Starting about two months before the first kick-off launches FIFA’s World Cup, every Peruvian family gathering involves at least two people exchanging small rectangular stickers with a player’s face photoshopped onto a jersey. Just the other night, at my best friend’s birthday lonche, I sat with a cousin, each going through the other’s stack of repetidas seeing if we had any to exchange. “Ya la, No la” (“Got It, Don’t Got it”) are the phrases that continue to define each stack of cards every time a Panini album is being completed, whether you’re 5, 10, 25, 45, or 65. Within every age group, people walk around with their stack of stickers hidden in a secret pocket of their purse, tucked into their back pocket, held together by a rubber band.
The Panini editorial group was founded in 1961 in Modena, Italy, after two brothers bought a sticker collection that had failed to succeed in the market. They decided to sell these stickers in packets to “add the element of surprise” and were wildly successful. Soon thereafter, they launched World Cup sticker albums, which also became popular. They began to sell the stickers internationally in the 1970s and they now have 21 branches in different countries. My album illustrates just this—I bought the book in Bolivia, am now exchanging stickers in Peru, and am waiting on my mother to bring me more stickers from Brazil. In a FIFA TV video, they state that an average of 1 billion 5-sticker packets are produced annually for Panini’s sticker albums.
Google tells me that there is now a Panini World Cup album fever in the United States (at least in South Florida), which is really exciting, but that wasn’t the case when I was little. While I lived in the United States, I experienced two World Cups—Germany 2006 and South Africa 2010. In a country where I could share soccer as a by being part of a couple of teams growing up (and loving Bend it Like Beckham along with every other soccer-playing girl), the World Cup was an easy medium through which to share the sport with my non-teammates who normally did not pay attention to it. Yet, the album was still not an easy thing to share when the sticker supply was limited to my mother, who still travelled to Latin America regularly. Both World Cups, she brought back my brother and me a paqueton, the 500-sticker box with accompanying albums. We would split the box and then see if there were any duplicates between each other. Our game ended there. This global phenomenon was so local for us that it stayed in our family room. Our albums remained half-filled.
The World Cup is now upon us. I have 73 out of 639 stickers to go, and honestly, I’m convinced Peru has no stickers of the Iran team anywhere. Out of 13 stickers per team, I am missing 11. Panini assures that they print the same amount per player so that there is no inequality in value, but I’m not convinced. Neither is Costa Rican forward, Joel Campbell, who looked for himself in 100 packets and failed. The online Colombian newspaper Pulzo did a study to try to figure out which of the stickers are the hardest to find. The bias must be regional though, because (brush my shoulders off), I already have all the ones they mention. Some friends are already on their second album (jerks), with their first album all tucked away to share with future generations. But, why not have a second album? Why stop playing and together preparing for one of, if not the most, culturally important sports event of the world?
It’s not cheap though. Every time I go to a grocery store I buy between 5 and 10 packets at 1.20 soles each (about 50 cents, which means I spend an extra $2.50 to $5 a trip— I have a small bike basket so I go to the grocery store kind of often). Someone (I’m not going to link the same FIFA TV video again, but you can scroll up and click on that) made a calculation that it would take 4,505 stickers to make sure you got a complete album. That’s 901 packets. That’s $387.80 if you’re collecting in Peru. Each packet is a dollar in the US, so for you Americans it’s going to cost you $901.
But your social network gets you around your economic limitations. I would venture to say that in some way, at least for a short period of time, the World Cup album defines your circle. The exchange of 20 stickers for one, or even the gift of 100, reminds me of the generosity of the gift culture of Latin America. Here, have all of the players you’re still missing from the Mexican soccer team. Don’t forget, we’re family. Next time you get some more duplicate stickers, let me know. I might need them. Oh, there’s also now a virtual album, but whatever.
My mom tells me how her older brother would take her to the market when she was little and haggle with the kiosk owners to get her the cards she needed at a cheaper prices. There are also some people that take their duplicates after they’re done collecting to schools in poorer neighborhoods.
Another option, if you don’t want to spend money, is to go to the citywide meet-ups for album enthusiasts. Last week, I went to one in a mall in Camacho, a neighborhood 20 minutes away from my house for one of these events and was met by a crowd of over 100 people. I stupidly forgot all my duplicate stickers, but after buying 10 packets (and taking out the 10 that weren’t duplicates), I was armed with 40 square broad-shouldered jerseyed men to trade. I came out with 67 stickers that I didn’t already have. The whole experience saw me transform from an egalitarian (“everyone should finish collecting their album, let me see what you need”) to a ruthless capitalist, demanding 5 stickers in exchange for my 1 holographic sticker (remember, no one sticker is harder to find than another, says Panini) in a matter of hours.
At the meet-up, there was a stand where people who had 5 or fewer stickers could go and use a microphone to shout their sticker numbers, hoping someone would get close to them. There were also raffles and stuff like that for jerseys, but I wasn’t paying too much attention because I was so taken by the crowd. There were little kids with their parents. There were teenagers making out with their stickers in hand. One young man with a briefcase had more than 1000 duplicates and exchanged the ones I needed for stickers he already had. Who knows what he was going to do with them. There was an old couple, the man doing the transaction and the woman writing down the trade. There was one girl with her caretaker who claimed she kept track of which ones she needed because she could remember the players’ faces.
As I finish this article, I remember that I bought 10 new sticker packets at the grocery store last night. I’m back in Peru, and looking forward to actually completing my album for Brazil 2014. In a country where I rarely get invited to pick-up games thanks to the simple virtue of being a girl, the supply of stickers is high and available to everyone. A couple of weeks ago at work, I sent out an email to see if anyone else was putting together an album. The twenty-somethings in the group, myself included, were regressing. Our first World Cup as adults and we wanted to be 10-year-olds again, dragging our parents and babysitters to the mercado because we had already looked through all our friends’ stacks. The thirty-somethings were running a business, “Oh, I have 20 you might need? Buy me a candy bar in the afternoon and I’ll send those over to you.” And the oldest were trading for their kids, “Really? You’ll give me those 30 for free? You have no idea how many hugs my hijo will give me when he receives them.”
Tags: natalia piland, soccer, sports, world cup
I am having a hard time finding the words to describe how adorable and endearing I find this to be. And all of Peru and other countries do this in the lead up to the World Cup? I love this. I love this so much.
Same here, it’s a whole aspect of a culture that I knew nothing about, and granted there are a lot of those, but it’s so cool to see it in the response to a world event.
I did this in Panama growing up, and I see through Facebook that my high school friends are soliciting on social media for their kids’ remaining stickers. I can’t remember if I ever filled a whole album, though but I bet the internet has made it much easier to hook up with other sticker owners and trade/buy/sell.
We also had sticker albums for GI Joe, Transformers, and Tiny Toons.
Oh, my goodness! Story: I took my youngest daughter to London (I had miles, and was already going to the Book Fair for work) in April. We had a blast. We bought all the things. In the airport before the flight home, we stopped at a WH Smith to buy candy for her dad’s side of the family. And I saw this sticker album. Now, my kid is 16. But she has played soccer most of her life and is passionate about Arsenal and about the World Cup. So I bought it – sort of as a joke, like “Here’s a sticker book for the plane like you had when you were little”. I did not realize it was A Thing!
Just sent this to her. She’ll be on Facebook negotiating trades now. Thank you so much! And I will definitely do this with her in all World Cups going forward!
I just learned about this earlier when I saw a picture of Mario Balotelli’s Italy team page, which he had filled in with only pictures of himself.
Very cool to hear all the traditions surrounding it!
lol beat me to commenting on it, but the link is in my comment one down. I love Balotelli and just wish racist Italian fans weren’t so terrible.
I think if I were to do this I would go the Mario Balotelli route and just get as many Clint Dempsey stickers as I can find. My man crush knows no boundaries after his goal and playing with a broken/ bloody nose.
This is extremely charming! I never even knew that this existed.
I have never heard of this and I love it a LOT
I first learned about the Panini sticker thing because Monster High started selling stickers, but I haven’t seen those album or stickers anywhere in forever 🙁 Why isn’t this a bigger thing here in the US? I would have been ALL about this as a kid. It’s like Pokémon with real people.
How many more stickers do you have to go? Maybe there are some Toasties that collect too!
I used to collect these as a kid but it was 100% because I liked to stick the shiny holographic ones on my bedroom door.
“Someone (I’m not going to link the same FIFA TV video again, but you can scroll up and click on that) made a calculation that it would take 4,505 stickers to make sure you got a complete album. That’s 901 packets. That’s $387.80 if you’re collecting in Peru. Each packet is a dollar in the US, so for you Americans it’s going to cost you $901. ”
Such a coincidence, just before reading your post I stumbled upon this simulation, made by someone in the UK, which shows how difficult and expensive it is to find those last few stickers! http://www.codehesive.com/worldcupstickers/ I wonder how different it would be if he factored in trades 🙂
Love this! I think I got into soccer too late (college) to fully appreciate the Panini phenomenon, but I have several friends who do the whole album thing. And trade stickers with each other via Twitter.
Ohh this is great! I especially feel the part about collecting as a 20-something—I guess I’ve technically been an adult for two World Cups now, and I always spend a couple weeks convincing myself I don’t need an album this time, really, it’s silly… and then the Fever comes over me and I have to break down and get one.
My 2014 album is totally languishing though! I got my first batch of stickers when I was in Mexico and haven’t seen them around my usual haunts back in the US now. Plus having to pay for them myself isn’t quite as fun as mom grabbing some with the groceries. But perhaps a weekend excursion is in order…
WHAT I want a do-over life where I get hooked on soccer and live in a sticker country. This appeals to every fiber of my being.
This is so great! My sister lives in Ecuador with her husband, who is from there, and they sent my parents a book and some sticker packets. My mom is delighted with it, and they’ve since sent her more packets so she can fill out more of her album. But I had no idea this was such a huge phenomenon, or that they do it every World Cup!
This is so great! My sister lives in Ecuador with her husband, who is from there, and they sent my parents a book and some sticker packets. My mom is delighted with it, and they've since sent her more packets so she can fill out more of her album. But I had no idea this was such a huge phenomenon, or that they do it every World Cup!
I really wish I would have taken my niece and nephew to Peru this summer, instead of waiting till next summer. This sounds like a wonderful experience.
I have really enjoyed this article. Reminded me my childhood. The exchange of stickers with my family members and friends from the neighborhood. A simple gathering of stickers made the happy and warm memories.
I had never heard of this before and I am completely charmed. I’m not super into sports but this is the sort of sports related activity that I could see myself TOTALLY getting into. Too bad this doesn’t really seem to be a thing where I live!
My husband and my 8-year-old are busy working on their joint sticker book right now. Born and bred in the U.S. of A. and they’re both absolutely obsessed with soccer and the World Cup. My son had Panini sticker books for the Cars and Toy Story movies a few years ago – that’s when I first came across them.
I was obsessed with this as a kid and was SUPER STOKED when I found out that this year there is a FREE VIRTUAL VERSION that you can have on your smart phone! And/or on the FIFA website! They give you three packs for free every day! There are codes floating around for free packs! Online swapping! HEAVEN FOR AN ADULT ON A BUDGET LIKE ME.
Sure, it is not the same thing as the actual album, and the swaps are not as fun as they were (damn I got some negotiating skills back then – for dumb social reasons I get embarrassed negotiating a lot of things, but when I get past those I am awesome at it), but 1. All the stickers go in their boxes PERFECTLY, soothing my neat freak anxiety, and 2. I am not limited to my friends for stickers I can't get.
Ladies, sign up for a FIFA account AND LIVE THE DREAM.
I already finished two albums. One hardcover and one regular. Right now I’m trying to finish my third one but for this one I’m waiting on the sticker set update that comes out next month here in the states. So far I’ve spent $244.00 and I’m not buying anymore packs I’m just trading online.
That is extraordinary post! It’s truly superb. A debt of gratitude is in order for sharing this.