Burger Chef Presents the Family Circus PJ

Illustration of a a boy's head on a blue background with black and white text above and below it.

In the mid 1960s, the fast food chain Burger Chef joined with the comic strip The Family Circus in an advertising campaign. The Indianapolis-based chain, which began in 1954, was a competitor of McDonalds, and launched numerous ads in attempts to become number one in the fast food industry. Their campaign with The Family Circus contributed to their success and at their peak in 1973 Burger Chef had over 1,000 locations. However, the chain was sold to Hardee's and the final Burger Chef closed its doors in 1996.

The Family Circus was created in February 1960 by Bill Keane. The comic, which appears as both a daily strip and Sunday strip, is about the Keane family's daily suburban life centering on the children in the family. Featured on the button is PJ (Peter John), the youngest of the characters, was introduced on August 1, 1962. Appearing in over 1,500 newspapers, The Family Circus is now one of the most famous comic strips in the world.