Let's begin our study of the origins and development of the sticker by learning a little verse. I hope this will become the theme song for the entire series on stickers, labels, and decals. Every reader is invited to memorize and sing along as you go about your day. (Our theme song should be sung to the tune of Franz Schubert's Symphony #3 in e-minor; opus 64):

Pretty Sticker - on the bumper of my car.
printed multi-colored billboards,
saying what I are.

Labels - can be beautiful and yet,
if you choose to never use them,
you simply choose to forget.

Can it be so easy then - has time rewritten
every sign? If we had the chance to stick them
everywhere, tell me would we - should we?

Stickers - sending off my rubbish can
corny, funny, little Stickers
for the garbage man.

So you see, it's easy then - adhesive really works.
make a statement, sell your Chevrolet!
Think of all the perks. Think of all the perks........

(now on the last line just start fading out with "...think of all the perks, think of all the per, think of all the p, think of all t, think of al, think of, think, thi, t"......  One of my colleagues actually had this verse made into a bumper sticker and he gets many compliments on it. Of course, in order to fit it all on one bumper sticker he had to have the print so small that it was necessary for those in traffic to wait for the first red light, get out and use a magnifying glass to read it. But it's worth the effort. It breaks he ice for total strangers to meet. We used to call that an "Ice Breaker"

WHAT ARE FOLKS SAYING ABOUT OUR NEW SONG? Mrs. Ira Dinkle of Des Moines, TX. writes: "...honestly, I've never even heard of Franz Schubert but I memorized the jingle anyways. Ironically, it goes perfect to the tune 'The Way We Were' by Barbara Streisand. I sing it while I'm shopping at the IGA and guess what; I never forget to pick up a package of stickers or decals..." (The foregoing testimonial was unsolicited and real. It was approved by the N.B.O.T.B.R. - The National Board Of Testimonials Being Real.

WWasn't Mrs. Dinkle great? But you know she's not alone. There are millions of Mrs. Dinkle's out there who don't know who Franz Schubert was. Now - Mrs. Dinkle is no Rocket Scientist.......wait a minute......actually her late beloved husband Ira was a Rocket Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. Sorry - But that's not the point! What is the point, you ask. Ok; Why purchase your stickers and decals at the IGA when you can go right on line and have them made personally just for you saying exactly what you want for a low cost and sent right to your door? That's all I'm saying! (The foregoing sentence was not intended to sound like a commercial for stickers and was approved by the N.B.O.T.T.S.L.C.B.R.A. - The National Board of Things That Sound Like Commercials But Really Aren't. Any or all of the content in the previous sentence may be used, free of charge by contacting Chavez Mueller at N.B.O.T.T.S.L.C.B.R.A). Now let's begin our journey into the exciting history and evolution of stickers. I can't wait!

EVOLUTION
Stickers, Labels and Decals HAVE evolved. They have become vinyl cut-out lettering for the back of car windows, laminations, gloss, matte litho, silver foil, gold foil and a multitude of different shapes like circles, ovals, starburst and rectangle. But were they always that technical? OH NO! In our next installment we'll go back thousands of years and discover the birth of the sticker on planet Earth. So, as I close, if you take just one lesson away from today's article make it this one: "Maybe Franz Schubert didn't use stickers, labels, or decals but he wrote some damn good music".

okay thanks