Picking and Decorating My Way... 20s and 30s Addicted to Stickers

Popularity of 'Name Stickers' Decorated with One's Own Name
Photo Card Decoration Trends Linked to Idol Fandom Culture
Trend of Printing Slam Dunk Character Names Also Gaining Popularity

Stickers, which were mainly played with by elementary school students, have recently gained great popularity not only among teenagers but also among people in their 20s and 30s. They decorate diaries or 'photocards,' a type of idol fandom culture, with stickers. In particular, stickers are being used in various ways, such as printing one's own name or a friend's name on the spot through sticker vending machines and giving them as gifts.

On the afternoon of the 2nd, the area in front of the sticker vending machine installed at a Daiso store near Hongdae Entrance Station in Seoul was packed with young people trying to get stickers. There was a long line from teenagers to office workers in their 20s and 30s. This sticker vending machine can instantly print images along with the text entered by the user. For example, it creates a sticker by writing one's name along with an image of a favorite star.

The popularity of stickers began when Daiso introduced 'Cherry Blossom Stickers' as part of the 'Bombom Series' in early 2017. At that time, more than 3,000 sheets of these stickers were sold daily, and the entire stock prepared in two weeks was sold out.

Also, the 'Botanical Masking Tape' released in May of the same year sold an astonishing 50,000 units per month. This tape has small patterns and pictures printed on it, which people cut into pieces to complete pictures or decorate photocards and diaries. Riding on this popularity, Daiso launched 11 products last January under the slogan 'Daiso supports idol fandom!' These products sold 2 million units within three months.

Sticker vending machine. You can write the text you want on the input screen and print it immediately. Photo by Han Seunggon

Among people in their 20s, stickers have become an essential purchase item for decorating diaries. A 20-something office worker who recently bought stickers said, "These are stickers for decorating my diary. Since the stickers are inexpensive, I buy a lot and decorate my diary." He added, "Decorating my diary relieves stress. I post the decorated diary on Instagram to show it off."

Recently, it has been reported that many stickers are printed with the names of characters due to the popularity of Slam Dunk. For example, 'Bulkkot Namja Jeong Daeman' (Flame Man Jeong Daeman), 'Ppalgang Meori Kang Baekho' (Red-haired Kang Baekho), and 'Ttureo! Song Taeseop' (Break through! Song Taeseop). Kim, a 30-something office worker who said he watched the Slam Dunk animation multiple times, said, "I printed stickers with Slam Dunk character names to collect them."

Experts analyze that the reason stickers are popular among people in their 20s and 30s is that it reflects the desire to express their unique tastes different from others. Professor Eunhee Lee of Inha University's Department of Consumer Studies said, "As more consumers pursue their own unique things, the demand for distinctive items matches this trend, leading to the popularity of stickers."