:Cool S
{{short description|Graffiti symbol}}
{{Infobox artifact
| name = Cool S
| image = S-cool.svg
| width =
| type = Textual object
| writing = Latin script
| symbols = S
| created = 20th century
| classification = Trademarked in the United States
| culture = Childlore
}}
The Cool S (File:Cool_S.svg), also known as the Universal S, the Stüssy S, the Super S, the Pointy S, and the Graffiti S, is a graffiti sign in popular culture and childlore that is typically doodled on children's notebooks or graffitied on walls. The exact origin of the Cool S is unknown,{{cite web |last=Shepherd |first=Rebecca |date=August 14, 2019 |title=This Guy Spent Five Years Researching The Origins Of The 'Universal S' |url=https://www.ladbible.com/entertainment/interesting-this-guy-spent-five-years-researching-the-origins-of-the-universal-s-20190814 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810061107/https://www.ladbible.com/entertainment/interesting-this-guy-spent-five-years-researching-the-origins-of-the-universal-s-20190814 |archive-date=August 10, 2020 |access-date= |website=LADBible}}{{Better source needed|date=February 2022}} but it became prevalent around the early 1970s as a part of graffiti culture.{{cite book |last=Mailer |first=Norman |title=The Faith of Graffiti |date=2009 |publisher=It Books |isbn=978-0-06-196170-0|page=121}}{{Cite web |last=Acker |first=Christian |last2=Gribble |first2=Howard |date=April 2007 |title=Photographer, Howard Gribble Interviewed by Christian Acker |url=http://www.handselecta.com/interview_gribbl.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820043142/http://www.handselecta.com/interview_gribbl.html |archive-date=August 20, 2019 |access-date= |website=Handselecta}}
Shape
The Cool S consists of 14 line segments, forming a stylized, pointed S-shape. It has also been compared to the infinity symbol.{{cite web |last=Lindwasser |first=Anna |title=Here's The Story Behind That Cool 'S' Thing You Used To Draw In Class |url=https://www.ranker.com/list/story-behind-that-s-thing/anna-lindwasser |access-date=August 11, 2019 |website=Ranker}} The S appears to have depth, where the overlap in the center of the S and the appearance of a potential altitude change at the top and bottom of the S make it look like the S connects back to itself in the same way as the infinity symbol does.{{cite web |date=February 12, 2014 |title=Local Investigates: The Mysterious S Symbol |url=https://nyulocal.com/local-investigates-the-mysterious-s-symbol-9254626b8225#.9jqdl0p67 |access-date=January 29, 2017 |work=NYU Local}} The Cool S has no reflection symmetry, but has 2-fold rotational symmetry.
=Construction=
{{multiple image
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| image1 = S-cool-howto.gif
| width1 = 140
| image_gap = 1
| image2 = S-cool-howto.svg
| width2 = 140
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- The Cool S is started by drawing three short vertical lines, parallel and evenly-spaced, and then drawing another, identical group of three lines below them, separated by a gap the same length as each line segment. On a Cartesian coordinate system, these segments can be described as (0,4)–(0,3) / (1,4)–(1,3) / (2,4)–(2,3) and (0,2)–(0,1) / (1,2)–(1,1) / (2,2)–(2,1).
- Two diagonal lines are drawn, each connecting two of the line segments drawn in the prior step: (0,3)–(1,2) and (1,3)–(2,2)
- Two V shapes are drawn to create the top and bottom of the shape. One is inverted: (0,4)–(1,5)–(2,4) and the other is upright: (0,1)–(1,0)–(2,1)
- Finally, the two open ends are connected to the diagonal segments' midpoints: (0,2)–({{frac|2}},2{{frac|2}}) and (2,3)–(1{{frac|2}},2{{frac|2}})
History
The exact origin of the symbol is unclear;{{cite web |url=http://www.printmag.com/imprint/solve-the-mystery-of-the-pointy-s/ |title=Solve the Mystery of the Pointy S |last=Neelon |first=Caleb |date=November 23, 2010 |work=Print Magazine |access-date=January 29, 2017}} however, it is generally considered to be an artifact of childlore,{{cite web |last1=Beck |first1=Julie |date=November 8, 2022 |title=Why Did We All Have the Same Childhood? |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/11/kids-pass-down-games-rhymes-legends-childlore/672024/ |access-date=April 11, 2024 |website=The Atlantic |publisher=}} meaning that it is taught by children to children over the course of generations. Some people have even reported seeing the S as early as the 1960s.{{Cite web |date=1 August 2016 |title=The story behind that ‘S’ thingy that everyone drew in high school |url=https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/school-life/the-story-behind-that-s-thingy-that-everyone-drew-in-high-school/news-story/2e155f4ec0fb8143ae2df3436b703a26 |website=News.com.au}}{{Cite web |last=Morgans |first=Julian |date=2016-07-27 |title=What the Hell Was That 'S' Thing Everyone Drew in School? |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/that-s-thing-everyone-drew-in-school-what-is-it/ |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=VICE |language=en-US}}
Jon Naar's photographs of graffiti in New York City, which were taken in 1973 and published in The Faith of Graffiti in 1974, frequently contain the symbol. Jean-Michel Basquiat's artworks also occasionally feature it, such as in Charles the First, and in Untitled (Olive Oyl) it is labelled "CLASSIC S OF GRAFF".{{cite book |last=Hoffman |first=Fred |date=2017 |title=The Art of Jean-Michel Basquiat |url=https://issuu.com/jeanmichelhoffman/docs/the_art_of_jean-michel_basquiat_by_ |publisher=Enrico Navarra Gallery |location=New York |page=211 |isbn=978-2-911596-53-7 |quote="The double 'S' markings on the center piece resemble other marks and gestures found in Basquiat's paintings from this time [...] While it became less and less a part of Basquiat's art production, there are continued references to graffiti style in his paintings and works on paper, such as the 'S' symbol."}}
In July 2020, the S was trademarked in the United States as "The S Thing" by a man who had no involvement in its creation. However, he claimed that he does not intend to sue people for drawing it.{{cite web |last=Morgans |first=Julian |date=July 6, 2020 |title=Meet the Guy Who Just Trademarked 'The S Thing' |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/dyzd47/meet-the-guy-who-just-trademarked-the-s-thing-cool-s-pointy-s-stussy-s |access-date=July 26, 2023 |website=Vice |publisher=}}
=False origin theories=
Several unverified claims have been made about the origin of the Cool S. The name "Superman S" comes from a belief that it was a symbol for Superman, whose costume features a stylized S in a diamond shape, but that shape is different. It has been suggested to originate with the band Sacred Reich, but a member of the band denied this.{{Cite web |last=Morgans |first=Julian |date=2017-03-06 |title=Investigating the Origins of the S, Again |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-internet-tried-hard-to-solve-the-mystery-of-the-s/ |access-date=2024-11-26 |website=VICE |language=en-US}} A marketing manager at Suzuki, whose logo was another purported origin of the symbol, denied that its logo ever contained the symbol. It has also been suggested to be associated with the Sureños. According to a prominent former detective, southern Californian gangs usually use "S-13" or "SUR" and "S" would likely not be associated with the Sureños.
The symbol is widely associated with the fashion brand Stussy. However, Emmy Coats (who has worked alongside Shawn Stussy since 1985) has stated that it was not originally a symbol of Stussy's Californian surf company.{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/gqkj5j/that-s-thing-everyone-drew-in-school-what-is-it |title=That 'S' Thing Everyone Drew in School, What Is It? |last=Morgans |first=Julian |date=July 23, 2016 |work=Vice |access-date=March 21, 2019 |quote=No, this is not an original Stussy Logo [...] I personally get asked this a lot, but people have been drawing this S long before Stussy was established. People have just assumed it was Stussy and it's sort of spread from there. It's actually quite amusing.}}