Married With Children Bastei Full Box

[RRParks]

I think this might be my first posting on the Blowout Cards Forum (so if I do anything wrong here, please let me know ... I CAN LEARN! ). So, I've been seeking a complete set of the 1992/93 Married With Children card/sticker set published by Bastei. Once in awhile I come across a single card listing for $20-$40 (ouch!) ... but last week I was pointed in the direction of a full box on ebay and instantly grabbed it up. I'm unable to find much information at ALL about this series ... except that single cards (stickers?) are very rare and cost a lot ... and a full box I can find no comps or information at all ... and that there are 192 different cards/stickers to collect. But I'm left with questions such as how many packs are in this box? How many cards are in a pack? Comparative value of a full box vs. a complete set of 192 cards/stickers? Are there short prints or rares? Any chase/hit cards? I tried the 'usual places' to find information like Allender's AMAZING house of checklists site (wow does he do thorough research!) but since this is a German production that's likely the reason there's no information there that I can find. Anyone on Blow Out familiar with this card series and have any information? I'm tempted to open it and see if a full set can be built but I have no idea what their collation is like (I weighed the box and came up with 1 pound 3 ounces ... did a comparable 'weighing' with a series of 16pt cards in wrappers and figure there are roughly 220-240 cards/stickers in this box... which could, mathematically containing a full set unless the collation is awful). Any opinions would be quite welcome indeed ... such as "Should I break open this box and try and build a set or try and trade this box for a full set or...?" I certainly don't want to break into a box that's ludicrously rare ... but I DO want to have a set of the cards. Schrodinger's cat scenario that I don't want to turn into a Kobayashi Maru scenario. [Note: image for reference only ... my box is this style but can't find my digital camera so found this image online ... my box also appears sort of 'caved in' a little and the shrinkwrap is dusty and appears to be sealed with a strip of clear tape on one end... but doesn't appear to have been opened).

[GUCD231]

Hi Richard,

I found an image which according to the sell sheet states 6 cards per pack. It was also verified by a collector friend in Germany. They are also indeed cards and not stickers.

[RRParks]

Thank you GUCD231! One mystery solved for sure! Thanks! I guess TWO mysteries ... I've seen them referred to as cards AND as stickers. So sounds like they are CARDS (I wonder if they are ALSO stickers?). With singles costing $20 a pop I doubt anyone is going to actually TEST and see if they peel ...

[GUCD231]

Originally Posted by RRParks

Thank you GUCD231! One mystery solved for sure! Thanks! I guess TWO mysteries ... I've seen them referred to as cards AND as stickers. So sounds like they are CARDS (I wonder if they are ALSO stickers?). With singles costing $20 a pop I doubt anyone is going to actually TEST and see if they peel ...

I own enough of them to have damaged singles. No such luck on the sticker theory.

-Steve

[RRParks]

Excellent. And thanks! Not that cards vs. stickers would make me want the series any less ... cards or stickers, either way is good ... but now I know a little bit more about the series.

[GUCD231]

Originally Posted by RRParks

Excellent. And thanks! Not that cards vs. stickers would make me want the series any less ... cards or stickers, either way is good ... but now I know a little bit more about the series.

This is only a hunch, but with the abundance of niche sets printed in the 90's how was there never a US card version? This could have been an unlicensed set. Most if not all of my licensed collectibles have "1987 ELP Communications" printed on it somewhere.

***Edit*** Maybe not! Seems the publishing company is still around printing magazines.
https://www.luebbe.de/bastei-verlag/...lag/id_7788841

[RRParks]

The box has "1993 ELP Communications -- All Rights Reserved" printed on the back next to the Bastei logo. Am guessing this isn't a bootleg but rather some loophole in the contract between the actors and the studio that allowed for an overseas product to be licensed. And while there have been US products (licensed) I was told the other day that LIKENESSES of the actors are no longer allowed ... perhaps this is why some action figure lines can only utilize 'satirical' or 'caricatures' of the show's stars. And most likely a license for a product produced in the US for MWC would involve not just a license for the show... but a license with EACH actor of the show (making the cost to license HIGHER than the anticipated gross revenue from the sale of the product). Am sure we ALL remember the 1976 Topps King Kong card series (or even their 1973 Creature Features series where all supporting actors' faces were replaced with Topps' employee's faces in place of Basil Rathbone and others). Licensing can be a tricky animal ... Even at its simplest a licensing agreement can be 40-60 pages LONG (even an umbrella license like I had when doing the 8 series of The Three Stooges was a 40+ page licensing agreement with a HUGE amount of verbiage!).

[GUCD231]

Thank you for clearing that up Richard. I was unaware of the printing on the the box. The actual cards do not have that printed on them.

[Rictor]

Was the German name for the show "A Horrible Nice Family"?

[RRParks]

"Eine Schrecklich nette familie" does indeed translate (according to google German-English translation) as "A Horrible Nice Family" :-)

[sthoemke]

"An Awful Nice Family" is a more accurate translation.

[BobCollects]

I love learning about sets like this. I had no idea it existed.

[MoonCow]

Originally Posted by GUCD231

This is only a hunch, but with the abundance of niche sets printed in the 90's how was there never a US card version? This could have been an unlicensed set. Most if not all of my licensed collectibles have "1987 ELP Communications" printed on it somewhere.

***Edit*** Maybe not! Seems the publishing company is still around printing magazines.
https://www.luebbe.de/bastei-verlag/...lag/id_7788841

Bastei is quite a Big publishing Company here in germany, so I would be really surprised if the release was not licensed.
In the 80/90 they also released "own" Comics called "Gespenster Geschichte" Ghost Stories.. for which they also had a Trading Card Set.
Also there is a Trading Card Set for Barbie from them.
Married with Children seems to be the hardest to get of these Series

[GUCD231]

Originally Posted by MoonCow

Bastei is quite a Big publishing Company here in germany, so I would be really surprised if the release was not licensed.
In the 80/90 they also released "own" Comics called "Gespenster Geschichte" Ghost Stories.. for which they also had a Trading Card Set.
Also there is a Trading Card Set for Barbie from them.
Married with Children seems to be the hardest to get of these Series

Yeah, I was really shooting from the hip with that one. I completely missed the fact that they also printed comics from the show.
I was curious if they had printed any other trading card sets or if this was their only one. Thanks for the insight on the additional card sets they released.

[RRParks]

Oh yea, they did a LOVELY job on the cards. LOVE 'em! The color is ... unusual! Sort of other-worldly. And indeed, as you say, VERY tough to find cards ... let alone packs... let alone a box. Hopefully I can find a trading partner who needs some dupes I have ... and has some dupes I need to complete my set.

Thanks for commenting about "Gespenster Geschichte" Ghost Stories ... this REALLY sounds like a set I should try and locate!

[MoonCow]

Some Ebay links (not mine) as an Idea how they look:

Barbie: https://www.ebay.de/itm/Bastei-Barbi...5/153970331075

Gespenster Geschichten: https://www.ebay.de/itm/Gespenster-G...3/223952181234

Happy to help on aquiring "German" Stuff is someone is interested. (Only shipping to the US is a bit tricky/pricy atm)

[RRParks]

Thanks! Those monster gallery cards look NEAT... oh yea, 'thanks a lot'... now yet MORE cards I have to track down for my collection :-)

[GUCD231]

Just few updates and photos to add to this post.

With the expediting help of a fellow member here I was able to locate, purchase and now have in my possession a official MWC binder that was sold as a wrapper offer from the packs. For as hard to find as these card are, I've never seen an image of this binder anywhere before.








I was given some info from a German publication Deutsche Cards und Tütenbilder which is German cards and bags. It's the only publication that actually has images as well as set information for these cards. I was told it's from 2014.



AC means Cards & Album, OAC means there are only Cards and no Album ("Ohne Album Cards")



Some general photos of the card w/back and wrapper w/back.




If you have any info about this set or corrections to my post please post them here. I know there's a few of us who would love to find out more about this set.

[Rictor]

Interesting...I hadn't seen the German comics. Apparently, they are reprints of the American comics. I took am surprised that an American trading card set didn't come out in the nineties the same time as the American comic books were being printed.

https://marriedwithchildren.fandom.c...WC_Comic_Books

Here's some other merchandise produced:

https://marriedwithchildren.fandom.com/wiki/Merchandise

[sakdjfhdskfjhds]

I’m just stumbling across this upon looking for this set. Might anyone have an idea of how to find some of these cards?

[TimBuckTwo]

Originally Posted by sakdjfhdskfjhds

I’m just stumbling across this upon looking for this set. Might anyone have an idea of how to find some of these cards?

Gunta gleeben gloten globben

[Gidtheson]

He's pretty fly for a white guy

[chilly55]

I got somethin' to say, yeah
It's better to burn out, yeah
Than fade away