When I was a kid (long before velcro) we threw cockle burrs at each other. They stuck to clothing. I never bothered to examine them and see the tiny hooks but you could pinch them between you fingers and they did not penetrate the skin.
The dogs and the horses used to get them. The horses were the worst, it was difficult to say the least getting the cockleburrs out of their manes…
Much the same with me. Alas, we both missed the chance to become rich and famous like good ol’ what’s-his-name.
An Idea That Stuck: How George de Mestral Invented the VELCRO® Brand Fastener. Born in the tiny town of Saint-Saphorin-sur-Morges in 1907,