Kresge's Sparkie Club

Black text on a white background with a greyscale illustration of a boy with exaggerated features wearing a beanie and sash, both with lightening bolts. 

“Kresge’s” was a dime store located in downtown St. Louis in the 1960s and '70s.  Dime stores were old diners with long counters usually located near railroad stations that offered low prices for food and drinks. The particular Kresge’s that this button was likely referring to was later turned into a Kmart in the mid-1970s.

The character on the button is a puppet named Sparkie, from the children's radio show Big Jon and Sparkie.  The radio show ran from 1950-1958 and centered around Sparkie, an "elf from the land of make-believe" who acts just like a real boy.

The Sparkie Club was a sponsorship and merchandising program related to the show. It involved companies paying for special promotions relating to the show so fans could mail in proof of purchase (for example, ten milk bottle caps or milk carton lids) to get a specifically branded Sparkie Club Button.

Click here and here to find other Sparkie Club buttons.