You’ve seen them. Honestly, if you’ve filled up your tank anytime in the last few years, you’ve probably stared right at one while the numbers on the pump climbed higher and higher. It’s a tiny, finger-pointing Joe Biden. He’s usually grinning, and the caption is as blunt as it gets: "I did that!"
Simple. Effective. Annoying as heck for gas station owners.
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What started as a viral joke back in 2021 turned into a massive cultural phenomenon that just won't go away. Even in 2026, as we look back at the Biden era, these stickers represent more than just a prank. They were a real-time scoreboard for the American economy. People weren't just venting; they were participating in a weird, sticky form of political theater.
The Viral Rise of Biden I Did That Stickers
It didn't take long for the trend to explode. One day it was a few TikToks, and the next, Amazon was moving packs of 100 for about ten bucks. Sellers were making a killing. Javier Estrada Ovalles, who runs a shop called Automotive Anarchy, told reporters back in 2022 that he was moving 80 orders a day. At his peak, he was pulling in $40,000 a month just from these decals. Think about that. Forty grand on tiny bits of vinyl.
Why did they work so well?
Basically, they gave people a physical way to "talk back" to the news. Inflation wasn't just a headline anymore. It was $4.50 a gallon staring you in the face. Placing a sticker was a way to assign blame instantly.
But it wasn't all just "joyful mischief," as Business Insider once called it. For the people running the stations, it was a nightmare.
Most gas stations are small businesses. They aren't owned by "Big Oil." They’re owned by local franchisees who just want to keep their pumps clean. One owner in Wisconsin, Pam Coy, actually got fined $400 by BP corporate because she couldn't keep the stickers off her equipment. "They go back up as fast as you knock them down," she said. It was a losing battle.
Arrests and Legal Drama
People got intense about it. In Pennsylvania, a guy named Thomas Richard Glazewski was actually tackled by police at a Turkey Hill station after he was caught slapping the stickers on pumps. He didn't just walk away, either. He reportedly started screaming at the officers, "I did that! That's what I did!"
Most of the time, the charge is just "criminal mischief" or "vandalism," but it shows how high tempers were running.
Did He Actually Do "That"?
This is where things get messy. If you ask a Republican like Senator Ted Cruz, he’d tell you the stickers "illustrate that the American people know exactly whose fault this is." They point to things like the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline or new drilling restrictions as the reason prices spiked.
On the flip side, economists at places like NPR’s Planet Money argued that a "COVID Did That" sticker would be more factually accurate.
They weren't entirely wrong. The world was coming out of a pandemic, supply chains were a wreck, and then Russia invaded Ukraine, which sent oil markets into a tailspin. Plus, OPEC has a lot more to do with the price of a gallon than the guy in the White House does.
Still, the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan definitely played a role in the broader inflation surge. Even Democratic-leaning economists admit that much now. So, the sticker wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. It was a shortcut.
The 2026 Perspective: A New Trend?
History likes to repeat itself, usually with a twist.
As we move into 2026, we’re seeing the exact same thing happen in reverse. In early 2025, when grocery prices saw another jump, "I did that!" stickers featuring Donald Trump started appearing on egg cartons and milk jugs in some parts of the country.
It turns out, the "I did that" format is now a permanent part of the American political toolkit. It's the ultimate low-cost, high-visibility protest.
Actionable Insights for the "Sticker Shock" Era
If you’re a business owner or just someone tired of the back-and-forth, here’s how to handle the "sticker culture" we live in now:
- For Business Owners: Don't use standard scrapers. They scratch the plastic on the pump displays. Use a plastic razor blade and a citrus-based adhesive remover like Goo Gone. It saves the equipment and your sanity.
- Check the Material: If you’re actually buying these for your own car (where they are legal!), look for vinyl rather than paper. Paper stickers bake onto the surface in the sun and become impossible to remove without ruining your paint.
- Verify the Source: A lot of the $5 packs on discount sites are made with cheap ink that fades in two weeks of sunlight. If you want it to last, you've gotta pay for UV-resistant coatings.
- Understand the Law: Placing these on gas pumps is technically vandalism on private property. Keep the stickers on your own laptop, bumper, or cooler to avoid a "disorderly conduct" charge like the guy in Pennsylvania.
The biden i did that stickers were a lightning rod for a specific moment in time. They captured a feeling of helplessness during a massive economic shift. Whether you found them hilarious or a nuisance, they changed the way we vent our frustrations at the pump forever.
If you're looking to clean up old residue or want to see how the trend is shifting to grocery stores today, keep an eye on local community boards—that's usually where the next "sticker war" starts.