Hit the road in L.A., and you’re likely to spot a cheeky bumper sticker … or 17. As Times contributor Renée Reizman reports, the medium that was once popularized by Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidential campaign has recently is undergoing a creative renaissance. Rather than simply endorsing a candidate or memorializing one’s visit to the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot, the latest wave of stickers “is more concerned with cracking self-deprecating jokes or aligning with a niche fandom,” she writes. “There’s a bumper sticker for everybody. You can profess your love for John Cage, neon art or frogs. You can declare your other car is a poem, ask drivers not to stress out your dog or claim to be a silly goose.”
As a result, artists, small-business owners and residents are creating their own iterations, guided by their niche interests and oddball senses of humor. In a somewhat anthropological pursuit, I’ve collected a photo album’s worth of notable bumper stickers I’ve seen around L.A. on my phone. Their messages include: “ON A QUIET NIGHT YOU CAN HEAR MY BUICK RUST!” “DREAMS HAPPEN,” “MY OTHER RIDE IS MY GIMP” and my personal favorite, “I’D RATHER BE SLOWLY CONSUMED BY MOSS.” Individually, they might make you pause, chuckle, gasp. Together, they make an outsider art kaleidoscope, offering a quick glimpse into our fellow city dwellers’ minds.
Perhaps you have your own photo album’s worth of bumper stickers? If so, we at The Times want to see your absolute favorite. Please fill out the form below and submit a photo if you have one. You may be contacted by a Times reporter to learn more.
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