Bumper stickers. Some people love them, some people loathe them. But nobody can argue that they’re everywhere.
So how did these ubiquitous pieces of advertising come about? And how have they managed to last the test of time? Let’s take a look.
The Bumper
The idea of using a vehicle for advertisement was around before the automobile was even invented. In the horse-and-buggy days, it was common for people to adorn horsefly nets with advertising slogans.
The trend continued when automobiles came around. But almost all early cars lacked bumpers. The safety feature wasn’t widely adopted until 1927, when Ford released the Model A. Drivers decorated their bumpers with homemade signs. But these were usually made of cardboard or metal and attached using wire. Needless to say, they didn’t last very long.
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The bumper sticker as we know it today can be traced back to a screen printer in Kansas City, Mo. named Forrest P. Gill. In the 1940s, Gill found himself with a surplus of two wartime technologies: adhesive-backed paper and fluorescent paint. He combined the two and the bumper sticker was born. His new creation was a significant improvement over handmade signs that fell off cars or easily wore down.
The first early adopters of bumper stickers were tourist sites. Instead of having a single sign on the side of the road, destinations now had countless ads traveling across the country. Gill’s first large volume request was 25,000 bumper stickers for Marine Gardens in Clearwater, Fl. (The company Gill founded is still around today and still selling bumper stickers.)
The popularity of bumper stickers took a major step forward during the 1952 presidential election between Dwight Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson. It was the first election to include the use of bumper stickers as advertising materials. They have since been used in every U.S. presidential election. To this day, political advertising remains a mainstay use of bumper stickers.
Bumper Stickers Today
Bumper stickers have evolved over the years to include decals and placards. The most famous of the latter is the “Baby on Board” sign. Interestingly enough, the ubiquitous sign was developed and sold by a man without children.
In 1984, Massachusetts businessman Michael Lerner was asked by a friend for advice on how to market the signs. Lerner wasn’t a father but he had recently endured a harrowing experience driving his young nephew. “People were tailgating me and cutting me off,” he told the Wall Street Journal. “For the first time, I felt like a parent feels when they have a kid in the car.”
Lerner tweaked the design, creating the now-famous black-and-yellow diamond sign. “Baby on Board” was an immediate hit. Less than a year after hitting the market, Lerner had sold 3 million signs.
“Baby on Board” isn’t the only popular sign or sticker to last the test of time. Others are religious (the ichthys, “Coexist”), familial (“My Child is an Honor Student,” the stick figure family), and safety related (“Slow Down, Move Over,” “School’s Open – Drive Carefully”).
No Laughing Matter
As innocent as bumper stickers can be, they have not been without their fair share of controversy. In fact, in 1991, they were the topic of a legal case that reached the Georgia Supreme Court.
In Cunningham v. the State, a Georgia resident had been caught having a bumper sticker on his car that contained an expletive. He was charged with violating a state law that prohibited car owners from attaching “any sticker, decal, emblem, or other device containing profane or lewd words.” The owner argued this law was unconstitutional. The court agreed, stating that the law violated the 1st and 14th Amendments. Thus, the humble bumper sticker became protected by freedom of speech.
A 2008 study by Colorado State University found that car owners with bumper stickers or window decals tend to be more aggressive drivers. Researchers also discovered the message of the sticker was irrelevant. A driver with a “Peace and Love” sticker was as likely to be an aggressive driver than one with a more hostile sticker.
Which bumper stickers do you see most often? Which ones do you like and which are you tired of? Let us know in the comments below!
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I always have an American flag or Captain America star on my back window. My pet peeve is when someone slaps it on crooked. I love seeing a car with dozens of bumper stickers. It makes me feel good!
My all time favorite is a play on “I Brake for Animals”. I came across an elderly driver who was not afraid to share a laugh at his own expense; had this on his bumper “I Brake for No Apparent Reason”
Favorite bumper sticker ever was created and distributed by friend in late 70’s during the time of the T.V. show “SOAP” with Billy Crystal. It read “FREE JESSICA TATE”.
My favorite bumper sticker is:
If you don’t like the way I drive stay off the sidewalk!
I guess I’m a lunatic. I have too many bumper stickers to count. Once i broke the ice the first sticker on my bright red, shiny Focus hatchback, I couldn’t stop. My first one said, “Everyone Does Better When Everyone Does Better”. After 2016, there were many msgs placed that are not necessary anymore. It appears I need to get a new car with fresh bumpers! The first sticker remains my favorite.
I liked “Gandalf For President” & “Frodo Lives!” from the sixties and the Watergate era classic: “Don’t Blame Me; I’m From Massachusetts!”
What am I supposed to “moderate”? These were actual and very funny bumper stickers in the 1960s and 1970s around metro West Boston. MA was the only state not to vote for Nixon in the 1972 election.
as another Massachusetts driver during the Nixon Watergate era- a take off on the Nixon elections stickers “Nixon’s the One!”, became “NOW Nixon’s the One!”
When motivated, I print my own bumper stickers (pigmented ink on gummed paper, covered with plastic laminate). During the Iraq invasion “SHOW US THE WMD, GEORGE” graced my bumper (referring to the non-existent “weapons of mass destruction”). It generated mixed reactions, depending on the viewer’s political views.
I always liked the “Mean People S*ck!” bumper sticker until I saw the same on that was clipped to read only “People S*ck!”
From way back… “Experience is what you get when you fail to do what you set out to do”
I only have one bumper sticker on my car and I love it. It reminds me of who I am and hopefully gives everyone a chuckle. It says, “Caution: driver singing.” I thought about putting my alma mater on my car or my kids colleges, but haven’t made the plunge.
Years ago I saw one on an old junky looking car that read – My other car is a piece of
S _ _ t also!
Thanks for the history of the bumper sticker, it was a good read. I was surprised that there was no mention of the bumper stickers used in Forrest Gump – “It Happens” and the smiley face.
One of my favorites…..”The next time you’re down in the dumps….pick me up a tire”
I like Catholic Christian bumper stickers. I have one that simply lists the local Catholic radio station. I have another that I made with 3 inch magnets that says “Con Jesus y Maria mi vida es alegria.” People love it because its home made.
Bumper “stickers” are a more recent
development. I remember the ads that attached to the bumper using metal wires. My father would not put them on our car in the 1950’s because he said the wires would rust and damage the bumper.
My hands down favorite is, ‘God is coming–and is she pissed!’
In about 1956, my family vacationed in the Adirondacks. Got bumper ads (cardboard, affixed to bumper with wire) from every attraction we visited. Loved seeing other cars with the same ones. Lasted till the car wash.
I liked “honk for Jesus” from many years ago
Business not noisiness
I have positive bumper stickers all over the back of my 2005 Honda and joke that they hold it together. During difficult times in this country, it’s great when you get a thumbs up. I must be a statistical anomaly because I’m not a wild or aggressive driver.