David Gordon Green Says ‘Garbage Pail Kids’ Series Still in Development

The Max animated series from Danny McBride, Green, and Josh Bycel described as ‘naughty’ and first revealed in 2021 is based on the iconic Topps trading card brand, launched in 1985 as a Cabbage Patch Kids parody.

The Exorcist: Believer director David Gordon Green has confirmed that the Max, Topps, Tornante TV, and Rough House Pictures animated series based on the iconic “Garbage Pail Kids” trading card brand, first announced in 2021, is still in development. Danny McBride (The Mitchells vs. The MachinesThe Righteous Gemstones), Green, and Josh Bycel (Solar Opposites) are writing and co-creating.

Green recently described the series as “naughty” in an interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast.

"Right now, I'm excited, [Danny] McBride and I are trying to do an animated series based on the Garbage Pail Kids cards," Green said. "You ever had those cards? So, we're working on that, and we've got some really cool ways that we can make a pretty naughty animated show, we'll see if they'll have us on that one. So, there's certainly - I use that as an example of pulling something out of IP, but making it personal, and making what appeals to me about it. Not necessarily just engineering it for everyone in the world."

The family-friendly series is inspired by McBride and Green’s love for “Garbage Pail Kids” and Saturday morning cartoons. Tornante TV’s Noel Bright and Steven A. Cohen will executive produce alongside Rough House’s Brandon James (The Righteous Gemstones) and McBride, Green, and Bycel. Tornante TV recently produced Emmy Award-winning BoJack Horsemen for Netflix and Undone for Amazon.

The Topps Company, part of Tornante’s portfolio, created “Garbage Pail Kids” in 1985 as a parody of the then hugely popular Cabbage Patch Kids dolls. The trading cards, with their gross-out humor and subversive attitude, quickly became hugely popular.

A premiere date for the Garbage Pail Kids series has not yet been announced.

L'Wren Alexa's picture

Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—L'Wren brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.