If It's Brown Flush It Down

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button If it's Brown… Flush it Down
Image Description

Illustration of a toilet and text in white on brown background.

Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Additional Information

This catchy motto was coined in the 1980s during a water shortage in New York by Mayor Ed Koch. The drought was caused by lack of rain so the reservoirs were only at 30% capacity. The normal capacity was 88%. To solve this, Mayor Koch called for cutbacks in water usage and this quip was utilized.

Mayor Koch, a democrat, was mayor from 1978-1989 and one of three mayors to be elected a second term. He was known for his humor and brash personality.

Sources

Almasy, S. (2013, March 7). New York's brash former mayor, Ed Koch, dies at 88. CNN. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2013/02/01/us/ed-koch-obit/index.html

Carmody, D. (1981, January 23). WHAT CAUSED DROUGHT IN NEW YORK CITY AND HOW TO COPE WITH IT. The New York Times, pp. 3. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/23/nyregion/what-caused-drought-in-new-…

Vestel, L. B. (2009, May 22). Hippies, Hollywood and the Flush Factor. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/hippies-hollywood-and-the-fl…

 

Catalog ID HU0203

B57 Night Intruder

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button B-57 NIGHT INTRUDER
Image Description

Image of a plane in the sky with black text on blue background.

Curl Text MADE IN THE USA
Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Additional Information

During the Korean War, the U.S. Air Force was in need of a high-performance bomber that was capable of accurate weapon delivery at night and in poor weather conditions. The outdated Douglas B-29 Intruder could not meet those demands despite its success as an Allied plane in World War II. Since there was not enough time to design, build, and test a new bomber from scratch, the Americans looked to the United Kingdom for some help. The U.K. allowed the USAF to adapt its newly developed jet—the English Electric Canberra—to suit the wartime needs of the United States. The resulting product was the Martin B-57 Night Intruder, which was not only well equipped for volatile weather, but also fuel-efficient. 

In collaboration with the Glenn Martin Company, the USAF manufactured over 400 B-57 Night Intruders between 1951 and 1959. The aircraft took its maiden flight on July 20, 1953, and was officially retired in 1983. The plane was also sold and exported to other nations including Pakistan, which used the B-57 Night Intruder in the Indo-Pakistani Wars of 1965 and 1971.

Sources

Martin EB-57B Canberra. (n.d.). Air Force Armament Museum Foundation. Retrieved December 3, 2024, from https://afarmamentmuseum.com/details-b57.html

ScaleCraft (n.d.). Martin B-57 Night Intruder (Canberra). Retrieved December 3, 2024, from http://www.scalecraft.com/browseproducts/Martin-B-57-Night-Intruder-(Canberra).HTML

 

Catalog ID AD0943

XF4D Skyray

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button XF4D SKYRAY
Image Description

Image of a plane in the sky with red text on dark blue background.

Curl Text MADC
Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Additional Information

The Douglas XF4D-1 Skyray was a single-place, single-engine delta-winged fighter powered by a turbojet engine. It had retractable tricycle landing gear and was to operate off of the U.S. Navy’s aircraft carriers as a high altitude interceptor. The Skyray was designed by the legendary Ed Heinemann, for which he was awarded the Collier Trophy in 1954. Two prototypes were built (Bu.Nos. 124586, 124587). It was a delta-winged aircraft, though the wingtips were significantly rounded. 

Sources

Swopes, B. R. (2017). Douglas XF4D-1 Skyray. 3 October 1953. This Day in Aviation. Important Dates in Aviation History. https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/douglas-xf4d-1-skyray/

 

Catalog ID AD0942

Mr. Chip of Keiller

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button Mr.Chip Mr. Chip of Keiller
Image Description

Illustration of a person made of fruit dressed in top hat and kilt

Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Additional Information

Keiller is a well-known brand of marmalade named after Janet Keiller (1735-1813) who, in 1797, adapted an existing recipe for marmalade by adding orange rind. The Keiller brand was bought by Crosse & Blackwell Ltd in 1920. After a number of changes of ownership, it was eventually subsumed into the Roberston’s brand in 1988.​ Keiller was a leading brand of chip-marmalade (containing the fruit rind) and a major competitor to the likes of the Roberston’s Golly and William Moorhouse Sunny-Sunglow brands. In its heyday, Keiller marmalade was exported worldwide especially to expatriates throughout the British Empire. Keiller stoneware jars are still found everywhere.

Alex Keiller opened a new factory in Guernsey (Channel Isles) to produce his Dundee (Chip) Marmalade under the same label. The new factory accounted for over a third of all Keiller’s output and was established to take advantage of the island’s exemption from the new Sugar Tax. The Guernsey factory operated there from 1857 to 1879 which also gave the company better access to the more lucrative markets of South-East England, including London.

Sources

Stuart. (2012, May 2). Mr Chip of Keiller - Dundee marmalade promotional badge (1950's or earlier). [Photograph]. Flickr. Retrieved October 14, 2019, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/23885771@N03/7135273407.

 

Catalog ID AD0941

Please Help the Blind

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button PLEASE HELP THE BLIND
Image Description

Illustration of a woman hiking up her dress to fix her stocking while a man stares from the lamp post holding a sign that falsely indicates he is blind.

Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Additional Information

An Edwardian naughty joke from the early 1900s, the illustration portrays a woman seeing a "blind" man, which gives her no accord as she lifts her skirt up to daringly show her leg. The joke is on the woman because the blind man isn’t blind, which can be inferred from his glasses, head tilt, and facial expression. Skirts in that era revealed no more than an ankle, as that was considered modest for the time. The woman’s fashion is very up to date and her silhouette has the fashionable S-bend, bodice shows the “pigeon-breasted” monobosom, and large hat is carefully pinned to sit forward on her head. Similar fashion can be seen in a 1903 Edison silent film, The Gay Shoe Clerk, whose plot similarly features a woman who gives an eyeful to an unfortunate shoe clerk.

Sources

03 The Gay Shoe Clerk (1903). Youtube.com. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qW3xVv9aDE.

Catalog ID AR0445

Little Pinkies Ball Player

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button LITTLE PINKIES THE BALL PLAYER
Image Description

Illustration of boy in baseball hat and pink nightgown holding a baseball bat on a white background.

Back Paper / Back Info

AMERICAN PEPSIN GUM CO BUTTONS MADE BY THE WHITEHEAD & HOAG CO.NEWARK, N.J. PATENT JULY 17, '94 APRIL 14, '96 JULY 21, 1896

Curl Text PAT. JULY 21, 1896.
Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Year / Decade Made
The Manufacturer
Additional Information

The Little Pinkies were a series of 20 pinback buttons made by Whitehead & Hoag Co. for American Pepsin Gum to give away in their packages of gum. The Little Pinkies appeared in 1896. Some say that they were a very early comic strip. Others suggest the characters were inspired by the popularity of Palmer Cox’s Brownies.

Pepsin powder was used in many chewing gums in the 1890s as is was thought to cure indigestion, or dyspepsia as it was called then. In fact, Pepsi-Cola was marketed as a digestion aid around the time this button was made.

For other Little Pinkies buttons in our collection, you can visit the Policeman, the Colonel, and the Boot Black.

Sources

Little Pinkies Ball Player button. (2020). Keyman Collectible. http://keymancollectibles.com/pinsbuttons/pepsingumlittlepinkiespin.htm.

Little Pinkies The Policeman. (2020). Busy Beaver Button Museum. https://buttonmuseum.org/buttons/little-pinkies-policeman

 

 

Catalog ID AD0938

Little Pinkies Boot Black Shine

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button LITTLE PINKIES THE BOOT BLACK SHINE
Image Description

Illustration of boy with blue fez in pink pajamas carrying soap box and pencil

Back Paper / Back Info

AMERICAN PEPSIN GUM CO BUTTONS MADE BY THE WHITEHEAD & HOAG CO.NEWARK, N.J. PATENT JULY 17, '94 APRIL 14, '96 JULY 21, 1896

Curl Text PAT. JULY 21, 1896.
Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Year / Decade Made
The Manufacturer
Additional Information

The Little Pinkies were a series of 20 pinback buttons made by Whitehead & Hoag Co. for American Pepsin Gum to give away in their packages of gum. The Little Pinkies are not very well documented. All sources say that they appeared in 1896. Some say that they were a very early comic strip. Others suggest the characters were inspired by the popularity of Palmer Cox’s Brownies.

Pepsin powder was used in many chewing gums in the 1890s as is was thought to cure indigestion, or dyspepsia as it was called then. In fact, Pepsi-Cola was marketed as a digestion aid around the time this button was made.

For other Little Pinkies buttons in our collection, you can visit the Policeman, the Colonel, and the Boot Black.

Sources

Little Pinkies Ball Player button. (2020). Keyman Collectibleshttp://keymancollectibles.com/pinsbuttons/pepsingumlittlepinkiespin.htm

Little Pinkies Pepsin Gum Pinbacks. (2020). Marklansdown.  http://www.marklansdown.com/pinbacks/pages/littlepinkiespepsingum.html

Little Pinkies The Policeman (2020). Busy Beaver Button Museum.  https://www.buttonmuseum.org/buttons/little-pinkies-policeman

Catalog ID AD0940

Little Pinkies Colonel

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button LITTLE PINKIES THE COLONEL
Image Description

Illustration of soldier in blue coat and red hat on white background.

Back Paper / Back Info

AMERICAN PEPSIN GUM CO BUTTONS MADE BY THE WHITEHEAD & HOAG CO.NEWARK, N.J. PATENT JULY 17, '94 APRIL 14, '96 JULY 21, 1896

Curl Text PAT. JULY 21, 1896.
Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Year / Decade Made
The Manufacturer
Additional Information

The Little Pinkies were a series of 20 pinback buttons made by Whitehead & Hoag Co. for American Pepsin Gum to give away in their packages of gum. The Little Pinkies appeared in 1896. Some say that they were a very early comic strip. Others suggest the characters were inspired by the popularity of Palmer Cox’s Brownies.

Pepsin powder was used in many chewing gums in the 1890s as is was thought to cure indigestion, or dyspepsia as it was called then. In fact, Pepsi-Cola was marketed as a digestion aid around the time this button was made.

For other Little Pinkies buttons in our collection, you can visit the Policeman, the Colonel, and the Boot Black.

Sources

Little Pinkies Ball Player button. (2020). Keyman Collectible. http://keymancollectibles.com/pinsbuttons/pepsingumlittlepinkiespin.htm.

Little Pinkies The Policeman. (2020). Busy Beaver Button Museum. https://buttonmuseum.org/buttons/little-pinkies-policeman

Catalog ID AD0939

Not Always Right

Category
Additional Images
Text on Button Not Always Right But Never In Doubt
Image Description

Ivory and yellow text on purple background.

Curl Text CA MAJOR PRODUCTION 490 R CORDELL AVE BETH, ND 20814
Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Additional Information

"Not always right but never in doubt" is a phrase attributed to Davey Crockett (1786 – 1836) who was a US Congressman for the state of Tennessee. He joined in the Texas Revolution and died in the Battle of the Alamo.

Sources

Morrison, J. James Morrison | Watercress Press. Retrieved 20 September 2020, from http://watercresspress.com/?page_id=230

Catalog ID IB0692