 2008-12-15 - Wacky ephemera in book form
This is a great book put together with care. The cover is made of a similar waxy paper that we all know from unwrapping these sticker/card collections when we were kids. Series 1-7 are all pictured and each image is given a full page. The intro is by Art Spiegelman. Who knew he worked at Topps?
The book is not very large but reproduces the art at double the size, which is nice. This book is a must have for any fan of these cards as well as anyone who loves nostalgia and ephemera in general.
A great book all around.
 2008-12-06 - Very good, but a tad less than I'd been led to expect
I got my copy of the book today. Most of the images do indeed show a level of detail and a richness of color largely unseen until now. However, several of the images were clearly scanned from the mass-produced stickers and are muddy and misregistered to varying degrees (see Lavirus for very obvious example of this). I'm just happy and amazed that Topps had retained as many of the original color separations as they did. Nice li'l book, and count me in for the sequel. Until then, you'll find me at wackypackages(dot)org.
2008-11-28 - Wrong edition received
Ordered on November 22, 2008, but must already be too late to receive the 1st printing, as I received the 2nd printing, instead (even though picture of book's dust jacket on Amazon product page is of 1st edition, as indicated by "Interview with Art Spiegelman"--whereas 2nd printing says "Introduction by Art Spiegelman"). The four bonus stickers included in the back are: Schmutz Beer, Alcohol Seltzer, Blast Blew Ribbon Beer, and KOOK Cigarettes.
2008-11-18 - Wacky Packages..Really Takes Me Back....
They were making these stickers when I was still a young child. My brother used to stick them all over his bedstead (fond memories) and I'd stick them on my school portfolios in Middle School. Always good for a laugh, then and now. The book is a neat time machine, of sorts. Though it only covers a few series and decades, it's still a great memorial to the concept "What If...MAD made stickers of the products/genres/fads/styles that they parodied?" (yes I grew up with MAD too.) I recommend this interesting book, esp. if you grew up with the stickers and some of the tacky stuff they make fun of.
2008-10-13 - Collections strong in advertising, art, or collectibles will find it a popular pick
'Wacky Packages' are a series of collectible stickers featuring parodies of consumer products and brands. They first appeared in 1967 and were the only Topps Company product to achieve higher sales than their line of baseball cards - but until now have received relatively slim mention. This new book is the first collection of Series One through Seven and offers images of over two hundred rare stickers. Collections strong in advertising, art, or collectibles will find it a popular pick with each page offering a full-page color image of a 'wacky package' sticker.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
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