What Children Seek in "Sticker Swapping" Is Different from What Parents Think

About the trending "sticker swapping." The other day, I saw a post on X. I thought it captured the essence of sticker swapping, so I tried it with my 5th-grade daughter. She ended up talking about stickers with such joy. Here is that story!

Stickers are the Catalyst

As parents, it might look like "just a phenomenon where kids want stickers," but the essence is completely different. Rather than the stickers themselves, the value lies in "exchanging things with a shared understanding."

In the past, it was trading cards like Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh!

Even further back, maybe Bikkuriman stickers.

Nowadays, we live in an era where you can watch whatever you like on YouTube or Netflix, anytime, anywhere. Unlike the old days, there's no "everyone watching the same show on Saturday and talking about it at school on Monday," or sharing Dragon Quest walkthroughs at school when a new game comes out.

In other words, what used to be "everyone together" has become "everyone separate." Since there are fewer things with a shared understanding, "stickers" are what hit the mark.

Interactions like "This is cute," "I want that!", "Want to trade for this?", or "No way, that rate is too high" become communication between children. In fact, the charm of sticker swapping is said to be that "stickers trigger conversations."

https://nicola.jp/article/article-85117/

In short, stickers are not the "goal" but the "means." They have become a tool for generating conversation.

About "Rates"

What's even more interesting is the concept of "rates."

There are high-rate stickers where kids say, "This one is popular, so it's worth two," or "This is rare, so I'm hesitant to trade."

This isn't clearly defined by anything, but there's a widespread recognition that authentic Bonbon Drop stickers have high rates, or that Ohajiki stickers and Oshiri stickers are rare. This triggers negotiations and promotes communication.

Due to the influence of these rates, Bonbon Drop stickers are selling out everywhere. Just yesterday on the TV show "Shuichi," the manufacturer of Bonbon Drop stickers was featured.

Analog is Still Strong

We have smartphones, games, SNS, blockchain, and AI. Yet, in this Reiwa era, stickers are making a comeback. This might mean that everyone is seeking real-life communication.

As mentioned in the X post at the beginning, children want their parents to be interested in them. They aren't satisfied with "Dad/Mom doesn't have stickers, so I can't trade."

They want reactions like "Wow, this is cute!" or "This must have a high rate!" They want attention. You might be busy, but it might be nice to take a moment to look at a sticker book together.

See you later!