Planet Money · Friday, July 31, 2026
The appeal of collectible toys with surprise elements is a recurring theme, as seen with 'Garbage Pail Kids' trading cards and the current squishy dumpling craze. The element of chance, where consumers seek rare items, taps into a nostalgic aspect of toy collecting.
“I collected those garbage pail kids.”
“You know, the cards? Yeah. I wasn't into sports, so I didn't collect baseball cards, but I feel like it's that same kind of thing where you don't know what you're going to get and you keep getting these ordinary ones but you're looking for that one rare card.”
“And they were like, the grossest and like, yes, politically incorrectest versions of them.”