1990 Topps Simpsons Trading Cards
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Product Details
For a show that's been around for such a long time, there really aren't a lot of sets of Simpsons trading cards. However, there was one very early one that helped usher in the classic series. 1990 Topps Simpsons trading cards is a simple set by today's standards. Even when it first came out it was nothing fancy. But that almost seems to be the point.
The 88-card base set features images from the first episodes. The characters have the crude look to them that was quickly tweaked. The design uses an animated television as the basis. Just like the machine it's mimicking, it's clunky. The "screen" has the card's main content with a still from the show. Comic captions add zingers and classic lines.
While the entire Simpsons clan gets their share of cards, the focus of the 1990 Topps Simpsons trading cards set is clearly on Bart. This rang true to the show with him being the rebel and Homer being more of a grumpy neanderthal than the more rounded lovable oaf he evolved into. Several cards have Homer going after his son and Bart coolly retorting.
The set also has 22 stickers. For those who grew up with the show, images on the stickers are likely very familiar. Most could be found on the T-shirts that were popular when the show became a hit. Like the base set, Bart is the main focus. "Underachiever and proud of it," "Cowabunga, man!" and "I'm Bart Simpson, who the hell are you?" all find their way into the set. Sticker backs all have a different chalkboard gag.
One of the trademarks of The Simpsons is its cast of characters. Base card fronts don't show this as they're all about the titular family. However, many of the base card backs form a puzzle that offer a glimpse at Springfield's greater population. Other card backs double as trivia cards. It wouldn't be until the next Simpsons trading card set, which was released in 1993 by SkyBox, that collectors would get a deeper look into the characters.
1990 Topps Simpsons trading cards is one of the final sets to go with the format of basic cards, stickers and gum. Even by the time this set came out, the hobby was changing. Inserts were becoming popular and printing techniques better. But even though it's not fancy, it's a nice, affordable piece of early Simpsons memorabilia.
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Set Checklist
1990 Topps Simpsons Checklist
Base Set Checklist
88 cards.
1 Don't Forget Your Lunches!
2 Suck!
3 I'm Lisa Simpson -- I'm Above Domestic Cleaning!
4 I'm Bart Seemp-Seau, Famous Underwater Explorer!
5 No More Television -- For All Eternity!
6 I Have an Announcement to Make: I'm Bored!
7 Marge -- You're My Wife, But Cupcakes Are My Mistress!
8 Calm Down, Boy! It Was Just a Nightmare!
9 Comic Are for Kids, Boy!
10 Time for Our Favorite Cartoon, "Itchy & Scratchy."
11 The Family that Mambos Together, Stays Together!
12 "Bart!" "Uh, Oh…"
13 Are We At Weenie Barn Yet?
14 We're the Grown-Ups and You're the Children -- Understand?
15 Help! I'm a Fully Developed Female Trapped Inside the Body of a Child!
16 Suck! Suck!
17 Now Get in There and Clean Up that Mess!
18 Come Back Here, You Little Smartass!
19 Tolstoy Schmolstoy! Space Mutants II Is What I Call a Work of Genius!
20 I'm No Supervising Technician…I'm a Technical Supervisor.
21 All Right! "America's Most Armed and Dangerous" Is On!
22 Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
23 Suck! Suck! Suck!
24 Homework is Society's Way of Torturing Their Young!
25 No Reststops for the Next 16 Hours!
26 Zee Brave Undair Sea Exploraire Wrestles Ze Huge Sea Monstair ro Zee Better End!
27 Look Homer, Clean as a Whistle!
28 "We Can Never Let Him Down. He'll Kill Us." "My Thoughts Exactly."
29 Don't Bug Me. I'm Studying, Man!
30 And Don't Come Out Until You Sparkle, Boy!
31 Maggie? Lisa? You In There?
32 "Should I Turn on the TV?" "I Already Is On."
33 Don't Have a Cow, Man!
34 Bart! Get Back Here!!!
35 Anybody Seen Maggie?!
36 Marge, Let's Run Away from Home.
37 "She's Such an Adorable Infant!" "Gootchie Gootchie Goo!" "I Think She Needs Her Diaper Changed, Man!"
38 It's the Bart Simpson Show. Starring Bart Simpson and Featuring the Bart Simpson Orchestra and the Bart Simpson Dancers.
39 Quiet! Genius at Work, Man!
40 Shut Up Back There, You Little Smart Alecks!
41 Bart! Did You Eat All the Pork Rinds?!
42 What'll It Be Tonight, Marge? The Rusty Barnacle or the Singing Sirloin?
43 Suck! Suck! Suck!
44 'March Your Little Butts Straight Up to Bed, You Little Hellions! Pronto!" "Can the Rest of Our Bodies Stay Up and Play?"
45 Happy Father's Day, Dad. They Were 12 for a Dollar at Bud's "Big 'N' Wide" Shop
46 Stand Back, Comrades! The Smell Alone from the Closet Can Be Lethal!
47 There's Nothing More Disheartening to Young Fertile Minds Than the 5:00 News Hours!
48 Right on, Dude!
49 Who Do You Think You Are, Thomas Edison?!
50 This Looks Like the Job of One Batholomew J. Simpson!
51 "You Said "Left"." "I Said "Right"."
52 "It's Quiet." "Yeah, Too Quiet!"
53 Kids Out there in TV Land…You're Being Duped!
54 There's Only So Much One Hell Raisin' Kid Can Take, Man!
55 It's Amazing How Much Beauty and Intelligence Can Fit Into Such a Petite Frame!
56 Aaauuughhh!
57 Who Ate My Cookies?
58 Back Off Homer. I Happen to Be Having Some Very Educational Dreams.
59 I Said, Knock It Off!!
60 Don't Blame Us, Dad! We're Merely Acting Under the Whim of Our Genetic Programming!
61 Go to Bed! Go to Bed Right Now!!
62 "There's Only One Cookie Left!" "And Somebody's Responsible!"
63 I Didn't Do It. Nobody Saw Me Do It. You Can't Prove Anything."
64 Gangway Man!
65 Which of You Ate My Last Donut!
66 "Bart?" "Uh Oh Gotta Hide."
67 Las One to the Breakfast Table Is a Wimp, Man!
68 God Help Me.
69 Bart, You're Such a Dimwit!
70 I'm Bart Simpson, Who the Hell Are You?
71 "Your Father's Chasing After Bart Because He Loves Him." "Nice Try Mom."
72 BBAARRTTTT!
73 "I Can't Wait to See the Happy Little Elves!" "Oh, Grow Up, Man! The Crappy Little Elves Are for Babies!"
74 "Why You Little…!!!" "Let's Break for a Commercial."
75 For the Last Time, I'm the Parent and You're the Children!
76 I Think It's Time to Go Down to the Dairy Den for Some Frosty Chocolate Milkshakes!
77 "Let's Take Turns Yelling Into the Canyon. Lisa, You Start." "Okay. Borrrrrring!!!"
78 Marge! Where's the Personal Sections of Today's Paper?!
79 We Have No Idea Who Made This Mess.
80 This Is the Life, Man.
81 "Me, Bartunga!" "Me, Leesumba!"
82 "Unga, Bunga, Yunga, Ho!
83 There Is Justice in the World, Maggie.
84 Suck, Suck, Suck, Suck, Suck.
85 Uh, Oh…
86 Another Day of Parental Oppression.
87 Aye, Carumba!
88 "Apple Polisher!" "Thank You Very Much, I Take That as a Compliment!"
Stickers Checklist
2 Underachiever
3 Peace, Man
4 Bart Simpson
5 Maggie Simpson
6 Marge Simpson
7 Homer Simpson
8 The Simpsons
9 All-American Dad
10 Homer Strangling Bart
11 I'm Bart Simpson. Who the Hell Are You?
13 There Was a Little Accident at the Power Plant Today.
14 Go for It, Dude.
15 No Way, Man!
16 Cowabunga, Man!
17 I'm Going to Tell Mom and Dad!
18 The All-American Family
19 Queen of the Blues
20 Suck Suck Suck
21 Fun Has a Name and It's Bartholomew J. Simpson.
22 That's My Boy!
