mind, but I hope that one or two may begin thinking and searching.”
There are those who support other causes with less meaning, such as Ken Jones, a screenwriter who has a bumper sticker for the short-lived Sci-Fi series “Firefly” on his ride, as well as two others that read: “Lock down when in anti-gravity.”
A big fan of the series, Jones is writing a screenplay that includes anti-gravity as an element.
“The reason I chose that sticker is because I am working on a screenplay in which anti-gravity plays a major role, and I fully expect there to be a world-wide anti-gravity event in December of 2012 (Mayan calendar and such), and that’s why I always carry rope and tent stakes in my car,” Jones said.
“I agree that bumper stickers tell a lot about people’s preferences,” Jones said. “I prefer to keep my politics more private.”
The history of the bumper sticker is not well documented, but one thing’s for sure — they didn’t predate the introduction of the automobile. Several sources credit the bumper sticker to Forest P. Gill, a silkscreen printer from Kansas City. The first bumper stickers appeared shortly before World War II and were flag-like, attached to the bumper by wires.
Gill replaced the wire attachments with pressure-sensitive adhesive, and as a result, bumper stickers became more widespread and practical.
Today, bumper stickers can be purchased in liquor stores, gas stations, head shops and over the Internet — where the majority of sales take place, according to John Fisher, owner of BumperStickerGiant.com, one of the largest bumper sticker manufacturers and distributors in the nation.
“Bumper stickers are big business,” Fisher said. “We ship over one million stickers a year, and when there’s a presidential race, we sell even more.”
Fisher started his company shortly after the 2000 election, when no one knew for sure whether the next president would be Bush or Al Gore. Fisher printed the sticker “He’s not my president,” and his business took off.
Anti-Bush stickers are very popular, Fisher said, but now that his term is coming to an end, more people are leaning towards stickers representing a particular party, or, ironically, those that advocate for peace or companionship, such as the “Coexist” stickers that spell the word using various religious symbols for the letters, such as the crescent moon of Islam and the Star of David.
Some stickers sell for as little as 99 cents, while others go for $3 or more. It all depends on licensing fees, Fisher said. Sports teams are the most expensive, while the venerable yellow smiley face is free.
The political cycle has a big impact on sales, Fisher said, as does the perception that bumper stickers are hard to remove. That’s no longer the case. Today, bumper stickers are mostly made of vinyl, making them easy to peel off so those still clinging to Kerry/Edwards stickers don’t have to drive around anymore with a losing ticket. Older stickers were made with paper and would leave remnants of the adhesive, making a car look unsightly.
Stickers still adversely affect the resale value of a car, but thanks to Web sites like www.ehow.com, people no longer have to worry about that. The sites give step-by-step instructions on how to remove them without causing any damage.
The first step is to spray the sticker with lubricant and try to peel it off. If that doesn’t work, grab a blow dryer and hit the sticker with heat, softening the adhesive. From there, gently peel off a corner of the sticker while continuing to apply heat, or gently scrape off the sticker with a rubber spatula or putty knife with its metal blade wrapped in duct tape so as not to scratch the paint. After that, wipe away the sticker with a soft, lint-free rag dampened with rubbing alcohol.
Finally, buff the bumper or panel with a polishing compound and a fresh coat of wax to complete the job.
The best thing to do is to pick a sticker you can live with for a long time, like Tracy Metzger, who has a peace symbol prominently displayed along with an Air America sticker in support of the liberal radio station.
“I’ve had a peace symbol on all my cars for about the last 10 years,” Metzger said. “I am a child of the ’70s and have always loved the simple peace sign. Nothing more.
“To me, that says it all.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 6, 2007. Read the original PDF.