The original bumper sticker was 3 ¾ inches tall by 15 inches wide. Forest Gill knew the potential of printing when he saw that cars were being made with large chrome bumpers. These were much different than the original bumpers that Gill had printed canvas signs to tie onto. Once they were on the bumper of every vacationing Americans car, it wasn't long until the politicians began to see their potential as well.
The bumper sticker was an inexpensive way for politicians to communicate with the voters. The new medium allowed the public a way to express their opinion. It was a method of free speech and could be equated to wearing a political button. This new invention was a way for people to publish their opinion on a particular candidate, but it also allowed them to show that their intention was to vote for a specific politician. In doing so, they helped others make a decision as to which politician they supported as well.
After World War II was over, the first presidential election was held in 1948. Truman had been Vice President during Franklin D. Roosevelt's third term and he became the 33rd president after Roosevelt died in 1945. In the 1948 election, Truman was facing the Republican New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey as well as Strom Thurmond from South Carolina, a Dixicrat. Despite the predictions of the polls, Truman won the election with 28 state and 24,179,347 popular votes and 303 electoral votes.
The use of bumper stickers during this time period created a new form of collector's items for g future generations. To collectors and historians, the bumper sticker, event tickets, trading cards, written and printed material and advertisements from the 40s are highly desired. It was during this time that a transition was made and these items are incredibly rare. Although these materials were never intended to become collector's items, it makes them that much more desirable. These items were created for an immediate purpose, but many libraries, museums, and private collectors have begun to catalog and collect these items.