Floating Heads

Floating Heads was a name I was considering for this blog. Those of you familiar with Cubs cards from the 1970's would get the connection. But the rest of you would be left scatching your non-floating head. So let me explain...

Topps began issuing team picture cards with the 1956 set. This continued through the 1981 set (except for 1968 and 1969, which had no team cards) The players were usually arranged in the traditional team photo pose - first row sitting on ground with legs crossed, second row sitting, third row standing, fourth row standing on benches.

But for some reason, for nine years in the 70's and 80's, the Cubs team cards were not the usual team pose. Instead, they were composite pictures of floating heads. No other team was featured this way, only the Cubs. The big question is why??

Some theories...
--Playing all day games at Wrigley, the players were always too hung over to come in early for a team picture
--The teammates couldn't stand one another and wouldn't be able to pose for a picture without getting into a fight
--The team owner was too cheap to have a team picture taken (instead, it was ...here Topps, take these team head shots and make your own dang team picture)
--Submit your theory here:__________________________

Actually, many of the floating heads pictures Topps used were team composites the Cubs sold at the ballpark. The 1970 picture used on the 1971 card was available at Wrigley Field souvenir stands for all of 75 cents. I have the 1969 version (although Topps didn't use it on the 1970 card, they had a picture with the team in the regular pose).

When Topps started using team pictures again in 2001, the Cubs picture was the standard pose. No more floating heads. If Topps Heritage ever makes it up to using the 1971 cards, I wonder what they will do with the Cubs? It would be cool to see them bring back the floating heads.

Anyway, here they are in all of their float-tasic glory, the floating Cubs heads.