Us too, PrezBB, us too.

Here at Bwog HQ (a.k.a. tips@bwog.com), we receive a constant stream of requests to feature new apps. These apps are usually made by Columbia students for Columbia students, and tend to have varying degrees of usefulness (from none to “eh, maybe”). A few examples include:

• Exactly 1 million apps for first-years to find parties during NSOP
• An app to help you make friends over coffee (this seemed dubious)
• A mashup of Snapchat, Yik Yak, and b@b (you can decide for yourself how those go together)

Recently, however, we received an email about CUStickers. For those of us who have Androids, can’t update our iPhones, or don’t know how to use iOS 10, “Stickers” are one of the numerous new features Apple has blessed(?) us with. You can download all different kinds of stickers from the App Store, including one set that is Columbia-themed.

We were initially intrigued by this app because the illustrations were admittedly adorable. Sassy Prezbo immediately caught our eye and Roar-ee seemed friendly and relatable. But…then we took a closer look.

1) There’s a Spec sticker, but not a Bwog sticker?

In the words of Sassy Prezbo, “Srsly?” You want us to promote your app, but you don’t have a Bwog sticker? Instead, there’s just a big ‘ol Spec sticker. Also, does anyone say “The Spec”? We’re genuinely curious.

2) Carry That Weight: Genuine or….?

The CUStickers collection includes an image of Roar-ee carrying a blue mattress with the caption “Carry That Weight,” and we honestly can’t tell if the message is genuine or sarcastic. We could see how it could go both ways. Normally we would give this sticker the benefit of the doubt, but the presence of a different questionable image gave us pause (we’ll get to that next).

3) Nope, go directly to Jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.

Upon experimenting with the app we encountered one sticker with a caption that made us go, “Oh shit.” We’re talking about everyone’s favorite buzzword: triggered. We can’t help wondering what the app’s creators were thinking when they threw that in there. As one Bwogger put it, “That’s BAD.” We expect a whole slew of comments about this, so we’ll just leave it at that.

Most of us agreed that the illustrations for CUStickers were cute and (mostly) relatable (the Hamilton elevator, anyone?), but if you want your app to be truly “relatable,” you might want to exclude insensitive captions that alienate your fellow students. And no, we didn’t read “The Spec.”

Might we also suggest adding one of Bwog’s own sticker creations to the set? CUStickers: let us know if you’re interested.

Drawings via CUStickers App

Real-life Sticker via Bwog Staff