For the past few months, Panini World Cup sticker collectors have been attending sticker swap events held every Monday at 5 p.m. at Ljubljana’s iconic Lepa žoga pub. Most of them have been desperately trying to fill their Panini World Cup sticker albums, but some of them give some of their stickers away for free. Some parents said that they trade their stickers because their children collect them; if it weren’t for the children, they would give away more of their stickers for free.
Panini World Cup sticker albums are popular with both young and old collectors, new and old football fans, and with those looking to bring back memories of their childhood. They need to collect more than 600 stickers to fill this year’s official Panini World Cup album. Collectors say that they need to buy a lot of packs to fill an album – but not as many as people think, since many stickers can be swapped between friends. The packs sell for 70 cents apiece. “It’s a pricey pastime, but a lot of the stickers can be swapped,” a collector said.
An avid collector since 1994
One of our interviewees said that he has been collecting Panini World Cup stickers since the 1994 World Cup in the United States. For him, the stickers have now become a bonding experience with his kids. Most people assume that it’s mostly kids who collect these stickers, but a surprising number are adults. It’s a hobby loved by both young and old. One of the collectors, a boy from Kamnik, said he only needed another 60 stickers to complete his fourth album.
There were many repeat visitors, but many attended the event for the first time. “It’s my first time here. After 15 minutes I noticed that I had already swapped a lot of my stickers. I don’t know whether these stickers can be traded online, I haven’t looked yet. I’ve been collecting Panini World Cup and Euro Cup stickers since 1994,” a teenager attending the event said.
Some of the visitors said that they don’t see the point of buying more and more stickers. Instead, they prefer to trade the ones they have in multiples. “I’m trying to complete one album, and I still need around 100 stickers. I was collecting these stickers when I was a child, then I stopped, but I resumed collecting them in 2014. I completed one album, and now the tradition continues.”
However, most of the visitors were children, and most of them were frantically trying to find the stickers they were missing. “His grandma bought him the album. He’s become an avid collector because he’s a big football enthusiast,” one of the parents told MMC. Some of the parents remarked that a surprising number of collectors are girls.
When you need just one more sticker
Most of the attendees said that they had been collecting the stickers for about a month. However, some of them started collecting them months ago. “I started collecting the stickers in early May,” one of the visitor said, adding: “I need just one more sticker to complete my album. I was missing three when I came here, but I already traded two of my stickers. I hope I can find the last sticker I need for my album before the event is over.” Some parents said that they started collecting the stickers because of their kids, but others said it was a hobby they enjoyed and that passing down such a beautiful tradition was merely a plus.
A tradition that dates back to 1970
Panini released its first World Cup sticker album in 1970. According to French news agency AFP, they sell between eight and ten million packs a day. AFP says that Panini’s success is down to simplicity, as the stickers have barely changed over the past decades. The only thing that has really changed is the way they shuffle the stickers. Nowadays, a machine shuffles them, but decades ago they simply threw the stickers against a wall with a shovel. The Modena-based company currently employs 240 people and holds licences with Disney, NBA, NFL, etc. However, football remains their main focus.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup is held in Russia and will run until July 15. A total of 32 national teams will vie for the World Cup trophy in 11 Russian cities. RTV Slovenia will air the matches live.
