Hallowed Halloween Cards
In 1995, Topps put out a “Visions of Vampirella” set. It may be remembered for the scantily-clad-ness of it all, but the real fun was in the “chase” for six glow-in-the-dark limited run cards (as well as a couple of ahead-of-its-time foil inserts).
There is a rich history of fun, campy Halloween and horror cards over the past few decades. Obviously, Garbage Pail Kids lean on the grotesque and frightening, but even the last couple of years of Topps Baseball Update Series have featured jack-o-lantern foil hologram inserts.
Topps, in particular, seems to shine when it marries collecting with holidays. In 2019, Bowman had limited edition turkey-stamped and holiday plaid versions of its cards (as well as one featuring a literal turkey…but more on that in a month). And there is a full “Topps Holiday” line dedicated to winter traditions.
But Halloween is a little different when it comes to cards. There’s a pervasive theme of fun that can run the gamut, from goofy captioning of terrifying “Nightmare on Elm Street” scenes to the underrated design of the Topps Digital offerings. And for the most part–with the exception of things like Paul Skenes rookies with the Jack O’Lantern refractor–you can get Halloween and horror-themed cards at a fairly reasonable price. Even Nasty Nick, technically the “first” Garbage Pail Kid, is significantly lower in price than Adam Bomb cards.
To celebrate All Hallows’ Eve, we ranked the 5 Best Halloween(ish) Cards of the Past 40 Years. The only limit we placed was a maximum of two GPKs, lest the list runneth over with a line that is essentially screaming Halloween by nature.
Cards were rated in five categories on a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being the best): Weirdness/Creativity, Iconicness, Big Dumb Fun, Overt Halloween-ness, and Scare Factor.
5. 1988 Topps Fright Flicks #2 Man That Soup is Hot
Weirdness/Creativity: 8
Iconicness: 6
Big Dumb Fun: 10
Overt Halloween-ness: 3
Scare Factor: 7
Total: 34
This card was part of the 1988 Fright Flicks line, which may ultimately be remembered for its colorful wrappers. A Nightmare on Elm Street — and Freddy Kreuger, in particular — get roasted by what can best be described as a “dunk tank heckler” in charge of captioning the cards.
Forced to pick just one, “Man That Soup is Hot” is just so bizarrely funny paired with the photo of Amanda Bearse (you may remember her as Marcy from “Married With Children”) from the 1985 horror classic “Fright Night.” This is a scary scene! It is iconic! …And it’s paired with a soup joke. This degree of creativity has to be applauded, especially on a night dedicated to scares, tricks, and general tomfoolery. This card captures all three.
4. Topps Marvel Collect! Halloween ’23 Ghostrider
Weirdness/Creativity: 6
Iconicness: 10
Big Dumb Fun: 10
Overt Halloween-ness: 10
Scare Factor: 1
Total: 37
Full disclosure: I’m not a Collect-or. But man, that soup is h — no wait. Man, that line is fantastic. It’s so beautifully designed and spot-on, with so many cool cards. It captures the fun and aesthetic of Halloween so well. Even if you aren’t a Topps Digital aficionado—or even a Marvel person—the way this line embraces Halloween so perfectly may be the push one needs to poke around a little more in Collect.
3. 1985 Topps Garbage Pail Kids #1a Nasty Nick
Weirdness/Creativity: 8
Iconicness: 10
Big Dumb Fun: 10
Overt Halloween-ness: 6
Scare Factor: 4
Total: 38
This is the 1a of Garbage Pail Kids, and it’s ironically become the 1a of iconic GPKs, after Adam Bomb. It’s Halloween! We need a vampire in here!! Nasty Nick, like Jack O. Lantern, has its beauty in the subtleties. He’s draining the blood of what appears to be a Barbie doll — albeit one with short hair and sunglasses for reasons that only mid-80s lawyers can explain. But the doll does have two puncture wounds, so Nasty Nick has already done the deed. Honorable mention here to Eerie Eric/Berserk Kirk, who came along in Series 3 on a very fits-the-mood Halloween background. In another life, Berserk Kirk, you are the iconic 1a!
2. 1986 Topps Garbage Pail Kids #153a Jack O. Lantern
Weirdness/Creativity: 8
Iconicness: 7
Big Dumb Fun: 10
Overt Halloween-ness: 10
Scare Factor: 4
Total: 39
Is it too on the nose to have Jack O. Lantern as one of our top Halloween cards? It works because it’s not just a kid with a jack-o’-lantern as his head — he’s actually carving out his eyes, and there are scraps on the ground where he carved out the rest of his face. Also, this is a child in a suit with knickers, handling a knife as wax from a hot candle drips down his hand. AND he has dimples. Which one must assume were also carved in. It’s the subtleties that make this one work. Every GPK has a story!
1. 2020 Topps Allen & Ginter Where Monsters Live insert set
Weirdness/Creativity: 10
Iconicness: 4
Big Dumb Fun: 10
Overt Halloween-ness: 7
Scare Factor: 10
Total: 41
This may sound like hyperbole, but it is not—Where Monsters Live is possibly the greatest insert set ever made. Someone had to be sitting in a room at some point and brought up 10 good places where monsters traditionally live. And then an artist took that and made a series of pieces with subtle outlines or eyes, or even not-so-subtle arms coming out from under the bed. And then someone else said, “We should make these glow in the dark.” And somehow, some way, this insert set of cards hasn’t become a cultural phenomenon and can be had for under $10 on the open market.
But what better time to celebrate the creepy series than Halloween?
And shoutout to the 1996 Goosebumps “Ghost Beach” card for its glow-in-the-darkness, too. The world needs more glow-in-the-dark cards! Hopefully, a Halloween celebration featuring some classics will help.
Happy Halloween, everyone! And may all your soups be lukewarm!
