All Mod Stick-Ons

I managed to snag some grail-like pieces a couple of months ago, in the form of Topps Mod Generation Stickers, believed to have been issued in 1969. While I've covered these previously (see here and then click down as far as you interest takes you) it's been using production items like transparencies and proofs, as these are truly rare birds since the test of these seems to have failed miserably. That failure, coupled with the built-in self-destruction offered by any kind of stickers, has led to a supply issue that's stretched well over a half-century now.

So here are 13 of these bad boys (and girls), in all their hippie-fied, psychedelic glory:

The detail on some of these is impressive. Check out the bead and fringe work on the halter top and the pattern on the bellbottoms Frances is wearing (and is that a marijuana leaf tattoo around her belly button?):

As you can see, most of these are full figures, with just a single portrait in the batch I snagged.  As expected, the backs are blank:

Something intrigues me about these beyond the look of the stickers though.  Topps generally (although not always) included some kind of card in their sticker packs to stiffen the novelty, even in a test pack, but I've never seen any reference to one for this issue. I'm not sure why that is.  Perhaps the answer lies in a couple of other obscure sets, neither of which has yet to yield me a type example.  Those would be Pop Guns (commodity code indicates 1971) and Goofy Goggles (said to be 1967), both roughly issued around the same time as Mod Generation and just as scarce. Both of these were sold in an elongated envelope, like the almost-perennial Flying Things, but I do wonder if one of them was planned to ride along.  Probably not but the idea intrigues me.

A Tale Of Two Berts

A recently concluded REA auction had a pretty sizeable offering of 1969 Mod Generation Stickers original art. You can click on the appropriate labl to see but I've shown a half dozen or so of these previously.  A couple of the originals have already been shown here so I'll skip those and there's one little headscratcher as well.

There's nine to show.  Here's Bert:

All well and good but this is also Bert:

It looks like a second Bert label was created and incorrectly applied as that particular elephant-flared individual is known as Louis in the set.  Charlie is pretty far out man:

Is Herb looking for some herb?

Judy, Judy, Judy....what kind of instrument is she holding?!

Personally, I've always liked mini-skirts:

Why does Paul have a cane?

Meanwhile Pete is really groovin':

Maybe Phil's playing along?

The set was definitely a period piece and at this point I think all the actual flower children are in their 70's (or worse). A lot of nostalgic fads have come and gone only to be reignited a generation later but it seems to me the hippie fashions did not really re-appear in the 90's.  Maybe Pete and Phil are playing an elegy.....

Acetate Trip

Well a whole lotta 1968 Topps Mod Generation production materials have been showing up on eBay of late-boy howdy!  This trove of original paste-ups and acetate overlays shows how tough the original set is to find examples from-I have seen more production materials (dozens of subjects) than original stickers (2) since I started tracking this set in earnest 7 or 8 years ago.

Here is Jimmy's original art and black acetate overlay.  You needed rubber cement, white-out, an Exact-o knife and a steady hand to make a set back in the 60's:

Groovy man-dig those elephant flares! Note that we have seen these acetate overlays before-it was how things were done into the 1970's before a different, albeit somewhat similar process that involved more color layers, became the norm before digital layouts were even a glimmer in Ben Solomon's eye.  Here's how they looked once stacked:

 Not far out enough for you?  Check this dude out:

George has really got some threads, I mean wow!

Probstein always has a bunch of Mod Generation proofs up on the 'bay but these are not part of his offerings.  He has enough out there that I may be able to eventually use the process of elimination to determine what name belongs to this image:

You can see it's a short name but all the pasted on bits have been lost. I'll take a whack at it when I have a little down time and update if I find anything.  It's not Ann though:

Those earrings would have hurt in real life!  And who's this happy couple?

Why it's me and my wife!  I had this framed up for our 30th Anniversary a little while back.  Sorry about the glare!

Mod Top

If there is a Topps set that I'd like to complete but absolutely know is impossible, it would no doubt be 1969's Mod Generation Stickers.  I have covered them here in the past and don't necessarily have a lot to add but a really groovy MGS item has surfaced, namely the original art for the box top:

Is that cosmic or what?!  Really, look at the composition of this thing, it's quite astounding.  The level of detail is just amazing-look at the guitar player's shirt and the girl's scarf if you don't believe me:

I'm thinking that is a Norman Saunders airbrush job deluxe!  Saunders did the finish artwork based upon Trina Robbins' original concepts (although to what degree it's hard to say) and I suspect her work is more properly displayed on this test wrapper detail:

Nice enough illustration but the box top really just pops compared to the wrapper.

In other Mod Generation Stickers news...Topps vault has been selling color separation proofs of late. I managed to snag the yellow featuring my own character but alas missed out on my wife's.  Perhaps she will show up in another color:

And you can always find any number of finished proofs and partials over on eBay but their continued languishing makes me think they are priced too high to move:

If you click on over to the Norman Saunders website, you can see all 55 stickers presented there, plus some other surprises.  Somewhere out there lurks an unpublished topless girl (oh, you kid!) proof as well. What is painfully and obviously missing of course, are the stickers proper. With 55 in the set you would think more would be out there but the peelablility factor coupled with this issue not making it past the test phase makes finding one of these suckers a right proper problem.

A related issue is the 1969 Love Initials/1972 Mod Initial Stickers set, which is just as day-glowey and far out as Mod Generation. The Saunders site also digs into them and is well worth a look

There is some really groovy information on Love Initials and its related cousins here.

Groovy Man!

As we near the 40th anniversary of Woodstock strange vibes are in the air. While the crescendo surrounding events at Yasgur's Farm will build until mid-summer, we can get an early start on things right here with a quick look at a test sticker set called Mod Generation.

55 gorgeous die-cut stickers were issued in this test set, each showing a very colorful person with a nameplate below:


(from http://www.normansaunders.com/ModGen,01.html)

The stickers were designed by Trina Robbins and then redrawn by Norman Saunders. They are indeed far out in concept and design. You can see a lot more of these here.

Original artwork from the set has surfaced, here is a fine example:



Researching this post led to the discovery that the scrawl in the lower right corner was Woody Gelman's approval of the artwork. Speaking of artwork, check out the test wrapper:



These tallboy stickers are fairly hard to come by and it is presumed the set was not picked up for general release, so if you see one snatch it up before the man does first.....I don't have any of these but am always on the lookout. Not sure where the above scans originated for the most part but if you can claim one, let me know and I'll post a link or credit.