White background with black cursive text and a gold painted peanut attached to the button

Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale were the winners of the 1976 United States Presidential Election and served from 1977-1981. After defeating President Gerald Ford by a vote of 297 Electoral votes to 240, Carter became the 39th person to serve as President of the United States and Mondale was the country's 42nd Vice-President. They were defeated in the 1980 election by Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush in what was considered a "landslide."

Several achievements came from their time in office, including the Panama Canal Treaties, the Camp David Accords, a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, and the establishment of diplomatic ties with China. In 2002, Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in diplomacy and advocacy during and after his presidency.

Prior to his career in politics, Carter was a peanut farmer. When he ran for President in 1976, his hometown of Plains, GA commissioned a large peanut statue to promote his campaign. For this reason, the image of a peanut appears on various buttons and campaign-related items for the Carter-Mondale campaigns.

Color photograph of Denny Doyle and a black signature

Denny Doyle played second baseman for the Boston Red Sox from 1975 through 1978. Prior to his trade to the Red Sox, he played for the Philadelphia Phillies and the California Angels, although he was not a regular player on either team. His stint as second baseman for the Red Sox was his first opportunity to play regularly throughout the season.

Doyle was born in Glasgow, Kentucky and played baseball throughout college. In 1965, just after graduation, he was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies, and he went on to play for them until 1973, when they traded him to the Angels. He is most famous for a ninth inning play during game six of the 1975 World Series. An attempt to steal home ultimately helped send the game into extra innings, and the Red Sox suffered a loss in the twelfth.  

Black text on either side of an illustration of a tube with people in it on a white background

The Tubes are a San-Francisco based band best known for their distinctive approach to satire, parody, and popular culture critique. The cover from their UK release of the single “She’s a Beauty” is featured here. The song was released in 1983 on their album Outside Inside and was inspired by an experience in San Francisco’s Red Light District. The single would reach #10 on the US Billboard top 100 chart and #1 on Billboard’s US Top Rock Tracks on April 30, 1983. The music video for "She’s a Beauty" was a staple for the struggling upstart network MTV.

Illustration of two black and white pyramids over yellow with black text on it

The Police were a British rock band from the 1970s and 1980s consisting of members Sting, Stewart Copeland, and Andy Summers. Zenyatta Mondatta is the title of their third studio album which was released in 1980 and won two Grammy Awards. The title does not have any particular meaning since the band made up the words Zenyatta Mondatta, but it has been suggested that it comes from several different words put together. The words include Zen, Jomo Kenyatta (the first president of Kenya), le monde (the French word for the world), and Regatta which comes from the band's second album title, Regatta de Blanc.

Yellow and white text on a red background

Ghost in the Machine was the fourth studio album by the British rock band the Police, released in October of 1981. This album signified a shift away from the reggae-inspired sound of their first three albums and into the rock genre. Ghost in the Machine reached the #1 spot on the UK Albums Chart and #2 on the Billboard Top 100.

The artwork and lyrics for the album were inspired by Arthur Koestlers psychology book Ghost in the Machine. The cover art depicts three seven-segmented graphics that reflect one of the band members, distinguishable by the varying hair styles.

The Police were part of the second British Invasion in the United States in the late 1970s, emerging with groups like Culture Club, Depeche Mode, and Duran Duran. The band achieved large commercial success throughout the 1970s and 1980s, then disbanded in 1986. They reunited briefly in 2007 to perform one world tour.

Black line drawing of two figures one with a guitar over black text on a light blue background

When Ellen and Wendy Britton were teenagers, they created the blues duo, The Britton Sisters. Later, Ellen moved to Nashville in the 80s with her bassist/guitarist husband, Bobby King. Ellen’s guitar and vocals have since graced the likes of Martina McBride, Pam Tillis, and Tanya Tucker, appearing on the Jay Leno, Conan O Brien, and Rosie O'Donnell shows, among others. Wendy has continued to write and perform as a duo with her husband, Peter Young.

Purple text outlined in white on a color photograph of Prince

Purple Rain is the sixth studio album by Prince and was released on June 25, 1984. It is also the soundtrack to the 1984 film of the same name starring Prince in his debut acting role. The album was No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for 24 consecutive weeks and sold over 25 million copies worldwide. It won two Grammy Awards for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. Prince also won an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score for the film soundtrack. 

Illustration of a rocket with a character in it on a black sky with orange and blue circle shapes, purple text on a white rectangle and white text on a red background

Porno for Pyros is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles formed in 1992 by former Jane’s Addiction members Perry Farrell (vocals) and Stephen Perkins (drums) after Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro and bassist Eric Avery left the band in 1991 in order to better maintain their sobriety. Farrell claims that he named the band Porno for Pyros after seeing an ad for fireworks in a pornographic magazine. Porno for Pyros’ eponymous debut album was released on April 27, 1993. The band released only two albums before breaking up in 1998.

White text on a black background

“Hurts So Good” is a song by American singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, from his fifth studio album American Fool, which was released under the stage name “John Cougar” in 1982. “Hurts So Good” was a commercial and critical success - climbing to the #2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and earning Mellencamp Best Rock Vocal Performance (Male) at the 25th Grammy Awards in 1983. Mellencamp says that he was inspired to write the song after hearing a girl named Tiffany say the phrase “Hurts so good,” in reference to an acupuncture treatment that she had received from Mellencamp’s grandmother.

Color photography of John Taylor in a black shirt with a blue stripe across with red text

John Taylor was a British musician and founding member of the 1980s music group Duran Duran. Taylor, along with keyboardist Nick Rhodes, founded the group in 1978, and they quickly became one of the most recognizable new wave bands of the 1980s. The image on this button was taken from the inside of the booklet for their album "Arena," which boasted two singles in 1984, "The Wild Boys" and "Save a Prayer." Similar buttons exist for the other band members, as well. The band toured for nearly twenty years before Taylor left in 1996. In 2001, he returned, and he continues to tour with the band today.