Totally outrageous!!!
June 26, 2008 7:55 AM Subscribe
Branded in the 80's: Peel Here From the obvious to the obscure to the downright frightening, Peel Here documents the collectible stickers of the 80's and related ephemera.
My sticker album is up in my attic. I think I need to get it and look through it.
posted by Lucinda at 8:22 AM on June 26, 2008
posted by Lucinda at 8:22 AM on June 26, 2008
Anybody remember those weird "oily" stickers that you could push on and see color swirls? I remember people calling them "oilies" or "pressies." I scanned through the page kind of quickly and didn't see any mention of it, but I wasn't sure what to look for. It's one of those things I remember from childhood and am still not sure if it was real.
posted by SmileyChewtrain at 8:32 AM on June 26, 2008
posted by SmileyChewtrain at 8:32 AM on June 26, 2008
Ah, 1985. It was the Skidmore, Owings and Merrill Christmas party at the Esprit headquarters in San Francisco. The president of the company had let his daughter buy all the presents. My 'gifts'? A blister pack of giant plastic black ants and a box of Cindi Lauper trading cards.
posted by parmanparman at 8:34 AM on June 26, 2008
posted by parmanparman at 8:34 AM on June 26, 2008
Anybody remember those weird "oily" stickers that you could push on and see color swirls? I remember people calling them "oilies" or "pressies." I scanned through the page kind of quickly and didn't see any mention of it, but I wasn't sure what to look for. It's one of those things I remember from childhood and am still not sure if it was real.
I had one; it was heart-shaped. It may still be in my sticker album. I need to get home from work NOW.
posted by Lucinda at 8:38 AM on June 26, 2008
I had one; it was heart-shaped. It may still be in my sticker album. I need to get home from work NOW.
posted by Lucinda at 8:38 AM on June 26, 2008
My catholic school in England banned Garbage Pail Kids from the school. I forgot if everyone still brought them in to trade anyways or what, but somehow my collection was taken by one of the teachers. Son of a bitch.
posted by chunking express at 8:38 AM on June 26, 2008
posted by chunking express at 8:38 AM on June 26, 2008
Lazer Blazers. Holy crap, I'd forgotten those.
posted by middleclasstool at 8:43 AM on June 26, 2008
posted by middleclasstool at 8:43 AM on June 26, 2008
Oh, man. I don't think I even had any of these particular stickers (definitely not the Wham! sticker), but this image just brought back the smell of pencil erasers, the taste of chocolate milk, and the simple, innocent pleasure of..well, stickers.
posted by greenie2600 at 8:44 AM on June 26, 2008
posted by greenie2600 at 8:44 AM on June 26, 2008
That Wham sticker just set my heart a flutter. George Michael was and is HAWT!!! Great Post!!
posted by pearlybob at 8:45 AM on June 26, 2008
posted by pearlybob at 8:45 AM on June 26, 2008
Holy smokes, this takes me back to 4th and 5th grade.
This Howard the Duck set is wonderful - Jeffrey Jones is looking particularly nice.
posted by porn in the woods at 8:54 AM on June 26, 2008
This Howard the Duck set is wonderful - Jeffrey Jones is looking particularly nice.
posted by porn in the woods at 8:54 AM on June 26, 2008
I used to collect stickers! ha ha ha! Those were the days!
Oh shit, I still do. AND vintage Meyercord Decals. *sigh* I just don't put them in a book anymore... it's "decoupage!" :P
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 8:54 AM on June 26, 2008
Oh shit, I still do. AND vintage Meyercord Decals. *sigh* I just don't put them in a book anymore... it's "decoupage!" :P
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 8:54 AM on June 26, 2008
I am so glad I am not the only one who still has a sticker album from back then.
Anybody remember those weird "oily" stickers that you could push on and see color swirls?
Oh heck yeah. I think we referred to them as "liquid crystal". There may be a heart-shaped one (as a girl in the 80s, I was required by law to have many, many heart-shaped or -decorated items) in my sticker album. Along with Smurfs, unicorns, and pretty pretty princesses.
posted by Janta at 8:55 AM on June 26, 2008
Anybody remember those weird "oily" stickers that you could push on and see color swirls?
Oh heck yeah. I think we referred to them as "liquid crystal". There may be a heart-shaped one (as a girl in the 80s, I was required by law to have many, many heart-shaped or -decorated items) in my sticker album. Along with Smurfs, unicorns, and pretty pretty princesses.
posted by Janta at 8:55 AM on June 26, 2008
Until I clicked the links I had completely forgotten sticker albums existed; much less that my 10 year old self owned and obsessed over several of them. I can even remember the smell- where the hell has this been hiding in brain all these years?
posted by Mamapotomus at 8:57 AM on June 26, 2008
posted by Mamapotomus at 8:57 AM on June 26, 2008
Ok, wait. Does anybody remember books sold in grocery stores that had maybe 8-16 coloring pages with dashed-line areas where stickers from pages in the back of the book were meant to be inserted? Do those have a particular name?
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 9:01 AM on June 26, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 9:01 AM on June 26, 2008 [3 favorites]
I had some puffy stickers back in the 80's. I stuck a few on my skin one summer, and was rewarded with a skin infection for my trouble. Damn the 80's were awesome.
posted by cashman at 9:02 AM on June 26, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by cashman at 9:02 AM on June 26, 2008 [1 favorite]
Also, I confess that sometimes I go into Sanrio and sniff "smelly erasers," but they just aren't the same any more.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 9:03 AM on June 26, 2008
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 9:03 AM on June 26, 2008
I never thought of scanning my sticker albums before. But I definitely still have them. This is nice.
posted by halonine at 9:12 AM on June 26, 2008
posted by halonine at 9:12 AM on June 26, 2008
A bit OT, but I always liked "Fun Pads". They were thick, notepad-sized things, full of pictures to color, mazes, "spot the differences" pictures, light educational stuff, and the like. I always made my mom buy them when we went to the grocery store.
posted by greenie2600 at 9:27 AM on June 26, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by greenie2600 at 9:27 AM on June 26, 2008 [1 favorite]
Thanks so much, 1f2frfbf, I knew there'd be an entry for them on that blog somewhere, but I didn't go a-digging.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 9:33 AM on June 26, 2008
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 9:33 AM on June 26, 2008
Wow.
Thanks for bringing up good childhood memories!
Did anybody else here belong to the "Pineapple Sticker Club" back in the day?
posted by ShawnStruck at 9:44 AM on June 26, 2008
Thanks for bringing up good childhood memories!
Did anybody else here belong to the "Pineapple Sticker Club" back in the day?
posted by ShawnStruck at 9:44 AM on June 26, 2008
I saved my best stickers for a day when I'd have something really excellent to put them. I kept waiting. And now they're lost somewhere in an album, still unstuck .
I have learned my lesson.
posted by Liquidwolf at 9:52 AM on June 26, 2008
I have learned my lesson.
posted by Liquidwolf at 9:52 AM on June 26, 2008
Gah. This is GREAT. I had forgotten about those picture-puzzle cards. I was never very good at folding the corner to get the sticker off, and I remember bugging my mom to help me. I bet my perfectionism has something to do with trying to get those damn stickers to line up right with my crappy little-kid dexterity.
posted by fiercecupcake at 10:19 AM on June 26, 2008
posted by fiercecupcake at 10:19 AM on June 26, 2008
My sister and I had tons of sticker albums as kids. I remember spending so much time on the scratch-and-sniffs.
The single most disgusting promo I've ever seen was a scratch-and-sniff cardboard cut out of LOBO, a determinedly swarthy antihero in the DC comics universe. It was supposed to smell like his B.O.; I was chatting with the comic store owner and we decided to open one up out of curiosity. The store owner actually gagged and positioned himself close to the garbage because he thought he might vomit. The cut-out smelled like Worschestire sauce and old hockey equipment.
posted by autodidact at 10:33 AM on June 26, 2008 [3 favorites]
The single most disgusting promo I've ever seen was a scratch-and-sniff cardboard cut out of LOBO, a determinedly swarthy antihero in the DC comics universe. It was supposed to smell like his B.O.; I was chatting with the comic store owner and we decided to open one up out of curiosity. The store owner actually gagged and positioned himself close to the garbage because he thought he might vomit. The cut-out smelled like Worschestire sauce and old hockey equipment.
posted by autodidact at 10:33 AM on June 26, 2008 [3 favorites]
I think I still have two big sticker albums at my parents' house. My friends and I were really into trading, so I had a lot of multiples. That tends to happen when you buy a back of 16 identical root-beer stickers. Oilies were definitely real; I had one in a crescent moon shape and one in a unicorn shape, and more I can't remember. I tried to keep them on shreds of the backing paper, so they could be used later. (p.s. They were never used later. What would I use them for?)
posted by chowflap at 11:21 AM on June 26, 2008
posted by chowflap at 11:21 AM on June 26, 2008
Liquidwolf: Me too! (That'll teach me not to preview.)
posted by chowflap at 11:22 AM on June 26, 2008
posted by chowflap at 11:22 AM on June 26, 2008
Howard the Duck. I bet Lucas is glad people are holding on to that merchandising.
Those scratch and sniff stickers were very popular among my grade school teachers. I saw all of them at one time or another on various homework assignments. The pizza one is terrible. Vaguely smells like burnt, stale oregano and basil.
My favorites of these were always Wacky Packages stickers, which are mentioned but not featured. More of a '70s thing, but IIRC they continued into the '80s and were even revived twice, in the '90s and more recently. I had so many of those things. I also had some of the Mork and Mindy cards and stickers, the Star Wars cards (the first four sets anyway), and some various others. Unfortunately, I practically gave them away years ago ...
posted by krinklyfig at 11:23 AM on June 26, 2008
Those scratch and sniff stickers were very popular among my grade school teachers. I saw all of them at one time or another on various homework assignments. The pizza one is terrible. Vaguely smells like burnt, stale oregano and basil.
My favorites of these were always Wacky Packages stickers, which are mentioned but not featured. More of a '70s thing, but IIRC they continued into the '80s and were even revived twice, in the '90s and more recently. I had so many of those things. I also had some of the Mork and Mindy cards and stickers, the Star Wars cards (the first four sets anyway), and some various others. Unfortunately, I practically gave them away years ago ...
posted by krinklyfig at 11:23 AM on June 26, 2008
Uh oh...
I have this really weird compulsion when it comes to stickers. I want to place them in unusual places. Behind cabinet doors, in closets, under shelves, etc. It is a weird condition, I'll admit. And this link isn't helping any. Good thing I have my therapist on speed dial..!
posted by WhipSmart at 11:28 AM on June 26, 2008
I have this really weird compulsion when it comes to stickers. I want to place them in unusual places. Behind cabinet doors, in closets, under shelves, etc. It is a weird condition, I'll admit. And this link isn't helping any. Good thing I have my therapist on speed dial..!
posted by WhipSmart at 11:28 AM on June 26, 2008
wow. i had a bunch of the ones on there.
dammit. where's my time machine. i want to be 10 again.
posted by fuzzypantalones at 11:34 AM on June 26, 2008
dammit. where's my time machine. i want to be 10 again.
posted by fuzzypantalones at 11:34 AM on June 26, 2008
I remember the smell, too.
All of the coolest girls in my class were obsessed with Lisa Frank stickers - she was sort of a Thomas Kinkaide for the lavender unicorns and rainbows set. I preferred the more minimalist Mrs. Grossman stickers.
posted by freshwater_pr0n at 12:25 PM on June 26, 2008 [1 favorite]
All of the coolest girls in my class were obsessed with Lisa Frank stickers - she was sort of a Thomas Kinkaide for the lavender unicorns and rainbows set. I preferred the more minimalist Mrs. Grossman stickers.
posted by freshwater_pr0n at 12:25 PM on June 26, 2008 [1 favorite]
BWAHAHA!!! RIPTIDE!!!
Don't throw a punch with your thumb in your fist or you'll break your thumb!
posted by stinkycheese at 1:21 PM on June 26, 2008
Don't throw a punch with your thumb in your fist or you'll break your thumb!
posted by stinkycheese at 1:21 PM on June 26, 2008
This is great; I haven't thought of this cultural space since they were current. Instant, cheap time-travel.
posted by everichon at 3:08 PM on June 26, 2008
posted by everichon at 3:08 PM on June 26, 2008
Okay. Got my sticker album in front of me.
Mork & Mindy sticker? Check.
E.T. stickers? Check.
Mrs. Grossmans stickers? Check.
Googly-eyed puffy stickers? Check.
"Where's The Beef" sticker? Check.
Gremlins stickers? Check.
Strawberry Shortcake stickers? Check.
Dr. Pepper puffy stickers? Check.
Thompson Twins and U2 stickers? Check.
Yeah, that's your 80's for you.
posted by Lucinda at 4:45 PM on June 26, 2008
Mork & Mindy sticker? Check.
E.T. stickers? Check.
Mrs. Grossmans stickers? Check.
Googly-eyed puffy stickers? Check.
"Where's The Beef" sticker? Check.
Gremlins stickers? Check.
Strawberry Shortcake stickers? Check.
Dr. Pepper puffy stickers? Check.
Thompson Twins and U2 stickers? Check.
Yeah, that's your 80's for you.
posted by Lucinda at 4:45 PM on June 26, 2008
Anybody remember those weird "oily" stickers that you could push on and see color swirls? I remember people calling them "oilies" or "pressies."
Hell yes.
I'm still wondering why scratch'n'sniff stickers went away and never came back. Time for a comeback!
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 5:59 PM on June 26, 2008
Hell yes.
I'm still wondering why scratch'n'sniff stickers went away and never came back. Time for a comeback!
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 5:59 PM on June 26, 2008
Anybody remember those weird "oily" stickers that you could push on and see color swirls? I remember people calling them "oilies" or "pressies."
Yes! I remember I had unicorn oilies, but I don't know what happened to them (I scanned some of the few 80s stickers I still have and put them on Flickr)! Remember when everything used to have unicorns on them? Those were the days! FYI, I remembered them being called 'oilies,' as well. Here's a gallery of oilies (my sister and I had lots of these, and they're apparently coming back!). Apparently, besides the Mystiks linked in the gallery, Sandylion sold some, too, under the 'Magic-cals Oil' line.
I miss hologram stickers; I remember having unicorn holograms, too. I also miss being able to go into gift shops that had whole walls of loose stickers (sort of spools of stickers) where you could buy them by the square!
Lucinda, that's quite an enviable collection you've got there!
posted by Mael Oui at 8:35 PM on June 26, 2008
Yes! I remember I had unicorn oilies, but I don't know what happened to them (I scanned some of the few 80s stickers I still have and put them on Flickr)! Remember when everything used to have unicorns on them? Those were the days! FYI, I remembered them being called 'oilies,' as well. Here's a gallery of oilies (my sister and I had lots of these, and they're apparently coming back!). Apparently, besides the Mystiks linked in the gallery, Sandylion sold some, too, under the 'Magic-cals Oil' line.
I miss hologram stickers; I remember having unicorn holograms, too. I also miss being able to go into gift shops that had whole walls of loose stickers (sort of spools of stickers) where you could buy them by the square!
Lucinda, that's quite an enviable collection you've got there!
posted by Mael Oui at 8:35 PM on June 26, 2008
Also, halonine: SCAN THEM! And, if you ever do, err.. send me a link to the page, Flickr set, or whatever! Or anyone else who goes home, scans their old sticker books, and comes back to this post! Seriously!
posted by Mael Oui at 8:40 PM on June 26, 2008
posted by Mael Oui at 8:40 PM on June 26, 2008
Durn Bronzefist writes "I'm still wondering why scratch'n'sniff stickers went away and never came back. Time for a comeback!"
Well, even though I was fascinated with them as a kid, the less typical ones almost always smelled weird or kinda nasty. However, I understand the Chemical IndustryTM has been doing fascinating things with scents, so it could conceivably be much better. I bet they still exist ... yeah, from a Google search most are "vintage" but a few people are still making them. Mostly girly stuff, though. Gross.
posted by krinklyfig at 10:29 PM on June 26, 2008
Well, even though I was fascinated with them as a kid, the less typical ones almost always smelled weird or kinda nasty. However, I understand the Chemical IndustryTM has been doing fascinating things with scents, so it could conceivably be much better. I bet they still exist ... yeah, from a Google search most are "vintage" but a few people are still making them. Mostly girly stuff, though. Gross.
posted by krinklyfig at 10:29 PM on June 26, 2008
Man, this makes me regret throwing out my sticker album. What ever happened to the days where kids were happy with a sheet of $1.00 stickers. Now, all the little bastards want $400 XBoxes or whorey Bratz dolls.
Sigh.
Give me a googley-eyed sticker any day.
posted by dasheekeejones at 3:58 AM on June 27, 2008
Sigh.
Give me a googley-eyed sticker any day.
posted by dasheekeejones at 3:58 AM on June 27, 2008
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