# Super S Stussy Super S Stussy, also known as Cool S, Super S, or Pointy S, is a 14-line geometric doodle of the letter S that schoolchildren have been sketching on notebook margins for decades. Nobody can pin down where it came from, though examples turn up in 1960s graffiti and even an 1890 geometry textbook, and the hunt for its true origin became its own long-running internet mystery. ## Origin The symbol's true origin is unknown, and researchers have documented near-identical versions across North America, South America, Europe, Russia, Asia, and Australia[2]. YouTuber LEMMiNO published a deep-dive video on August 10, 2019 collecting photographic evidence of the design in 1960s graffiti and citing artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, who referenced it as 'the classic S of graff' in the 1980s[1]. LEMMiNO's investigation traced a possible earlier appearance to Mechanical Graphics, an 1890 book by Princeton professor Frederick Newton Willson that included the S as an example of Railroad Type[1]. The doodle is often nicknamed a 'Stussy' after the Irvine, California clothing brand[7], though there is no evidence the symbol ever appeared on Stussy's lines and it predates the company by decades[5]. - **Platform:** Offline graffiti / notebooks (viral spread on Reddit and YouTube) - **Creator:** Unknown - **Date:** 1960 ## Overview The doodle is built from two sets of three parallel lines joined diagonally left to right, then capped with pointy triangles at the top and bottom[2]. Kids almost always learn it from another kid rather than from any single reference, which is part of why versions look nearly identical across countries[3]. Print magazine noted that the design is so rigid students who master it usually cannot extrapolate the style into any other letter, treating the S as its own closed alphabet[4]. Common variations splice the doodle with pop culture. In December 2019, Twitter user @ghoulcabin posted a version fused with Bart Simpson captioned 'My body is my journal and my tattoos are my story,' which pulled more than 5,900 likes[5]. Schools in the 1980s and 1990s often banned the symbol on the theory it was a gang tag or a classroom distraction[5]. ## How to Use The typical construction starts with two vertical sets of three short parallel lines drawn a small distance apart, then diagonal strokes connect the top of the left group to the bottom of the right, capped with two triangular points at each end[2]. Common convention is to leave it as a standalone S rather than trying to draw a matching alphabet, which almost never works[4]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Super S Stussy? It's a stylized S doodle built from 14 line segments that schoolchildren have been drawing in notebooks for decades, also called the Cool S, Super S, or Pointy S[2]. ### Where did Super S Stussy come from? Nobody knows for sure. LEMMiNO's 2019 investigation documented it in 1960s graffiti and traced a possible earlier version to an 1890 geometry textbook by Frederick Newton Willson[1]. ### What does Super S Stussy mean? It has no confirmed meaning. Different subcultures have claimed it over the years, including surfers, skaters, and metal fans, but no group can prove ownership[3]. ### How do you use Super S Stussy? You draw two vertical sets of three parallel lines, connect them with diagonal strokes, and cap the top and bottom with pointy triangles to form the S[2]. ### Is Super S Stussy still popular? Yes. Kids still draw it in class, and the mystery of its origin is still discussed online, kept alive by explainer videos and articles[4]. ## References 1. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQdxHi4_Pvc]() 2. [https://www.vice.com/en/article/gqkj5j/that-s-thing-everyone-drew-in-school-what-is-it]() 3. [https://www.ranker.com/list/story-behind-that-s-thing/anna-lindwasser]() 4. [https://www.printmag.com/post/solve-the-mystery-of-the-pointy-s]() 5. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/super-s-stussy]() 6. [https://nyulocal.com/local-investigates-the-mysterious-s-symbol-9254626b8225#.9jqdl0p67]() 7. [https://www.stussy.com/]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/super-s-stussy Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library