Initially, Topps Chewing Gum Comapany printed Wacky Packages stickers as full-size trading cards. Later, the stickers--"Wacky Packs" as they came to be known-- were die-cut in the shape of the product parodied.

One source states that "the products were actually preceeded by full-fledged Wacky Ads cards! These were essentially the Wacky Pack product stickers, complete with what were essentially billboard adverts."

Jay Lynch, one of the artists who designed the wacky cards, sent me this informative background message:

"The series was created by [Art] Spiegelman, Woody Gelman and Len Brown--all who worked at Topps at the time. Today, only Len is still employed by Topps full time.
The Billboard series was written by Spiegelman mostly. Kim Deitch and I also wrote some. Then when the thing hit big I wrote and did roughs for tons of 'em. So did Artie and Griffy. The finished art was done by Norm Saunders. We warped an entire generation!"

Art Spiegeleman may best be known for his sometimes controversial "MAUS"-series of books and Bill Griffith for "Zippy the Pinhead". Griffith claims his favorite wacky is "Kentucky Fried Fingers"