Those lucky enough to be residents of the Deep South have undoubtedly experienced the anger that stems from getting cut off by a jacked-up F-150, and the subsequent confusion that arrives after noticing a beloved childhood character rendered into a pissing decal on the back windshield (probably nestled under this gem of a ubiquitous sticker).
Where could the image have come from? Calvin And Hobbes creator Bill Watterson refused to license his characters for merchandising, so it’s all completely illegal. But, thankfully, the folks over at Trivia Happy have put together a history of the lewd image and the sad truth about its future.
The first media mention of the decal came from Florida (surprise!) in 1995, with a description of Calvin peeing onto the words “FSU,” because southern football rivalries hold nothing sacred. The stickers then became a hit with NASCAR fans across the South as they began to feature the beloved staple of so many childhoods urinating on various racers’ numbers. Then came the decals with the sweet, ever-curious character pissing on Ford and Chevy logos, and that was it. The decals were everywhere, and unfortunately, they still are.
The piece goes on to detail the often-fruitless attempts at legal action by Calvin And Hobbes’ distributor and several local authorities. Other than a few tickets and cop suspensions (two officers had the sticker on their cars with their boss’ name getting peed on), not much can be done without a sweeping lawsuit. But if the system can manage to do away with truck nuts, perhaps one day these stickers can be a thing of the past.