It was an addiction
A horrible, all consuming addiction that took over my life for years. An addiction that took all of my disposable income. And yet despite these constant failures, I continued.

I continued to invest my time and my money in this addiction and encourage others to get involved with it and to share with me their unwanted spoils. Year on year I swear it was the last time, and eventually in 1986, after the World Cup in Mexico I kicked the habit.

Panini sticker albums. I started all of the football ones from 1982, finishing my football collection with the Mexico 86 sticker book.

Did I finish any of them? Did I fuck. The closest I came to finishing an album was that last one, but even with a massive pile of 'swapsies' I was unable to get the last half-dozen players I needed.

(I also did the E.T and Return of the Jedi sticker albums as well - both incomplete, so it wasn't just average footballers who let me down).

Do kids still collect the stickers or is it all 'online' these days?
( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Fri 25 Jun 2010, 16:07, 12 replies)

mine was worse
it was a wildlife one :(
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Fri 25 Jun 2010, 16:13, closed)

Why?
I mean, who goes rushing off with their pocket money on a Saturday morning and says to their local newsagent 'a quarter of rainbow dust and a packet of wildlife stickers please!'??
( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Fri 25 Jun 2010, 16:22, closed)

my dad bought me it
i love wildlife documentaries, always have. the only thing that annoyed me about that album was that the great white shark(my favourite animal) was a 2-sticker pic and i never did manage to get the second half of it :(
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Fri 25 Jun 2010, 16:42, closed)

Did you insist
Your folks drank the tea that came with the World Wildlife Fund cards? I think it was PG Tips, not 100% though.
( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Fri 25 Jun 2010, 16:49, closed)

it was PG
my granddad drank it, so he saved the cards for me. i think i've still got one somewhere of japanese macacques in a hot spring
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Fri 25 Jun 2010, 16:51, closed)

I'm sure I still have a load.
If you need to complete your collection!
( Blind Meach Cautiously optimistic, Sat 26 Jun 2010, 11:01, closed)

as most people do
i lost interest with it and my mum binned it
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Tue 29 Jun 2010, 0:28, closed)

yes!
I was just thinking of these before it came up here. My gran used to save these for me

The worldwildlife ones ones and the Unexplained Mysteries ones were my era, had the books/wallcharts and everything (if you sent away 2x20pcoins and a 'sae')

Then they brought the chimps in and I lost interest
(maggotriddendirtbox fast, feral and sharp as a tack since, Mon 28 Jun 2010, 0:34, closed)

yeah
the chimps ruined it.
i still only drink pg, though
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Tue 29 Jun 2010, 0:28, closed)

Oh yes they still do it. Not just kids either.

(porkylips looks better as the sun goes down., Fri 25 Jun 2010, 16:23, closed)

I usually had the Star Wars ones, Ulysses 31 or Transformers, to my knowledge I never completed any of them.

I did try and collect the football ones once in an attempt to be a bit more popular in school and maybe fit in, didn't work as even back then I never understood the fascination of 22 grown men chasing a ball around a field.
( Bamboo Steamer, Fri 25 Jun 2010, 16:34, closed)

NFL
I had a complete NFL one from 91.
(kitescreech still here, Sat 26 Jun 2010, 21:10, closed)