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Home / Lifestyle

The 'S' symbol: What did you draw on your school books?

Herald online
2 Aug, 2016 01:21 AM2 mins to read

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Along with the 'S', there was the 3D box, band logos and block writing. Images / Supplied, nzherald.co.nz

Along with the 'S', there was the 3D box, band logos and block writing. Images / Supplied, nzherald.co.nz

Following the revelation of the meaning behind that pointy 'S' many of us drew in high school, Kiwis have shared their favourite nostalgic scribbles along with why they thought scribbling the 'S' all over their math books was cool.

People's recollections of the nostalgic pointy letter range from 'S' for south side, to the emblem for Skyline, Suzuki, Starter and 'S' for Shortland St.

Some recalled how they would repeat the pattern to turn it into a chain while others whose name starts with the letter adopted it as part of their signature.

Look familiar? Photo / Supplied
Look familiar? Photo / Supplied

Others have shared that they've gone on to teach their children the trick which involves two sets of three parallel lines joined diagonally, then capped at the top and bottom to create a pointy 'S'.

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It seems the 'S' has indeed been around for some time, as Helen Evans wrote she drew it in the 60s and 70s at school.

Mary Jamieson Milner also wrote that she was "Doing it back in the 70s," but added that the symbol had more to do with metal bands than brands.

Some Kiwis shared a particular dedication to the 'S' made evident by readers such as Mike Hewson, who wrote "So uhhhh, who else has a tattoo of this..."

According to Kaneo Hurst, the 'S' was a magic trick. "I can take these 6 lines and create something that will blow your mind," he wrote.

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While readers admitted they had other favourites - stick figures, daisies, bang logos and block letters to name a few, the 'S' remains a legend.

Nostalgic school book scribbles

Twisted Sister

The Twisted Sister band logo was a favourite for some. Image / nzherald.co.nz
The Twisted Sister band logo was a favourite for some. Image / nzherald.co.nz

3D boxes

Were your school book margins full of these? Image / nzherald.co.nz
Were your school book margins full of these? Image / nzherald.co.nz

Block text

Block and bubble text ruled when it came to popular fonts. Image / nzherald.co.nz
Block and bubble text ruled when it came to popular fonts. Image / nzherald.co.nz
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