# "GB" black and white stickers **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 26, 2000, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gb-black-and-white-stickers/6550 "2000-01-26T16:19:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Zambezi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@Mr.Zambezi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Zambezi)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2000, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gb-black-and-white-stickers/6550/1 "2000-01-26T16:19:00Z")
I see a lot of stickers on cars that have two large letters such as “GB” in the center. The background is white and the stickers are oval. What on earth do these things stand for? ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Thin\_Skin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@Mr\_Thin\_Skin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Thin_Skin)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2000, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gb-black-and-white-stickers/6550/2 "2000-01-26T16:30:00Z")
Girly Boys. Actually, I think it’s Great Britain ---
**Author:** ![labradorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@labradorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labradorian)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2000, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gb-black-and-white-stickers/6550/3 "2000-01-26T16:31:00Z")
Great Britain? * * * **Dee da dee da dee dee do do / Dee ba ditty doh / Deedle dooby doo ba dee um bee ooby / Be doodle oodle doodle dee doh** [http://members.xoom.com/labradorian/](http://members.xoom.com/labradorian/) ---
**Author:** ![Oblio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c4cdca/32.png) [@Oblio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblio)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2000, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gb-black-and-white-stickers/6550/4 "2000-01-26T16:32:00Z")
GET BACK ! Damn tailgaters 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2000, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gb-black-and-white-stickers/6550/5 "2000-01-26T16:34:00Z")
They’re European Touring Stickers. IIRC, they became popular in Europe because some countries didn’t put the country name on the license plate, so people started putting the stickers on their cars to indicate where they live. People in the US do it to show they’ve been somewhere, or like a particular country. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2000, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gb-black-and-white-stickers/6550/6 "2000-01-26T16:35:00Z")
Mr. Z, the next time you catch sight of one of these, take a close look to be sure there isn’t an encompassing, circular “M” surrounding the GB. I think this may be a logo or emblem for MGB, the automaker. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2000, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gb-black-and-white-stickers/6550/7 "2000-01-26T17:01:00Z")
As stated they are country of origin emblems. [http://www.classic-sportscar.com/flags.htm](http://www.classic-sportscar.com/flags.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2000, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gb-black-and-white-stickers/6550/8 "2000-01-26T17:37:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Athena: > **They’re European Touring Stickers. IIRC, they became popular in Europe because some countries didn’t put the country name on the license plate, so people started putting the stickers on their cars to indicate where they live. People in the US do it to show they’ve been somewhere, or like a particular country.** My recollection (I would have to verify this) is that in some countries (or at least in Switzerland) it is required to have the sticker if you’re driving in another country. Those stickers are good for trivia questions, e.g. CH = Switzerland FL = Liechtenstein etc… ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Zambezi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@Mr.Zambezi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Zambezi)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2000, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gb-black-and-white-stickers/6550/9 "2000-01-27T06:23:00Z")
Ahhhhhh…that makes sense. I thought that the GB was great Britain but I couldn’t figure out the other ones. Many thanks. Now I can tell my wife, in an authoratative toen and be a real smarty pants. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2000, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gb-black-and-white-stickers/6550/10 "2000-01-27T06:46:00Z")
Here in CA some towns and communities are also making their own stickers–e.g., SC for San Clemente. This has inspired some joke versions like BFD and BFE. ---
**Author:** ![Carl\_Berry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@Carl\_Berry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carl_Berry)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2000, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gb-black-and-white-stickers/6550/11 "2000-01-26T19:03:00Z")
On the back of my wife’s car there is one with an"A",for Austria, where her lifes journey began. Someone seeing said that he knew what “AAA” was, & “AA”, but what the hell does “A” stand for? (Agnostic?) D=Germany S=sweeden DK=Denmark I=Italy F=France & one sees an occational USA in Europe. * * * Zymurgist ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2000, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gb-black-and-white-stickers/6550/12 "2000-01-26T20:11:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by cher3: > **Here in CA some towns and communities are also making their own stickers–e.g., SC for San Clemente. This has inspired some joke versions like BFD and BFE.** Yeah, that’s happening all over. Here in Colorado, Boulder has one. I have one on my car saying UP. I’ll leave it up to you all to guess what that means! ---
**Author:** ![Mojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2000, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gb-black-and-white-stickers/6550/13 "2000-01-26T21:12:00Z")
In North Carolina they have one for the Outer Banks- OBX. ---
**Author:** ![Frankie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/258eb7/32.png) [@Frankie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frankie)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2000, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gb-black-and-white-stickers/6550/14 "2000-01-26T21:45:00Z")
Da Yoopers, Yah?? * * * -Frankie “Mother Mercy, can your loins bear fruit forever?/Is your fecundity a trammel or a treasure?” -Bad Religion ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2000, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gb-black-and-white-stickers/6550/15 "2000-01-26T22:27:00Z")
No fair, Frankie… IIRC, you’re in the know. ---
**Author:** ![TheNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TheNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNerd)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2000, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gb-black-and-white-stickers/6550/16 "2000-01-26T22:44:00Z")
You can buy one from [www.thinkgeek.com](http://www.thinkgeek.com) that says “URL”. At least, I think that was the place. I’ll have to go check. ---
**Author:** ![TheNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TheNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNerd)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2000, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gb-black-and-white-stickers/6550/17 "2000-01-26T22:45:00Z")
Nope. No URL. They do have a few others: GNU, LNX, FOO, PRL, BSD