They must have been the most commercially successful bits of toxic positivity merch I've ever known. Back when they were a thing, your chances of getting in a road-rage based auto accident spiked each time one of these was on the back of a vehicle in motion:

Show

They seemingly vanished off the face of the Earth, and good riddance.

    • UlyssesT [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      2 days ago

      glasses-on

      "Caring about things is stupid and bad, keep toiling and consuming."

      Many such cases.

  • krolden@lemmy.ml
    ·
    2 days ago

    Jeep drivers replaced these spare tire covers with rubber duckies on their dashboard

    • UlyssesT [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      2 days ago

      Telling people not to worry and to performatively be happy was just an assholish flex all along.

  • Ivysaur [she/her]
    ·
    2 days ago

    I actually really quite like this little smiley face. I didn’t know it was part of a bigger, more cynical marketing scheme...though I guess I should expect that. I’m in my 30s but I saw it a lot growing up.

    • UlyssesT [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      2 days ago

      Taken subjectively, yes, I can definitely see the appeal.

      Growing up with (younger at the time) adult grillman road raging with smiley stickers on their cars and "don't worry, be happy" being said as a thought terminating cliche gave me a different experience back in the 80s.

  • Homer_Simpson [they/them]
    ·
    2 days ago

    Part of a CIA op to sell lifestyles. Replaced during an update when they released more styles.

  • Erika3sis [she/her, xe/xem]
    ·
    2 days ago

    I'm not particularly old but I swear I've seen this in person when I was in Mni Sota Makoce.

    • UlyssesT [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      2 days ago

      I'm not particularly old but I swear I've seen this in person when I was in Mni Sota Makoce.

      It was probably the sum of grillman assholery when boomers were in their 30s and starting to feel not quite so invincible and young anymore and made it the world's problem.

    • UlyssesT [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      2 days ago

      I think the merch/protomeme came out before the song, so kind of.

    • 12022081631 [he/him]
      ·
      2 days ago

      song forever ruined improved when my brain gave me "what a wonderful gay". i never could recall the actually lyric after that