The exact origin of the Cool S is unknown,[1] but it became prevalent around the early 1970s as a part of graffiti culture.

[2][3] The Cool S consists of 14 line segments, forming a stylized, pointed S-shape.

Jean-Michel Basquiat's artworks also occasionally feature it, such as in Charles the First, and in Untitled (Olive Oyl) it is labelled "CLASSIC S OF GRAFF".

[8] In July 2020, the S was trademarked in the United States as "The S Thing" by a man who had no involvement in its creation.

[11] However, in 2011, the company uploaded a video to Vimeo[12] and later to YouTube[13] in which one of Jon Naar's 1973 photographs of the symbol is displayed.