White button with blue and black text and a black silhouette of Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin's hat and cane are shown being blown away from a desktop computer on a table carrying a flower in a vase.

In August 1981 the advertising agency Lord, Geller, Federico, and Einstein launched IBM's first Personal Computer with its hugely popular Chaplin ads. Harkening back to an earlier time, a simpler time, the print and television ads were largely black/white and featured Charlie Chaplin's "little tramp" character, played by character actor Billy Scudder. IBM was hoping to reduce public fear of the computer and highlight its simplicity and applications. Using a lovable old-timey character like the tramp made computers seem within reach and not some scary thing from the future. (Whether or not the US$1,565 base price was truly within reach is arguable!)

Press Release announcing the new IBM Personal Computer

Footage of IBM's Charlie Chaplin campaign

Illustration of the House of Guitars storefront, with the name and address surrounding in black with a white background.

The House of Guitars, HOG, is a huge music store in Irondequoit, a suburb Rochester, New York. It has 4 floors of musical instruments and an elaborate maze of adjoining buildings that sell records, t-shirts, buttons, and other music related items. The look of the store has been compared to a rummage sale, with piles of t-shirts on the floor, guitars packed in to tight spaces, etc. HOG got it start in 1964 with three brothers working out of their mother's basement. A wise move early on to meet the demand created by Beatle-mania gave the business a solid start, and eventually their own storefront which they've occupied since (the building is featured in the company's logo which printed on our button).

HOG is also known for its advertising during the 1960-70s. In the 1960s HOG started making commercials which ran on late-night television. "We just turned on a 16-mm camera and had rock ‘n’ roll music playing in the background." They were shocking to most adults, but had the opposite affect on the younger generation. As did their billboard campaigns. In response to a conservative group's billboard "Beautify America. Get a haircut," one of the Schaurbroeck brothers responded with his own, featuring his image and the HOG logo stating: “Help Keep America Free. Let Your Hair Grow.”

Black text on center circle with orange background, surrounded by a ring of 'HONDA' repeated in orange on green, surrounded by a final ring of decorative green/orange Os on a purple background.

Honda was a relatively small motorcycle manufacturer during the 1960s when they began exporting to the U.S. There is some academic debate as to how Honda became so successful, but it has since become the largest motorcycle manufacturer and the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines.

Illustration of a young blonde girl crying with red irritated eyes and nose. There's also an image of a white bird next to the girl's head. Button has white background and red text.

Allergy Annie was a character developed by Honeywell HVAC company to promote their air cleaning products. The doll and coloring book were offered for free when readers agreed to have a representative demonstrate "(in your home) the multiple benefits of this Honeywell Electronic Air Cleaner."

Red-eyed Annie in our button should not be confused with the new Annie. In May of 2012 "Allergy Annie" was trademarked by a company selling allergy labeling products. Wonder if they know about the "real" Allergy Annie?

Hot pink background, black text and line drawing of a smiley face with swirling eyes and its tongue hanging out.

This button promotes the Lusty Lady, a famous peepshow in Seattle and San Francisco that operated from 1985-2010.

White Harry's "sign" outlined in yellow includes address and phone number in red text. Background is red with repeating text "I'm just wild about Harry" in white.

Harry's New York Bar is located in the Park Lane Hotel on Central Park South in New York City. It was named after Harry Helmsley, a New York real estate developer and philanthropist who once owned the Empire State Building and Flatiron Building. The Park Lane hotel opened in 1971. The slogan "I'm just wild about Harry" evokes the 1921 hit song of the same name by Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle.

From 1972 until his death in 1997, Harry Helmsley was married to Leona Helmsley, who supposedly once said, "We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes." Her 1989 conviction on tax evasion and hostile treatment of employees and others earned her the reputation as the "Queen of Mean."

Center photo image of a cow on white background with yellow text on blue background on the edge. Metal milk pail FOB hanging from button.

The Guernsey cow, with naturally yellow milk, is native to the island of Guernsey in Europe. The first appearance of the Guernsey was in 1830 in Boston Massachusetts. In 1921, the Golden Guernsey Products trademark was a milk bottle cap that enclosed the jug in two circles and had their brand imprinted around the circle. They first used the label on milk produced at Halfred and Gledka Farms of Chagrin Falls and what is now Shaker Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, OH.

Black line drawing of the head of a cowboy with mustache and cowboy hat surrounded by black text.

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Dark red text appears over a bright yellow background. GE's logo sits next to a steaming cup of coffee.

"Want a good cup of coffee" was a slogan used by General Electric (GE or G-E depending on the era) to advertise their automatic coffee makers.

Cartoon bird in blue, red, and white with yellow beak and feet.  Blue text on white background.

This advertising novelty was produced in the early 1900s by the Whitehead & Hoag Co. (W&H). The button manufacturer was incorporated in 1892 by Benjamin Whitehead and Chester Hoag—two business men that had been fortunate enough to secure three major button patents before 1896, the year in which demand for buttons had skyrocketed. Before W&Hs' patents expired and the proliferation of the small printing press, the company was the world's largest button manufacturer. W&H was sold to a long-time competitor, Bastion Bros. Co., in 1959.  The same year its factory doors closed for the final time.