Stewart's Sparkie Club

Black and white illustration of the character Sparkie surrounded by black text on a white background

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.

To be part of the Sparkie Club, a company had to sponsor the show. Many companies were part of a merchandising program where child fans of the show could mail in proof (for example, ten milk bottle caps or milk carton lids) to get a specifically branded Sparkie Club Button.

Stewarts Juvenile Shoe Store was a children’s shoe store located on the historic Broughton Street in Savannah, Georgia. It is considered historic because it lies between Savannah’s city limits before the Civil War. The architecture in the area has remained mostly unchanged since then.  A couple of hotels and businesses have stayed open since those days as well.