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| Text on Button | KRESGE'S SPARKIE CLUB "HI HEY" "HELLO THERE" |
| Image Description | 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. |
| Back Paper / Back Info |
ST. LOUIS BUTTON CO MFRS., ST. LOUIS, MO |
| Curl Text | © ARTHUR-SAMPSON ENTERPRISES, INC. |
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| Additional Information | “Kresge’s” was a dime store located in downtown St. Louis in the 1960’s and 70’s. Dime stores were old diners with a long counter that were usually located near railroad stations, and 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-1970’s. 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. |
| Sources |
“Kresge’s.” Restaurant-Ing through History, restaurant-ingthroughhistory.com/tag/kresges/. Accessed 11 July 2023. AxlCobainVedder. Kresge’s in Downtown St. Louis (1971). 4 June 2019, www.reddit.com/r/TheWayWeWere/comments/bwnc7g/kresges_in_downtown_st_lo…. Accessed 11 July 2023. “Big John and Sparky (Big Jon and Sparkie): No School Today | Old Time Radio.” Www.otrcat.com, www.otrcat.com/p/big-john-and-sparky. |
| Catalog ID | CL0615 |