When it comes to the best bumper stickers in town, which ones come to mind?

Earlier this week, I noticed that it was National Sticker Day (Jan 13) which made me think of some of my favorite local bumper stickers. Just as I would think of one, another one would come to mind.

Soon, there was a group of people standing around the office blurting out their favorite stickers. I even posted it on my personal Facebook page, which sparked a few more forgotten bangers.

Instead of letting the amazing conversation become one of those things we quickly forgot about after going on with our daily routine, I decided to jot them down in my notes.

Today, I opened up the list and did my best to track down as many of them as I could.

Pray Opelousas

@ChurchGoingMule, Instagram
@ChurchGoingMule, Instagram
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It's no secret that Catholicism, Christianity, and many other religions are on full display everywhere when it comes to stickers and decals, but here in Acadiana, we've got a couple of popular options. In addition to Ragin' Cajun Catholics and the many schools in our area that are centered around religion, PRAY OPELOUSAS is a crowd favorite.

Kids Who Hunt and Fish Don't Steal and Deal

Nico Brouwer, The Madison
Nico Brouwer, The Madison
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This is a slogan that is actually used in many places beyond the Acadiana area. Usually, the phrase is on bumper stickers donning the name of local law enforcement agents or district attorneys. While there are some who truly believe that hunting and fishing may guarantee that kids never steal anyone else's property or deal drugs there are many who know this couldn't be any further from the truth. As a matter of fact, local lifestyle brand Sneaker Politics made a parody of the sticker expressing this very fact.

Facebook, Dustin Thibodeaux
Facebook, Dustin Thibodeaux
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LOVE Lafayette

LOVE Lafayette
LOVE Lafayette
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Lafayette is one of those places that carry a lot of civic pride, especially during tough times when we come together to help our community rebuild or move forward from loss or natural disasters. There may be many different versions, but the overall theme remains the same.

Backing the Blue

StickerShoppe.com
StickerShoppe.com
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Whether it's the Louisiana State Trooper membership stickers (do those things really help to get you out of tickets for speeding?) or the thin blue line flag that has gained popularity over the last few years, south Louisiana really likes to back the boys in blue.

Nine Line Apparel
Nine Line Apparel
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Who Dat, Baby!

Etsy, Ultimate Decal Store
Etsy, Ultimate Decal Store
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This is one that you'll see extending throughout the entire gulf coast. While there have always been Saints fans in NOLA and south Louisiana, things exploded after Katrina with the hire of Sean Payton and the signing of Drew Brees. Things reached an even higher level after the Saints won their first Super Bowl in franchise history after the 2009 season. Flags, bumper stickers, and decals are one of the staples of the Who Dat Nation.

Oilfield Life

Staff Photo
Staff Photo
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If you've grown up in Acadiana—or anywhere along the Gulf South for that matter—you're very familiar with the oilfield, whether it has directly or indirectly influenced your life in some way, shape, or form. You are probably also familiar with the pride that comes with being a member of the oilfield industry. Or maybe you're simply married to one.

Etsy, Chunky Money Beeds
Etsy, Chunky Money Beeds
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Stuck on the Radio

Radio bumper stickers are the OG of bumper stickers in general. You don't see them nearly as much as you used to (people don't stick stuff on their shiny new cars like they used to) but from time to time you'll see a few local favorites. Obviously, I'm going to support HOT 107.9 bumper stickers, but Planet Radio 96.5, KRVS, KBON, and a few others come to mind when it comes to radio station stickers that you're likely to see in Lafayette traffic.

The Fish, Deer, Fleur De Lis One

Staff Photo
Staff Photo
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You've seen it all over, but it actually has a name and a home as the official logo of Louisiana Sportsman. I've heard some people argue that this logo should be on our state flag, while others know it very well, but are always surprised that it actually represents a local brand. I'd highly recommend fishing around their Instagram. See what I did there?

Geaux Cajuns!

Amazon
Amazon
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Whether you got your degree there or you just love supporting the many sports teams that bear the name, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns get a lot of love when it comes to bumpers and back windows around Acadiana. Go ahead and through the RCAF (Ragin' Cajuns Athletic Foundation) in there while we're at it.

Dredge the Vermilion

NachoGuru, Reddit
NachoGuru, Reddit
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Bumper stickers that get behind a movement or a cause are always popular (depending on what side of the argument you're on) and a recent movement was sparked by the flooding issues that we've historically endured in Acadiana. Dredge the Vermilion is a group that has ideas on how we can avoid catastrophic flooding like the disaster we experienced back in 2016. So, if you've seen the sticker, now you know where it comes from.

Loyalty to Car Dealerships

Courtesy Ford Breaux Bridge
Courtesy Ford Breaux Bridge
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"Moss is Boss," "Courtesy's got your truck, man!" and J.P. Thibodeaux's "On va soinger ton char, comme le char a nous autres," memorable branding has been a top priority for these dealerships since the dawn of selling vehicles. What better way to stay top of mind than by having your logo, website, or 3D decal on the back of the car you just sold.

Believe in Lafayette

The Independent
The Independent
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This one may have been before your time, but back during the big oil bust in the 80s, things weren't alright in Lafayette. The local chamber had to come up with a way to keep people convinced that Lafayette was still a great place to invest and do business. You can dive into the details on that story here—but rumor has it that things were so bad around that time, there was another bumper sticker around the time that said "Last one to leave Lafayette, please turn off the lights." Super yikes.

The Eye of the Tiger

Ebay
Ebay
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Just like the Saints and just like the Ragin' Cajuns, people like to support their teams around these parts. One of the most popular teams (and bumper stickers in general) would have to be those of the LSU variety. One of my favorites is the huge LSU tiger eye. Some vehicles have the eye and nothing else on the back windows of their vehicles. And just like the aforementioned, there is more than enough variety to choose from when it comes to supporting the Tigers in sticker or decal form.

Ebay
Ebay
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Save the Horse Farm

Elizabeth E.B. Brooks
Elizabeth E.B. Brooks
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Back in 2005, a group of UL students started a movement to save a large piece of land right off of Johnston Sreet in the center of Lafayette. The area, known as the horse farm (literally, used by UL as a model dairy farm after being purchased back in 1920) was under the threat of becoming commercial development. Instead of letting dozens of acres of beautiful property become another strip mall or shopping center in Lafayette, the group started a movement to "save the horse farm" and after 17 years, Moncus Park (although a lot of folks still call it the horse farm) opened to the public just a few weeks ago on January 1, 2022.

"RCA"

It's a term that has definitely been controversial as some folks consider it to be a slight on Cajun people while others wear the badge proudly. They also wear the badge literally, with "RCA" stickers spotted on everything from bumpers to ice chests.

The Cars with the Boom

Ricky Smith's Audio
Ricky Smith's Audio
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While the trend is nowhere near what it used to be, there was a time when people proudly displayed the brands of speakers, car stereos, and accessories that were installed. If you had a car, you had to have a system that JAMMED. Brands like JL Audio, Alpine, Pioneer, Rockford Fostgate, and many others were popular but so was the place that installed your boom. Enter Ricky Smith's Car Audio. They're still in business today, and still hooking up the boom—but now in homes and businesses as well as cars, trucks, boats, SUVs, and even ATVs.

Ricky Smith's Audio
Ricky Smith's Audio
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Don't Trash Louisiana

Eco Cajun
Eco Cajun
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Very similar to "Don't Mess with Texas," Louisiana's battle cry to not throw your junk out of the window exists in the form of "Don't Trash Louisiana." There are other versions of this in the form of Parish Proud and many other non-profits with the same goal of keeping Louisiana beautiful.

The House Divided

Amazon
Amazon
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When you can't pick just one team to represent, or maybe your household is literally divided with fans of different squads. The "house divided" variety that locals are seen with most is undoubtedly the LSU-UL stickers, decals, and license plates. When you gotta roll with the Cajuns and the purple and gold, it's the only way to go. Let's not forget the all-encompassing fleur de lis divided as well.

Pintrest
Pintrest
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BONUS: Peeling Inspection Stickers

Staff Photo
Staff Photo
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I would be remiss if I didn't add one of the local stickers that made headlines recently for doing everything but sticking to our vehicles. A batch of "bad glue" was the culprit as a run of inspection stickers was very less than perfect for those who saw them peeling completely off in some instances. Thankfully, they located the source of the problem and we'll never have to deal with it again.

Hopefully, this list will inspire you to think of a few of your favorites. If so, drop me a line or put them in the comments on our socials @1079isHOT

LOOK: See the iconic cars that debuted the year you were born

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