PRINT RUN PARAGRAPH

In 1998, Comic Images with the distributing help from Dark Horse Comics, came out with the most innovative non-sport cards since the Garbage Pail Kids called the Meanie Babies -- right during the hype of the Beanie Babies.  The artist behind these great pieces of artwork was none other than John Pound of GPK fame and writer Jay Lynch who created the creative card backs. The cards come 6 to a foil pack (with the possibility of a insert or chase card) and 1 sticker, measuring 2.5 X 3.5.

SERIES OVERVIEW

BLACK BOX – 30 Count Box
BLACK BOX – 48 Count Box


BLACK WRAPPER


ADVERTISEMENT SHEET


MEANIE BABIES MAIL-AWAY "BINDER OFFER" (Front and Back)


GUFF! COMIC (Featuring the MEANIE BABIES and a Bonus Card)


TUFF STUFF'S COLLECT! MAGAZINE (January 1998)


NON-SPORT UPDATE MAGAZINE (Vol 9, No. 1 Feb-Mar 1998)


No Variations
One Print Run

FUN FACTS and TIDBITS

1. The artist John Pound's Autographed Cards could be located in random boxes of MEANIE BABIES -- the autographs could be found on any of the three promo cards produced for the set, signed on the front, with an "Authentic Comic Images Autograph"
sticker on their backsides -- card example; promo 3 of 3 "SPHINXTER":




2. The Promo Cards were released prior to the set release, and the original name bar idea was dropped, with the card later showcasing the characters names in one of the six various colors found in the MEANIE BABIES header -- card example, promo 2 of 3 "UPCHUCK":

3. A deluxe 3-Ring MEANIE BABIE Binder was offered on the back of the wrappers for only $19.95 and came with nine, 9-pocket pages (pictured above in the "Series Overview").

4. The set contained 60 character cards and one checklist card for a total of 61 cards for the Base Set -- card examples: 20 "PIERCY", 22 "SPRITZER" and 44 "MAGGOTY":


5. Besides the base card set, there is also a Parallel Sticker Set with blank, white backs to collect -- card 61, the checklist card, has only information on the front of the card since the back is blank.

6. The first parody set to have random Chase Cards located within the packs -- not including the promo cards and bonus cards. Besides the harder-to-find 'autograph cards' (pictured further above), the Sketch And Chromium "Omni-Chrome" Cards could be found randomly in every box of MEANIE BABIES, averaging one sketch card per box and 3 chromium cards per box -- card examples, sketch card 1S "VILE-RUS" and chromium card Omni4 "BABY-CUE":




7. Card #38 "SWAMPY" (pictured below in "Artwork Images") has a Cabbage Patch Kid floating in the sewer, a product that led to the Garbage Pail Kids parody, John Pound's first spoof assigment for the Topps Company.

8. A Guff! Comic featuring the MEANIE BABIES was produced by Dark Horse Comics around the same time the series was released, featuring the storyboard by Jay Lynch, and final artwork by John Pound. As an added bonus, the comic included a Bonus Card card whose image cannot be found in the regular base set and whose artwork is on the front of the comic (featured above in "Series Overview) -- card example, bonus card "CY-CLONE":

9. During 2003, artist Jay Lynch was commisioned by the Topps company to create character drawings for a potential New Set Idea called Garbage Pail Pets. Though the product was never produced, Lynch developed three pre-production pen and ink concept sketches for the proposed set. Instead, Topps slightly rendered and released the unpublished 16th series set from 1988 re-titled as All-New Series 1 from their non-sport card division. The idea is very similar to the 1998 Meanie Babies set by Comic Images, though the Garbage Pail Pets are a parody of the Garbage Pail Kids format.


10. There is No Puzzle within the set.

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ARTWORK IMAGES

9 SAMPLES OF JOHN POUND'S MEANIE BABIES FINAL ARTWORK PAINTINGS


#2 SNOTTY


#15 FLUSH


#27 FLAT


#38 SWAMPY


#47 GONUTS


#48 EXSTINKT


#50 BEAVIS


#52 GAME-BOAR


#57 HOT LIPPS

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COMPREHENSIVE CHECKLIST

1 = First Print Run

** PRINTABLE CHECKLIST **

#	CARD & STICKER NAME	ARTIST
1	HAIRBALL	John Pound
2	SNOTTY	John Pound
3	UPCHUCK	John Pound
4	SPHINXTER	John Pound
5	NO BRAINER	John Pound
6	PICKLES	John Pound
7	LITTERS	John Pound
8	BABY CUE	John Pound
9	SCUMMY	John Pound
10	WARTY	John Pound
11	VAL	John Pound
12	FROGENSTEIN	John Pound
13	MOLDIE	John Pound
14	ROADHOG	John Pound
15	FLUSH	John Pound
16	E.COLI	John Pound
17	EDDIE	John Pound
18	BAD HARE	John Pound
19	SALMONELLA	John Pound
20	PIERCY	John Pound
21	FARTFACE	John Pound
22	SPRITZER	John Pound
23	HIPPY	John Pound
24	ROTO ROOSTER	John Pound
25	PICKY-PICKY	John Pound
26	ZIPPITY	John Pound
27	FLAT	John Pound
28	BUM-BEE	John Pound
29	DOWNSIZE	John Pound
30	HOLEY COW	John Pound
31	SUCKER	John Pound
32	SPOT-LESS	John Pound
33	CLEARCUT	John Pound
34	BIG MOUTH	John Pound
35	DOWNCHUCK	John Pound
36	VILE-RUS	John Pound
37	RAT-RACE	John Pound
38	SWAMPY	John Pound
39	PIDDLES	John Pound
40	OXYMORON	John Pound
41	DE-ODOR-ANT	John Pound
42	HUNGRY	John Pound
43	BULL-ONEY	John Pound
44	MAGGOTY	John Pound
45	POUND	John Pound
46	SMARTASS	John Pound
47	GONUTS	John Pound
48	EXSTINKT	John Pound
49	NOSEJOB	John Pound
50	BEAVIS	John Pound
51	WHINOSAUR	John Pound
52	GAME-BOAR	John Pound
53	CHESTER	John Pound
54	WEBSTER	John Pound
55	ARMPIT	John Pound
56	HOUSEFLY	John Pound
57	HOT LIPPS	John Pound
58	HOOOTERS	John Pound
59	GRRRILLA	John Pound
60	TICKED OFF	John Pound
61	CHECKLIST	none
#	CHASE CARDS	ARTIST
BONUS CARD	CY-CLONE (Guff Comic Bonus Card)	John Pound
PROMO 1 of 3	LITTERS	John Pound
PROMO 2 of 3	UPCHUCK	John Pound
PROMO 3 of 3	SPHINXTER	John Pound
SKETCH 1	VILE-RUS	John Pound
SKETCH 2	NO-BRAINER	John Pound
SKETCH 3	BAD-HARE	John Pound
OMNI 1	FLUSH	John Pound
OMNI 2	WARTY	John Pound
OMNI 3	MOLDIE	John Pound
OMNI 4	BABY CUE	John Pound
OMNI 5	ROTO ROOSTER	John Pound
OMNI 6	ZIPPITY	John Pound
PROMO 1 of 3	LITTERS ("John Pound" Autograph Card w/ Seal)	John Pound
PROMO 2 of 3	UPCHUCK ("John Pound" Autograph Card w/ Seal)	John Pound
PROMO 3 of 3	SPHINXTER ("John Pound" Autograph Card w/ Seal)	John Pound

136 Total Cards = 61 Card Set + 61 Stickers + Bonus Card + 3 Promo Cards + 3 Sketch Cards + 6 Omni-Chrome Cards + 1 Autographed Card -- 138 Total Cards with all three autographed promo cards.