Stuck on Fun: Why Stickers Still Make Us Smile

The following article is excerpted from Healthy Aging® Magazine. To continue reading this article and more like it, log in or subscribe to Healthy Aging® Magazine, the lifestyle magazine that is all about following your passion and what you can do rather than what you can’t.

 

Montage of colorful sticker images including vintage travel luggage covered in labels, bumper stickers on a car, and covers of the I Love Texas, I Love California, and I Love Florida sticker books from Workman Publishing

A nostalgic look at sticker fun—from vintage travel labels and bumper stickers to today’s collectible I Love State sticker books by Workman Publishing.

When was the last time you peeled a sticker from its sheet, smoothed it down, and admired how it looked right where you placed it?

Maybe it was a gold star in grade school, a souvenir bumper sticker from a road trip, or a travel label on a favorite suitcase. Stickers may be small, but they hold big memories—and that’s one reason why stickers still make us smile.

From the first postage stamps of the 1800s to the colorful hotel luggage labels of the 1920s and the puffy, glittery stickers of the 1980s, these little pieces of art have stuck with us through generations. Each one tells a story of where we’ve been, what we’ve loved, or how we’ve expressed ourselves along the way.

Ray Lewis is cover feature of Healthy Aging Magazine Fall Issue 2025 In Healthy Aging® Magazine, we trace the colorful history of stickers, why they still spark joy for kids and grown-ups alike, and how they’ve become a creative outlet for travel lovers and nostalgic souls.

Peek inside our favorite new sticker books that celebrate state pride—Texas, California, and Florida—and rediscover the simple, tactile fun that never goes out of style.

If you’re ready for a smile and a bit of nostalgia, don’t miss this colorful feature in the latest issue of Healthy Aging® Magazine, available exclusively to Healthy Aging® Magazine subscribers.

 

[Subscribe now to access this story and more inspiring lifestyle features →]

Subscribe to Healthy Aging® Magazine

The Premier Lifestyle Magazine for All Ages

Receive four digital issues delivered to your inbox. Just $24.95