Bumper stickers are tattoos for the car. Whether irreverent or polite, they are windows to the souls of nerds. A form of self-expression, rebellion, and activism, they can signal to be part of a community. Check out the stories behind some of these “car tattoos” and find out why these symbols are so very meaningful.
“Years ago I had this image on a home-made bumper sticker. It says “Vassar” using a combination of letters and a parody of Picasso’s ass. It was supposed to be a satire of the pretention of my ivy-league school combined with the ability to wear an ASS on our shirts (or cars) in the 90s. Needless to say, the Dean didn’t approve of our design and my classmates were banned from selling the image on campus. Rebellion! Flashback to Windows 95 stickers were everywhere in my school. People put them on doors, bulletin boards, snowboards, and binders.”
Perversely, I always enjoyed stickers with “inside jokes” or a required explanation. It was funnier to me if only a few people got it. I was hipster before hipster was a meme!
“In April 2016, I was one of 25 people selected to take part in a media event, at Lockheed Martin in Littleton, Colorado, for NASA’s asteroid sample-collecting spacecraft, OSIRIS-REx. It was an incredible experience. I was able to view the spacecraft, along with a giant asteroid wall and a meteorite that’s over 4.5 billion years old.”
The mission of OSIRIS-REx is to obtain samples from the asteroid Bennu, which scientists hope will help further the understanding of our solar system. Bennu also happens to be a potentially dangerous asteroid, as it has a higher probability than most celestial bodies of striking Earth in the 22nd century. So, learning more about Bennu is important on multiple levels.
Anyway, after the event, NASA handed out some goodies, including three stickers, which featured the logos of NASA, OSIRIS-REx and Lockheed Martin. I put all three of them next to each other on my car, and they’re still in very good condition! I really like them!“
…Luke
“Favorite bumper sticker? Would have to be the My Other Car is a TARDIS one. It was the Jewish holiday of Purim, and I was carpooling to synagogue in my 4th Doctor costume. I all but waved the 8-foot scarf out the window to get the driver’s attention, since I didn’t want to distract them!”…Allison
I had this custom made after the results of the 2016 election came in. I was in shock and needed to do something therapeutic that did not involve me jumping out of a window….Phil
My favorite said, “I played D&D before it was cool.” My ex’s favorite was “Get a taste of religion: Lick a witch!” ….Stace
How many bumper stickers do you have?