The Cool S, also known as the Universal S, the Super S, the Pointy S, and the Graffiti S, is a graffiti sign in popular culture and childlore that is typically doodled on children's notebooks or graffitied on walls. The exact origin of the Cool S is unknown, but it became prevalent around the early 1980s as a part of graffiti culture.
This cultural icon is cited as an example of "childhood folklore" in an interesting article at Cup of Joe, where the extended discussion thread (350 comments so far) cites other examples of childhood folklore that are more familiar to me ("Rabbit rabbit" on the first of the month, "step on a crack...")
Via Kottke.
Addendum, courtesy of reader Drabkikker:
It's an 8 to me
ReplyDeleteAgreed. The way we did it when I was in school in the 90's, the diagonals that here are going behind the middle of the S were instead drawn as horizontal to actually form an S. I grant that it's not QUITE as visually satisfying that way, and I don't know why it needed to be an S instead of an 8, but I don't make the rules.
DeleteWe always called this the "stussy S" (apparently after a clothing brand that is actually spelled with an umlaut - Stüssy). This was the mid-90's in the Southwest, so likely influenced from SoCal culture.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how slow-moving and pervasive these little memes were - I doubt the kids of today 20 years from now will remember "6-7" or that silly "flossing" dance, or any of the other bits of kid-culture ephemera, simply because the turn-over rate is so high.
Slot-car track.
ReplyDeleteObligatory Lemmino link.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Drabkikker. I've boosted the link up to the main body of the post.
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