Pucker Power

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Text on Button PUCKER POWER
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Red text designed to look like a pair of puckered lips on a white background

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Catalog ID IB0858

Bertie Beaver Says...

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Text on Button Bertie Beaver says...Protect Alberta's Forests
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Illustration of a brown beaver wearing an orange coat and hat on a green background with white text around the rim

Curl Text Creative Concepts Inc. MADE IN CANADA
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In the 1950s, Bertie Beaver was created by Walt Disney Studios as a companion to Smokey the Bear. In 1958, it was given as a gift to the Alberta Forest Service department after the company made a few documentaries there, and was used to raise public awareness of local fire prevention programs. The image of Bertie Beaver has been used on aircrafts, murals, posters, maps, signs, and buttons. There has even been a plush toy and puppet made of the character. 

The mascot suit of Bertie Beaver at the Canadian Prarie Forest Park was worn by Gladys Stevens, the wife of the Smokey the Bear suit wearer, Greg Stevens. Together they educated children and their parents on forest conservation, appearing before more than 600,000 people.

Sources

MayerBruce. 2014. Alberta's Wildfire and Forest Management Mascot – Bertie Beaver. The Forestry Chronicle. 90(02): 137-139. https://doi.org/10.5558/tfc2014-028

United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. (2001, November 28). Symbols.gov/smokey/curevent/events/Obituaries. Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. https://web.archive.org/web/20080920074205/http://symbols.gov/smokey/curevent/events/28gnmobit.html

Catalog ID BV0032

Chiquita Fan Dance

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Text on Button Chiquita
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Color painted illustration of Chiquita in a red dress performing a fan dance with off-white cursive text on the bottom

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[union bug] Buttons made by  
The Whitehead & Hoag Co. Newark, N.J. U.S.A.  
Pat. April 16, 1896, July 21 1896.

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“Chiquita” was the stage name used by Alize Espiridiona Cenda del Castillo. Cenda was born in 1869 with a form of primordial dwarfism, and when full grown only measured 26 inches tall. In her act Chiquita would sing, dance, play instruments, and otherwise charm her audience.In 1901, Chiquita appeared at the Pan-American Fair in Buffalo as, “the Official Mascot of the Exposition,” and driving, “the smallest automobile ever constructed.” At the end of the fair, Cenda eloped with a young man who had been working for her show.

Her manager took her to court for breach of contract, but Chiquita and her husband eventually triumphed, and she was free of her contract. They continued to tour to give performances. It’s not known what became of Chiquita in later years, but it’s believed that the couple moved to Mexico where she may have passed away in 1945.

Sources

Burdick, Jonathan. (2020, October 21). Small Statures, Big Stories. Erie Reader. Retrieved from https://www.eriereader.com/article/small-statures-big-stories

Chiquita. (1901, June 23). The Buffalo Times (Buffalo, New York), p. 11.

Catalog ID EN0670

Chiquita Holding a Fan

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Text on Button Chiquita
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Color tinted photograph of the performer Chiquita in a blue dress holding a fan and in one hand and flowers in the other, with black cursive text on the bottom

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Made By 
The
Whitehead & Hoag Co.,
Newark, N.J., U.S.A.
Patented
July 17, 1894
April 14, 1896
July 21, 1896

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“Chiquita” was the stage name used by Alize Espiridiona Cenda del Castillo. Cenda was born in 1869 with a form of primordial dwarfism, and when full grown only measured 26 inches tall. In her act Chiquita would sing, dance, play instruments, and otherwise charm her audience.In 1901, Chiquita appeared at the Pan-American Fair in Buffalo as, “the Official Mascot of the Exposition,” and driving, “the smallest automobile ever constructed.” At the end of the fair, Cenda eloped with a young man who had been working for her show.

Her manager took her to court for breach of contract, but Chiquita and her husband eventually triumphed, and she was free of her contract. They continued to tour to give performances. It’s not known what became of Chiquita in later years, but it’s believed that the couple moved to Mexico where she may have passed away in 1945.

Sources

Burdick, Jonathan. (2020, October 21). Small Statures, Big Stories. Erie Reader. Retrieved from https://www.eriereader.com/article/small-statures-big-stories

Chiquita. (1901, June 23). The Buffalo Times (Buffalo, New York), p. 11.

Catalog ID EN0669

Their Choice

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Text on Button THEIR CHOICE
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Yellow background with a simple illustration of a Black woman and a white man embracing and black text above

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It wasn’t until 1967 that the United States declared interracial marriage legal, following the Supreme Court decision in the case of Loving v. Virginia. Before this historic win, the civil rights movement raised awareness of inequality, with protesters challenging discriminatory laws. Since then, interracial marriage has increased from 3% in 1967 to 19% as of 2024; there has also been a significant decline in opposition to interracial marriage. In 2022, the United States Congress passed the Respect for Marriage Act, which ensures protections for all forms of marriage. 

Sources
Livingston, G., & Livingston, G. (2024, April 14). Intermarriage in the U.S. 50 Years After Loving v. Virginia. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2017/05/18/intermarriage-in-the-u-s-50-years-after-loving-v-virginia/ 
Wikipedia contributors. (2024, August 31). Interracial marriage in the United States. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interracial_marriage_in_the_United_States 

 
Catalog ID CA0937

Chiquita in a White Dress

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Sepia-toned full-body profile portrait photograph of the performer Chiquita with her head turned toward the camera. She is wearing a white dress and has her hair up in a white floral hair piece.

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“Chiquita” was the stage name used by Alize Espiridiona Cenda del Castillo. Cenda was born in 1869 with a form of primordial dwarfism, and when full grown only measured 26 inches tall. In her act Chiquita would sing, dance, play instruments, and otherwise charm her audience. In 1901, Chiquita appeared at the Pan-American Fair in Buffalo as, “the Official Mascot of the Exposition,” and driving, “the smallest automobile ever constructed.” At the end of the fair, Cenda eloped with a young man who had been working for her show.

Her manager took her to court for breach of contract, but Chiquita and her husband eventually triumphed, and she was free of her contract. They continued to tour to give performances. It’s not known what became of Chiquita in later years, but it’s believed that the couple moved to Mexico where she may have passed away in 1945.

Sources

Burdick, Jonathan. (2020, October 21). Small Statures, Big Stories. Erie Reader. Retrieved from https://www.eriereader.com/article/small-statures-big-stories

Chiquita. (1901, June 23). The Buffalo Times (Buffalo, New York), p. 11.

Catalog ID EN0668

Swan and Berry

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Illustration of a white swan on a red background. A sprig of leaves with one ripe berry and one un-ripe berry with a swan-like bud is curved into the neck of the swan. 

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The design on this button was the logo for the Ocean Spray Cranberry World Museum. Dedicated to educating the visitor on the history and cultivation of cranberries, the museum was located in downtown, Plymouth, Massachusetts. However, the building in which it was housed was sold by Ocean Spray, and the museum moved to the Edaville Theme Park in Lakeville, Massachusetts. From there the trail grows cold.

A museum visitor commented on Roadside America in 2003 that they were able to: “take a picture of a loved one next to the giant cranberry model or the cranberry bog,” and sample Ocean Spray products, “some [of which] are prototypes, not available to the public.” Unfortunately today visitors to Plymouth will have to be satisfied by looking at the Rock.

Sources

Edaville Family Theme Park. https://edaville.com

Ocean Spray visitor center moving to Carver. (2001, December 15) [Updated] (2011, January 12). South Coast Today. Retrieved March 29, 2024 from https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/business/2001/12/16/ocean-spray-visitor-center-moving/50424553007/

Plymouth, Massachusetts: Cranberry World (Gone). (n.d.). Roadside America. Retrieved March 29, 2024 from https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/568

Catalog ID AR0496

Thompson for Mayor

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Text on Button Wm HALE THOMPSON FOR MAYOR
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Red, white, and blue horizontal striped background with white and blue text

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GERAGHTY & COMPANY

[union bug] [union bug]
3035-37 W. LAKE ST.
CHICAGO, U.S.A.

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William Hale Thompson (May 14, 1869 – March 19, 1944), known as “Big Bill,” was a Republican and the mayor of Chicago from 1915-1923 and 1927-1931. Thompson was born in Boston, but his family soon moved to Chicago. The nickname “Big Bill” was not just for his more than six-foot height but for his flamboyant personality. He worked as a cowboy when he was young and styled himself as a cowboy for much of his career, his hat becoming a symbol for his campaigns. Thompson was a pioneer of publicity-oriented, exaggerated campaigns that often featured uncensored language.  

Thompson is also known as the most corrupt official in Illinois history. In 1927, Prohibition and the Chicago gang wars were at their peak, and Thompson was associated with Al Capone. Capone funneled at least $100,000 to Thompson’s 1927 campaign, and Big Bill appointed a Capone agent, Daniel Serritella, as a city sealer to keep an eye on City Hall. Capone also set up gambling operations a block from City Hall and bribed many city officials. In 1931, Thompson lost his reelection bid to Anton Cermak. In 1936, Big Bill made a failed attempt to the Governorship, and in 1939, attempted (and lost) one last run in Chicago's mayoral election. Despite his corruption, Thompson was a popular politician during his career, however that popularity collapsed when over $2 million worth of assets were found in four security boxes, revealing the true extent of his nefariousness. 

Sources

Gomes, M. (n.d.) William Hale Thompson. My Al Capone Museum. Retrieved October 12, 2024, from https://www.myalcaponemuseum.com/id160.htm  

Goldfield, D. R. (2007). Thompson, William Hale “Big Bill.” Encyclopedia of American Urban History. SAGE Publications, Inc. Vol. 2. P. 801 

Mayor William Hale Thompson Biography. Mayor of Chicago, 1915-1923, 1927-1931. (2024). Chicago Public Library.  https://www.chipublib.org/mayor-william-hale-thompson-biography/ 

The Most Corrupt Public Official in Illinois History: William Hale Thompson. (2012, January 25). NBC Chicago. https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/the-most-corrupt-public-official-in-illinois-history-william-hale-thompson/1936986/ 

Catalog ID PO1276

I Saved the Twinkie

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Text on Button I SAVED THE TWINKIE™
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Photograph of a half-eaten twinkie on a white background with black text layered on top of the twinkie

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The Twinkie is an American packaged sponge cake with cream filling invented in 1930. In November 2012, production was suspended after a union dispute led its former bakery to bankruptcy. In 2004, the brand’s parent company, Interstate Bakeries, filed for bankruptcy protection. Their profits had decreased, which the company credited to increased health consciousness, and which Wall Street credited to corporate strategy and debts. A private equity firm bought half of the stake in the company and renamed it Hostess Brands in 2009. They failed to reach a labor deal with the bakers’ union, which led to the speculation that they would close operations.

A Los Angeles Times report on the aftermath of the public announcement stated that the threat of the Twinkie's demise sparked hoarding of the treat and “shock waves through the country.” Hostess Brands was put up for auction in 2013 and the majority share of the business was bought by two private equity firms for $410 million. Twinkies returned to shelves soon after and the company stabilized. The return of Twinkies was possible through utilizing retailers like Walmart for shipment of goods and, according to The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) president David B. Durkee in 2013, hiring less experienced bakers to avoid union negotiations. 

Sources

Are You Tellling Me We Can’t Save The Twinkie by David Sipress. (n.d.). Conde Nast. Retrieved July 10, 2024, from https://condenaststore.com/featured/are-you-tellling-me-we-cant-save-the-twinkie-david-sipress.html

Cohen, J. N. and B. (2023, September 16). Why the Twinkie Is Now Worth Billions. WSJ. https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/twinkie-hostess-brands-smucker-deal-4cc72302

Corkery, M., & Protess, B. (2016, December 10). How the Twinkie Made the Superrich Even Richer. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/10/business/dealbook/how-the-twinkie-made-the-super-rich-even-richer.html

Harwell, D. (2021, October 23). What it took to save the Twinkie. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2016/07/05/what-it-took-to-save-the-twinkie/

Hsu, T. (2012, November 16). Hostess shutdown sparks grief, Twinkie runs, criticism, praise. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-mo-hostess-shutdown-twinkie-ding-dongs-reaction-20121116-htmlstory.html

Catalog ID IB0857