Product Code Database
A sticker is a type of label: a piece of printed paper, plastic, vinyl, or other material with temporary or permanent pressure sensitive adhesive on one side. It can be used for decoration or for functional purposes, depending on the situation.
Stickers can come in many different shapes and sizes and also vary widely in color and design. They are often adhered to items such as lunchboxes, paper, lockers, notebooks, walls, cars, windows, used as , and so on.
The term "sticker price" refers to the historic practice of adhering a Monroney sticker to the window of a new car listing its base price, options, shipping charges, etc. (from which a discount was often negotiated).
In the 1750s Simon François Ravenet developed the decalcomania process by which engravings and prints via a transfer paper are affixed to pottery, wood, metal or glass.Glazier, Richard (1899) A Manual of Historic Ornament London: Batsford p. 106Baker, Whitney (2015) Sticking Point: History of Decals Collections Vol 11 #4:275–290
The precursors to adhesive stickers included paper images (bilderbogen) manually cut and pasted. Two important advances were gummed adhesive paper by Rowland Hill in 1839, and pressure-sensitive adhesives in 1845.Akyar, Isin (2011) Wide Spectra of Quality Control
were issued for events such as the 1851 London Great Exhibition, 1896 Budapest National Millennium Exhibition, Brussels International Exposition (1897), 1900 Paris Exposition, 1901 Pan-American Exposition, and 1904 Summer Olympics.de Rampacher, Paul (1937) A Short History of European Commemorative Stamps Poster Stamp Bulletin v2 #2:8Bartholomew, Ralph (1914) Poster Stamps Printing Art v23 #3:202-4
Steamer trunk which appeared in the 1870s represented an early status symbol.Hartov, Oren (2024) A History of the Hotel Luggage Label Analog:Shift
In some areas of the U.S. voters used stickers to enter pre-printed candidate names onto election ballots. State Campaign MA Springfield Republican 1882-Oct-27 p1 5th column "Stickers" KS Iola Register 1882-Nov-24 p7
In 1891 Trading stamp store loyalty programs began.
By 1896 the Return address pre-printed gummed label was being offered by printers.
Around 1900 Avery Dennison Manufacturing Company offered gummed seals in gold, silver, red, green and blue, soon followed by gold stars, and flag stickers. Proceedings of New York State Teachers Association p413
By 1902 stickers began to proliferate, Epidemic of "Sticker Lips" St. Louis Republic 1902-Oct-24 p4 including dedicated businesses such as St. Louis Sticker Co. 1903 St. Louis Sticker Co. St. Louis I Am A Sticker ebay.com Stickers St Louis Sticker Co Printers Ink Monthly 1926 V12 #5 p168
In 1904 Christmas seals were first issued in Denmark.
Example early sticker campaigns in U.S. include Red Sticker Union Made campaign, The Red Sticker NE Wageworker Union 1906-Apr-13 p3 American Red Cross, Movement Reaches New York Pensacola Journal 1918-Jun-20 p5 and European Child Relief Fund. Yes Mr. Hoover VT Orleans County Monitor 1921-Jan-26 p6
Starting in 1910 the Great Northern Railway issued poster stamps as part of their "See America First" travel advertising.Harris, Leo J. (2014) Neither Posters Nor Stamps Ramsey County History v49 #1:3-10
In 1910 user-supplied photograph stickers became available. Stamp Photo of Yourself Billboard v22 #13:46
Sometime after 1912 Cracker Jack included prize may have been temporary tattoo sticker, and later by breakfast cereal and bubble gum offerings.
Around 1914 the Industrial Workers of the World advocated their causes via Silent agitators. History of I.W.W. "Silent Agitators" or "Stickerettes" St. Lawrence University
In 1914 Famous Stars Series of portrait stamps featured silent film stars. Motion Picture Magazine 1915 v8 #12:183
Fruit origin stickers began in 1917, Blue Sticker NM Evening Herald 1917-Feb-17 p8 then later by Fyffes and widespread with 1990 PLU codes.
Before 1918 in the U.S. stickers were in use as merchandise . Suggestions on Pricing Goods Southern Hardware Vol 80 #4:31 (1918)Rappold, Orville S. & Forbes, John Franklin (1920) Retail Training Service: A Vocational Training for Retail Salespeople Part 3 Book 8 p9
In 1919 a business in Buffalo, New York, applied stickers on receipts with the word "thanks" and a smiling face.
Automobile window decals, such as National Park emblems,Francis, Michael H. & Reynolds, Bobby (2023) Stickers & Decals Yellowstone Collectibles Page 205 Portable Posters U.S. National Park Service became popular in the 1920s. New Sticker Disease Seattle Star 1924-Aug-6
Whitman Publishing in 1940 sold a Sticker Fun Activity Set.
In 1967 Topps began the Wacky Packages initial series of collectible moisten and stick cards.
Example sticker types include:
Manning, Paddy (2019) Inside the Greens p1937
Galin, Neil A. & Peppler, Amy (2006) Vintage Scratch & Sniff Sticker Collector's Guide
Stickers placed on automobile bumpers, magnetic and permanent, called bumper stickers, are often used by individuals as a way of demonstrating support for political or ideological causes. Identification of vehicle registration and last service details are two examples of stickers on the inside of most car windscreens. The term "window sticker" is generally used for vinyl labels which are stuck to the inside of a vehicle's window, as opposed to water-resistant stickers that are stuck to the outside of a vehicle but can be affixed to anything.
Stickers are also used for embellishing scrapbooking pages. Kinds of stickers sold for this purpose include acrylic, 3D, cardstock, epoxy, fabric, flocked, sparkly, paper, puffy, and vellum. While in the earlier days of scrapbooking stickers were sold mostly on 2"x6" sheets, now 6"x12" and even 12"x12" size sheets are very common.
They are frequently distributed as part of promotional, and political campaigns; for example, in many voting districts in the United States, stickers indicating an individual has voted are given to each voter as they leave the polling station, largely as a reminder to others to vote. Observers may clap hands, honk a horn or otherwise applaud a good sticker.
In the 16th century French aristocracy wore stickers on their face to hide blemishes.
Temporary stickers are used today to indicate whether someone is free of certain health symptoms, been vaccinated, or otherwise cleared some security protocol.
Stickers are also used as a form of guerilla marketing, as well as serving as a ubiquitous form of visual and physical vandalism.
Stickers are also printed for use as temporary tattoos.
Forming a partnership with FIFA in 1970, Panini Group first produced a World Cup sticker album for the 1970 World Cup. Initiating a craze for collecting and trading stickers, since then, collecting and trading stickers has become part of the World Cup experience, especially for the younger generation. “The Magic, Global Craze and Tradition of Panini's World Cup Sticker Albums”. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2 September 2018 UK newspaper The Guardian states, "the tradition of swapping duplicate World stickers was a playground fixture during the 1970s and 1980s."
|
|
