CGC Cards Registry Featured Set: You'll Die Laughing (1973)

Posted on 5/7/2026

Fisk the Cat's set is 100% complete and has won several CGC Registry Awards. Don’t miss a Q&A with the set owner.

In 1973, Topps relaunched a popular series of monster-themed cards called You’ll Die Laughing, a set of cards featuring black-and-white stills of popular scenes in movies and television with humorous quotes on the bottom of each. This second set, called Creature Features — based on the television network of the same name that showed classic horror films at night — contained a total of 128 cards offered in packs along with a stick of bubble gum. Some of these quotes were witty, while others made fun of the situation at hand.


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Although Creature Features was released more than a decade after You’ll Die Laughing’s first set — Funny Monsters — hit store shelves in 1959, it was just as popular. Each pack was less than a quarter to purchase, making it an easy and budget-friendly set to complete. However, even though many collectors completed their sets in the 1970s and 1980s, more than half a century of wear and tear has caused the cards to degrade over time. As a result, it is now very difficult to find a full set of You’ll Die Laughing cards in good condition.

Fisk the Cat is a dedicated collector who kept his You’ll Die Laughing set in excellent condition. All 128 cards are now authenticated, graded, and encapsulated in CGC holders, and recorded in the CGC Registry. Fisk the Cat’s BusterC’s Die Laughing 1973 set is 100% complete and is the highest-ranking set in the You’ll Die Laughing (1973 Topps) – Master Set category. His set also won the Top Ranked Award in both 2024 and 2025, and won Best Set of the Year in 2024. These are some amazing accomplishments!

We caught up with Fisk the Cat to talk about this set and the CGC Cards Registry. Check out the Q&A below!

Q&A with the Set Owner

How did you become interested in collecting You’ll Die Laughing cards?

I started collecting this set during the summer of 1974 when I lived in a small town in central Michigan. It was the summer between fourth and fifth grade, and I would ride my bike downtown to the candy store each week after I got my allowance. I think a pack cost a dime. The corny captions on the cards captured my attention. They reminded me of something Mad Magazine would have made.

What is your favorite card in the set and why?

My favorite card is this one. I had never seen the movie Creature from the Black Lagoon but was familiar with the character. Something about the way the image — and the idea — of the monster singing opera just cracked me up.


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Was there a card in this set that was difficult to find or obtain?

There were not any chase cards like there are now. They were all just random. Originally, the cards came with numbers 1 to 64 on them. I had plenty of those. After a while, a new group of cards came out with higher numbers. Those were harder to find.

Do you have any advice for others who may want to collect You’ll Die Laughing cards, or any other non-sports cards?

Vintage non-sports cards are not like today’s cards. First thing, there was no such thing as card sleeves when many of these classic cards were issued. Most show signs of wear as the kids liked looking at them, which meant handling the cards. Second, each pack came with a stick of gum. The gum was this flat pink rectangle and often stained the cards. (It tasted awful, by the way.) Finally, the centering on these cards is often horrible. Locating well-centered cards with minimal handling and no stains from gum can be a challenge.

The market for single classic cards is almost nonexistent. I completed my sets by buying groups of cards from eBay, then sorting through them and selecting the cards that were in better condition. You wind up with lots of duplicates this way.

Tell us what you like about the CGC Registry. What would you tell people who are thinking about joining?

I love the CGC Registry. It allows for collectors to see what else is out there beyond Pokémon and Magic cards. I don’t personally need to have the highest-graded card, but I do try to obtain cards that are decent. This means CGC 6’s, CGC 7’s, and maybe a CGC 8 are all you are likely to see. Sharing this set with others is my primary goal.

Getting started is easy. If you have a set that is not yet listed in the Registry, the folks at CGC will work with you to build the set. Be patient, as this can take some time, and remember to have fun!


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About the CGC Cards Registry

The CGC Cards Registry is a free online platform where collectors can register and display CGC-certified cards, compete with other collectors, and get inspired. The CGC Cards Registry is also a great organizational tool for your collection. Begin adding your CGC-certified cards to the CGC Cards Registry here.

If you don’t see a set for your cards, please request a set. You may also review our CGC Cards Registry FAQs for details on how to make requests for new sets and slots.

The CGC Cards Registry team is here to help. Questions or comments? Want to connect with other collectors? Visit the CGC Registry Chatboards!

Previous CGC Cards Registry Featured Sets:

POKÉMON

MAGIC: THE GATHERING

YU-GI-OH!

Shonen Jump 10th Anniversary

MARVEL

OTHER

About CGC

Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games, and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for sports cards, TCGs, and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation, and more. CGC Home Video provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of videocassettes, DVD, Blu-ray, and more. CGC also offers seamless solutions for autograph collectors with CGC Signature Series and JSA Authentic Autograph services.

CGC is part of the Certified Collectibles Group, a global provider of expert and impartial authentication and grading services for collectibles. Since 1987, the Certified Collectibles Group companies have certified more than 110 million collectibles, including coins, banknotes, comic books, cards, autographs, and stamps.

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