When most Philly streets were still all about spray-can tags and throw-ups, Bob Will Reign was already pushing something different—crafting hand-drawn characters and slapping them across the city. This was 2002-2003, when sticker art was barely a blip on the radar in a scene dominated by traditional graffiti writers1. Bob wasn't just early to the game—he helped create the damn rulebook.
Bob's approach was surgical: create a character simple enough that you'd recognize it instantly, reproduce it relentlessly, and bomb the city until your work became part of the urban landscape. Mailboxes, street signs, newspaper bins—these weren't just objects, they were canvases waiting to be claimed1. Every slap was a territorial marker, a visual signature as distinctive as any tag.
The formation of Sticky Bandits with El Toro wasn't just another crew—it was the spark that lit Philly's sticker revolution. Alongside artists like UnderWaterPirates, josh?, and ticky, they transformed what was possible on the streets, democratizing the game for anyone with a marker and something to say12. No need for expensive paint, no need for cover of darkness—just peel and stick. The barrier to entry crashed to the floor.
"Thousands of stickers" doesn't begin to capture his output during the peak years. The streets were his gallery, no application fee required, no curator's approval needed. Twenty years later, Bob's fingerprints are all over Philly's art scene—from curating the Sticky Art Machine at Tattooed Mom to spreading the word about the first Characters Welcome exhibition in 201213. What started as Robert Perry's idea at T-Mom's has exploded into an international phenomenon, drawing submissions from worldwide and even landing at Philadelphia International Airport4.
These days, Bob might not be hitting the streets with the same frantic energy as his early years, but his pockets are never empty—still carrying slaps in his wallet, ready to mark territory when the moment feels right5. In a scene where many flame out or fade away, Bob's status as Philadelphia's original sticker king remains unchallenged, his influence living on through every artist who's ever peeled a backing and pressed their art into the city's skin.
