Sticker Boy — Young man with Bernie Sanders sticker on his mouth standing behind Hillary and Bill Clinton on live TV

Sticker Boy

2016viral videoclassic

Published October 20, 2026

Sticker Boy, also known as Sticker Kid, is the nickname Drake University student Peter Clinkscales earned after videobombing Hillary Clinton's Iowa caucus victory speech on February 1, 2016 with campaign stickers plastered across his face. Within 16 hours, Mashable's Vine clip of his antics drew more than 1.2 million loops, and the #stickerboy hashtag trended on Twitter while USA Today and the Today Show ran segments on him the next day.

accidental fame memes presidential memes vine memes campus memes hashtag memes

Overview

On national television, Clinkscales stood directly behind Hillary and Bill Clinton during the victory speech at Drake University in Des Moines, slapping Hillary for America stickers across his cheeks and forehead while mugging for the camera1. He danced, made faces, and added more stickers to his face each time the broadcast cut to a wide shot, turning what should have been a political moment into a viral comedy bit2.

The Sticker Boy appeal was partly accidental, partly deliberate. Clinkscales later told Mashable he was an undecided voter who had hoped to bring a saxophone to the rally but was turned away at security, so stickers became his improvised prop3. The clip spawned the twin hashtags #stickerboy and #stickerkid, with viewers screenshotting the moments when his sticker-covered face appeared over the Clintons' shoulders4.

Origin & Background

Platform
Live TV broadcast (origin) / Vine (viral spread)
Creator
Peter Clinkscales
Date
2016

On February 1, 2016, Hillary Clinton gave a victory speech at Drake University in Des Moines after narrowly beating Bernie Sanders in the Iowa Democratic caucus by roughly 0.2%4. Peter Clinkscales, a Drake student standing in the risers directly behind Clinton, used his on-screen time to dance, make faces, and layer campaign stickers across his face during the nationally televised address1.

Clinkscales told Mashable the next morning that he had actually planned to bring a saxophone to the rally for maximum visibility, but security would not allow it, so he improvised with the sticker gimmick3. He also said he had not yet decided which candidate to support in the primary3.

How It Spread

Viewers at home began clipping Sticker Boy's cameos within minutes, and Mashable's Vine of the moment logged more than 1,238,000 loops in its first 16 hours2. On Twitter, #stickerboy and #stickerkid trended especially around Iowa, with conservative commentator Michelle Malkin among the early boosters using the #stickerboy tag5. Instagram saw over 2,000 posts under the hashtag inside the first day, and Facebook saw more than 1,000 uses in the same window4.

Clinkscales himself joined in roughly two hours after the broadcast, posting a tweet acknowledging his new internet fame6. Mashable followed up with an interview the next morning3, while USA Today ran a piece headlined 'Forget Cruz. Forget Sanders and Clinton. Sticker Kid won Iowa'7. The Today Show's Orange Room segment aired its own coverage on February 2, moving the stunt from political-nerd Twitter onto mainstream morning television8.

Timeline

2016-02-01

Peter Clinkscales videobombs Hillary Clinton's Iowa caucus victory speech at Drake University, layering campaign stickers across his face on live national television.

2016-02-01

Clinkscales tweets about his sudden internet fame about two hours after the broadcast.

2016-02-01

Michelle Malkin tweets about the stunt, helping push #stickerboy to trending status on Twitter.

2016-02-02

Mashable's Vine of the moment passes 1,238,000 loops in 16 hours; Mashable publishes a follow-up interview identifying Clinkscales as an undecided voter.

2016-02-02

USA Today runs 'Forget Cruz. Forget Sanders and Clinton. Sticker Kid won Iowa,' and the Today Show's Orange Room covers the moment on morning television.

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