Mello

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Text on Button "MELLO"
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White text on a red background

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"Mello" derives from the word "mellow" which means to soften with age. The term was used frequently in the 1960s as a way to encourage oneself and others to be in a calm and receptive state, to "keep it mellow." This "mello" appears to be a play on the popular greeting, "hello."

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Catalog ID IB0575

Nightclubbing

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Text on Button NIGHTCLUBBING
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Pink text on a black background

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Nightclubbing has been a popular pastime since the 19th century. However, it did not reach the United States until the 1920s. What set nightclubbing apart from earlier nightlife activities prior to the 1920s is that women were now allowed to take part. The first night clubs popped up in New York City. During Prohibition, nightclubs remained opened as dancing venues. Some of the first popular clubs included The Cotton Club (1923-1936) and Copacabana (1940-1992), both in New York.

Sources

Laskow, S. (2014). New York literally invented nightlife. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/10/new-york-literal…

Miller, G. (2017). During prohibition, Harlem night clubs kept the party going. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/03/prohibition-harlem-nigh…

Peterson, M. (2015). The list: New York’s most historic clubs. Bazaar. https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/g6051/historic-new-york-…

Catalog ID IB0578

No More Bullshit

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Text on Button NO MORE BULLSHIT
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A curse word used to express disbelief in an event or piece of information presented as true when it is false. Literally, the feces from the animal, a bull. The first attested use of the term bullshit appears in a piece written by T.S. Eliot entitled "The Triumph of Bullshit." It's a comic ballad in which Eliot preemptively criticizes himself and his works before his critics could. The term bullshit only appears in the title.

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Catalog ID IB0579

Omigod

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Text on Button OMIGOD!
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Orange text on a black background with a blue line around the outer edge

Curl Text ©1982 THOUGHT FACTORY MADE IN USA
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"Like, ohmigod!" was common slang of the expression, "Oh, my God!" given in astonishment as used by Valley Girls, a teen subculture which emerged from the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles in the late 1970s. The Valley Girl (or "Val") stereotype was seen to be materialistic and airheaded, with speech characterized by slang such as, "fer shur", "grody to the max", "bitchen", and "gag me with a spoon", who spend their time going to the beach and hanging out at the mall. Valley Girls gained more national attention with the release of the Frank Zappa song "Valley Girls" in 1982, which featured his teen daughter Moon Unit Zappa talking in "Valspeak" behind the music, and then again in 1983 when the movie "Valley Girl" was released, starring Nicolas Cage. The exaggerated Valley Girl accent has come to be a general stereotype of the way all Californians speak. 

Catalog ID IB0577

Private Eye Green

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Text on Button PRIVATE EYE
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Yellow text around an illustration of an eye on a green background

Curl Text JAPAN
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“Private Eye” is a popular slang term for professional investigators, widely used for over 150 years. In common vernacular, it implies that investigators see everything—however the actual root of the expression can be tied directly to the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, founded by Allen Pinkerton in the mid-1800s. This logo became iconic, and the work of the early Pinkerton investigators became infamous. Because the logo appeared on badges, uniforms, and advertising media, people started calling the Pinkerton detectives “Private Eyes.” Although the profession has evolved far beyond the Pinkerton agency, the concept of the Private Eye as all-seeing and all-knowing holds true. In fact, many modern private investigators still use the eye in their logos!

Sources

Private Investigator. (2009). Private eye. https://www.private-investigator-info.org/private-eye.html

Catalog ID IB0580

Relax

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Text on Button 11-10-9-8-7 RELAX
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Black text on a green background

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Mindfulness is a technique used to aid in the reduction of anxiety, racing thoughts, mood, and more. Breath counting is a mindfulness technique—referred to as a sustained attention task—that connects memory with attention and promotes focus rather than distraction. Breath counting helps the practitioner become more aware of the present moment, which in turn can produce a calming effect. "11-10-9-8-7 Relax" is a visual representation of this concept.

Sources

Levinson, D. B., Stoll, E. L., Kindy, S. D., Merry, H. L., & Davidson, R. J. (2014). A mind you can count on: validating breath counting as a behavioral measure of mindfulness. Frontiers in psychology, 5, 1202. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01202

Catalog ID IB0590

Take a Hippie to Lunch

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Text on Button "TAKE A HIPPIE TO LUNCH"
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Black text on a yellow background

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The phrase, "Take a hippie to lunch" first appeared in a 1967 article in the San Francisco Chronicle. Entitled "Take a Hippie to Lunch Today", the article is widely credited as bringing the term "hippie" to mass media. "Take a hippie to lunch" was soon adopted as a slogan of the hippie countercultural movement, appearing on buttons, bumper stickers, and handmade signs. The hippie movement, which began in the late 1950s, rejected established cultural norms in favor of communal living, pacifism, and alternative spiritual practices. Although the movement fizzled out by the early 1970s, its cultural impact remains evident today in contemporary music, fashion, and social norms.

Sources

Caen, Herb. (1967, January 20). Take a hippie to lunch today. The San Francisco Chronicle, p. 37.

Hippie (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 4, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippie

Catalog ID IB0588

To the Max

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Text on Button TO THE MAX
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Blue text on a black background with an outer yellow line

Curl Text ©1982 THOUGHT FACTORY MADE IN USA
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To the max is short for maximum limit. Doing a task "to the max" is to do the task to greatest degree. This was a popular slang term in the USA during the 1980s.

Catalog ID IB0576