many of you out there were from So.Cal., but Wackys were definitely a major 'summer' thing out here, and the source the purchased part of my collection was probably 80% "Ice Cream Man" (sorry, "Vendor"), and 20% "Stop-n-Go".  We never saw them in Sav-On or Thrifty or Gemco back then.  My recollection of the releases is slightly different, too, but probably because the Ice Cream Vendors would just grab whatever was still in the warehouse when they stocked up.  Summer of '74 was definitely the Wacky Extravaganza, though... 7, 8, 9, posters, tattoos... I had no money left & bought no ice-cream that summer.  And I definitely remember 10 and 11 really getting glossed over quickly.  We barely saw them at all.  12 & 13 were big.  But 16th came around in the summer as my bro bought me my only 7 packs from the Ice Cream Vendor when I was sick.  So, it must have at least been warm weather.  Don't know the year, though.  I always assumed it was 77.  But could have been 78 and some old stock.  I remembered it being a shock.


Offline RawGoo

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Re: Month of Issue for Original Wackies
« Reply #8 on: July 10, 2020, 11:49:42 PM »
I was in Northridge for a little while in the mid 70's, and the ice cream truck was definitely the best source of Wackys.  Stop and Go might have been the name of the other source, but I can't remember for sure.

Offline ToadallyDude

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Re: Month of Issue for Original Wackies
« Reply #9 on: July 14, 2020, 01:21:00 AM »
Stop-n-Go had these cool plastic baseball-cap versions of 7-11's "Slurpie" too.  Wish I'd kept all those caps. 

Offline RawGoo

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Re: Month of Issue for Original Wackies
« Reply #10 on: July 14, 2020, 04:42:59 AM »
Stop-n-Go had these cool plastic baseball-cap versions of 7-11's "Slurpie" too.  Wish I'd kept all those caps.

I used to get soft ice cream in plastic baseball helmet cups. 

Offline MoldRush

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Re: Month of Issue for Original Wackies
« Reply #11 on: July 14, 2020, 05:10:19 AM »
I used to get soft ice cream in plastic baseball helmet cups.
I think Baskin Robbins does the baseball helmet thing now.  At least I know I saw them there a few years back when I lived near a B-R.  They also have Mets helmet sundaes at Citi Field.  Of course they’re probably like $28.95 a pop, so you have to really want that helmet!  :o

Offline RawGoo

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Re: Month of Issue for Original Wackies
« Reply #12 on: July 14, 2020, 06:52:40 AM »
I think Baskin Robbins does the baseball helmet thing now.  At least I know I saw them there a few years back when I lived near a B-R.  They also have Mets helmet sundaes at Citi Field.  Of course they’re probably like $28.95 a pop, so you have to really want that helmet!  :o

Ballpark food is as crazy expensive as parking!  We have a minor league baseball park here that is supposedly an inexpensive and pleasant day out for a family, but they're not playing this season.

Offline drono

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Re: Month of Issue for Original Wackies
« Reply #13 on: July 14, 2020, 07:04:13 AM »
We have a minor league baseball park here that is supposedly an inexpensive and pleasant day out for a family, but they're not playing this season.

Ours isn't playing either but our summer league team in the Coastal Plains League is.  I took the whole family last year to the AAA team and got seats in the second row behind home plate for $10 each.  Every year they also had a "Hot Dog Night" where they were 25 cents each.  My church used to volunteer to work concessions at the stadium with the proceeds going to a local homeless shelter.  We happened to get that night one year.  I did nothing but wrap hot dogs for four hours.  Another year we worked as beer vendors.  I didn't know who to card and who not to card.  I'm also a teetotaler, so pouring beer from a tap was a new experience for me.

Offline ToadallyDude

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Re: Month of Issue for Original Wackies
« Reply #14 on: July 16, 2020, 12:14:36 AM »
I remember walking into a Stop-n-Go WAY after Wackys had been done (might have been before the 16th, but definitely after 15th had flown), and finding a box of Wackys (not sure what series) thrown in with all the boxes of candy, and freaking out.  The excitement of opening a few packs of Wackys long after that ship had sailed was really cool.  Never had the will-power as a kid to keep any packs unopened, unfortunately, and never seemed to think about saving up and buying a whole box (for $2.50 or so!!!) either.