A Reason to Celebrate: Topps Celebration Insert Sets

In 2025, Topps introduced a new product called 2025 Topps Series 1 Celebration. This was geared towards a younger audience akin to what Topps Opening Day and Big League Baseball products were in years past. It featured all 350 cards from the eponymous brand, and featured many of the same chase insert cards from the flagship brand. There were also unique insert sets and variation cards that were exclusive to this product.

A Box of 2025 Topps Celebration

Sets like Walk This Way, which celebrated walk-off wins, and Dugout Peeks, which featured a player during or after a game-breaking play, utilized the same base card design as the regular cards. These were short-printed insert cards, however, so finding one in a pack, let alone a full box, was truly an achievement.

2025 Topps Celebration Dugout Peeks Shohei Ohtani #DP-1

But that's not what I'm here to talk about. 

Along with the regular insert sets from 2025 Topps Series 1 that were included in this product were four very unique insert sets. These were specifically catered for a younger audience.

• Mascots, which featured the costumed characters that made even the hardest games to watch entertaining. These had the same design as the base set.
  
  

2025 Topps Celebration Mascots Clark #M-5

Game Day Drip, featuring players wearing the hottest trends in fashion. If you've ever watched an All-Star Red Carpet show, you get the idea of the point of this set. Flashing lights gave the cards and subjects a photo-shoot like element.

2025 Topps Celebration Game Day Drip Bryce Harper #GD-5

8-Bit Ballers, a set first introduced in 2023 with Big League Baseball, featured players in a "retro-video game" background. The players themselves were not pixelated.

2025 Topps Celebration 8-Bit Ballers Kevin Alcantara #8B-25

Power Players, a set that was reminiscent of the 1999 Topps insert set of the same name, this time with a lot more color in the design.

2025 Topps Celebration Power Players Manny Machado #PP-18

I first heard of these sets while working on last year's Series 2 set. The list of sets in the TCDB seemed to get bigger, and only when I saw these names did I realize that I may have missed something. So off to the Bay I went and lo and behold, found a couple of sellers with complete sets. I think you know how this ended.

Now, we're into 2026. If you've been following along on this year's Hobby journey, you know I've already completed the base set, and am 45 cards away from completing the first 8 basic inserts. Earlier this month, Topps announced on their blog that Celebration would return in 2026. 

A Box of 2026 Topps Celebration

Which makes sense as Topps is "celebrating" their 75th anniversary in the Basseball Card Hobby. Once again. The base set will include the same 350 cards from this year's Series 1, some of the regular inserts from S1, and another round of exclusives. Coming back are the Dugout Peeks and Walk This Way sets, both again using the base set design, plus a Hidden Mascots set (which looks to be another base set SP insert set).

2026 Topps Celebration Mascots Dinger

2026 Topps Celebration 8-Bit Ballers Jac Caglianone

2026 Topps Celebration Game Day Drip Elly De La Cruz

Also coming back will be the Game Day Drip, 8-Bit Ballers, and Mascots set. Replacing Power Players, is another insert set from years past, Perennial All-Stars. An insert set from 2000 Topps, then returning in 2019 Topps Update, the theme, obviously, are players who have been named to multiple All-Star Teams. 

Or that's what I'd like to believe that's the point of the insert set.

The checklist features the usual suspects: Ohtani, Judge, Trout, Skenes, Skubal, et. al. But one name on the list got my attention: Pete Crow-Armstrong.

2026 Topps Perennial All-Star Pete Crow-Armstrong

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm thrilled that a current Chicago Cub is on this checklist (considering the other Cub is Kyle Tucker, who is no longer with the team). But PCA was a first-time All-Star in 2025. Perennial, according to Merriam-Webster, as an adjective, can mean regularly repeated or renewed. So at this point, PCA is not yet a perennial All-Star, at least in the majors. Hopefully, as he gets older, he will get to that point. Topps is certainly adding him to almost every insert set they can at this point.

Personally, I think I'll just wait until sets appear on the Bay. There wasn't enough supply on the TCDB to warrant trying to build these sets from scratch.

But if you didn't get enough Series 1 to finish your sets, or if you want a shot at getting parallels, inserts, or even introduce the kids to the Hobby, you really can't go wrong with Celebration, which launches on March 26 (date subject to change). 

Speaking of Celebrations:

Today, March 12, 2026, is my birthday. I am now:

The Big 50!!! 

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama