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. Original vintage. Sold in as is condition.

— Joseph Alessi