Topps Wacky Packages 1st Series 1973
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Topps Wacky Packages
1st Series 1973
     

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  • Timeline: This is the legendary 1st series that came out in Spring (most likely March) of 1973.
  • Titles: There are 30 titles.
    • Although this series is known as "the 1st series", all 30 titles had already been released as die-cuts in 1967/8. The 1967/8 die-cut series was not greatly successful however, while the re-release in 1973 was phenomenally successful, so consequently most people think Wackys were born in 1973, however they were already 5 or 6 years old at the time. Perhaps the peel-and-stick format made the difference (die-cuts were punch-and-lick), or perhaps it was just more in the air come 1973. Whatever the reason, this is the series that put Wacky Packages on the map.
  • The Artists: Art Spiegelman conceived the jokes and drew the roughs for this series, Norm Saunders (primarily) did the final paintings.
  • Packs: Packs came with
  • Checklists/Puzzle: There are nine different checklist backs which come together to form a Gadzooka puzzle.
    • There is a typo on the checklist, "Jail-O Desert" should be "Jail-O Dessert".
  • The Box: The box was purple and held 48 packs.
    • A never opened full 1st series box has always been one of the holy grails of the hobby. Very few ever turned up.
      • A full box did arise November of 2020, when somebody turned up with "several," the first of which sold on Heritage for an impressive $49,200.
  • The Sheet: This series is notable among Topps regular series in how some of the stickers appeared only once on the sheet while others appeared as many as six times.
  • Copyrights:
  • Back Variations: Due to their immense popularity, Topps went into a printing frenzy, and soon they had run out of white back sticker stock. They proceeded to use anything else they could find, and as a result there are four different 1st series backs, known as "back variations". All but the white backs were printed near the end of the run and are rare.
  • Reprints: Most of the 1st series titles were re-released in other series.
    • Only Maddie-Boy and Skimpy were never reprinted.
    • Some are difficult to distinguish from the originals, sometimes only the die-cut can distinguish them

1st Series Checklist
Duzn't Detergent Grave Train Vicejoy Cigarettes
Chock Full O' Bolts      Mrs. Klean Hostage Cakes
Breadcrust Hash Minute Lice Kook-Aid
Jail-O Desert (sic) Horrid Deodorant Camals
Gadzooka Gum Skimpy Tied Detergent
6-Up Beverage Liptorn Soup Pure Hex
Maddie Boy Fink Beverage Lavirus
Quacker Oats Dopey Cream Paul Maul
Weakies Breakfast Cereal     Spray Nit Mutt's Juice
Crust Tooth Paste Cover Ghoul                  Band-Ache Strips                 




 
Duzn't Detergent
Chock Full O' Bolts
Breadcrust Hash
Jail-O Desert
Gadzooka Gum
6-Up Beverage
Maddie Boy
Quacker Oats
Weakies Breakfast Cereal
Crust Tooth Paste
Grave Train
Mrs. Klean
Minute Lice
Horrid Deodorant
Skimpy
Liptorn Soup
Fink Beverage
Dopey Cream
Spray Nit
Cover Ghoul
Vicejoy Cigarettes
Hostage Cakes
Kook-Aid
Camals
Tied Detergent
Pure Hex
Lavirus
Paul Maul
Mutt's Juice
Band-Ache Strips