It was in the bathroom of a bar last weekend that I came across an old leitmotiv again: the anus stickers. The first time I encountered one was a couple of years ago on Schönhauser Allee in Berlin. Just as I was about to cross the street, I noticed that, quite strategically, an anus had been placed right on the pedestrian traffic light button.

Since then, these peculiar stickers have been popping up in the most unexpected corners of the city—and not just in Berlin. They’ve claimed my visual space countless times: on walls, street corners, and bathrooms across the cities and parties I’ve visited. The anuses are impossible to ignore; they stand out, often more than the countless other stickers people leave in public spaces.

This article emerges from my curiosity: who or what is behind these stickers? To whom do they belong, and how did they come to inhabit so many corners of our cities? I reached out to Mr. Anus, and here’s what he had to say.

Bringing color to the world and having fun. Getting along with others. That’s clearly the statement behind Anustickers.de. But… has it always been like that? Is it really possible to have fun while raising awareness about something as serious as disease prevention? (I’ll come back to this in the next question). By the way, since the website ends in “.de”, I’m guessing you’re based in Germany—where exactly? Do you have any physical stores?
Mr. Anus: Yes, the origin is and has always been raising awareness. It was a university-project many years ago but evolved into a streetart project. We are based in Germany – Frankfurt Oder. No Stores haha (-:

Going back to the origins: Anustickers was born with the idea of raising awareness about the importance of prostate cancer prevention. Did doing it through eye-catching stickers actually work? Did it contribute to the original prevention campaign?
Mr. Anus: It drew attention, yes, but in the beginning not as much as it needed. We are currently figuring out how to get back to the roots again, and use our visibility to drive more awareness for important topics. 

The catalog also includes nipples of all kinds, covering a variety as broad as the one for anuses. Does this also have a prevention purpose, or is it something else? Have you considered photographing other parts of the body?
Mr. Anus:Yes, like I said, it developed a street-art project and nipples are the next logical step – as they are round as ani (-;
And indeed, we are looking forward to doing more bodyparts. This is requested often, and we are already in the process of presenting them soon. 

About production: how do you select your anus models? If I wanted to join, would I have to apply, go through an interview where you assess my talent and skills, my anal intellect or my particular anal beauty? How does one even know if they have what it takes to be a professional anus model? (Should I maybe quit photography and pursue this full time?)
Mr. Anus: Good question. First of all – all ani are beautiful, and they all deserve a place in the world. So as you can see at our shop – we are open for everything. Sadly, people are having hard times seeing the little nouances between arseholes – thats why we are not expanding our current selection. But if we see a sparkling star in some pants, there is a good chance we will print it. After a long interview and some assessments, of course. Not evey asshole is made for the red carpet. 

I have to ask: is it easy to find anus models? Or anus photographers? And more importantly: where do you find them? Are they professionals in this niche, or just curious people who wanted to get involved in the project?
Mr. Anus: At first it was hard – not we have enough exposure, and we get applications on a weekly basis. Most of them are amateurs. We assume that the most professional assholes working in politics and finance (-;

When photographing anuses or nipples, is there any digital retouching or on-set preparation? Makeup, maybe? Because honestly, some anuses look like pure works of art on camera.
Mr. Anus: No – everything is pure like god made them. 

After the shoot, do you select the “best” anuses, or are all anuses welcome? Have you modeled yourself? How big is your team, and have they also taken part?
Mr. Anus: You are able to find our time at our website. Feel free to have a look! And yes – we select only tasty buttholes who are made for the pressure and are ready for the fame. 

Roughly how many people have you photographed over the past 10 years? Is the large catalog built from that variety?
Mr. Anus: Maybe over 50 already. As the process is pricy and they are coming from all over the world, it is hard to do that weekly.

How many applications do you receive from people who want to participate?
Mr. Anus: At least one per week.

Do you have any funny or interesting anecdotes to share? Memorable collaborations or messages from customers? What’s the most memorable or unexpected place you’ve spotted one of your stickers? 
Best one I’ve seen? In Berlin, one was placed exactly on the pedestrian button. Truly unavoidable.
Mr. Anus: I once visited Melbourne and saw one at a WC in a bar. Or at the highest mountain in Germany (Zugspitze) This are the moments when you realize that anussticker is a relgion. 

I read that you receive orders from places as far away as Australia, the USA, and Russia. Which product is the best-seller, and which country buys the most anus stickers? 
Mr. Anus: There is no special bestseller – they sell all evenly. Also the countries are even. But Europe leads (-:

The shop’s catalog also includes necklaces, tote bags, sticker packs—even a doormat. Do you personally own any of these at home? A doormat for example?
Mr. Anus: We are all using that at home. Why not? It is a choice we made. A commitment. A way of life.

I’ve also seen you’re open to being bought by someone interested in Anustickers.de. How has that been going? Do you see more potential in the sticker market, the anus market, or the anus-sticker market specifically?
Mr. Anus: Acutally, that was just a joke and looking at our inbox it looks like everyone understands it as one haha. I guess anusstickers are just a very small niche for maybe some of the most tasteful people on our planet. 

In the end, this is an invitation to look closer at the world around us: to see how artistic expressions can emerge from a simple, genuine idea solving a real problem, and how such ideas can grow into global artistic projects. It’s a reminder that people themselves take ownership, spread the concept, and in doing so, color the world in unexpected ways.

A big thanks to Mr. Anus for sharing his thoughts—and if you’re curious to see more of his work, you can check out Anusticker.de.