ABSTRACT
The prototype for a deluge of imitations that followed, the stickers were actually canary yellow diamonds each with a suction cup attached at the top. They also rocked gently back and forth due to the motion of driving. It all started when Safety First, a Newton, Massachusetts maker of child-safety devices, marketed the first "BABY ON BOARD" sticker to dissuade tailgaters. The company's intention to protect the innocent was certainly praiseworthy and, naturally, no one had any idea where it would lead. On the opposite coast in Los Angeles, Marshall Field's, a discount department store chain, began giving away "BABY ON BOARD" stickers in 1985 to promote the opening of a new store. Fun was fun, but police throughout the nation argued that the stickers obscured the motorist's vision and caused more rubber necking than usual. However, bumper stickers have never spawned the same mad rush to buy them as was the case with "BABY ON BOARD" stickers.
