From Cracker Jacks box tattoos to party favor tattoos, temporary tattoos have been entertaining children of the world for many years. Temporary tattoos are a type of body art which doesn't result in the permanent physical pigmentation changes of the skin a traditional tattoo yields. Instead, they are applied to the skin with water and will last only a short amount of time (from one to ten days). The application of a temporary tattoo is very simple. The tattoo itself often comes on a sheet of paper and the person applying the tattoo simply places the sheet onto the skin and wets the back of the paper with water. After a short time (about thirty seconds), the image will be successfully transferred onto the skin. While most people wouldn't want to remove their temporary tattoo early, they can be taken off easily by rubbing the area with baby oil or cooking oil. Temporary tattoos are a great way for children and adults to express their fun and creative sides, without making a full commitment to a traditional and permanent tattoo.
The history of temporary tattoos dates back to as early as 1892. Experts believe some of the first temporary tattoos were prizes inside of Cracker Jacks boxes. Others feel the first temporary tattoos occurred in bubble gum packages. While it is unclear when temporary tattoos were introduced, it is clear the quality of the first batches weren't great. The ink was of poor quality and they almost always came off of the skin as soon as the area was touched or wetted. Today, temporary tattoos are almost always made of vegetable dyes and glue. This allows them to look very realistic and many times they can last for weeks! As time went one and marketing companies realized the incredible marketing power of temporary tattoos, companies started advertising via temporary tattoos. After all, if they could get a child to wear their logo on a temporary tattoo, they would get inexpensive advertising for the life of the tattoo. Baseball cards with baseball logo tattoos hit the market in the 1970s and were raging hits. Bionic Woman tattoos were popular in the late 1970s as well, being released to advertise the new television program. In the 1980s temporary tattoos were increasingly popular with almost every popular cartoon show coming out with their own temporary tattoo designs. Some of the most popular were Smurf tattoo designs and Pee Wee's Playhouse tattoos. As time went on, temporary tattoos were created with more innovation and lasting-ability in mind. Eventually temporary tattoos were created with the images of traditional tattoo designs. Instead of children wearing cartoon tattoos, they had the opportunity to wear temporary tattoos which actually looked like genuine tattoos adults might get at the local tattoo parlor. Tattoos of snakes, rose tattoos, barbed wire tattoos and dragon tattoos were extremely popular varieties. Of course, throughout the 1970's and 1980's there were a few scares where temporary tattoos were linked to LSD transfers. Parents shunned the tattoos for a short period of time, afraid their children would be contaminated with LSD products. While it's unsure if the LSD scare was urban myth or just small isolated cases, it put a shock throughout the world when it came to temporary tattoos.
However, today parents have nothing to fear when it comes to temporary tattoos. In fact, due to the sensitivity of a child's skin most temporary tattoo makers use hypoallergenic inks, oils and glues to create their modern temporary tattoos. Other forms of temporary tattoos include henna tattoos, also known as Mehndi tattoos. These tattoos are created by staining the skin with silver nitrate exposed to ultraviolet light. In fact, many cultures have been engaging in henna art for centuries and often use it as a wedding celebration ritual. Airbrushed temporary tattoos are also quite popular, with airbrushing stands present along all American beach boardwalks. Temporary tattoos have a long and rich history in America and throughout the entire world. They are a great deal of fun for children and adults. Those who don't want to commit to getting a permanent tattoo or those who are simply too young to get "real ink" often wear temporary tattoos to express their artistic and creative personalities. Temporary tattoos are inexpensive ways to show off fun art. They can be used during Halloween, for parties and as birthday favors for children. They are safe and effective methods of allowing children to step out of the box and be a little daring, in a temporary way!
