Garbage Pail Kids Flashback Printing Plates

Garbage Pail Kids Flashback Logo
Original Printing Plates were inserted into the Garbage Pail Kids Flashback packs that were released in 2010. The printing plates are metal and come in four colors; Yellow, Black, Cyan and Magenta. Each sticker used all four printing plates during the printing process. According to Topps, the plates were placed into packs at a ratio of 1:1790. There is some controversy surrounding the stated ratio however. No more than two colors of any one character’s plate has been found. This leads some people to believe that two plates for every character are still held in the Topps Vault. Additionally, no ‘b’ plates have been found. It appears only ‘a’ plates were put into packs. It is unclear if ‘a’ & ‘b’ plates were necessary to print the cards. All the plates that have been found to date have stickers on the back with ‘a’ on them. If there are no ‘b’ plates then why put the ‘a’ on the plates?

Yellow GPK Flashback Printing Plate Example

Garbage Pail Kids Flashback Printing Plate 12a - Yellow

12a GPK Printing Plate Front - Yellow

Garbage Pail Kids Flashback Printing Plate 12a - Yellow - Back

12a GPK Printing Plate Back - Yellow

Cyan GPK Flashback Printing Plate Example

22a Cyan Garbage Pail Kids Flashback Printing Plate Front

22a GPK Printing Plate Cyan - Front

22a Garbage Pail Kids Flashback Printing Plate Cyan - Back

22a GPK Printing Plate Cyan - Back

If only ‘a’ plates were used to make the GPK Flashback set, there would be a total of 320 plates (4 colors x 80 cards = 320 plates). If only two colors of every printing plate was placed into packs, then a total of 160 GPK Flashback plates were put into packs. If this is the case, the actual ratio of plates to packs would be 1:3580.

There were also some errors made with the plates. The stickers on the original Bony Joanie plates were mixed up with the stickers on the Where Are They Now (WATN) Bony Joanie plates. The original Bony Joanie Flashback card is 7a. The WATN Bony Joanie card is 76a. However, the stickers on the original Bony Joanie card printing plates are 76a; the stickers on the WATN Bony Joanie card printing plates are 7a.

GPK Flashback Bony Joanie 7a

Flashback Card 7a

Flashback Card 76a - Bony Joanie Where are They Now

Flashback Card 7

Above you see the Garbage Pail Kids Flashback 7a and 76a cards.  Below is the GPK Flashback Printing plate for 7a Bony Joanie but the back of the plate has the sticker for 76a Bony Joanie WATN.  I believe all 7a/76a plates have the incorrect stickers on them.

GPK Flashback 7a Black Printing Plate

7a GPK FB Black Printing Plate

GPK Flashback 7a printing plate back with error sticker

Back of 7a plate with 76a sticker

If anyone comes across images of other 7a or 76a printing plates please contact me so I can post them.

Additionally I challenge anyone to show photographs of more than 2 colors of any one character’s plates.

Magenta GPK Flashback Printing Plate Example

73a Garbage Pail Kids Flashback Printing Plate Magenta - Front

73a GPK FB Plate Magenta - Front

73a Garbage Pail Kids Flashback Printing Plate - Magenta - Back

73a GPK FB Plate Magenta - Back

Black GPK Flashback Printing Plate Example

Garbage Pail Kids Flashback Printing Plate Black

73a GPK FB Plate Black - Front

Garbage Pail Kids Flashback Printing Plate Black - Back

73a GPK FB Plate Black - Back

Garbage Pail Kids

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