Nostalgia Alert — TikToker Shares Her Grandparents Created Sandylion Stickers

If you were a kid in the 1980s or 1990s, you probably experienced a fairly homogenized childhood. Because things like Amazon didn't exist, most people had the same choice of the same toys and television shows, and so we all share many of the same nostalgic memories.

This includes our collective obsession with stickers.

Whether you were an "I'll use them on everything" or an "I'm holding onto them in case I find something better to use them on" kinda person, you almost certainly came across a sticker brand known as Sandylion Stickers. But what do we know about the creators of these genius little marketing gems?

Luckily, their granddaughter is sharing their story, and telling people where they are now. Here's what we know.

According to a woman named Allison who posted a video to TikTok, she knows more than the average person about the success story that is Sandylion Stickers. Allison says that the creators of the company, Sandy and Lionel, are her grandparents. The name of the company, Sandylion, is a clever combination of their two names.

In a video discussing their story, Allison revealed that the company was founded in 1982 after her grandparents took a trip to San Francisco.

She claims that they saw heart-shaped stickers being sold in a store at Pier 39. At that time, they were running a company called Labelad, which printed "custom labels for popular brands," the TikToker explained.

The couple mused that they could rig their own printing machines to make stickers just like they found in the store, and decided to go for it.

And what a decision that would turn out to be, helping to launch a phenomenon that swept the world and invaded homes and classrooms alike in short order.

As to where they are now, Allison explained that they sold the company in 2010. But, she added, "Sandylion Stickers are still very much a part of their lives." Her grandpa keeps a square of stickers in his wallet at all times and happily passes them out to waiters at restaurants or kids on the street.

"I'm so proud of my grandparents," Allison concluded, "and all the joy they brought into the world with their stickers." Allison then asked people to share memories of the stickers in the comments.

Fans quickly delivered, swarming the comments of the video with their own memories and love for Sandylion.

One user shared that her school even formalized the student body's love for stickers, writing, "These stickers literally ruled my entire childhood. We had a sticker club in elementary school and we traded them and the puffy velvet ones were the most sought after. Everyone was obsessed!"

Another shared a sweet memory of her mom, writing, "My mom did scrapbooking and these were the ONLY stickers that were allowed because they didn’t have the chemicals and acids that cause yellowing. My mom had 1000s of Sandy Lion stickers."

One touching comment read, "My sister only participated in speech therapy b/c of these stickers. Like literally she can speak because of these stickers."

Stickers may not be the phenomenon they used to be, but it's clear that they still have a strong place in the hearts and memories of many people.

With Sandylion's founders still out there spreading joy one sticker square at a time, that legacy doesn't look to be leaving any time soon.