It was a simpler time.
Remember in primary school when sticker albums were all the rage. Going to Easons to pick up a blank laminated book with the prettiest cover. It was a hobby, yes, but it was also a serious game, this sticker collecting and trading business.
Here are 7 things you’ll remember if you were a sticker-booker
1) You had a strict system for your stickers
You didn’t just throw in the stickers you got onto any page, you had a neat system in place to ensure they were categorised and easy to find. The categories in my sticker album included animals, hearts and flowers, Tracy Beaker, and even a page dedicated to each holiday – a page for Christmas stickers, Halloween stickers and birthday stickers. I genuinely even saved the last page for my least favourite stickers that didn’t quite fit into my other categories.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHkQYf-gHAD/?tagged=stickeralbum
2) Trading was a serious game
The last page on my sticker book, as mentioned above, were the stickers I always tried to trade first. It wasn’t just a case of swapping a sticker with another, you had to think about it, look at your sticker, question its worth and wonder if they had something equally as valuable.
Sometimes someone else has an amazing sticker that you had nothing to trade with, which was devastating. I once gave someone 30 cents for a mermaid sticker.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BAIX47-RDie/?tagged=mermaidsticker
3) You were incredibly careful with your stickers
Getting a brand new full pack of stickers was amazing, you could fill a whole page all at once, but you’d do it slowly. You’d take more time adding the stickers in that you would on your homework. you’d peel them off slowly and carefully add them to the book, because you’d be heartbroken if you teared it while putting it in.
4) Anything fuzzy, sparkly or 3D was next level
These were next level stickers, if it was soft to touch, glittery or even smelled fruity, it was a godsend. And then there was the rare, valuable, mother of all stickers, the 3D ones.
If you had one of these you weren’t trading them with anyone. And you were extra careful about these ones ripping.
https://www.instagram.com/p/qN1YUQS3-P/?tagged=3dstickers
5) Going to the dentist or doctor was almost worth it
No body likes getting checkups or being sick but if it means getting a giant sticker to add to you collection, you didn’t mind as much. Stickers from medical checkups were nearly as good as 3D stickers because they were a lot harder to come by and not as many people had them. Sure you didn’t like getting teeth pulled but you’d probably get a
Stickers from medical checkups were nearly as good as 3D stickers because they were a lot harder to come by and not as many people had them. Sure you didn’t like getting teeth pulled but you’d probably get a Rugrats or Tom and Jerry sticker which helped ease the pain.
https://www.instagram.com/p/byc32LnRBj/?tagged=dentiststickers
6) The invention of the sticker maker was genius
Imagine making stickers out of basically anything 2D that you owned, from photographs to magazine cut-outs you no longer had to dream about having a sticker of you and your friends, because you could make one! This was probably featured on The Late Late Toy Show which led to thousands of kids adding it to their letter to Santa.
7) Filling up your sticker book was a huge victory
You filled all the pages and were satisfied with all your stickers. You had no desire to trade any and felt confident that you’re collection was complete.
It was time to buy a new sticker book and start all over, it was a bittersweet but hugely exciting time.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BICjrmnhEJt/?tagged=stickeralbum
