Temporary tattoos are memorable promotional items because they literally put a design or logo onto your body (albeit temporarily). But have you ever wondered about the history of these products? We were a little curious ourselves, so we decided to investigate why they were created and when!

temporary tattoo couple

Temporary Tattoos As Freebies and Tip-on Gifts

Tattoo historians (what a cool job) believe that based on advertising and media from the 1890's, the first (very dodgy) temporary tattoos were released as bonus gifts with sticks of bubblegum. While we're sure they didn't look as good as today's promotional temporary tattoos, there's no doubt that they were developed specifically as a way to advertise while also being used as gifts for consumers.

Back in the early days these tattoos, as well as the ones that were bundled as "prizes" in Crackerjack boxes (a popular American confectionery associated with baseball) were made with water-based ink and only adhered very lightly, rubbing off with nothing more than a touch of water!

promotional temporary tattoo

Over time, leaps in production techniques meant temporary tattoos were made with better quality inks and adhesives that were safer for the skin and lasted longer. More companies began using them as freebies and prizes for consumers, with a clear focus on the youth market. If you grew up between the 60's and 90's you'd probably remember getting free promotional temporary tattoos as gifts along with products such as;

  • Trading cards
  • Bubblegum
  • Lollipops
  • Collectable sticker packs
  • Cereal
  • And more!

Modern Temporary Tattoos Aren't Just For Kids

In the 1980's with 3m developing the ability to create scratch-and-sniff temporary tattoos as well as more modern innovations such as glitter tattoos, designs started to become more elaborate and older consumers became more interested in the potential that temporary tattoos possessed. Now in the 21st century, we see temporary tattoos being used as wedding gifts, party favours, awesome budget merchandise, and of course as a prize for kids.

One thing we know for sure is that temporary tattoos might have been invented in the 1890's but in the 2010's they're still a great promotional product that's suitable for almost any event or age group.

Details first spotted here: https://www.tattooarchive.com/history/temporary_tattoos.php