Toypedia: Trash Bag Bunch

Name of Toy Line: Trash Bag Bunch
Production Company: Lewis Galoob Toys Incorporated (L.G.T.I.)
Distributor: Galoob
Characters and Elements: Galoob
Years of Production: 1991
Countries/Regions Available: Worldwide
Size/Scale: 2.5"
Figure Trade Markings: © 1991 / L.G.T.I.
Approximate # of Figures: 36

The Trash Bag Bunch is the first of two lines released by Galoob under the "Bunch" range. While the Trash Bag Bunch received a worldwide release, the Bad Eggz Bunch, which followed in 1992, received a European release only.

The Trash Bag Bunch, or TBB, consists of two clans of creatures: 18 good guys and 18 bad guys! The good guys are the Disposers who fight for a cleaner world, and the bad guys are the Trashors who wage toxic war! These two clans began fighting one another on their world, and the fight eventually made its way to Earth! (No, Al Gore is NOT one of the Disposers.)

The figures came packaged in little green trash bags (similar to Cheap Toys) which were sealed on cards. When placed in water, the green bags "magically" dissolved, allowing the figures to sink away to the bottom. Galoob added a fun twist by including two figures in one out of every 24 trash bags! That's twice the trashy play for the price, figured Galoob. (It seems two figures were used for this special release, #35 Infector and #36 Wastor.)

Trash Bag Bunch did not have a cartoon, movie, or comic book tie-in. What it did have was the successful combination of the "trash/garbage" theme, so successful in late 80's and early 90's toy lines, and a "protect-the-environment" theme that tapped into the growing environmentalism movement. (Note that another popular toy line/cartoon at the time was Captain Planet.)

One of the great things about the line is the variety of sculpt shapes and sizes -- this is certainly no cookie-cutter toy line composed of one basic sculpt. There are mutant animals, creepy aliens, robots, skeletons, and dudes in funky space suits totting massive guns. The figures are made of a firm, but flexible plastic, are non-articulated, and have a variety of funky paint application colors such as bright green, yellow, and pink!

Universal Ruler Supreme sez:

Unfortunately I no longer have any of my extras for I traded them all off, but from my past collection of multiples, I had found several plastic color variations. For instance, I would have 2 of the same sculpt, but one would be cast in flesh color plastic and then painted over with the other paint app colors, and the other would be cast in black plastic with flesh paint apps on the face and other colors added on the clothes.

Off the top of my head, I remember having these variants:

Trashblastor - cast in green and in black plastic

Doctor Garboff - cast in white and in black plastic

Sgt. Wastenot - cast in flesh and in black plastic

That's all I can be 100% sure about. I'm sure that many of the figures had these plastic variations, though I doubt all had them. From what I had it was mostly Disposers since most of the Trashors were usually solid colors. I am also unsure as to whether these variations are country oriented.

There are many paint variations, but nothing easily kept track of for there are so many colors used on each individual figure. It's possible that there are other major variations of sorts out there.

Let's take a look at some pics!

Courtesy Dark Clown

Courtesy Universal Ruler Supreme

Courtesy Universal Ruler Supreme

An image archive containing pictures of all 36 sculpts and their names can be seen at Alex Bickmore's Super Toy Archive!

Here's a nice look at a carded figure in a miniature trash bag (note that this is Spanish packaging). Images once again courtesy Dark Clown!

And here's a size comparison shot with a M.U.S.C.L.E. figure.

Courtesy Dark Clown

An ex Galoob employee kindly sent Toypedia some of the promotional material they had back in the 90's, you can even see some of the numbers and underlining someone in-house has made. All the following images are courtesy of TOYSTUF: