How the Zipper on 'Sticky Fingers' Got the Album Banned in Several Countries

The 1971 album Sticky Fingers was the first Rolling Stones record on their own label, and it came in a cover that was literally interactive. Designed by Andy Warhol, the front featured a real working zipper set into a close-up photo of a man’s crotch. Pulling it down revealed a bulge of underwear – or, on early pressings, a photograph of the same jeans-covered crotch underneath. It was a gag that felt both sexy and absurd, but authorities in several countries didn’t see the humor.

Spain, Argentina, and parts of the Middle East banned the cover for obscenity, forcing local releases to use a plain tan wrapper or a replacement photo. Even in the US, some stores refused to stock it. The real trouble came during manufacturing: the metal zippers scratched the vinyl inside during shipping, so later runs replaced the zipper with a printed version. The censorship only fueled the album’s mystique, and the cover remains one of rock’s most famous – and most banned – gatefolds.