Black and white illustration of a candlestick telephone behind large white text '50' on a dark blue background.

This elegantly simple button was made to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the telephone. The date is less clear. Does the button mark 50 years since Alexander Graham Bell came up with the theoretical concept for the telephone in July 1874; or the successful receipt of his words "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you" on March 10, 1876; or Bell's patent on the telephone in the same year; or maybe it's commemorating the establishment of the Bell Telephone Company in 1877. If one wants to be particular, the candlestick phone depicted in the illustration wasn't introduced until the 1890s.

The invention of the telephone included many individuals whose contributions could very well be considered worthy of a 50th anniversary button including: Elisha Gray, Antonio Meucci, Johann Philipp Reis, Tivadar Puskás, and Thomas Edison. 

Red text on gold background.

The Chunky candy bar was first introduced in the 1930s. It was less of a candy bar and more of a block of chocolate. It was the creation of a New York City candy maker, Philip Silvershein whose ties with William Wrigley Jr., helped distribute the first Chunky bars.

According to legend the unique trapezoidal shape was arrived upon by Silvershein who after contemplating a pyramid shaped block of plaster, chopped off the top! The original recipe was simple: chocolate, cashews, raisins and Brazil nuts. The cashews and Brazil nuts were replaced by the less expensive, but still tasty, roasted peanut when Nestlé took over the brand in 1984. Since the original Chunky bar was a single trapezoid, this button was likely created after Nestle launched the shareable version: four joined trapezoids so you could break off a piece to share with friends.

The 1970s commercials showed a young boy eating one and claiming it was "Thicker-er." Another earlier one went straight to the point: "Chunky, What a Chunk of Chocolate." Enjoy some classic Chunky commercials:  Open wide for Chunky and When you say Chunky, you've said a mouthful.

Button with pennant attached. Button shows photo of Big Bill Lee wearing the Chicago Cubs baseball cap. Felt pennant reads  "Chicago Cubs" on faded blue with white trim. Arched text reading "Big Bill Lee" is at bottom of pin.

William Crutcher "Big Bill" Lee was a right-handed pitcher for the Chicago Cubs from 1934-1943, and again in 1947. He led the Cubs to the World Series in 1938. His 139 wins with the Cubs are still ranked ninth in franchise history.

Read more about the History of Cubs Buttons on the Busy Beaver blog.

 White text on red background. The Cambria font evokes bygone era.

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Black and white photograph of a man in a white suite with a black bow tie in front of a greyish background.

Harry "Woo Woo" Stevens was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky. A noted banjo performer, he got his start in New York City at the age of 23, having traveled there to try out for the New York Yankees. A baseball career was not in the cards for him, but his life changed when Babe Ruth heard him playing the banjo in the Yankee's locker room. Recognizing his talent, Babe got Woo Woo to enter the Major Bowes Original Amateur Hour talent show. Woo Woo won, and that started his career as an entertainer. Performing from Broadway to Hawaii and everywhere in between, Woo Woo traveled the country performing for decades. Relocating to California in the 1960's, he remained there until his death on June 26th, 2013 at the age of 98.

The Blackhawk restaurant was a Chicago fixture for decades. Founded on December 27th, 1920, they became famous across the country for their live radio show called  "Live! From the Blackhawk!". The restaurant removed their dance floor and stopped hosting orchestras in 1952, and remained in business as strictly a restaurant until finally closing on August 31st, 1984.

A red, white and blue button with a blue demon sitting on top of a basketball net. His tail trails down and appears to point to the words "Blue Demons" which is on bottom of the button, displayed across the net.

De Paul's Blue Demons are one of seven teams in the Chicago area that are in NCAA Division 1.  Located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, they play home games at the Allstate Arena.  

In 1907 when St. Vincent’s College became DePaul University, the sports teams wore red uniforms with large ‘D’s on the front. During a game, in the early 1900s, an announcer referred to the players as the “D-men”. This name stuck with the team and evolved into the Demon we have today. The ‘blue’ component is thought to have developed from the attempt to distinguish the players from DePaul University from those of the DePaul Academy (a high school a part of the University at the time). It was for this reason that the Academy took to wearing blue uniforms with red ‘D’s and the University adopted red uniforms with blue ‘D’s; thus solidifying their title as the Blue ‘D’-men or what we know them as today: The DePaul Blue Demons!

Group shot of the '85 Bears on orange background (blue background on lower quarter) with white text. Text on lower third reads "1985 NFC Champions."

The Chicago Bears 1985 season went 15-1 and ended in a Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots. Some of the notable players include: Walter Payton, William "The Fridge" Perry, Mike Singletary, Jim McMahon, Richard Dent, and Willie Gault. The only game the Bears lost was the unlucky 13th game against the Miami Dolphins. After the loss, much of the team went on to record "The Super Bowl Shuffle."

Older Blackhawk logo on white background with black text and and back line around red curl

The Blackhawks are a Chicago-based professional NHL hockey team founded in 1926. The Blackhawks acquired their name from a World War I machine gun battalion, named after an Indian chief. The battalion commander was the team's first owner, Major Frederic McLaughlin. The logo was designed by his wife. The logo and uniforms have changed little over the years. From 1926 until 1986 the team was actually the Black Hawks. The Chicago Blackhawks have managed to escape criticism over the years for their use of a Native American representation as a mascot.

Black text on orange band across middle of button on black background. 

The Chicago Bears are a professional football team that were founded in the year 1920 as the Decatur Staleys. In 1921 the team changed their name to the Chicago Bears. They have won 9 championships, including Super Bowl XX in 1986. 27 Bears players are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the team has won over 700 games.

Blue text with white outline on an orange background.

"Da Bears" is Southside Chicago slang for "the Bears," as seen in a 1990's Saturday Night Live skit. The term is commonly associated with the 1985 Super Bowl winning team; however, the term did not originate until January of 1991, when a skit featuring a group of Chicago Bears "Superfans" began using the term. The term was then used in recurring episodes. 

This button was manufactured by the Busy Beaver Button Co.