MINIKINS SERIES 1 THEN & NOW

One of the first things collectors noticed when viewing the new Series 1 MiniKins figures was the inclusion of some of the popular Cheap Toys sculpts from the 80s. Naturally, GEEPEEKAY wanted to compare the figures to see what changed over the years!

A total of SIX characters were featured in both the original Cheap Toys line and MiniKins Series 1, and 27 YEARS passed between releases of Garbage Pail Kids mini-figures

ADAM BOMB

ADAM Bomb Then & Now

  • CHEAP TOYS HEIGHT: 1 5/16"
  • MINIKINS HEIGHT: 1 7/8"
  • SCULPT-TO-SCULPT SIMILARITY: Low
  • FACTS AND OBSERVATIONS: Topps corrected a long-time complaint about the Adam Bomb figure by sculpting him in a seated position, matching his iconic sticker image. This sculpt is about as close to perfect as you can get when comparing it to the sticker. The only minor complaint circulating in the collecting community is the tendency for the mushroom cloud to be a little angled on certain figures

CORRODED CARL

Corroded CARL Then & Now

  • CHEAP TOYS HEIGHT: 1 3/8"
  • MINIKINS HEIGHT: 1"
  • SCULPT-TO-SCULPT SIMILARITY: High
  • FACTS AND OBSERVATIONS: The Cheap Toys version of this character used his twin-name "Crater CHRIS". Aside from a missing-tube of acne cream on the MiniKins figure, this might be the closest sculpt-to-sculpt accuracy between the two toy lines

BRAINY JANIE

Brainy JANIE Then & Now

  • CHEAP TOYS HEIGHT: 1 1/2"
  • MINIKINS HEIGHT: 1 1/8"
  • SCULPT-TO-SCULPT SIMILARITY: Low
  • FACTS AND OBSERVATIONS: The Cheap Toys version of this character spelled her name "Janey" on the checklist. Similar to the Adam Bomb figure, Topps made the choice to put Janie in a seated position, as she is depicted on her sticker. This really helps the accuracy of the sculpt - now all that's missing is her little (archaic) computer!

PATTY PUTTY

PATTY Putty Then & Now

  • CHEAP TOYS HEIGHT: 1 1/2"
  • MINIKINS HEIGHT: 15/16"
  • SCULPT-TO-SCULPT SIMILARITY: Medium
  • FACTS AND OBSERVATIONS: The Cheap Toys version of this character used her twin-name "Muggin' MEGAN". Again - similar to Adam and Janie - Topps increased the sculpt-accuracy of Patty by having her sit down matching the original drawing by John Pound. (Apparently making a character SIT was difficult back in the 80s?!) Aside from this sculpt-change, the figures are extremely similar

LEAKY LINDSAY

Leaky LINDSAY Then & Now

  • CHEAP TOYS HEIGHT: 1 5/16"
  • MINIKINS HEIGHT: 1 1/16"
  • SCULPT-TO-SCULPT SIMILARITY: High
  • FACTS AND OBSERVATIONS: Lindsay actually saw very little change from the Cheap Toys version. In fact, aside from the inclusion of more snot, the sculpts are surprisingly similar. This isn't necessarily a bad-thing, as the Cheap Toys Lindsay was an incredible sculpt, and also extremely accurate to the sticker character

RUSSELL MUSCLE

RUSSELL Muscle Then & Now

  • CHEAP TOYS HEIGHT: 1 3/8"
  • MINIKINS HEIGHT: 1 1/8"
  • SCULPT-TO-SCULPT SIMILARITY: Medium
  • FACTS AND OBSERVATIONS: The Cheap Toys version of this character used his twin-name "BRETT Sweat". Sadly, the name is not the only significant change to this sculpt. For some reason Topps decided to remove his weights in the MiniKins version, making him flexing instead, actually decreasing his sculpt-to-sticker accuracy. This is the only figure from Series 1 MiniKins to actually become LESS accurate over the years