Some jokes are funny simply because they’re true.
You may have seen stickers around town with sayings such as “I had my catalytic converter stolen in Modesto, CA,” or “Modesto more than just murder!” or even a “Buy Rite Never Forget” tag that calls back to a shuttered, but beloved thrift store.
Eye-catching stickers and other gear capturing Modesto’s history and common experiences for locals can be found in coffee shops, bookstores and pop-up shops around the city.
Meet a local self-identified “clown” and creator of Modesto’s very own line of tongue-in-cheek merchandise.
Dana Koster is a visual artist, poet, author and one half of the creative duo known as Broad Sides. She studied at UC Berkeley, completed a poetry fellowship at Stanford University and earned her fine arts master’s degree at Cornell University.
While she prefers not to seek the spotlight herself, her artwork places Modesto front and center – poking self-deprecating fun at the Valley city with a long history of poking fun at itself already.
“I don’t really like to be front-facing,” she said, “but to be able to make things that make people smile and make people laugh, that’s great. It’s like my little jests and japes, and when they entertain people, I get to just sit in my house and feel happy about that.”
Koster moved to Modesto in 2009 to be with her husband, whose farming family has deep roots in the area. Originally from Minnesota, with ties to Cleveland, Koster is no stranger to living in places others want to leave.
Her line of stickers, and now also hats, has proven popular at Modesto businesses such as Bookish, Queen Bean and The Raven’s Perch.
But some people are not as receptive to Koster’s brand of dark humor, and she has received lots of comments from people who take issue with the “more than just murder” joke. They think she’s making fun of some of the city’s darkest moments.
However, as someone who moved to the area later in life, she said many locals might not understand the association from an outside perspective.
“This was the first Modesto-centric sticker that I made, but I did it as a positive,” she said.
While Koster was falling in love with her husband and his hometown, everyone in the country was following the 2004 Laci Peterson murder trial. Despite watching the city become a true crime documentary, she chose to move here years later.
“I think a lot of people do feel stuck here, but I chose to live here,” she said. “I married someone from here, and my kids are from here, and I got my brother to move here. I really love Modesto, and as an art scene, it’s great. It allows me to have an art business and be able to afford to live because this is what I do.”
‘More than just murder’ sticker origins
The “more than just murder” design came to life in 2018 when she attended a “My Favorite Murder” live-podcast show in Sacramento. She wanted to identify as a Modestan, so she put the slogan on a shirt, and it worked. Several other audience members praised her design. That planted a seed that later became the stickers.
Crystal Sweyd, co-owner of The Raven’s Perch, said she underestimated how enthusiastic customers would be about Koster’s work. The store has already needed a restock since their grand opening in June, she said.
“Honestly, (I’m) very, very shocked at how many stickers in general have been purchased since opening,” she said. “Apparently, everyone’s a big fan of stickers.
“Her stuff is hilarious. I had someone just come in, and he came straight in, was like, ‘I’m here for–,’ grabbed one of her stickers, and then bought it and left, and he was very happy.”
The customer purchased a bumper sticker that reads “Modesto, we’re not Bakersfield.”
Before she was a bookstore owner, Sweyd worked in a local auto parts store and they frequently had to reorder catalytic converters for those stolen from customers. So she appreciates the stickers referencing the frequent thefts – and they’re some of the shop’s top sellers.
“I would definitely say it’s a way to cope with the not great things about Modesto, and I’m all about making things funnier,” she said.
Koster’s deepcut designs often stem from personal experiences.
She actually had her catalytic converter stolen in Modesto. She made the accompanying design for herself, to laugh at her misfortune. After some research, she learned it’s actually a fairly common issue for the region, which is why, she said, it resonates so deeply with her audience.
“You can feel some complex feelings, and you can acknowledge the problems that your city has, and also, I would hope to be trying to change them,” she said.
She said instead of ignoring or hiding the city’s issues, people should become more active.
“I see a lot of people complaining about the city and not engaging in the community, not going to events, not trying to find the things that are good because there are so many of them. You can have all that and also have affection for (Modesto),” she said.
Modesto has been the butt of many jokes – often of its own making – for more than a century.
In 1912, when the iconic downtown Modesto arch was dedicated, a contest was held to come up with its slogan. But instead of the current “Water Wealth Contentment Health,” the original winner was “Nobody’s Got Modesto’s Goat” – a myth so famous even The New Yorker wrote about it. Koster also has a sticker referencing the goat.
Over the decades, the ribbing about the city has continued, including crude suggestions the actual arch motto should be “Murder Meth and Auto Theft.” Modesto has been mentioned dozens of times in pop culture, from the “Scream” franchise to “Saturday Night Live.”
But often, like with Koster’s work, references have been tinged with admiration. That includes the 2024 song “Modesto” by indie rocker Pedro the Lion, which has the lyrics: “Modesto isn’t boring like you thought it would be, Modesto it’s not bologna like you thought it would be, Modesto isn’t lonely like you thought it would be.”
Koster also has stickers honoring some famous Modesto-raised celebrities – from “Buffy the Vampire” star James Marsters to three-time Emmy nominee Timothy Olyphant.
Modesto lore runs deep
Koster considers herself an amateur anthropologist and historian of Modesto.
That includes a sticker dedicated to the 2001 piranha incident, when locals claimed to find one in Naraghi Lake on Oakdale Road. The story caused local officials to recommend the owner install a chainlink fence around the area, which still stands today, restricting local access to the fishing hole. The fish turned out to be a harmless vegetarian pacu, not the toothy flesh eater.
Her vinyl sticker reads “I believe Naraghi Lake Piranhas.” It started as a design carved into a rubber block, stamped and scanned into the reproductions we see today, as tribute to the local story. Koster fondly refers to it as “Modesto’s cryptid,” a mythological creature like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster, and said the sticker has the largest cult following.
“Part of the reason I do well with the Modesto stickers is because I know and love the city, so you can’t really just make it for anywhere,” she said. “Because I don’t know and love all of the little foibles and joys about other places. I really just know this one.”
In 2024, during what she refers to as the “Chappel Roan summer,” the phrase “Midwest Princess” went viral. The concept resonated with her, and she created her first “Modesto Princess” hat.
The piece went viral, gaining the attention of Modesto-born stand up comic, Marcella Arguello, who posted it on social media.
“I had no idea that it would speak to so many people,” Koster said.
“I think a lot of times, I just end up chasing down whatever people seem enthusiastic about, and then the catalytic converter sticker and the Modesto Princess hat went mini viral, or maybe even larger than that, but fairly viral,” she said.
Koster is no stranger to amassing viral fame for meme-themed work. She is also behind the Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight-based stickers and events around town.
“There’s always something strange and interesting happening in the city,” she said, referring to the Dracula puppet found floating in Dry Creek back in 2017 that made the news.
She has a long list of other facts she finds interesting about Modesto that she can’t condense into stickers. Searching for local lore to fuel one-liners and designs that work is part of the fun, she said.
For example, she loves the Modesto Irrigation District’s Canal Safety Frog, Splasher, who reminds people not to swim in the canals.
“I didn’t even grow up in a place that had canals, but I was like, ‘What do you mean people would swim in them?’” she said. “And then my husband was like, ‘Oh, I swam in them, swam in them all the time when I was a kid.’ So apparently, (Splasher is) a necessary thing.”
Camaraderie for the Central Valley
The Modesto-lore, while niche and often specific, has several similarities across Stockton, Merced and Fresno. As her audience grows, she’s getting requests for designs like the catalytic converter joke and “Modesto Princess” hats to be adapted to reflect specific cities in the San Joaquin Valley.
“I realize like all the stuff that I’m doing here that’s sort of celebrating Modesto is a niche that people haven’t explored much in the larger Central Valley,” she said.
In response to the comments, Koster’s latest sticker design reads “Central Valley Reader” in rainbow lettering. She said she is happy to make custom orders, but she won’t be adding other cities, their lore or representation to her regular hauls at local stores.
The reason the Modesto stickers do so well, she said, is because she loves the city. She has spent almost two decades learning the city and raising a family here, and can’t replicate that kind of humor for the other locations authentically.
In August, Broad Sides will partner with Bookish for an art show featuring a collection of illustrations by Chelsea America, the other half of the duo, paired with Koster’s one-liners and poetry.
“To see these stickers with this Modesto-lore on them are just great. It’s a lot of fun,” said Will DeBoard, co-owner of Bookish. “It adds a lot of fun. Dana’s kind of a triple threat. She sells things here. She buys books here. She comes to events. And oh, that’s right. She also helps host events.”
More information can be found on her Instagram account. Custom orders are available on Koster’s online shop.
Vivienne Aguilar is a reporter for The Modesto Focus, a project of the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative. Contact her at vivienne@themodestofocus.org.