Illustration of a girl with short red hair with glasses wearing a pink sweater and orange skirt on a yellow background with black text

Marty Links, born in 1917, was a cartoonist and fashion illustrator best known for the syndicated comic strip Emmy Lou (originally titled Bobby Sox), which ran from 1944 to 1979. She was a pioneer in a field largely dominated by men, chronicling the lives of teenage girls through cartoon. Links also worked for Hallmark as a greeting card illustrator and merchandise designer. She developed a series of characters known as Kidlinks, of which Tootie is one, before retiring in 2000. Links passed away in 2008. 

Black text on a bright green background. 

In August 1964, U.S. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered bombing raids on North Vietnam naval installations following an alleged attack from North Vietnamese gunboats in the Gulf of Tonkin. In a televised address, Johnson stated that the military response would be “limited and fitting,” promising, “we still seek no wider war.” The Gulf of Tonkin resolution was swiftly passed, allowing for “all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent any further aggression.” This granted Johnson the power to enact war in Vietnam without a formal congressional declaration. In November 1964, Johnson won the presidential election in a landslide.

Johnson had already approved a secret bombing of the Ho Chi Minh Trail in May of 1964, and in February 1965, he ordered Operation Rolling Thunder. This series of bombing raids, partially responding to a Viet Cong attack on a U.S. air base, were intended to cut supply lines and commenced until October 1968. The U.S. presence in Vietnam steadily increased and peaked at roughly 550,000 military personnel in 1968. Antiwar sentiment spread in America, becoming more popular in 1967. Dissent towards the president included a protest song by Phil Ochs titled “No Wider War.” 

Line illustration of a turkey inside a red circle wearing a badge on its neck; black text above and below the turkey. 

In 1984, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) labor union announced a boycott of the Marval Poultry Company Inc., a major turkey processing plant located in Dayton, Virginia. This was in response to numerous lawsuits involving food quality and labor laws being violated throughout the early 1980s. The company invested in automation, which ultimately led to a 20% loss in employment in favor of increased profits. This was followed by demands for increasing production, resulting in workplace injuries. Roughly 800 of the plant's workers walked off and proceeded to have a six-week strike due to the unbearable working conditions. The strike negatively impacted Marval's image and the company began experiencing financial challenges. The “P-18”, around the turkey’s collar, was an indicator that they were supplied by Marval Poultry Company. Shady Brook Farms, another major turkey processing distributor and competitor of Marvel Poultry Company at the time, supported the boycott.

Blue and red text on a white background; the letter "A" in the word "AM" has a white star with red and white wavy lines designed to emulate the US flag; a blue "P" logo is placed below the text. 

On April 5, 1992, over 250,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C., for the March for Women's Lives, organized by the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL). The rally came as a response to Planned Parenthood v. Casey, where the Supreme Court would consider a Pennsylvania law that restricted abortion access. Reproductive rights advocates were concerned about the impact that the decision would have on Roe v. Wade, and feared the conservative leaning justices would attempt to overthrow the 1973 ruling. This button — distributed by Planned Parenthood and likely designed for this event — is part of a larger merchandise collection from the 1990s that includes shirts, posters, and more. 

Planned Parenthood has played a crucial role in the fight for reproductive rights in the United States. The organization attributes its founding to Margaret Sanger, a nurse who started the first ever birth control clinic in 1916. The clinic in Brooklyn was quickly shut down by New York Police, but Sanger's fight for reproductive rights was only just starting. In 1923, Sanger founded the Birth Control Research Bureau of Manhattan and the American Birth Control League, which would eventually merge to become the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. By the 1970s, the role of women in public life was evolving, and the pro-choice abortion movement gained newfound momentum. In 1970, Planned Parenthood opened its first health clinic offering abortion services in Syracuse, NY. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund, which is a 501(c)(4) organization, was founded in 1989 by the Planned Parenthood Federation and is likely the source of the merchandise collection that this button came from.

Illustrated scene of nine people sitting in chairs around the walls of a room all watching the center of the room where a horned ram is head butting a man from behind; black text is placed above and below the scene. 

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Illustration of the Looney Toons character Road Runner in the foreground on top of a red heart with a curved arrow at the bottom of the heart to pointing up imply pointing at a suit jacket's lapel; yellow and black text is on the heart.

Created by Chuck Jones, Road Runner made its debut in the Looney Tunes animation Fast and Furry-ous in 1949. Since then, viewers around the world have been entertained by the duo, Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, and their never-ending cat-and-mouse game. Wile E. Coyote's commitment to catching the untouchable Road Runner through its comedic slapstick stunts. The Road Runner has appeared in 50 animated films and is famously known for its iconic, “beep-beep!” sound. 

Color head and torso illustration of a man with brown hair and light brown skin wearing a green shirt on a purple and pink background with red around the rim. An orange scroll with black text is layered on top of the man's torso.

The 1978 Lord of the Rings animated film was produced by Ralph Bakshi, and was the first adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkien novels. The rights for the intellectual property were given to Bakshi by Tolkien's daughter. The books The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers were also covered in the film in just 133 minutes! To promote the film, a set of six buttons was produced featuring the characters Aragorn (seen here and voiced in the film by legendary British actor John Hurt), Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf, Gollum, and Samwise; they are now considered collector's items. Peter Jackson was inspired by the animated Lord of the Rings for his epic live-action movies released in the 2000s. And, as a toast to the animated movie, the actor who voiced Frodo in 1978 was cast to play Bilbo Baggins in Jackson's adaptation. 

Black text on a bright neon orange-red background

Huey Percy Newton (1942-1989), a political activist, co-founded the Black Panther Party along with Bobby Seale in 1966. The core mission of the group was to organize the Black community to prevent police abuse and racial discrimination. In 1967, Newton was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the death of a police officer, resulting in a prison sentence. His trial and imprisonment sparked protests which adopted the slogan “Free Huey.” In 1970, the conviction was overturned when it became clear that Newton had acted in self-defense. “Justice for Huey” was not only justice for an individual person but was a representation of an entire race and community experiencing oppression. Huey Newton is attributed with being one of the most important Black civil rights leaders in American History.