Bumper StickersHistory of the bumper sticker is credited 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 bumper stickers became more widespread and practical. The first widespread use of the advertising bumper sticker might have been the ubiquitous "See Rock City" signs, touting a tourist attraction atopLookout Mountain, Tennessee. In the 1940s, visitors to the site had a sticker applied to their car which duplicated the famous signs painted on the roofs of barns throughout the southeastern USA. Rock City staff would circulate through the parking lot, applying the promotional sticker to every car. Although called "stickers", these bumper signs were really lightweight, screen-printed cardboard and were attached by means of thin aluminum strips running through the end of the sign and wrapping around the bumper. (history information from http://en.wikipedia.org) Today, bumper stickers can be created and attached as a cling, as a magnet, or with different levels of adhesive. |