Cloudco & Topps Company Brand Collaboration

Cloudco Entertainment, owner of the Madballs brand, and The Topps Company, owner of the Garbage Pail Kids brand, have partnered to pit the brands against one another.

The collaboration will feature all-new 1980s-inspired artwork from Madballs and Garbage Pail Kids illustrators. It will kick off with a number of consumer goods partners, including trading cards, collector toys, soft lines, collectible augmented reality pins and more.

Topps released its Garbage Pail Kids series of trading cards in 1985, featuring humorously gross characters with appropriately irreverent names. Fifteen different card series were produced over the next three years. A Garbage Pail Kids animated series and a full slate of globally licensed consumer products also launched. Madballs rolled out its irregularly shaped toy foam balls in 1986, featuring its own characters. The brand went on to sell tens of millions of toys, inspire a series of animated specials and launch an extensive consumer products program.

Robert Prinzo, Cloudco Entertainment’s head of global licensing, said: “Madballs and GPK are of the same era and share tons of irreverent attributes so we love the idea of a fun ‘confrontational collaboration’ that plays off the two brands as competitors. Whether it’s Hollywood monsters, horror icons or comic book superheroes, fans always want to see ‘impossible’ matchups from different universes, so we’re grateful to partner with Topps and deliver the ‘grossest’ possible version of that here.”

Ira Friedman, Topps’ VP of global licensing, said: “Shared nostalgic roots and over-the-top zaniness make this collab a no-brainer. Our respective fan bases as well as pop-culture aficionados everywhere are going to have fun with this outrageous mashup.”

Ben Westover, Megalopolis’ creative director, said: “This is one of those crossovers that many of us have imagined since we were kids collecting both lines. I’ve had these matchups in my imagination since the ’80s.”

Matt Westover, Megalopolis’ CEO, added: “Garbage Pail Kids is a timeless treasure, and one of my absolute favorite properties from childhood. I’m thrilled that we have the chance to introduce the GPK and Madballs universes to one another. It’s a perfect, monstrous synergy!”

Cindy Levitt, senior VP of licensing at Mad Engine Global, said: Here at Mad Engine we are thrilled to be part of this very fun and unique collaboration of Mad Balls vs. Garbage Pail Kids brands. We can’t wait to present this kitschy collection of tees, hoodies, joggers, headwear and other accessories to our retailers. The celebration of these two iconic pop culture brands from the ’80s is just what we all need right now!”

Ilan Friedman, co-owner of Chalk Line, said: “We are humbled to be a part of The Madballs x Garbage Pail Kids brand collaboration, it represents the ultimate nostalgic marriage as two powerful properties of our youth collide. Having worked with the Garbage Pail Kids brand already, we are thrilled to pick up from where we left off while adding an incredible partner like Madballs into the mix!”

Greg Rivera, president of Mishka NYC, said: “Mishka is excited to be part of the Madballs x GPK collaboration project! We grew up collecting and obsessing over both the Madballs and Garbage Pails Kids brands. They have heavily inspired us as a brand as well as artists and creatives. We can’t wait to mix our world with the GPK x Madballs world incorporating our characters and design sensibility for graphics that will excite fans as well as opening an entirely new crowd to these classic properties.”

Caleb Paullus, founder of Pinfinity, said: “We are excited to be a part of the Madballs x Garbage Pail Kids brand collaboration and helping fans relive the ’80s and ’90s through disgustingly awesome augmented reality pin badges.”

Alan Dorfman, CEO of Super Impulse, said: “We at Super Impulse are absolutely appalled at the pairing of these despicable creatures, and cannot wait to bring our collectible toys to the grimy little hands of kids and kids-at-heart everywhere.”