Put on your tin foil hat and prepare for the worst, because according to this set the martian invasion will be violent and gory!
The 1962 Mars Attacks Set consists of 55 cards in total. The set was manufactured by Topps under the dummy corporation "Bubbles, Inc." The artwork for the set was created by Norman Saunders (who also did the artwork for Civil War News, Battle!, Batman, Flags of the World, and Wacky Packs). Woody Gelman, who had a hand in helping Sy Berger create the design for the 1952 Topps Baseball Card Set, created the story that would show up on the back of the cards.
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| # 30 Trapped - 1962 Bubbles Inc. Mars Attacks |
The cards were distributed via vending machine, costing 5 cents for a pack of five. They initially sparked some controversy with parents because of their gory images and sexually explicit themes. The violent depictions were not the norm for trading cards from that era.
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| Image of the card back |
The public backlash, caused Topps to initially "censor" some of the more violent and gory cards. Eventually, due to mounting pressure and lawsuits brought forth against them, Topps was forced to stop production of the set.
This set became extremely popular amongst kids and fans of monster-themed cards. This was partly due to the array of destruction on humankind depicted through death rays, fire, and giant insects. Another reason was that the children's parents didn't want them to have the cards, which made the kids want to collect them even more!
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| # 1 The Invasion Begins - 1962 Bubbles Inc. Mars Attacks |
The first card, "The Invasion Begins" as well as the last card, which is a checklist, are the two most valuable cards in the set. These cards command a premium in higher grades.
The 1962 Bubbles Inc. Mars Attacks set is still one of the most popular non-sports collectors sets around. Dean's Cards has an extensive inventory if you are wanting to buy Mars Attacks cards. And if you want to sell cards, we are also ALWAYS buying 1962 Topps Mars Attacks Cards. DeansCards.com also carries 1962 Bubbles Inc. Mars Attacks Reprints, and Reprint Sets. If you're interested in Mars Attacks cards, check out 1964 Bubbles Inc. Outer Limits Cards!
These are so cool, thanks for the article.
ReplyDeleteI looked at the Outer Limits cards and was very disappointed to learn the cards have no tie to the actual episodes. Pictures yes, but the caption and story on the back are not the same. What a shame.