The Garbage Pail Kids are back in a new game from publisher iam8bit, which will release for modern platforms and, surprisingly, the NES. In the 80s, Garbage Pail Kids were trading cards that featured gross-out caricatures parodying the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls, yet despite its popularity, it never received its own NES game. Previously, iam8bit published a rerelease of Battletoads for NES for a limited time.
In a time when kid’s entertainment was more child-friendly, the risqué imagery of Garbage Pail Kids trading cards was a phenomenon. Thanks to its over-the-top art ranging from childish to borderline revolting, Garbage Pail Kids cards lined the pockets and lunchboxes of millions of kids through the 80s. With many 80s icons seeing successful resurgences, such as the popular Karate Kid continuation, Cobra Kai, it was only a matter of time before Garbage Pail Kids would return as well. Fellow 80s icons the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have also been experiencing a gaming resurgence of late, with the release of TMNT: Cowabunga Collection - which repackaged a number of classic Turtles games - and TMNT: Shredder's Revenge harkening back to the heroes in a half shell's golden era.
Publisher iam8bit and developer Retrotainment has resurrected another 80s icon with Garbage Pail Kids: Mad Mike and the Quest for Stale Gum. Co-written by Adam F. Goldberg, maker of the Garbage Pail Kids Mad Mike: Fury Load stop-motion shorts, Mad Mike and the Quest for Stale Gum is an 8-bit side-scrolling adventure from the golden age of NES gaming and stars four playable Garbage Pail Kids. Armed with disgusting abilities - including snot rockets, diaper slams, and vomit - players must navigate a time-traveling adventure that spans Egypt, Transylvania, and even Hell. The game also contains a slew of extra features made with assistance from Digital Eclipse, who developed the Disney Afternoon Collection and TMNT: Cowabunga Collection retro game bundles. The extras include a supercut of Mad Mike: Fury Load shorts, a documentary trailer, Concept Art, Music Player, and card scans of original Garbage Pail Kids cards. For those wanting the complete retro experience, iam8bit is also releasing a fully playable NES cartridge of the game. The cartridge is priced at $79.99 and ships in two random colors: Mad Mike Blue or Stale Gum Pink. Both include a retro box, a full-color instruction booklet, four jumbo 5"x7" trading cards of the playable kids, and a download code for the digital edition.
The Garbage Pail Kids Make A Retro Game Comeback With Mad Mike & The Quest For Stale Gum
As a love letter to both Garbage Pail Kids and NES gaming, it's admirable how in-depth iam8bit and Retrotainment's homage actually is. Offering a faithful release of an 8-bit game in style typically reserved for Limited Run releases like Bill and Ted's Excellent Retro Collection for PS5 and Switch, Garbage Pail Kids looks to recapture every novelty of 80s gaming down to its unboxing. The new Garbage Pail Kids game now joins several other iam8bit modern NES and SNES cartridges alongside Battletoads, MegaMan X, and Earthworm Jim.
Garbage Pail Kids: Mad Mike and the Quest for Stale Gum releases digitally October 25 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam for $9.99. Pre-orders for the NES cartridges are available on iam8bit.com and due to ship in Q1 2023. With iam8bit continuing to find success in retro cartridges, one wonders if cartridge gaming will see the same resurgence arcade cabinets have seen thanks to Arcade1UP's home arcade machines, like Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. Hopefully, with Garbage Pail Kids: Mad Mike and the Quest for Stale Gum, Retrotainment and iam8bit can give Garbage Pail Kids fans the NES experience they've always wanted.
Source: iam8bit.com, iam8bit/YouTube