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Cool S

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Graffiti symbol
Cool S
TypeTextual object
Width140
WritingLatin script
SymbolsS
Created20th century
ClassificationTrademarked in the United States
CultureChildlore

The Cool S, also known as the Universal S, the Stüssy S, the Super S, the Pointy S, the Savage S, the Basquiat S, the Surfer's S, and the Graffiti S, is a graffiti sign in popular culture and childlore that is typically doodled on children's notebooks or graffitied on walls. The exact origin of the Cool S is unknown, but it became prevalent around the early 1970s as a part of graffiti culture.

Shape

The Cool S consists of 14 line segments, forming a stylized, pointed S-shape. It has also been compared to the infinity symbol. The S appears to have depth, where the overlap in the center of the S and the appearance of a potential altitude change at the top and bottom of the S make it look like the S connects back to itself in the same way as the infinity symbol does. The Cool S has no reflection symmetry, but has 2-fold rotational symmetry.

Construction

  1. The Cool S is started by drawing three short vertical lines, parallel and evenly-spaced, and then drawing another, identical group of three lines below them, separated by a gap the same length as each line segment. On a Cartesian coordinate system, these segments can be described as (0,4)–(0,3) / (1,4)–(1,3) / (2,4)–(2,3) and (0,2)–(0,1) / (1,2)–(1,1) / (2,2)–(2,1).
  2. Two diagonal lines are drawn, each connecting two of the line segments drawn in the prior step: (0,3)–(1,2) and (1,3)–(2,2)
  3. Two V shapes are drawn to create the top and bottom of the shape. One is inverted: (0,4)–(1,5)–(2,4) and the other is upright: (0,1)–(1,0)–(2,1)
  4. Finally, the two open ends are connected to the diagonal segments' midpoints: (0,2)–(1⁄2,21⁄2) and (2,3)–(11⁄2,21⁄2)

History

The exact origin of the symbol is unclear, but it is generally considered to be an artifact of childlore, meaning that it is taught by children to children over the course of generations.

Jon Naar's photographs of graffiti in New York City, which were taken in 1973 and published in The Faith of Graffiti in 1974, frequently contain the symbol. Jean-Michel Basquiat's artworks also occasionally feature it, such as in Charles the First, and in Untitled (Olive Oyl) it is labelled "CLASSIC S OF GRAFF".

In July 2020, the S was trademarked in the United States as "The S Thing" by a man who had no involvement in its creation. However, he claimed that he does not intend to sue people for drawing it.

False origin theories

Several unverified claims have been made about the origin of the Cool S. The name "Superman S" comes from a belief that it was a symbol for Superman, whose costume features a stylized S in a diamond shape, but that shape is different. It has been suggested to originate with the band Sacred Reich, but a member of the band denied this. A marketing manager at Suzuki, whose logo was another purported origin of the symbol, denied that its logo ever contained the symbol. It has also been suggested to be associated with the Sureños. According to a prominent former detective, southern Californian gangs usually use "S-13" or "SUR" and "S" would likely not be associated with the Sureños.

Emmy Coats (who has worked alongside Shawn Stussy since 1985) has stated that it was never a symbol of Stussy's Californian surf company. However, in 2011, the company uploaded a video to Vimeo and later to YouTube in which one of Jon Naar's 1973 photographs of the symbol is displayed.

See also

References

  1. Shepherd, Rebecca (August 14, 2019). "This Guy Spent Five Years Researching The Origins Of The 'Universal S'". LADBible. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020.
  2. Mailer, Norman (2009). The Faith of Graffiti. It Books. p. 121. ISBN 978-0-06-196170-0.
  3. Acker, Christian; Gribble, Howard (April 2007). "Photographer, Howard Gribble Interviewed by Christian Acker". Handselecta. Archived from the original on August 20, 2019.
  4. Lindwasser, Anna. "Here's The Story Behind That Cool 'S' Thing You Used To Draw In Class". Ranker. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  5. "Local Investigates: The Mysterious S Symbol". NYU Local. February 12, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  6. Neelon, Caleb (November 23, 2010). "Solve the Mystery of the Pointy S". Print Magazine. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  7. Beck, Julie (November 8, 2022). "Why Did We All Have the Same Childhood?". The Atlantic. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  8. Hoffman, Fred (2017). The Art of Jean-Michel Basquiat. New York: Enrico Navarra Gallery. p. 211. ISBN 978-2-911596-53-7. The double 'S' markings on the center piece resemble other marks and gestures found in Basquiat's paintings from this time While it became less and less a part of Basquiat's art production, there are continued references to graffiti style in his paintings and works on paper, such as the 'S' symbol.
  9. Morgans, Julian (July 6, 2020). "Meet the Guy Who Just Trademarked 'The S Thing'". Vice. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  10. ^ Morgans, Julian (2017-03-06). "Investigating the Origins of the S, Again". VICE. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  11. Morgans, Julian (July 23, 2016). "That 'S' Thing Everyone Drew in School, What Is It?". Vice. Retrieved March 21, 2019. No, this is not an original Stussy Logo I personally get asked this a lot, but people have been drawing this S long before Stussy was established. People have just assumed it was Stussy and it's sort of spread from there. It's actually quite amusing.
  12. "Stussy - Jon Naar Interview" (Video). Vimeo. May 26, 2011.
  13. "Stussy - Jon Naar". StussyVideo. May 26, 2011 – via YouTube. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine
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