Customer Reviews

Garbage Pail Kids - The Complete Series

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

So I'm scoring this with 5 stars, based SOLELY on that fact that the complete series can be found on DVD, and one does not have to purchase an internationally dubbed version for a higher price without all 13 episodes. I, much like other 80's GPK collectors, impatiently waited for the GPK Saturday morning cartoon... I even remember having my Mom's TV Guide highlighted so I wouldn't forget... and it never came on.

I was NEVER a fan of the GPK movie... ever. But I've grown to appreciate the cartoon. But you do have to realize, this is NOT the GPK cards... much like the D&D cartoon was NOT the D&D RPG.

Each of the 13 episodes are broken down into the same sections making up a compilation of cartoon shorts -- in general, most of the 22 minute cartoon is very non-GPK related, a hodge-podge of weird ideas. A 30 second 'kids are strange' beginning starts out the program quickly followed by the GPK title introduction lasting for approximately 1 minute. From here, the first 10 minute segment begins, usually showcasing crazy characters not found in the card series. This section is more reminiscent of episodes of the older Loony Tunes cartoon, a wacky strange tale, with bizarre characters -- with only a few GPK characters sporatically seen throughout the skit. A 30 second 'buy this gizmo' GPK commercial follows which reminds me of those fun items one can "buy" from Bazooka Joe comics... and then a 30 second "GPK Groaner" joke section follows. Finally, the cartoon title segment begins, running 10 minutes -- this actually showcases the 5 GPK stars of the cartoon, what could have been called the "Garbage Gang" had the title been created at that time. This section is much more reminiscent of episodes of Scooby Doo, where a mystery or problem needs to be solved -- overall, the best storytelling, animation and GPK related section of the whole cartoon happens here (besides the title intro). Lastly, a 30 second "GPK Award" or "Wanted" section follows the last cartoon segment closing out the episode.

For a die hard fan i say have it in your collection, but it was a bad series concept. Its not GROSS how the cards are, no vomit, no boogers, no dismemberment. WHY because it was a netowrk cartoon from the 80's with im sure poor judgemnt on what to do with it. If it were made now im sure ADULT SWIM and FAMILY GUY humor witht he excess vomiting and snot would have made it a hit. For you comic fans Geoff Darrow (big guy and rusty) he did the character modeling and KREE SUMMERS who has doen a million voices did work on this too!

>>SIGH<< if it were only full of vomit and crude humor...

I was a huge GPK fan, series 4-16 of the originals with the alternate in the 4th series. I have posters and many of the toys that were released as well. And when the movie was released on DVD, great memories returned. But when I ran across this on Amazon, it suprised me. Now I see from the web and other reviewers that this series never aired. So now I have these "lost treasures"....but they aren't that great. I skipped around a little to see if the episodes varied in quality of content, but they don't, there just blah. They aren't gross, and the characters are just bad interpretations (and drawings) of some of the GPK cards. To bad. Could have been something, just executed wrong. But, I can imagine that it would be hard to write a cartoon from so many strange characters, Kudos for trying. A collectors item for hardcore fans, but not a must have. Get the movie, it cheesy, but funny.

In 1987, CBS was forced by parent groups to ban the show from airing on Saturday Mornings due to the popularity of the "extremely gross" cards that they were based on. If anyone who has bought this and watch all 13 episodes can agree with me that this was an example of parents overreacting to a harmless cartoon. The series itself is not gross enough to turn anyone away, except people who were expecting the show to be gross. The series was obviously made before the days of "Ren and Stimpy" and "Beavis and Butt-head". In my personal opinion I believe that this show is enjoyable and I may have become a bigger fan of the series if the show had aired on CBS back in 1987.
The series follows five extra-mild gross kids, "Split Kit", "Clogged Duane", "Terri Cloth", "Patty Putty" and "Elliot Mess" who used their GPK alter-ego to stop bad guys and help people. Typical 80s cartoon, but a great show none of the less.

I highly recommend this show to anyone who is a big fan of cartoons, "Garbage Pail Kids" (just don't expect it to be real gross) or anyone that like to have a little piece of television treasure.

Love it or hate it..... GPK fans need to unite and show Topps that we care about GPK.

My recommendation is to purchase this for the nostalgia (because it really is worth it) and purchase this dvd set
to prove that GPK is worth continuing.

5 stars, my highest recommendation.

Long live GPK!

the kids love them and now ask for more but sadly this is it the whole bang

I was a huge GPK fan in the 80's. I had all the cards, and eagerly awaited for every new series of cards. I also remember being totally stoked for the GPK saturday morning cartoon that was being advertised. Imagine my dismay when the series mysteriously never aired. It turns out parents and the Christian Right threw a fit, so the execs axed it before it aired.

All this time I thought part of my childhood had been robbed since I never got to see those lost episodes. I was excited when I found out they were being released.

Now that I have seen a bunch of episodes, I am beginning to think that the show was not canceled due to parents, but due to the fact that this show sucked really really bad!

I won't even go into the plot or storyline. This was the biggest piece of crap I have ever seen. Whoever the team was that configured this, I hope they all got fired. This was so terrible I could'nt even get past the 3rd episode. I can't even believe I watched 3 episodes! I almost bought this when it was released in April. I am glad I rented it first.

I know for a fact I would have hated this as a 10 year old kid had it debuted on schedule.

I can't believe the first viewer gave it 3 1/2 stars. He must have been paid off to right a possitive view. No regular human could actually watch this and say it was great enough to merit more than one star, and I am giving it at least one since there is no option for 0 stars.

If you like GPKs stick with the cards

I'm old enough to remember when the GPK toon was shelved by CBS, back in the fall of 1987. The box claims it was 1989, but that blurb also says that the show has been collecting cobwebs in the ever mysterious vault at CBS studios. Not so, as dubs from various foreign countries that circulated in places like comic book conventions attest. Or so I've heard...I try and steer clear of public gatherings of neo-autistics with bad hygene. At the time, there was allegedly some firestorm of controversy surrounding the program. Rumor had it that preachers and concerned parents were up in arms. I dare say after viewing the thirteen episodes, a full season order, for the first time, that CBS shelved them out of embarassment. Who wants to explain to shareholders that they actually *paid money* for this mess? Did execs slip some cash to the censorship crowd to create a cover story? Oh, but we may never know. The creators of the series have told interviewers for nearly twenty years how bad it was. Now you can see for yourself. Each episode is divided into two parts. The first half is a film parody, like "Indiana Spud" or "Super Nerd"...you get the idea. The second half features the misadventures of the five GPK kids who do things like fight overgrown bean plants, chase a baby ostrich around and ward off an evil Santa Claus that rewards kids for being naughty. Viewers should be rewarded for not hurling themselves out of the nearest open window. In more capable hands, CBS might have had something. As it turned out, Masters of the Universe looks like Citizen Kane by comparison. A reasonable person might prefer this to, say, most contemporary sitcoms. Then again, otherwise reasonable people eat cockroaches on reality shows and join the Church of Scientology. So how reasonable are any of us, really? Don't you find reading a book more enjoyable than television anyway? Here's my advice...get yourself a beer, a few cigarettes, and something by Bukowski or Kerouac or Hunter S. Thompson. If you already have the set, well, the case doubles as an ashtray, and the discs make handy coasters. Avoid like a loaded baby diaper.