World Cup 2014: Tom Jenkins photographs inside São Paulo's Panini sticker factory

Date
19 June 2014

Another excellent redeeming quality of all the World Cup shenanigans (aside from this morning’s psychic puppy) is that it lets sticker geeks have their moment in the limelight. For one month ever four years, rather than hiding at home in a darkened room with a Panini album and several of this foil wrapped packs they’re invited out to share their passion with the world. Panini sticker-books are a truly global obsession, and they are the reason for photographer Tom Jenkins’ trek out to São Paulo to photograph inside the factories for The Guardian.

It’s excellent reportage photography; there’s something fascinating about the disdain on the faces of the women carrying crates of stickers from room to room, printing off reels and sorting onto shelves like there’s no tomorrow. And if you’ve ever hunted through one of those packs for a little Ronaldo face you’ll find a strange satisfaction in seeing where they’re all made.

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Tom Jenkins: Inside the Panini Factory for the Guardian

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Tom Jenkins: Inside the Panini Factory for the Guardian

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Tom Jenkins: Inside the Panini Factory for the Guardian

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Tom Jenkins: Inside the Panini Factory for the Guardian

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Tom Jenkins: Inside the Panini Factory for the Guardian

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Tom Jenkins: Inside the Panini Factory for the Guardian

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About the Author

Maisie Skidmore

Maisie joined It’s Nice That fresh out of university in the summer of 2013 as an intern before joining full time as an Assistant Editor. Maisie left It’s Nice That in July 2015.

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