Welcome To Brooklyn 11" x 5" Sticker

In 1976, inspired by the sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, I snapped a photo of the iconic "Welcome to Brooklyn" sign and decided to turn it into stickers.

To do it legally, I needed official permission. Thanks to a well-connected printer, I found myself in the office of Brooklyn Borough President Sebastian Leone. He loved the idea, gave me the green light, and a business was born. I sold the stickers to the massive crowds gathered in Bay Ridge for the 1976 Bicentennial Tall Ships celebration before getting bored and going back to being a kid.

Decades later, I discovered a forgotten stash of these original 1976 stickers hidden in my closet. My mom may have thrown out my baseball cards, but these survived. Now, they’re yours to own.

— Joseph Alessi