Fleer Pac-Man Stickers

It was a dream come true in 1980 when I could finally combine my two passions, Pac-Man and Stickers.

In 1980, Fleer released Pac-Man stickers. At that time, Pac-Man Fever was in full effect in my world. So when I spotted the stickers at our local convenience store, I eagerly picked up my first pack for 30 cents. It was thrilling to have something representing Pac-Man in my hand, and from that moment on, all my money went towards getting more packs.

Each wax pack of cards contained six cards and a stick of gum. Three of the cards had stickers, and the other three featured rub-off games. These games were designed to be played like a game of Pac-Man. You start at the yellow Pac-Man in the center, then begin scratching off spaces as you move through the maze. Once you reveal three colored monsters (ghosts), your game is over. You then use the scoring system included on the back of the card to tally your score and write it down.

Even though the outcome was very random, my friends and I were obsessed with beating each other’s high scores. This competition was great because it meant we were all collecting the cards. With only three stickers per pack and duplicates being common, having more people with more cards to trade with was extremely helpful. Still, even with four of us collecting, it took me well over a year to complete my collection. This was only possible because, as time passed, my friends became less interested in collecting them all and eventually traded their cards to me for other ones we collected at the time.

This also meant I ended up with a lot of duplicates, which was fun since these were stickers! And stickers were meant to stick! For years after these came out, Pac-Man stickers could be found on surfaces and objects all around our home.

Luckily, I had some self-control and held onto a full set, along with some extras. I’ve scanned these, and I’m going to share them here, but before I do, I want to talk about some details regarding the cards.

The cards were successful enough that they released multiple printings. They also did a European release, but I’ve never seen those. You can recognize the different printings in three ways:

1. They redid some of the art, improving it after the first printing. The changes are subtle but noticeable.

2. The easier method is by the color of the text on the back of the cards. The first, third, and fourth printings have blue text, while the second printing has red text.

3. If you happened to keep your wax packs, the first release had a yellow background. Future releases had a white background.

Different Color Fonts

As more Pac-Man games hit arcades, they released more card sets based on games like Ms. Pac-Man and Super Pac-Man. I also collected these, but I never came close to completing a set of them. Eventually, the cards disappeared or got stuck to something. I regret that now, but at the time, putting stickers on stuff was an important part of who I was.

Complete Set of Fleer Pac-Man Stickers

My collection is a mix of editions that I accumulated during the first two years the cards were out. Well over seventy percent of them are from the first release. Here are the scans I took of them recently to share. Click on thumbnails to view larger versions.

Cards 1-3

01. Waka! Waka! Waka!

02. Charge! & Feet Don't Fail Me Now

03. Official Pac-Man Fan Club

Cards 4-6

04. U.S. Pac-Man Team

05. Pac-Man Operator's License

06. Slide Out The Side Door / I’m Cookin’ Now

Cards 7-9

07. You'd Smile Too If You Could Eat Monsters!

08. Never! & Let's Get Together

09. Waka! Waka! Waka! Waka! GULP!

Cards 10-12

10. Waka! Waka! & Here Comes Jaws!

11. Slide Out The Side Door & I'm Cookin’ Now

12. Pac-Man For President

Cards 13-15

13. Pac-Man Headquarters: Counseling Available

14. Pac-Man: For Challenge Call

15. I Have Pac-Man Hangover!

Cards 16-18

16. Where Are Those Monsters? & The Pac-Man Knows

17. How About It? & Let's Get Together

18. I'm Quick But You're Quicker & Eat My Dust

Cards 19-21

19. Try It. & You’ll Like It!

20. Be Kind To Pac-Man!

21. Pac-Man Repairman… By Appointment Only & Join The Pac-Man Majority!

Cards 22-24

22. Pac-Man Bites Back!

23. U.S. Pac-Man Team

24. Free Lunch! & I'm Cooked Now!

Cards 25-27

25. Good To The Last Bite

26. School’s Out, Pac-Man’s In!

27. Are You Kidding? & Waka! Waka! Waka! Waka!

Cards 28-30

28. How Far Can You Go?

29. Gotcha! & Mommy!

30. Kiss My Pac-Man

Cards 31-33

31. I'll Get You Monsters!

32. Today Is National Pac-Man Day & Pac-Man Does It With Monsters!

33. Happiness Is A Hungry Pac-Man

Cards 34-36

34. Catch Me If You Can!

35. Eat My Dust Pac-Man!

36. Yeah! & Support Your Local Pac-Man!

Cards 37-39

37. Waka! Waka! Waka! Waka! & Here Comes Jaws!

38. Smile… Pac-Man Is Watching!

39. Weekends Were Made For Pac-Man

Cards 40-42

40. Got’ Em On The Run & Gulp!

41. Pac-Man Is Coming & Don't Play This Game… Pac-Man Is Better

42. Waka! Waka! Waka! Waka! & Are You Kidding?

Cards 43-45

43. Pac-Man Does It Again & Gotcha!

44. Waka! Waka! Waka! Waka! & Look Out!

45. I'm Eatin' Everything In Sight!

Cards 46-48

46. Watch Out For Pac-Man!

47. Let's Get Together & What If We're Caught?

48. Pac-Man Report Card… Novice Fair Good Expert Out’A Sight!

Cards 49-51

49. I'm Cookin’ & Slide Out The Side Door

50. We Want Pac-Man & Pac-Man Does It With Monsters!

51. Happiness Is A Hungry Pac-Man

Cards 52-54

52. Ready? & I Am!

53. Catch Me If You Can!

54. Waka! Waka! ! & Who Me?

Note: I am not sure how they decided what punctuation to use and why. It all seems sort of random, but I tried to transcribe it like I see it on each card.

Looking back, these Pac-Man cards and stickers were more than just a collection; they were a piece of a larger craze that defined a moment in time. They connected me with friends, fueled our friendly competition, and brought a bit of the arcade magic into our everyday lives. Even now, years later, these stickers evoke memories of a simpler time when the thrill of tearing open a new pack was all it took to brighten my day.