Cultural Phenomena of Fridge Magnets
Decoding Aussie Culture Through Fridge Magnets
Have you ever wondered what’s behind the cool, and sometimes even strange magnetic items we place on our fridges?
Recently, me and my friends have been visiting farmers markets to discover the curiosities often abandoned by many. During this adventure I found a cool miniature statue of liberty (a clock of forms), and many nice clothes. However, during this venture I stumbled upon a collection of fridge magnets conveying unique interpretations of the Australian canon.
To the blight of my friend’s sanity as I paced the magnitude of magnets, I formed a collection of mini stories that I believe highlight some interesting history of Australia.
However, my reader, you may be, or perhaps may not be, asking what is the history behind magnets?
The answer is not as straightforward as may seems.
Fridge magnet history is a deep dive like nothing else. There is no formal answer to where these magnets appeared within their previously stated form, or even their popularisation. Wikipedia – the definitive source for knowledge, right or wrong, affirms ownership of fridge magnets to its owner American inventor William H. Zimmerman, who patented the design in the 1970s.
However, this doesn’t resolve the question, paradoxically, it creates further issues. Fellow fridge magnet enthusiast Fane Greenwood reveals Wikipedia’s 2006 entry false and misleading.
Disney’s ‘magic magnets’, as they were advertised showed series of their iconic characters performing weird, and embodiments of themselves, an early ‘memification’, you theoretically could argue.
Okay, you may be screaming “this still does doesn’t tell me where fridge magnets come from!”
Ignoring Wikipedia, there exists little recorded evidence to the popularisation. From what could be found, the first modern fridge magnets were created by American inventor Sam Hardcastle, for NASA to be used on visual tracking boards during the 1960s. However, the smaller ‘fridge-sized’, magnets supposedly were developed in Hong Kong.
The TLDR version of this debacle is that no one knows where they originated, they just kind of happened on their own through the 60s, 70s, and 80s.
Fridge magnets achieved their ‘icon’ status from the 90s onwards. Originally, they were popularised by teachers and parents to educate children on words and ideas, they however became the symbol of culture internationally. This international rise can be explained by the low-cost manufacturing of magnets, as they are made by commonly mixing ferrite power with rubber or polymer resin. Then they can be rolled into plastic sheets, and stuck to any cheap printed design.
The following magnets are a series of finds you can find at any farmers market.
Bonorong Wildlife Centre
Bonorong Wildlife Centre, now known as Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, features a truly iconic story of Australia. It features a koala, Tasmanian Devil, and Tasmanian Tiger each resting by a Gum Tree. Each of these animals represent a unique feature of Australian culture, often under appreciated within Australia against the popular places such as the United States and beyond.
The Australian Standing Stones
Now this one surprised me. When I first glanced this magnet, I had assumed that this was a simple mock-up of Stonehenge in the United Kingdom. However, they are real thing. Established in the Glen Innes Highlands NSW in 1992, the stones pay homage to the contributions of Celtic cultures (Scotland, Ireland, Cornwall, Wales and more) to the development of the Australian story.
I didn’t Clumb Uluru
Uluru, a large sandstone formation located within the south of the Northern Territory, is regarded as the most recognisable feature of both Australian, and Aboriginal history. As the magnet tells itself, it was a popular climbing location for tourists for decades. However, its climbing posed both an environmental structural issue, and resistance by the Custodian Anangu people due to the site’s cultural significance. After decades of campaigning, climbing was banned for tourists in 2019.
Cervantes
A small fishing town off the coral coast of Western Australia, it chose to advertise itself for its fishing industry, featuring the iconic crayfish. Cervantes has a unique story to tell: it is situated next to the Pinnacles Desert and Coral coast region of Western Australia. Based on its description, it seems like the perfect outback holiday destination. The magnet itself showcases all the interesting ways outback towns resort to, to advertise themselves to the wider public.
Map the Miner
Map the Miner is a South Australian icon. Located in Kapunda, an outback mining town originally settled by a group of Cornish miners during the 19th century, it highlights Australia’s tendency to feature comically large versions of objects or people to sell itself. Think of the big pineapple, big koala, and many more.
Burra
Another South Australian magnet to hit the list, Burra represents the old-fashioned designs part of early Australia. Burra is located within the Clare Valley, originally a copper mining town, it draws many visitors in due to its complex early history in relation to the development of South Australia.
New Parliament House
Recognisable for its futuristic design alone, the completion of the New Parliament House in 1988 was a major historic moment for Australia’s federation, less than 40 years ago. Opened by the Hawkes Government, it replaced the previous national parliament due to its structural and size limitations. The new parliament is often regarded by many architects for its cultural prestige, and imposing nature for its occupants.
Fridge magnets, despite their cheap touristic feels, serve as an incredibly unique way to demonstrate the history of the cultural canon of anything, either of objects, or pop culture.
Fridge magnets are an incredible way to convey story and highlight features of any nation’s history. While they may be appearing to lose steam today, they should be re-embraced by everyone to educate the generations of tomorrow.
Zane Leblond, Cultural Trends Reporter