Hopalong Cassidy's Bulldogger

Illustration of a cowboy on a horse next to a cow with black text on an orange background

Hopalong Cassidy was a fictional cowboy created by Clarence E. Mulford in the early 1900s, who wrote a series of short stories and novels about the character. Hopalong had a wooden leg and walked with a hop, which is how he got the nickname Hopalong Cassidy. In the 1930s and 1940s, several movies based on this character were produced by Paramount Pictures starring William Boyd. In 1948, Boyd bought the television rights and created a popular western television series centered around Hopalong Cassidy and his horse, Topper.

"The Hopalong Cassidy Savings Club and Saving Rodeo" was a program for kids to help them save money. They received "Saving Rodeo" buttons as rewards for saving money. A member of the program would move through the ranks starting with Tenderfoot going on to Wrangler, Bulldogger, Bronc Buster, Trail Boss, Straw Boss, and reaching Bar 20 Foreman (Bar 20 is the name of Hopalong's ranch). Buttons for Tenderfoot, Wrangler, Bulldogger, Bronco Buster, and Trail Boss were distributed as the savings account increased from $2 to $125, and the Straw Boss and Foreman buttons were earned when savings reached $250 to $500.