It all began with those godforsaken stick people.
Someone felt the need to advertise their family members on the back of their minivans and came up with a multi-million dollar industry. Shortly after, brands caught on and made their own versions (Disney, Star Wars, Pixar, etc) to sell to families who saw their friends with similar stickers and wanted to one-up them with something cuter.
Once the market was saturated with stick figure littered mini vans, the backlash began. Zombie stick figures, ‘my family ate your family’ stickers. And originality went into the toilet.
Instead of evolving into a new idea or concept, people/companies just embraced the ironic nature of ‘my family _____ your family’ and went with that. No thought needed, no creativity required.
Same goes for the evolution of the honor roll stickers. “My son/daughter is on the honor roll” turned into “my kid beat up your kid on the honor roll.”
These ironic ‘pivots’ of somewhat original ideas are worth one chuckle at best (like any Adam Sandler movie after 2003). Nothing to write home about – nothing to be impressed by. Instead of coming up with something creative and original – these people have essentially stolen the neighbors pig and put some lipstick on it. (If you haven’t heard of that one before, a pig with lipstick is still a pig.)
I suppose there’s something to be said for the evolution of an idea, maybe even an art. But truly original ideas, ideas that you’ll be remembered for and will resonate are the ones that come from nowhere. So go out and be original dammit. Don’t just eat my stick figure family and call it a day.