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Post by patsplat666 on Aug 25, 2020 18:30:29 GMT -5
One of the best things about old-school GPKs is that they pushed edgy ideas that would never be accepted today. I think Swell Mel is a great example:  There's also Rock E. Horror:  Also loved GPKs with totally inappropriate themes that were served up to kids... Nerdy Norm, Boozin' Bruce... do drugs, kids! |
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Post by patsplat666 on Aug 25, 2020 18:31:57 GMT -5
I don't really keep up with the new sets, is there anything that compares?
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Post by Dxtc0187 on Aug 25, 2020 20:08:04 GMT -5
One of the best things about old-school GPKs is that they pushed edgy ideas that would never be accepted today. I think Swell Mel is a great example: There's also Rock E. Horror: Also loved GPKs with totally inappropriate themes that were served up to kids... Nerdy Norm, Boozin' Bruce... do drugs, kids! While for the time I would agree with Mel he was never the same after Alice threatened to sue him for sexual harrasment and forced him to leave his own diner. But good old Marty Gras is a different beast all together by the time he exited the garbage can most parents of kids buying GPK knew all about Rocky Horror. So when you see the card just remember this is the sweet transvestite that the would really have had a problem with.  The card is an homage to the character I really wouldn’t say was boundry pushing even then. With Mel there is no context just a older guy doll in drag...creepy boundry pushed. Leather Heather is another boundry pusher back then. In today’s era I don’t think these would be deemed too offensive as Topps contrary to what they say dossn’t really go after a young audience. Topps goes after the middle age demo with disposable income that grew up during the OS era. |
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Post by patsplat666 on Aug 26, 2020 17:06:46 GMT -5
One of the best things about old-school GPKs is that they pushed edgy ideas that would never be accepted today. I think Swell Mel is a great example: There's also Rock E. Horror: Also loved GPKs with totally inappropriate themes that were served up to kids... Nerdy Norm, Boozin' Bruce... do drugs, kids! While for the time I would agree with Mel he was never the same after Alice threatened to sue him for sexual harrasment and forced him to leave his own diner. But good old Marty Gras is a different beast all together by the time he exited the garbage can most parents of kids buying GPK knew all about Rocky Horror. So when you see the card just remember this is the sweet transvestite that the would really have had a problem with. The card is an homage to the character I really wouldn’t say was boundry pushing even then. With Mel there is no context just a older guy doll in drag...creepy boundry pushed. Leather Heather is another boundry pusher back then. In today’s era I don’t think these would be deemed too offensive as Topps contrary to what they say dossn’t really go after a young audience. Topps goes after the middle age demo with disposable income that grew up during the OS era. Yeah! Good call with Leather Heather! I totally didn't understand that one as a kid AT ALL. I never had Swell Mel as a kid, never even saw it so not sure what I would've thought, but I had many copies of Rock E Horror (couldn't get away from that one), just didn't get it I guess? Never thought much about that one, just a guy in women's clothes, 'big deal'. I was more into the gory stuff then. I just love that these things were marketed to kids on the sly. Sure, there's nothing wrong with the cards I mentioned but pushing them on kids is questionable I'd say haha... Almost every anti-social theme was addressed, even the act of feasting on corpses with Beulah Ghoul! Never thought much about that one as a kid either, but as an adult, that one is particularly morbid!  How about fat shaming with cards like Broad Maud?   I didn't really get Stoned Sean as a kid either, and I'm still not sure if they're really alluding to smoking pot?  Oh yeah, how about Luke Warm, smack dab in the middle of the satanic panic of the 80's?  |
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Post by patsplat666 on Aug 26, 2020 17:13:05 GMT -5
How the hell did they get away with stuff like this? .jpg?id=9a7f794e-2300-4137-b00b-7875935629c9&size=zoom&side=back) |
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Post by ADAM Bomb on Aug 26, 2020 18:19:29 GMT -5
How the hell did they get away with stuff like this? This is one of my favorites!! Lol |
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Post by Cory on Aug 26, 2020 22:32:19 GMT -5
The realest answer as mentioned already in this thread.  |
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Post by Cory on Aug 26, 2020 22:34:21 GMT -5
How the hell did they get away with stuff like this? What am I missing here? |
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Post by patsplat666 on Aug 27, 2020 6:24:35 GMT -5
How the hell did they get away with stuff like this? What am I missing here? When you connect the zits, it's a gun. The only solution is suicide! Dark stuff. |
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Post by Dxtc0187 on Aug 27, 2020 8:18:16 GMT -5
When you connect the zits, it's a gun. The only solution is suicide! Dark stuff. Or maybe Clemenza couldn’t hide it behind the toilet before her meeting with Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey. So she hid it in her zits and pulled it put and killed them. Glad she’s finally back from Italy and home in Smellville. |
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Post by Cory on Aug 31, 2020 11:26:54 GMT -5
When you connect the zits, it's a gun. The only solution is suicide! Dark stuff. Nice, I never connected the dots. |
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Post by Jimbo on Sept 2, 2020 16:53:43 GMT -5
Interracial Rachel would not fly today.
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Really cool box. I wish they had the Nasty Nick box too though 