become more common during election years.
One variety of bumpersticker is the country tag. This is typically used for
cars crossing international borders, and is overseen by the United
Nations as the Distinguishing Signs of Vehicles in International Traffic,
being authorized by the UN's Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (1949)
and Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (1968).
These have been spun off into humorous tags which may indicate a city
(OBX), political party (GOP), etc.
Application and removal
Due to the movement of the vehicle and changing weather conditions, it
is vital that the sticker adhere well to the bumper surface. However, there
are some "easy to remove" bumper stickers and magnetic bumper
stickers, occasionally made to be used as pranks by putting them on
someone else's vehicle -- especially ones that taunt police officers (e.g.: I
dare you pigs to pull me over). Bumper stickers can be removed with
penetrating oil or a heat gun.
History
Bumper stickers could not predate the introduction of the automobile
bumper; the Ford Model T lacked bumpers to which bumper stickers
could be conveniently attached, but the Ford Model A, introduced in
1927, had them. One online source[1] credits the current bumper sticker
to Forest P. Gill, a silkscreen printer from Kansas City.
The first bumper stickers appeared shortly before World War II; they
were flag-like, and 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.
Around the world
The ichthys fish symbol, which represents Christianity, and its parodies
are popular bumper sticker themes
Considerable variation exists around the world as to the context and
purpose of stickers.
On some vehicles, some stickers are like trophy signs of WWII
aeroplanes, either of locations visited or actions completed.
They have also been extensively applied to rear windows as well, where
legislative measures have not banned such use.
Australian Ute (Utility pickup truck) enthusiasts tend to have an
obsession with bumper stickers, often covering the entire rear window of
the ute with them. The truck with the greatest variety of stickers is often
the deciding factor in many Ute muster "Beaut Ute" competitions.
More recently, bumper stickers have become a route for advertising and
few companies offer to match car owners to advertisers willing to pay for
the ad. One such example is TailAds.com
In Israel, one of the most popular songs of all time is Shirat Hasticker
("The Sticker Song") by Hadag Nachash, a song composed entirely of
bumper sticker slogans.
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