Stuck on Stickers
When I was young I had quite an extensive sticker collection. I had all kinds of stickers. I had puffy ones, fuzzy ones, holographic ones, and scratch and sniff ones that smelled like fruit and candy. I had albums where you could stick your stickers and show them off to your friends. I stuck stickers on my folders and notebooks, on my bedroom walls and lockers, and occasionally on myself and my Old English sheepdog, Barclay.
Stickers have been around since 1935 when Ray Stanton Avery invented self-adhesive labels as a way to merchandise products. (You may be familiar with Avery products today which were named after him). He called these first labels “Kum Kleen Products” so that his target audience would know that these stickers could be removed without leaving a mark. Then, in the 1940s Forrest P. Gill created the first bumper sticker by combining Avery’s adhesive-backed paper with bright, multi-colored paints. Gill referred to his invention as “bumper strips.” These first bumper stickers were used to promote tourist destinations across the United States. In 1952, “I Like Ike” stickers were appearing on bumpers across the country in support of Dwight D. Eisenhower, and by the 1960s we saw the rise of stickers being created and collected as a way self-expression with stickers promoting popular bands like the Beatles and psychedelic art and symbols of peace and love. Then the popularity of stickers exploded in the 1980s and 90s, an era which is often referred to as “Stickermania” due to its huge role in youth culture and personal expression.
Remember when you could earn stickers for doing well in school? I had some teachers who would reward their students for good behavior and academic excellence by adding gold stars to a chart on the wall, and this was nice, but I appreciated the actual stickers on our tests and papers so that we could actually touch and collect our badge of honor. And the teachers that would hand out scratch and sniff stickers? They were always my favorite (stickers and teachers).
National Sticker Day is celebrated each year on January 13. The company StickerGiant which produces promotional stickers and product labels came up with this annual event in 2015 as a way to celebrate all things sticker. This day coincides with the birthday of Ray Stanton Avery.
Today I still love to purchase and collect stickers. I particularly love to collect frog stickers. I have over 100 of them, and many I have displayed on the wall by my desk at work. Whenever I travel, I tend to purchase stickers as a way to remember my adventures. Similar to postcards (as mentioned in a well-written, previous blog which you can read by clicking here), stickers are an inexpensive souvenir that also does not take up too much space in your luggage. In downtown Petoskey there are two stores that are my go-to for adding to my sticker collection. Poetess and Stranger carries a great variety of different kinds of fun stickers. They stock funny, edgy, and unique stickers. They have bumper stickers and collectible stickers, but they also have those small sheets of stickers with 12 or more stickers affixed, similar to the ones that were popular in the 80s and 90s. My second go-to for amazing stickers?
You guessed it, Grandpa Shorter’s Gifts. They carry a ton of different themed stickers as well as mystery grab bags where you can try your luck at getting your new favorites. Several of their stickers are designed by local artists. They have Michigan and Petoskey themed stickers. They have stickers with animals, skiers, famous people, pithy and punny sayings, and so much more. They also have a variety of activity books for kids that contain stickers.
