Jeanne Vaccaro, a scholar and curator hailing from Kansas, had long desired to embrace the culture of bumper stickers. Despite amassing a collection of stickers from various artists, musicians, and bookstores over the years, she hesitated to affix them to her car for fear of damaging the paintwork. “It’s akin to getting a tattoo,” Vaccaro remarked to me one December day in Echo Park. “Your mom warns you against it, saying it will ‘ruin my car.'” However, upon discovering a scratch on her newly-purchased silver 2020 Subaru Impreza, she opted to conceal the flaw with a sticker bearing the bold message “All I want for my Bat Mitzvah is a Free Palestine,” with the words “Free Palestine” emphasized in vibrant green and red hues to underscore its political stance. This marked the beginning of a sticker frenzy, with Vaccaro now sporting over 25 stickers on the rear of her car, some even wrapping around the sides to display colorful messages above the tires.
Vaccaro’s collection continued to expand, featuring diverse stickers such as “HONK IF YOU LOVE RELATIONAL AESTHETICS,” and “I’D RATHER BE CRYING TO ENYA.” Her favorite among them is a unique black sticker with white text that humorously encourages honking while invoking a scene from the 1995 film ‘Showgirls.’ Despite her growing assortment, she expressed a desire for even more stickers that she could not currently accommodate.
In August, Vaccaro temporarily left her role at the University of Kansas to curate an exhibition in Los Angeles, where her adorned vehicle quickly gained attention and recognition. Despite the political undertones of some stickers, Vaccaro finds that her car generally spreads joy rather than controversy. She noted the positive reactions of fellow drivers in her rearview mirror, stating, “It makes me happy that my car is bringing joy to the world.”
The prevalence of quirky and irreverent bumper stickers is undeniable in Los Angeles, with examples like “My other car is a Spirit Halloween” and “Let me merge, my dad is dead” adorning vehicles across various neighborhoods. Local businesses, such as the lesbian bar The Ruby Fruit, have even capitalized on the trend by selling branded bumper stickers with catchy phrases like “keep honking. i’m listening to THE INDIGO GIRLS.” Ultimately, the tradition of displaying messages on cars, whether for advertisement or personal expression, continues to thrive in the city’s bustling streets.
The origins of the adhesive bumper sticker can be traced back to 1946 when Forest P. Gill combined sticky paper and fluorescent paint, creating a powerful tool for communication. Initially used by political organizers, the bumper sticker gained popularity during Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidential campaign in 1952 with the slogan “I LIKE IKE.” Over the years, these stickers have become a common feature in popular culture, expressing personal beliefs and interests, from political ideologies to musical preferences.
In 1991, a Supreme Court case affirmed bumper stickers as protected under the 1st Amendment, allowing individuals to make bold statements on their cars. Today, colorful and highly specific bumper stickers have proliferated, particularly in cities like Los Angeles, offering an affordable way for people to showcase their values. While traditional messages endure, there is a growing trend towards self-deprecating humor and niche fandom references.
Artist and musician Claire Evans has become an expert in documenting and analyzing bumper stickers, noting a shift towards signaling membership in various subcultures. She has even designed miniature stickers for phone cases to expand the reach of this art form. Modern slogans often play on established formats, inviting conversations on diverse topics and allowing for personalization to suit individual tastes.
Local businesses, such as The Ruby Fruit bar in Silverlake, have embraced this trend by creating custom bumper stickers tailored to their clientele. These stickers serve as a means of self-expression and connection within communities, reflecting the evolving nature of this unique form of communication.
“Put a sticker on your car that is so obscure that anyone who finds it funny is destined to become your friend,” remarked Evans. One bumper sticker that epitomizes Evans’ sentiment is the “Keep Honking! I’m Listening to Alice Coltrane’s 1971 Meteoric Sensation ‘Universal Consciousness.'” Created by Echo Park-based artist Christopher DeLoach in 2020, this yellow and black declaration arguably sparked the trend of esoteric car accessories.
The idea for the Coltrane sticker came to DeLoach while he was working at Texino, a tech startup specializing in luxury camper vans. Tasked with creating merchandise for the vehicles, he naturally turned to designing bumper stickers. The simple design features black Arial text on a yellow background, with the text changing size and position throughout the phrase, inspired by a vintage pro-life bumper sticker from a small church in Mississippi discovered by a friend.
Initially met with confusion, DeLoach decided to sell the Coltrane sticker under the moniker “thatscoolthankyou” on social media. The sticker gained popularity in 2021, with DeLoach estimating that he has sold at least 3,000 stickers and given away thousands more for free.
Despite the lighthearted nature of his creations, DeLoach offers a darker explanation for their success, attributing it to the pervasive influence of branding and advertising in American society. Since the Coltrane sticker’s success, DeLoach has developed over 120 designs catering to a wide range of fandoms, from Taylor Swift fans to Cocteau Twins enthusiasts.
There seems to be a bumper sticker for everyone, and for those who can’t find what they’re seeking, designing their own is a viable option. Inspired by DeLoach’s Coltrane sticker, engineer Catalina Elias created her own sticker dedicated to flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione. The sticker humorously reads, “Go ahead, keep honkin! I’m listening to Chuck Mangione’s 1977 hit ‘Feels So Good.’”
Vaccaro had a bunch of stickers that she hoped to sell, but eventually decided to give them away for free instead. One day, while hosting a yard sale and playing a song on repeat, a neighbor took notice. “Some guy rode by with a really cool bike, and we gave him a bumper sticker, and now he’s one of our best friends,” she recalled.
The stickers also played a role in psychotherapist Jack Lam’s life, fostering camaraderie. Like Vaccaro, Lam adorned their Toyota Prius with a “Honk if you’re a silly goose” sticker to conceal a scratch, but it held sentimental value as well. A friend had given them the sticker knowing their fondness for waterfowl.
For Christmas, Lam purchased stickers as gifts for their circle of friends, selecting phrases that encapsulated each person’s unique personality. “It’s whimsical and cute,” Lam remarked. “Now we all have a sticker, which is kind of beautiful.”
Amid a city where people are often confined within their car-shaped bubbles, Evans believed that spotting a relatable sticker could serve as a reminder of our shared humanity. “Sometimes this hyper-specific bumper sticker is a way of reaching across the highway and making a connection with another person.”
Have a favorite bumper sticker? Share it with us! And don’t forget to sign up for The Wild newsletter to receive weekly insider tips on the finest beaches, trails, parks, deserts, forests, and mountains. This article was originally published in the Los Angeles Times.
