Artist Profile: Joe McWilliams
Studio 09
Oct 25-26, 2025
Sat & Sun, 10AM-5PM
Gouache, Garbage Pail Kids, Wacky Packages
Veteran TOPPS artist and writer, Smokin’ Joe has been creating Wacky Packages and Garbage Pail Kids trading cards artwork for over 20 years. He was born in the gritty suburbs of the Motor City and raised on a healthy diet of Bob Seger, MAD Magazine, monster movies, and pop culture. Just a kid in the mid 1970’s when he opened his first Wacky Packages wax pack (chewed the gum... and survived) and has been hooked on low brow pop culture ever sense!
He designed T-Shirt art in the 80’s, created giant amusement park sculptures in the 90’s, and electric signs and artistic displays in the 2000’s. In 2005 he started providing gag concepts and hand painted illustrations to TOPPS for their relaunch of the 1970’s pop culture classic Wacky Packages trading cards and again a decade later with their 1980’s iconic brand Garbage Pail Kids.
He currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona and continues to provide some of the stinkiest artwork ever created for both legendary brands, and can be found in the wild selling stickers and sketch cards while promoting both brands at comic cons, trading card shows, and pop culture conventions around the US.
Smokin' Joe McWilliams
