42. Soggy Bottom Wet Pants

• Published Date:  March 2005
• Parody Subject:  Spongebob Squarepants vinyl doll
• Concept Writer/Artist:  David Gross
• Dates of Rough Concept Drawings: 
  April through July 2004 (see each Art Stage below)
• Painter:  David Gross
• Date of Final Painting:  August 2004

Art Stages

Rough Concept Drawing #1 (April 2004) In his first rough for a parody of the Spongebob Squarepants character, David Gross tackled the cartoon's "Complete 1st Season" DVD. Topps editors thought it was hard to tell that a DVD was being represented, so they asked Gross for a revision. In this version, the Nickelodeon company logo is lampooned as NITWITODEON, and the package "Includes 90 Feet of Paper Towels."

Rough Concept Drawing #2 (April 2004) Gross revised Rough #1 to add a DVD disc emerging from the box to clarify the spoofed product.

Rough Concept Drawing #3 (July 2004) Topps still wasn't sold on the DVD concept, so a few months later, Gross produced another rough using a Spongebob doll instead.

Rough Concept Drawing #4 (July 2004) After passing on the 3-quarter view above, Topps finally accepted this head-on view of the doll. The NITWITODEON logo is carried over from the first rough, while the "90 Feet of Paper Towels" has become "Toilet Paper," and the product is touted as a "LEAKING Vinyl Doll."

Final Painting (August 2004) The toy is now described as a LEAKY doll, rather than LEAKING. The included Toilet Paper has been abbreviated as "T.P." and reduced to 30 feet. The placement of the text on the package is also different from that of the rough. Gross neglected to paint the hula dancer on the character's tie, which he had drawn in the two doll roughs (but not in the earlier DVD sketch). Topps apparently overlaid Gross's hand-painted NASTYODORJOHN logo in the upper left corner of the package with typographic text during production of the printed sticker.

Printed Sticker

Card Front & Back The Bottom Right (BR) piece of the "Count Funkula" puzzle is found on the back of "Soggy Bottom Wet Pants."