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.

Chunky black text above and below an illustration of a black panther on a bright orange background. 

Huey P. Newton (1942-1989) co-founded the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense with Bobby Seale in 1966 in Oakland, CA in response to instances of racism and police brutality. Newton co-authored the party’s manifesto, which detailed the demand for land, food, clothing, housing, and justice, and stated that the black panther iconography came from the panther being a “fierce animal” that “will not attack until he is backed into a corner.” 

In 1967, Huey Newton was arrested and charged with voluntary manslaughter of a police officer. Newton and the party received widespread media attention as “Free Huey” rallies attracted thousands of supporters until his release in 1970 after his conviction was overturned the previous year. The campaign supporting Newton transformed the Black Panther Party and its contributions to civil rights activism. 

Black text on a white background with an illustration of Mickey Mouse in the center.

Before the Mickey Mouse Club television, show was an actual Mickey Mouse Club—a club for young fans of all things Disney. The club held its inaugural meeting in the Elsinore Theatre in Salem, Oregon on December 21, 1929, and attracted over 1000 young people. By the 1930s, the club had over 1 million members. 

The Mickey Mouse Club show debuted on ABC in 1955 and featured a regular cast of teenagers who performed skits and musical numbers. These performers were known as Mouseketeers, and they became instant celebrities, as would their successors in the numerous revivals of the show. Mickey Mouse Club had several iterations, relaunching in 1977, 1989, and 1994, with the most recent revival kick-starting the careers of global superstars like Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Ryan Gosling. 

While the first run of the Mickey Mouse Club ended in 1959, the original logo for the show is still in wide use, appearing regularly in Disney-branded products. 

Click here, here, and here to see other Mikey Mouse Club buttons.

Black text on an off-white background with an image of Mickey Mouse in the center. 

Before the Mickey Mouse Club television show, there was an actual Mickey Mouse Club—a club for young fans of all things Disney. The club held its inaugural meeting in the Elsinore Theatre in Salem, Oregon on December 21, 1929, and attracted over 1000 young people. By the 1930s, the club had over 1 million members. The Warner’s Egyptian theater opened on May 6th, 1925. It showed films and acts of vaudeville on stage. Founded and operated by Henry Warner in Pasadena, CA, it had no relation to the Warner Brothers. It was renamed Uptown Theater in 1936 and was closed in the early 1980s. 

The Mickey Mouse Club show debuted on ABC in 1955 and featured a regular cast of teenagers who performed skits and musical numbers. These performers were known as Mouseketeers, and they became instant celebrities, as would their successors in the numerous revivals of the show. Mickey Mouse Club had several iterations, relaunching in 1977, 1989, and 1994, with the most recent revival kick-starting the careers of global superstars like Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Ryan Gosling. 

While the first run of the Mickey Mouse Club ended in 1959, the original logo for the show is still in wide use, appearing regularly in Disney-branded products. 

Click here, here, and here to see other Mikey Mouse Club buttons held by the Button Museum.

Black text on yellow background with an image of the "crescent scraper" behind the text. 

From 1910s to 1990 Sauerman Bros. Inc. was a construction equipment manufacturer based in the Chicago area. They specialized in excavators, wire ropes, cableways, and aerial tramways. Sauerman Bros. Inc. appeared in numerous engineering and machinery catalogs during the early to mid-20th century promoting their scrapers and other construction equipment. By 1990, Sauerman Bros. Inc. was acquired by AmClyde Engineered Products Inc. Sauerman Bros. Co. produced promotional items for their popular lightweight model crescent scraper bucket, as seen here. The crescent scraper bucket, developed in the 1950s, was considered innovative for its use in various excavation projects.

White background with green and black text, and a large green, white, and black 3 dimensional "U" with green designs around the "U".

In 2004, MTV launched a collegiate version of the popular music channel and called it mtvU. The music and programming catered to the tastes of the college-aged demographic and was distributed through Viacom to 750 colleges and universities throughout the U.S. While it continued to show music videos, the channel also provided programming related to college life, and even had its own award ceremony, the mtvU Woodie Awards. Enjoy an aughts musical flashback with this clip of the 2008 Woodie Award ceremony. https://youtu.be/me86AH3YTiI?si=vVoej-tkDlOlbcvS

White background with pink and black text, and a large pink, white, and black 3 dimensional "U" with pink designs around the "U".

In 2004, MTV launched a collegiate version of the popular music channel and called it mtvU. The music and programming catered to the tastes of the college-aged demographic and was distributed through Viacom to 750 colleges and universities throughout the U.S. While it continued to show music videos, the channel also provided programming related to college life, and even had its own award ceremony, the mtvU Woodie Awards. Enjoy an aughts musical flashback with this clip of the 2008 Woodie Award ceremony. https://youtu.be/me86AH3YTiI?si=vVoej-tkDlOlbcvS

White background with blue and black text, and a large blue, white, and black 3 dimensional "U" with blue designs around the "U".

In 2004, MTV launched a collegiate version of the popular music channel and called it mtvU. The music and programming catered to the tastes of the college-aged demographic and was distributed through Viacom to 750 colleges and universities throughout the U.S. While it continued to show music videos, the channel also provided programming related to college life, and even had its own award ceremony, the mtvU Woodie Awards. Enjoy an aughts musical flashback with this clip of the 2008 Woodie Award ceremony. https://youtu.be/me86AH3YTiI?si=vVoej-tkDlOlbcvS