When the Kite String Pops is the debut studio album of American sludge metal band Acid Bath.

The album's artwork is a self-portrait made by notorious serial killer John Wayne Gacy while in prison awaiting execution.

The use of artwork by a convicted serial killer caused controversy, with Rotten Records president Ron Peterson defending the decision by saying, "It's America—you should be able to do what you want."

Acid Bath's follow-up album, Paegan Terrorism Tactics, continued the provocative streak by using artwork created by euthanasia proponent Jack Kevorkian.

In 1999, sales of the album were just over 37,000 copies in the US, which is higher than average for a band with no publicity and released exclusively on an independent label.