Grown adults are haggling over glitter stickers, and the animals are getting dinner out of it. Checkers gave us stickers, and South Africans gave them a purpose!
South Africa (16 October 2026) – Just when we thought we had recovered from the Little Shop frenzy, Checkers went and gave the nation something new to obsess over…
If you’ve spotted grown adults huddled over a sticker pack in the parking lot, gasping at a glittery Oros bottle or golden-rimmed pack of bacon, you’ll know the Checkers Stickables have taken over!
And just like the minis before them, South Africans are finding a way to pay the craze forward.
In case you’re not sure what the Frikkie is going on, here’s a quick catch-up…
Checkers Xtra Savings members receive one free sticker for every R200 spent in-store or on Sixty60. There are 50 unique stickers to collect featuring iconic South African brands – like Oros and Ricoffy, OMO, Huggies, Duracell and Sixty60. There are also ‘ultra-rare golden stickers’ that, if found, put you in line to win a million bucks. Just as years before, there are accessories including a collector’s sticker book and a collector’s poster.
That’s the lowdown.
The kids love it, but so do the grown-ups. Perhaps it’s nostalgia for school days when flip files bulged with sticker collections and break times were ruled by a serious trading system. If you know, you know.
And just like the Little Shops of previous years, the collecting has become something of its own currency. People are swapping, trading and hunting for those last few missing stickers to complete their set. With the collector’s books reportedly sold out at many stores, the demand is real. A quick search on Facebook Marketplace sees empty sticker books going from R600 up to R1500…
As fun as all of this may be, it gets even better when the craze can do something good in the world.
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Now the Stickables are following in the minis’ footsteps. We’ve had eyes on what’s happening across the country, and there are a few main ways people are turning Stickables into support for animals.
Swap days and sticker swap pools
Many animal welfare organisations are collecting Stickables as donations, then letting collectors swap for the ones they’re missing in exchange for pet food or a small donation.
- Boksburg SPCA Charity Shop sells missing stickers for R30 each, or swaps them for a tin of dog or cat food. Doubles are welcome at reception, and all funds go towards the animals in their care.
- Brakpan SPCA is building a community swap pool, where collectors can trade a tin of puppy food or a bag of kibble for the stickers they need. Their rescue puppies are in urgent need of food, so every tin helps.
- Purrpaws for Life Rescue Centre is back in the game, with Anet once again swapping stickers for tins and bags of food for the hundreds of animals at the Vanderbijlpark-based centre.
- VaalPets has already raised R1250 from a single swap day, and another one is happening today (Friday 16 October). Stickers go for R30 each, or can be swapped two for one, with every cent going to the animals.
- Cast Aways Animal Sanctuary is turning stickers into meals for its animals, and the exchange rate depends on what you bring. A large tin of cat or dog food gets you one sticker, a small bag gets you three, and a 10kg bag gets you four. They’ll also come and collect donated stickers.
- Pekingese Haven in Kempton Park gives a sticker to anyone who drops off four large tins of dog food or one large bag of dry food. They’re also happy to receive stickers from people who’d rather not keep theirs.
- Langebaan Animal Care has a charity shop stocked with Stickables to swap for food, while Gypsy Foundation in Jeffreys Bay swaps stickers for dog and cat food to support animal rescue in the area.
- There are also those collecting doubles for fundraising. SteriOne, which raises funds for food, sterilisations, treatments and vaccines, has set up a trolley at Checkers Village View Shopping Centre and a box at Bedfordview Vet Hospital for stickers. Feral Care Friends Middelburg is gathering doubles too, and Tiny Whiskers Kitten Rescue is collecting as kitten season ramps up.
Sticker book auctions
With the Collector’s Books sold out at many stores, they’ve become hot property, and a few organisations have put them up for auction.
Boksburg SPCA auctioned a brand new, sealed glitter book and raised R1350 thanks to winning bidders, the Van Tonder family. Cast Aways Animal Sanctuary is auctioning an empty album with its holographic storage case, with bids in cat food only, starting at 10kg. That one closes today at 19:00. Huistoe Animal Welfare in Bloemfontein has the complete Stickables collection and a sticker book up for bids, starting at R500, and that closes today too.
Individuals are doing it as well. One seller auctioned a sealed teal A5 book with six unopened packs, raising R670 for Project Feral Cat Richards Bay!
Everyday collectors for good causes
As with the minis, individuals are collecting on behalf of the organisations close to their hearts.
Danica Coetser in Gqeberha is running a community drive for local animal welfare organisations, including those caring for dogs, cats and bunnies. People can swap pet supplies for a sticker from her collection, or add their unused stickers to the trading pool.
Chay Engelbrecht is selling Stickables with the proceeds going to local animal welfare organisations, after donating to Wollies Animal Shelter in previous years.
In Lephalale, Alison Van Der Merwe has been rallying lodges, guest houses and the wider community to hold on to their stickers, which she turns into dog and cat food for the Lephalale SPCA.
There’s still time. The promotion reportedly runs until 8 November, and Checkers’ next official Swop Day is tomorrow, 17 October. If you’re sitting on a pile of doubles, or you’re one glitter sticker short of a full page, find a shelter near you and go swap. You get your sticker and they get dinner for the animals.
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