Illustration of a skeleton with yellow eyes and mouth with an orange jack-o-lantern on a purple background with black text.

This button was made by World Fun Inc. sometime after 1981 when the company began to design and sell materials for Halloween. Fun World Inc is a division of the larger corporation, Easter Unlimited, Inc which specializes in products for American Holidays.

Illustration of a white mummy with a green tongue sticking out, coming out of a brown casket with a black sky and yellow moon.

This button was made by World Fun Inc. sometime after 1981 when the company began to design and sell materials for Halloween. Fun World Inc is a division of the larger corporation, Easter Unlimited, Inc which specializes in products for American Holidays.

White text on a purple background with an outer orange edge.

Last minute invite to a Halloween festivity? Don't know what to wear for trick or treating? This button makes the perfect costume, a combination of wittiness and simplicity. 

White text with an orange broom, jack-o-lantern and a white ghost on a black background.

Halloween in American culture is a themed event where people dress up in costume and attend parties, go trick-or-treating, or participate in scaring others. Many parties and events place a note in the invitation that a costume is required. This humorous take on the costume requirement shows elements associated with the seasonal holiday including a witches broom and a carved pumpkin.

Peacock Papers Inc., with sales estimated at $8 million, was located in the warehouse district of Boston. Its clients included Waldenbooks, Marshall Fields, and mom-and-pop stationery stores.

Illustration of a tombstone with orange text, a skull at the top with skeleton hands on an orange, white and blue background.  

The acronym R.I.P., originates from a Latin phrase: requiescat in pace, “may (the deceased person) rest in peace.” The Latin phrase began appearing on Christian gravestones as early as the 8th century and became popular on Christian grave markers by the 1700s. The modern phrase Rest In Peace connotates the memorial of a turbulent life finally come to rest. This humorous take on the RIP acronym, meaning Really Insane Partyer, implies that beyond death, the life of the party can still have a good time, as seen with the illustration of the skeleton holding a wine glass.

Founder Russ Berrie started his business with $500, he rented a garage in Palisades Park, New Jersey, and launched his own firm named after himself. Berrie intended to design, market, and distribute “impulse” gift items. From the start, Russ Berrie & Company produced a string of hit products that quickly found their way onto countertops, desks and dashboards across the country. Among the company’s earliest creations: Fuzzy Wuzzies (tiny fur ball-like critters bearing messages like “You’re My Best Friend” or “Wild Thing”), troll dolls (squat gnomes with plumes of brightly colored hair) and the Bupkis Family (a motley collection of endearingly ugly rubber figurines). The owner believed in the power of “transformational giving,” partnering with energetic, visionary leaders to change the world for the better. He took an entrepreneurial approach to philanthropy, using his keen interpersonal skills to identify people and causes in which to invest and working closely with partners to hone strategies and set expectations.  “There is nothing more important in life than helping a fellow human being.”  — Russell Berrie (1933-2002)

White text on a black background

The authoritarian phrase “Do not speak unless spoken to” refers to the idea that someone should not speak without first having been given permission. The exact origin is unclear. This Halloween play on words changed “Speak” to “Spook”, and “Spoken” to “Spooken” implying ghostly scares.

Illustration of a yellow character holding a white mask with orange and purple lines, behind Frankenstein on a black background with white text.  

Frankenstein’s monster as he’s depicted in popular media is a frightening creature who mostly speaks in monosyllabic words and grunts. However, in the 1818 book Frankenstein written by Mary Shelly, the creature is shown to be quite eloquent, frequently citing poetry and philosophy. The creature as he’s known today owes its legacy to Boris Karloff and his portrayal of the monster in the 1931 Universal film Frankenstein. The one thing that remains the same in most Frankenstein adaptations is the creature's desire to be seen as a human – that and forcing Dr. Frankenstein to make him a bride. 

Company founder Russ Berrie started his eponymous business with $500 in a rented garage in Palisades Park, New Jersey. Berrie intended to design, market, and distribute “impulse” gift items. From the start, Russ Berrie & Company produced a string of hit products that quickly found their way onto countertops, desks and dashboards across the country. Among the company’s earliest creations: Fuzzy Wuzzies (tiny fur ball-like critters bearing messages like “You’re My Best Friend” or “Wild Thing”), troll dolls (squat gnomes with plumes of brightly colored hair) and the Bupkis Family (a motley collection of endearingly ugly rubber figurines). The owner believed in the power of “transformational giving,” partnering with energetic, visionary leaders to change the world for the better. He took an entrepreneurial approach to philanthropy, using his keen interpersonal skills to identify people and causes in which to invest and working closely with partners to hone strategies and set expectations.  “There is nothing more important in life than helping a fellow human being.” — Russell Berrie (1933-2002)

Illustration of an orange witch wearing a black robe and hat on an orange and yellow background with black text.

Hex life is a clever play on the phrase "sex life". Discussing one's sexual relations, i.e. my sex life has never been more fantastic, is often referred to as a candid or racy topic of conversation and such a phrase might be used only in conversations with close company. Witches are associated with hexes and the word hex first appeared in American English in 1830, from the following etymology:  Pennsylvania German hexe "to practice witchcraft", German hexen "to hex”, related to Hexe "witch," from Middle High German hecse, hexse, from Old High German hagazussa.

Orange and black illustration of a jack-o-lantern on a black background

The Jack O’Lantern is often correlated with American Halloween, however the legend and activity of carving pumpkins actually originated in Ireland. Instead of carving pumpkins as is popular in the U.S., the Irish people carved other vegetables like turnips or potatoes. 

In fact, the name “Jack O’Lantern” originates from Irish folklore. According to legend, a man named “Stingy Jack” invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack did not want to pay for his drink, and convinced the Devil to turn into a coin so that he could buy the drinks. He then forced the devil to stay in the form of a coin and put the coin in his pocket next to his cross. Stingy Jack tricked the Devil a few more times, always with the security of the cross surrounding him. However, when Stingy Jack died, God does not let him into Heaven and the Devil did not let him into Hell—leaving Stingy Jack to stay in a purgatory on Earth. The Devil gave him a piece of burning coal to serve as a light, which he put in a carved turnip to use as a lantern. Hence, the name “Jack O’Lantern” is born!

Hand drawn orange jack-o-lantern on a black background.

This is an altered image of a traditional Jack O'Lantern that appears to incorporate other Halloween motifs including a cat face/black cat and vampire's teeth.

The American tradition of making “Jack O’Lanterns” during Halloween originated from Ireland. Although, instead of carving pumpkins, the Irish carved turnips or potatoes. The name “Jack O’Lantern” also originated from Ireland in the form of an Irish myth about a man called Stingy Jack. According to the myth, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. Stingy Jack did not want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn into a coin so that he could buy the drinks. Stingy Jack tricked the Devil many times, always with the security of a cross surrounding him. When Jack died, God would not let him into heaven and the Devil would not let him into Hell. The Devil only gave him a burning coal to serve as light while he traveled the Earth. Stingy Jack put the coal in a carved turnip, and the name “Jack O’Lantern” was born.