Editor’s Note: “Petr” refers to the creator of the Petr design, whereas Petr without quotes refers to the design itself.
The original “Petr” account posted an announcement on their Instagram @petr_the_anteatr that they will be discontinuing sticker “drops” on Feb. 22.
“hi everyone, i will no longer be doing drops on this account. thank you to all of you, except one person, for all of the good memories. i will be archiving everything on this account as well, feel free to unfollow,” the announcement reads.
Since the 2018 school year, Petr stickers have become a phenomenon on the UCI campus. The student-rendition of the school mascot Peter the Anteater has embedded itself into the culture of UCI.
“Petr” is specifically known for their distribution of stickers that attracts hordes of students into Aldrich Park where they race to a mystery location upon reveal.
The announcement has caused speculation as to what is behind “Petr’s” sudden departure from doing drops, many taking to social media. One Reddit post is titled “RIP Petr, we love you!” and another “What’s the tea with the OG Petr account?”
However, “Petr” clarified their reasoning in an interview with the New University over Instagram.
“Basically my personal life was [affected] in a way where I can no longer do drops myself. I’m by no means calling for an end to Petr, I just can’t do drops myself anymore,” Petr said.
A past article written about “Petr” by the New University revealed that “a box of a hundred stickers could cost about a couple hundred dollars” — a reminder that the costs come out of pocket.
“Sticker drops aren’t relatively difficult to organize but depending on how many stickers you order it can get expensive,” @petr_the_kid, another Petr account, wrote to the New University over Instagram.
Inspired by the original “Petr”, many created their own Instagram accounts and designed their versions of Petrs, including “Petr the Kideatr” who creates childhood cartoon-inspired Petrs according to their profile description.
“The original Petr gave something truly amazing to UCI. They took the initiative to share a part of themself and turned it into a gift for every possible student he could reach. Through what must be thousands of stickers on Hydro Flasks and laptops all over campus, I see the sheer amount of joy they brought to this school. That’s what inspired me to be a part of continuing what they started,” Petr the Kideatr said.
They recalled the first drop they attended organized by the original Petr.
“I remember going to my first drop of theirs, waiting in Aldrich Park for the location to be revealed alongside what looked like hundreds of people. The whole park was filled with this child-like energy and when the time came, it was a thrill to run as fast as I could with the hope I’d get there fast enough. I was still breathing semi-heavily when I was at the front of the line and they handed me my first Petr sticker,” Petr the Kideatr said.
Despite “Petr” no longer doing drops, other Petr accounts are continuing to do their own drops such as @league_of_petr and @petr.morales.
“I plan on posting another set of stickers based on another show next quarter, but you’ll have to wait and see what they are. Next quarter should hopefully be lively with drops, both with stickers from myself and other Petrs in the community,” Petr the Kideatr said.
Though many have expressed sadness over the recent announcement, it seems “Petr’s” mission of spreading school spirit will be carried on by others.
“I’m hoping the tradition continues through the other Petr accounts and persists into future generations still,” Petr said. “We’ll see how things go, but in the meantime, I’ll still watch from afar.”
Yuika Yoshida is a Campus News Staff Writer. She can be reached at yuikay@uci.edu.
