A car is like an extension of its owner; it can be adorned, bedazzled, and upgraded to look like a futuristic piece of art. If you're a 2000s kid and remember MTV's Pimp My Ride, you know what we're talking about. But sometimes, the only thing you need to do to give your car a little pizzazz is slap a little sticker on it.
In fact, 60% of Americans say they've had a bumper sticker on their car. A witty adhesive on your car's bumper can send all kinds of messages: it can demonstrate allegiance to a fandom, state your political views, or just show off your quirky sense of humor. Bored Panda has collected the funniest and most impressive bumper stickers in one place and we present them to you below!
#1 Im Getting This Bumper Sticker
Image credits: dseiders22
#2 Anyone Know Where To Buy This One?
Image credits: reddit.com
#3 This Wile E. Coyote Sticker On This Car
Image credits: Requiascat
Bumper stickers have an interesting history in advertising. Back in the day, before cars even had bumpers, people would advertise their businesses on horse-drawn carriages, stagecoaches, buggies, and the sides of their vehicles.
In 1927, Ford created the first automobile with a bumper, the Model A. Still, bumper stickers didn't become a thing. People would just tie a cardboard sign with ropes to the side of their car with a written message.
Bumper stickers came into the picture with the invention of the adhesive label. Ray Stanton Avery invented the first-ever stickers, and Forrest P. Gill then took it up a notch and put fluorescent paint on them to make "bumper strips" – the original bumper stickers.
#4 True
Image credits: wildbumper
#5 Giving Information To The Enemy
Image credits: FastSpeedTurbo
#6 8x USB 3.0 2x HDMI
Image credits: Crebii
Gill used DayGlo pigments, which were primarily used for movie posters up until then. Then, during World War II, this high-visibility paint came in particularly handy for safety reasons. Later, artists like Frank Stella and Andy Warhol even used DayGlo in their artworks, but it soon began to be used for stickers that one could see on other cars while driving on the highways.
The first bumper stickers were a chance for people to boast about the places they had visited, as most of them were from roadside attractions. Similar to keychains, suitcase stickers, and tags today, bumper stickers from back in the day signaled that a person was an avid traveler.
#7 A Message I Definitely Agree With
Image credits: WoWGurl78
#8 That's Brilliant
Image credits: x.com
#9 "What's A Horse?" "I Don't Know."
Image credits: Verity-Skye
In the '50s, bumper stickers also became a vehicle to express one's political views. They became especially popular during the presidential race between Dwight Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson. Since then, it's likely that every presidential hopeful has used them for their campaign. In fact, in 1968, Alabama governor George Wallace had two million bumper stickers printed for his presidential campaign.
#10 Fair Warning
Image credits: No-Sand-75
#11 Best Bumper Sticker Ever
Image credits: Koalashart1
#12 When Your Car Is More Optimistic Than You Are
Image credits: wildbumper
When the '60s came around and anti-Vietnam War sentiments had reached their peak, people began using bumper stickers as an activism tool. As the years went on, it wasn't just about political activism. People began putting stickers on their bumpers that expressed their support for things like reproductive rights, fighting climate change, conservationism, and many others.
#13 Where All My Doppler Effect Nerds At?
Image credits: hinnsvartingi
#14 Spotted A Bumper Sticker In A Parking Lot That Had Me Cracking Up
Image credits: AffectionateShop2469
#15 The Perfect Sticker
Image credits: wildbumper
You might think that a bumper sticker is just a piece of adhesive paper. But, with a certain message, it can arouse big feelings in other people. Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have found that people are more likely to honk at bad drivers who have political messages on their bumpers.
#16 This Bumper Sticker I Found On TikTok
Image credits: KFSuffering
#17 For Those Who Speak Cat
Image credits: MollyBilinski
#18 The Perfect Sticker For Your Inner-Teen
Image credits: MisleaderC
The researchers had volunteers drive around with three different stickers on their cars: "Proud Democrat," "Proud Republican," and "I Love My Dog." When the volunteers cut off other drivers without signaling, those from opposing parties were more likely to honk at the offending drivers. If it was a Democrat or an "I Love My Dog" owner cutting off a Democrat, they were less likely to honk. The experiment also worked accordingly with Republicans.
#19 Happens To The Best Of Us
Image credits: wildbumper
#20 People Are Putting Regret Stickers On The Back Of Their Teslas
Image credits: -TheMidpoint-
#21 Man I Love Frogs
Image credits: Cheetah_Heart-2000
The authors of the study say they never found political bumper stickers to have a positive effect. "They didn't improve people's perceptions of their group or other groups," UC Assistant Professors Rachel Torres explained. "It activated their partisan hostilities." Essentially, even America's car culture has become politicized.
#22 Spotted In A Parking Lot. My New Favorite Bumper Sticker
Image credits: StuckeyStop
#23 On The Road, Again?
Image credits: Wilted_Flower920
#24 The Curse Of Powerful Lips
Image credits: wildbumper
The popularity of bumper stickers depends on geographical location and gender, too. A 2017 study found that women (63%) are more likely than men (50%) to have bumper stickers on their cars. Folks from the South were most likely to have bumper stickers, as 68% of those who live in Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee said they adorned their cars with a sticker.
#25 Jesus Loves You, Nobody Else Does
Image credits: x.com
#26 Best Bumper Sticker I’ve Seen In A While
Image credits: KFCCrocs
#27 Let Him Have His Gay Little Car Sticker
Image credits: NEPHEWRXK
According to the same survey, the most popular topic to showcase on your bumper stickers is sports. 17% of bumper stickers feature something related to the car owner's favorite team or affinity for jogging. Politics was the second most popular (16%) theme. Coming in third was people's alma mater, with humor, culture, family, and pets being others that made it to the top of the list.
#28 I Need One For My Pup
Image credits: Ccarver13
#29 You Can Grow It Yourself And It Will Be Free
Image credits: pagan_hoetry
#30 Plot Twist: They Don’t Have A Cat
Image credits: TheChowderhead
What about you, Pandas? Are you the proud owner of a bumper sticker? If you are, let us know in the comments what it says! If you aren't, tell us about the funniest bumper sticker you have ever spotted on the road! And while you're here, don't forget to check out our previous lists with the most hilarious and wildest bumper stickers here, here, and here!
#31 Oddly Specific Bumper Sticker Seen In The Wild
Image credits: Intelligent-Cake1448
#32 Cheese
Image credits: MrFrankUS
#33 The Perfect Sticker To Tell It Like It Is
Image credits: JenniferKeiper
#34 At My Desk, Cracking Up! Funniest Bumper Sticker Ever
Image credits: Mtl_Chick007
#35 That’s Honestly Terrifying
Image credits: MKBHD
#36 A Bumper Sticker I Saw In Utah
Image credits: MrStrype
#37 This Lady’s Bumper Sticker. I Was Tempted To Get Closer
Image credits: Chesticle5
#38 Saw This Bumper Sticker This Morning
Image credits: yangatang10
#39 Be Kind. Brake For Bugs
Image credits: downesphoto
#40 Saw The Best Bumper Sticker At Target. Whoever This Was At The Eau Claire Target, You're A Legend
Image credits: MsNirvana34
#41 Bumper Stickers, Got To Love Them
#42 At Least The Check Engine Light Isn’t On
Image credits: jeckles
#43 I Saw This Same Bumper Sticker In Downtown, LA. I Wonder Where This Person Would Travel To, In This Case
Image credits: 1929stockcrash
#44 I Stop Not Just Brake
Image credits: TheRetroRoomRoo
#45 Saw The Best Bumper Sticker In The World This Morning
If you’re on here and see this, I salute you. I need this sticker more than you know!
Image credits: Appropriate-City-591
#46 Shrimp Is Catchy Saying On A Bumper Sticker On A Car Of A Person Clearly Going Through Something
Image credits: BeautifulMix7410
#47 Still Thinking About The Funniest Bumper Sticker I've Ever Seen
Image credits: MayerElliot
#48 I'm Not One For Car Stickers, But Someone's Gotta Tell Em
Image credits: chicamo99
#49 6 Months In And He Found It. I Put A Sticker Over My Roommates Car Emblem And It Took Him Over 200 Days To Find. Overall He Took The Joke Well
Image credits: KevvCo
#50 To Anyone Buying Make Sure U Get A Large For The Size In The Pic
Image credits: eve4evaa
#51 My Getaway Car Suzuki Swift Is Out In The Streets Of Uruguay
Image credits: BeFearlessBeYou
#52 Saw The Post About Bumper Stickers That Make You Laugh Out Loud, Here’s Mine
Image credits: Olneyvillain4190
#53 My Recent Favorite Bumper Sticker Find
Image credits: CheyenneB52
#54 This Is My New Favorite Bumper Sticker
“Pardon my weird driving, I’m thinking about centipedes (again)”.
Image credits: Brosner85
#55 Someone Put This On My Truck
Someone put this sticker on my truck while I was at the gym.
Image credits: jncojeans_17
#56 This Is The Best Version Of This I’ve Seen
Image credits: owNightly
#57 These Bumper Stickers I Saw This Morning
Image credits: LydiaJuice
#58 Its A Good Bumper Sticker
Image credits: Radosity
#59 Does Anyone Have Any Clue What This Bumper Sticker Means?
Image credits: InitialAd2324
#60 Froggo
Image credits: Paparazzi14
#61 Odd Choice, But You Have My Respect For Living So Boldly
Image credits: pirate-kong
#62 Artistry Of Highest Order
Image credits: IrvingWestPhD
#63 Probably The Funniest Bumper Sticker I've Ever Seen
Image credits: Tannnnous
#64 New Favorite Bumper Sticker Just Dropped
Image credits: lllliatttt
#65 Saw This Sticker On Someone's Car, Gave Me A Good Chuckle
Image credits: EphemeralDragon
#66 Does It Belong Here?
Image credits: Cosmos-Sapien
#67 Wife Guy
Image credits: sassykathy666
#68 Oh She’s About To Be Adding A New Bumper Sticker To Her Car That’s For Sure
Image credits: ella_purnell
#69 If I Ever See This Around Town I Will Slam The Brakes And Let You Merge Immediately
Image credits: keelyclove
#70 Bumper Stickers In The Wild. This One Made Me Chuckle. Do They Hand These Out? Or Do People Actually Just Print Them Out?
Image credits: peoplefix
#71 Emotional Support Bumper Sticker
Image credits: WhosAztro
#72 My Favorite Bumper Sticker
Image credits: danbro424
#73 Never Change Mandurah
Image credits: darkmaninperth
#74 What Does This Stand For? This Car Has Been Parked On My Street For Months, And This Bumper Sticker Baffles Me Every Time I Walk By
Image credits: AdultSheep
#75 One Of The More Random Bumper Stickers I've Seen
Image credits: INFECTEDWIFISIGNAL
#76 Made A Bumper Sticker. Don’t Judge How Dirty My Car Is Right Now. Kinda Hard To Tell In The Pic, But It’s A Galaxy Background
Image credits: elissa445
#77 This Is Wild
Image credits: wildbumper
#78 I Keep Seeing This Bumper Sticker In Oregon
Image credits: tokingtogepi
#79 I Love This! I Want One
Image credits: hauntingaga
