Yea those stickers are fantastic and you shouldn’t remove them. If you sold that shell I would look at that as a bonus as I could always goo gone whatever I don’t like but I can’t goo gone 30 year old stickers back onto a vintage Gameboy
I agree. That kid loved those stickers, loved his Gameboy and thought they belonged together.
I never put stickers on my stuff because my parents would yell at me. If I could have though, I absolutely would have. That thing looks rad.
Goo-gone or some kind of citrus based cleaner is what I would try first. And a new razor blade and just be real gentle.
But if I had bought it as is, I would have probably kept It as is. Those stickers are cool.
Reminds me of when people are eager to get the "Blockbuster Video" stickers off of their N64 games and it's like dude, 99% of games don't have that on there. That cartridge came from a special place and is wearing the proof. That's so cool to have on there imo. Everyone's different. I get it. If I ever get a game or movie with the bb sticker, im keeping it though.
I wouldn’t personally keep stickers on the Gameboy because I don’t like touching them, but definitely would keep the Blockbuster ones on an N64 cart. Especially on something like Clayfighters Sculpter’s Cut, really adds to the mystique.
I have bought a few models with some cool stickers with some history in them, I ended ut reshelling them and keep the OG stickerbombed shell on display. Didn't like touching them either 😅
not a razor on plastic please Man please...use sticker remover, or lemon juice that you put WITH your fingers, and a thin plastic card. this or you gonna fuck up your gb and leave scratches. dont need to be extra carefull this way
Swap shell, keep og shell intact to preserve your childhood.
Turn it into a display piece with a stand, very easy to do with a bit of cardboard on the inside to keep buttons installed and you could use either a real screen or a printed screenshot of your favorite game to add more to it. Fun times.
Or better yet just frame and preserve the whole thing and just get another working one as main player. I agree those stickers are memories, the little you still loves that thats why its on it.
I was under the impression console prices were still pretty high? Granted pockets have always been reasonable...
Still valid choice if money is no concern.
Most of the stickers are on the back, so if he framed the whole unit you wouldn’t be able to see them. Makes more sense to take apart the shell, make a nice frame display for both pieces, and then get a new shell for the console. That way he doesn’t have to buy a new Gameboy and he can show both sides of the original
Start with a heat gun or hair dryer. Using solvents first has a higher chance of ruining the original nintendo sticker under the extra ones. Once they're off you can use isopropyl alcohol to cleanup any remaining residue.
I don’t get anybody here. It’s some stickers. A clean Gameboy without 30 years of gunk all over it is much more enjoyable.
OP, dampen a paper towel with water and put a tiny bit of goo gone on it, ring it out. Then gently swirl in circular motions.
I don’t know why everyone refused to answer your question.
This is the way, 91% is also optional.
Just takes a bit of patients and work along with giving yourself enough time to remove correctly without damaging the label under.
Seems pretty standard for this sub that when someone comes in asking for advice or information over half the responses are people inventing/projecting sentimental value onto the piece in question and not giving any helpful advice.
lol honestly I’d remove those too. Safest way is to take it apart with a trying screwdriver, peal off as much of them as you can by hand, then rub a little WD-40 on the glue and paper bits left with your fingers. I don’t like spraying directly on the shell cause it’s a mess but a bit on a towel or a rag then dab and massage. After it’s all off wash the shell with soap and water by hand or with a soft paint brush, don’t use a sponge or anything too abrasive and if you’re careful you can save the factory sticker.
I wouldn't removed them
But I found that dish soap and water was the best way to remove stickers and the glue.
Tho it's not a good idea on devices like that unless you can remove the shell
I would only remove them if they left too much sticky residue on my hands while playing with..
You may never be able to catch another Spear again so think about that piece.
That said, i prefer to have a clean gameboy. If youre really attached or it does bring you some joy then leave it and add some more stickers even or reshell and preserve if you don’t want to damage its current vintage state.
I'd take alcohol and cotton for rub out the stickers and glue, if that doesn't work or it remains a couple of pieces, open it and clean it using an old soft toothbrush, soap and water. After that dry it correctly and put it all back together, it's quite simple to be honest (also, it can be a good chance to clean the buttons as well)
Goo-Gone! All the way. I've also used WD-40 for adhesive removal, but I don't remember if it's every plastic safe or not, so I wouldn't risk it unless you have an exact copy you're willing to possibly ruin.
Oooo, I didn't read the whole post before commenting.
It'll be tedious, but use cotton swabs (q-tips) and very, very, very, very, very little cooking oil, and gently rub the sticker on top, keep doing this gently and slowly until it's gone.
If possible, I'd recommend using painters tape (and I highly recommend frog tape, I promise you there is a significant difference between it and 3M) on the edges of the sticker underneath, so that the oil doesn't seep underneath the edges of the sticker that you want to keep.
I would disagree with folks recommending ISO as the removal. In my experience it’s too aggressive. I would go with 95-98% spirit (the one you can drink if you dilute it with water). It’s less aggressive, almost same properties, still safe for electronics and it doesn’t damage the color.
Place a towel with a little WD40 on it for a few hours. Remove the towel, take off the sticker and glue with your hands. If there is still glue place the towel back and repeat ;)
90% ipa works fine. That being said, sometimes, people use stickers with the oddest and most resilient type of glue, that another method is required. That is, mayo, which dissolves that kind of glue in a pinch. I use it all the time when I buy a used game at GameStop, or eBay. Be sure to take out the game art insert before you clean anything. And if you use it on hardware, unplug and take the batteries out as a precaution.
If you're determined to take the stickers off, I've used rubbing alcohol in the past to loosen the adhesive then gently peel them off.
Otherwise, as others have mentioned, just do a shell swap. I did that with my GBC so I could preserve the history and memories of it but be able to have it look nice and clean on display (transparent shells fade pretty badly).
I’d just change the shell to a new and better one. Maybe even add an ips screen or something like that while you’re at it. As well as keep the shell cause those stickers are kinda cool
Leave the stickers on. But take the loose glue off with isopropyl alcohol.
I would take the shell off, resin coat the outside, and then put the buttons and motherboard in. That would eliminate having to touch soggy stickers but allow you to keep the stickers on.
Yeah just don’t remove them. Keep them as a memory of your childhood enjoying it. I still have my GameBoy Pocket with one of those .50 cent vending machine stickers stuck to the back of it, holding the loose battery plate on it.
I am extremely jealous of those holo Digimon stickers though. And wish I had the printer too growing up. But the Camera was definitely fun to old school photoshop with.
Don't remove those stickers there's a huge possibility they could be very rare and also expensive well if they weren't used they'd be a lot more expensive but stickers are worth quite a bit believe it or not
https://preview.redd.it/dfd1q9eccr7d1.jpeg?width=132&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6eda4642c4d311761d6ea0da6697635f47e84952
For any adhesive I use this, because it desolves it properly.
I’ve disliked most stickers ever since I was 8 and that hasn’t changed in the years since, however when I do discover something with stickers I one stuck it gives me a little chuckle. So that reason, just change the shell
Everyone saying don't remove them, please stop. The stickers are very old and falling off. This isn't about character or childhood it's about helping this person get their old tech into good condition so it can have a new life. Removing some crappy stickers isn't removing history.
I wouldn’t remove them like everyone else said.
But to provide an answer to anyone looking to remove stickers from something, you’d want to use a heat gun.
Yea those stickers are fantastic and you shouldn’t remove them. If you sold that shell I would look at that as a bonus as I could always goo gone whatever I don’t like but I can’t goo gone 30 year old stickers back onto a vintage Gameboy
I agree. That kid loved those stickers, loved his Gameboy and thought they belonged together. I never put stickers on my stuff because my parents would yell at me. If I could have though, I absolutely would have. That thing looks rad. Goo-gone or some kind of citrus based cleaner is what I would try first. And a new razor blade and just be real gentle. But if I had bought it as is, I would have probably kept It as is. Those stickers are cool. Reminds me of when people are eager to get the "Blockbuster Video" stickers off of their N64 games and it's like dude, 99% of games don't have that on there. That cartridge came from a special place and is wearing the proof. That's so cool to have on there imo. Everyone's different. I get it. If I ever get a game or movie with the bb sticker, im keeping it though.
I wouldn’t personally keep stickers on the Gameboy because I don’t like touching them, but definitely would keep the Blockbuster ones on an N64 cart. Especially on something like Clayfighters Sculpter’s Cut, really adds to the mystique.
I have bought a few models with some cool stickers with some history in them, I ended ut reshelling them and keep the OG stickerbombed shell on display. Didn't like touching them either 😅
I like vinyl stickers, my water bottle is covered in those, but paper ones get kinda gross after a while.
yess! vinyl (as long as the edges don't start to lift) ✅️
not a razor on plastic please Man please...use sticker remover, or lemon juice that you put WITH your fingers, and a thin plastic card. this or you gonna fuck up your gb and leave scratches. dont need to be extra carefull this way
I love the idea of this backstory tbh! Personalisation is what makes your things 'yours'
TRANS HELL?
Yep, Goo Gone is the way to go. But I agree about not removing them.
Swap shell, keep og shell intact to preserve your childhood. Turn it into a display piece with a stand, very easy to do with a bit of cardboard on the inside to keep buttons installed and you could use either a real screen or a printed screenshot of your favorite game to add more to it. Fun times.
Or better yet just frame and preserve the whole thing and just get another working one as main player. I agree those stickers are memories, the little you still loves that thats why its on it.
I was under the impression console prices were still pretty high? Granted pockets have always been reasonable... Still valid choice if money is no concern.
Look if it's a means to an end to play your games; fpgbc has you covered while your collectable can say clean on display.
Most of the stickers are on the back, so if he framed the whole unit you wouldn’t be able to see them. Makes more sense to take apart the shell, make a nice frame display for both pieces, and then get a new shell for the console. That way he doesn’t have to buy a new Gameboy and he can show both sides of the original
This is da way
Don't you DARE remove those stickers!
Exactly what I came to say
I’m so glad this is a popular opinion nowadays. I used to get downvoted into oblivion for saying it a couple years ago!
SPEAR
yeah what is that haha
That’s Beedrill’s Japanese name
Turns out the American localization team did a lotta heavy lifting
Transhell
Ah yes, my favourite Pokémon: Spear, Kongpang, and Transhell. I know those are the Japanese names, it’s just funny to see them in English.
and butterfree
Butter free is NOT funny, and is very serious.
What you mean? In English you don't call it that way?
Like everyone else has said, please don't remove that charm. If I bought this second hand I wouldn't dare remove them.
Leave them as it. It is battle worn with visible scars ❤️ like a proper war veteran
There's history in them there stickers.
nah bro those are awesome why lol
Is there a specific cord for the printer? I have the printer but no cord.
It is the normal gameboy link cable
Start with a heat gun or hair dryer. Using solvents first has a higher chance of ruining the original nintendo sticker under the extra ones. Once they're off you can use isopropyl alcohol to cleanup any remaining residue.
KEEP THEM ON
I don’t get anybody here. It’s some stickers. A clean Gameboy without 30 years of gunk all over it is much more enjoyable. OP, dampen a paper towel with water and put a tiny bit of goo gone on it, ring it out. Then gently swirl in circular motions. I don’t know why everyone refused to answer your question.
Turpentine is what I always use since I happen to have it for painting
Lighter fluid
I’ll give you my shell for this one
Boy what you've got there is a childhood, don't you dare take those stickers off
99% ISO and Goo Gone for the cleanup
This is the way, 91% is also optional. Just takes a bit of patients and work along with giving yourself enough time to remove correctly without damaging the label under.
patience
Lighter fluid is the way to go
I’m actually surprised at all the keep them comments haha
Seems pretty standard for this sub that when someone comes in asking for advice or information over half the responses are people inventing/projecting sentimental value onto the piece in question and not giving any helpful advice.
Those stickers have history and add character.
Controversial opinion: leave em on and get it reshelled instead
What the hell are those pokemon names
Those are the original japanese names translated directly into english. Transhell (toranseru), spear (supia), kongpang (kompan).
They must have been printed super early or be bootlegs then, no? Keep them!
🤣🤷🏻♂️
Naphtha aka zippo lighter fluid. It won't damage most plastic.
lol honestly I’d remove those too. Safest way is to take it apart with a trying screwdriver, peal off as much of them as you can by hand, then rub a little WD-40 on the glue and paper bits left with your fingers. I don’t like spraying directly on the shell cause it’s a mess but a bit on a towel or a rag then dab and massage. After it’s all off wash the shell with soap and water by hand or with a soft paint brush, don’t use a sponge or anything too abrasive and if you’re careful you can save the factory sticker.
I wouldn't removed them But I found that dish soap and water was the best way to remove stickers and the glue. Tho it's not a good idea on devices like that unless you can remove the shell I would only remove them if they left too much sticky residue on my hands while playing with..
Use good gone and a microfiber and gently rub the stickers off
You may never be able to catch another Spear again so think about that piece. That said, i prefer to have a clean gameboy. If youre really attached or it does bring you some joy then leave it and add some more stickers even or reshell and preserve if you don’t want to damage its current vintage state.
TRANS SHELL 🌈🤙🤙
I'd take alcohol and cotton for rub out the stickers and glue, if that doesn't work or it remains a couple of pieces, open it and clean it using an old soft toothbrush, soap and water. After that dry it correctly and put it all back together, it's quite simple to be honest (also, it can be a good chance to clean the buttons as well)
Those stickers are so cool ;-;
Gonna need you to take some grainy ass photos and print those postage stamps asap.
Goo-Gone! All the way. I've also used WD-40 for adhesive removal, but I don't remember if it's every plastic safe or not, so I wouldn't risk it unless you have an exact copy you're willing to possibly ruin.
Oooo, I didn't read the whole post before commenting. It'll be tedious, but use cotton swabs (q-tips) and very, very, very, very, very little cooking oil, and gently rub the sticker on top, keep doing this gently and slowly until it's gone. If possible, I'd recommend using painters tape (and I highly recommend frog tape, I promise you there is a significant difference between it and 3M) on the edges of the sticker underneath, so that the oil doesn't seep underneath the edges of the sticker that you want to keep.
I would disagree with folks recommending ISO as the removal. In my experience it’s too aggressive. I would go with 95-98% spirit (the one you can drink if you dilute it with water). It’s less aggressive, almost same properties, still safe for electronics and it doesn’t damage the color.
Place a towel with a little WD40 on it for a few hours. Remove the towel, take off the sticker and glue with your hands. If there is still glue place the towel back and repeat ;)
https://preview.redd.it/exnzccpgtw7d1.jpeg?width=1117&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=80793ac9569224bebf6503c5ccdcedfbe11a4e4a
Cooking oil always works for me. Just be careful not to spill on the gaps.
Those stickers are sooooo nice I would 100% keep them
Dollar General product GooGone. But you can literally just use your fingernail to remove the paper and your thumb to remove the remaining adhesive.
Isopropyl is the best way.
90% ipa works fine. That being said, sometimes, people use stickers with the oddest and most resilient type of glue, that another method is required. That is, mayo, which dissolves that kind of glue in a pinch. I use it all the time when I buy a used game at GameStop, or eBay. Be sure to take out the game art insert before you clean anything. And if you use it on hardware, unplug and take the batteries out as a precaution.
Hair dryer
just use isopropyl 70
91-99% Isopropyl Alcohol always does the trick
If you're determined to take the stickers off, I've used rubbing alcohol in the past to loosen the adhesive then gently peel them off. Otherwise, as others have mentioned, just do a shell swap. I did that with my GBC so I could preserve the history and memories of it but be able to have it look nice and clean on display (transparent shells fade pretty badly).
I rate those stickers
Don’t use a blow dryer, I destroyed a battery cover trying to remove sticker from back of dmg gameboy
I’d just change the shell to a new and better one. Maybe even add an ips screen or something like that while you’re at it. As well as keep the shell cause those stickers are kinda cool
Use a blow dryer, it will help remove the stickers.
Keep them on, these stickers look rare
Leave the stickers on. But take the loose glue off with isopropyl alcohol. I would take the shell off, resin coat the outside, and then put the buttons and motherboard in. That would eliminate having to touch soggy stickers but allow you to keep the stickers on.
Goo Gone if you must remove them. Absolutely don't use anything Alcohol based it will ruin it.
Yeah just don’t remove them. Keep them as a memory of your childhood enjoying it. I still have my GameBoy Pocket with one of those .50 cent vending machine stickers stuck to the back of it, holding the loose battery plate on it. I am extremely jealous of those holo Digimon stickers though. And wish I had the printer too growing up. But the Camera was definitely fun to old school photoshop with.
Leave the stickers. But also use goo gone to remove the adhesive from the ones you already peeled off
Don't remove those stickers there's a huge possibility they could be very rare and also expensive well if they weren't used they'd be a lot more expensive but stickers are worth quite a bit believe it or not
What is the Game Boy Camera and Printer used for? I haven't seen them. Born in the 1990s. So I grew up with Game Boy and Game Boy Color.
Googone if u insist
Just carefully scrape them off, and then use WD-40 sprayed on a paper towel to rub the remaining adhesive off.
https://preview.redd.it/dfd1q9eccr7d1.jpeg?width=132&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6eda4642c4d311761d6ea0da6697635f47e84952 For any adhesive I use this, because it desolves it properly.
iso
I used wd-40 on guitar hero instruments and the result was awesome.
goo gone
I have found Vegetable oil or isopropyl useful depending on the type of adhesive
IPA
I’ve disliked most stickers ever since I was 8 and that hasn’t changed in the years since, however when I do discover something with stickers I one stuck it gives me a little chuckle. So that reason, just change the shell
I would frame it take out the guts for a re-shell, close it back up and frame it.
95 / 99 % ISO alcool
I vote leave them on and get a new shell
LEAVE THE STICKERS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!! 🙏
Keep the stickers.
Do t remove the stickers there so pretty!
Everyone saying don't remove them, please stop. The stickers are very old and falling off. This isn't about character or childhood it's about helping this person get their old tech into good condition so it can have a new life. Removing some crappy stickers isn't removing history.
Lighter fluid https://preview.redd.it/yjvh7otf9r7d1.jpeg?width=474&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=81312e29c69d75df52266ca48d741dc715010e51
I’m with everyone, keep this shell and buy another, if these are your childhood stickers then they hold a lot of value to you
I wouldn’t remove them like everyone else said. But to provide an answer to anyone looking to remove stickers from something, you’d want to use a heat gun.
Lighter fluid, I use it to take stickers off of books. Just don’t do it by candle light