Everything we experience in life has had a beginning, an origin, a history. Every effect has a cause. Everything and everyone has a story about themselves. It may be interesting, it may be boring, but how do you know until you dig into it? For example, someone might think that the “history of stickers” cannot possibly be interesting to learn, but how do you know until you research it? What would even prompt someone to wonder about the history of stickers? Well, for myself, it’s because that’s what my company produces! And being the history nerd that I am, I wondered to myself, “How exactly did someone come up with the idea of a sticker anyway? When was the first one used I wonder?” So if you would be so kind, join me in my quest to discover the “origins of stickers!”
In searching the web, I honestly didn’t find a whole lot of information. It seems I’m one of the few that wonder about such things, but I did find at least a BIT of information from Gail Leino. According to ezinearticles.com, Gail is “the internet’s leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies, using proper etiquette, living a healthy lifestyle while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts.” How she found information on the origins of stickers, I don’t know, but I’d like to share some of what she’s discovered in her research.
In the early 1880s, Europeon advertising and marketing professionals (yes, they existed all the way back then), needed to come up with a way to help consumers more clearly identify certain products that were for sale in the marketplaces. Using a sticky gum like paste, vendors would attach colorful paper to their paste that was on the product. One of the main products to use this form of advertising with “stickers” was fruit. Competition amongst the various farmers was fierce, and so the brightly colored paper was a way for some to stand out from among the rest that weren’t so slick in their marketing plans. The labels would be stuck to the side of cedar crates that held the fruit and also vegetables. This was a technique also used for cigars boxes. (Speaking of cigar boxes, I’ll never forget my Grandpa’s King Edwards Cigar Boxes. Their image was distinct, as was the odor of the cigars themselves!)
The next step in the evolution of the sticker was pre-applying the paste to the paper, and letting it dry. In order to get the label to stick again after the adhesive was dry, one just had to apply a bit of water of saliva in order to reactivate the paste, and then slap that label on their product! Amazingly, many stickers still use this development! I’m sure whoever discovered how to make the taste of the paste actually palatable became a very wealthy person.
Gail goes on to say this about the next step in labeling history: “From the pre-pasted, the concept of stickers evolved when R. Stanton Avery manufactured the first self-adhesive labels. The label/sticker that Avery designed had a paper surface with a coat of adhesive which was then stuck on a liner. The liner had a special silicone coating that enabled the label to be removed and stuck to other surfaces. Stickers today still use the basic premise of the self-adhesive label that Avery invented. For over 50 years stickers have became a huge marketing item for every sort of household product imaginable. In addition, bumper stickers have also become part of the popular culture fads and icons as they have been used for political and social commentary.” You can find the original article here if you’d like to read more.
I have to give it to you advertising and marketing types, you’re a pretty ingenious bunch. Thanks for making the business of PrintMyThing, PrintMyRibbon, PhotoTrimmings, and WeddingTray possible. We appreciate you, and thank you! Keep up the creativity!
