Happiness is a New President

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Text on Button HAPPINESS IS A NEW PRESIDENT
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Blue text and a union bug on a white background

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By 1972, President Richard M. Nixon was intensely disliked by many Americans. His failure to end the Vietnam War, despite earlier promises to do so, and his call for a War on Drugs made him unpopular among a broad segment of voters. Anti-Nixon ephemera abounded during his bid for reelection, which included buttons that read “Happiness is a New President,” “Dump Nixon,” and “Nixon, Gone with the Wind”. Though many were disappointed with Nixon’s performance as president, his Democratic opponent George McGovern was firmly defeated in the 1972 election. Nixon went on to serve another term until the Watergate scandal eroded the remainder of his political support. He resigned in August, 1974.

Sources

Anderson, P. (1972, May 14). The taste of success. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1972/05/14/archives/the-taste-of-success-mcgove…

Bates College. (n.d.). EAD finding aids. http://abacus.bates.edu/muskie-archives/EADFindingAids/MC105_XIII_C_Pol…

Catalog ID PO0911

Bury Barry

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Text on Button BURY BARRY
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Black text on a yellow background

Curl Text union bug
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During the 1964 Presidential election, Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater ran under the Republican banner to unseat President Lyndon B. Johnson. Goldwater was infamous for his war hawk stance and regularly called for a more aggressive U.S. foreign policy. A popular talking point in the election for his opponents was to use this to paint him as a war monger in the pockets of the military-industrial complex. “Bury Barry” channels similar rhetoric to succinctly persuade people to vote against Goldwater. 

Catalog ID PO0910

Happy Dwarf

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Text on Button HAPPY COPYRIGHT WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS
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Color illustration of the Disney character Happy in a yellow hat, red shirt and brown pants with a white beard and red nose.

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This was part of a collection of 8 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs buttons sold in theaters to promote the 1975 re-release of the movie in the United States. Happy was one of the seven dwarfs that help and take care of Snow White throughout the movie. He is also the only dwarf in the movie that Snow White doesn't refer to by name. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is an American animated musical that was produced by Walt Disney Productions in 1937.  

Catalog ID EN0454

Curse You Red Baron with Snoopy

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Text on Button CURSE YOU, RED BARON!
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Illustration of Snoopy on his doghouse on a red background with an outer white ring with blue text then a n outer blue ring

Curl Text Simon Simple Orig. Orange N.J. PEANUTS Characters by Charles M. Schulz
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The much-loved Peanuts character, Snoopy, was often depicted as a World War I pilot stationed atop his iconic dog house and attempting to outwit his imaginary arch-nemesis, the Red Baron. The first of Snoopy's skirmishes with the invisible enemy-pilot appeared in Charles Schulz's famous comic strip in October of 1965. Many more "battles" ensued in the years that followed, both throughout the comic strip and the cartoon specials. The Red Baron's initial popularity of the 1960s coincides with large scale advertising of Snoopy on cards, figurines, NASA gear, and buttons.

Snoopy's wiles with the Red Baron also inspired the famous novelty song, "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron," which was recorded in 1966 by The Royal Guardsmen. The tune reached the top of the charts upon its release, but caused trouble for the band as they never asked Schulz's permission to use Snoopy's name. Schulz successfully sued, but later gave the group his permission to utilize the beloved character's name when recording follow-up songs such as "Return of the Red Baron." Schulz admittedly grew weary of depicting war as "comical" and eventually made the decision to place Snoopy in other types of situations throughout the cartoon which dealt more in matters of "love and loneliness."

Sources

Red Baron. (n.d.). Peanuts Wiki. http://peanuts.wikia.com/wiki/Red_Baron.

Catalog ID EN0455

Kenwood Recess Leader

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Text on Button KENWOOD RECESS LEADER SCHOOL
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Gold text on a white background

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Kenwood School was located where Chicago public high school Kenwood Academy now stands, in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Kenwood School is thought to have been built in 1889 as an elementary school. It was rebuilt as a high school in 1965.

Sources

Love, R. (2016). The evolution of Kenwood High School. [PDF]. https://docuri.com/download/the-evolution-of-kenwood-high-school_59c1ce…

Catalog ID CL0462

I've Invaded the British Museum

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Text on Button I've invaded the British Museum
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Red text over an illustration of a character wearing a tall helmet and holding a sword and shield on a white background

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The British Museum in London, England offers free daily tours to the public and displays various collections that include art, culture, and history. In March of 2014, the museum launched an exhibit about the life and legends of the Vikings. The exhibit was developed in collaboration with museums in Denmark and Germany, and featured new discoveries and objects from the 8th century to the 11th century.

Sources

The Vikings are coming... British Museum launches The BP Exhibition Vikings: Life and legend. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.britishmuseum.org/about_us/news_and_press/press_releases/201….

Catalog ID CL0461

Holy Cow

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Text on Button HOLY
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White text over an illustration of a black and white cow on a green background

Curl Text ©WOODY JACKSON 1983
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Holy Cow is a visual pun of the phrase, “Holy cow!” This expression has been recorded as in use by baseball players since 1919 when “Hammering” Hank Gowdy returned from World War I and gave a very brief speech in his first game back. “Holy cow, this is great!” The phrase was used by several sports broadcasters including longtime baseball announcer Harry Carey. Carey said he began using it as a way to prevent himself from lapsing into vulgarity.

Sources

Brown, P. J. (2014, May 14). Holy cow! Hinduism and baseball. In Early sports and pop culture history blog. Retrieved from https://esnpc.blogspot.com/2014/05/holy-cow-hinduism-and-baseball.html

Catalog ID AR0340

Please Don't Eat the Lolli-Clocks

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Text on Button PLEASE DON'T EAT THE LOLLI-CLOCKS
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Bright orange text on a white background

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Lolli-clocks are timepieces that are battery-operated with a plastic dial and are styled like lollipops because they include a stand, although they can still be hung on a wall. Lolli-clocks were manufactured by Westclox in the early 1970s.

Catalog ID AD0837

Winter Smiles in Wonderland

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Text on Button WINTER SMILES IN WONDERLAND ASPEN WINTERSKOL 1972
Image Description

Blue illustration of a smiley face with red bubble text above and below on a white background

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"Winter smiles in Wonderland" was the slogan chosen for the 1972 Wintersköl, held in Apsen, Colorado. Wintersköl began in 1951 and has continued as an annual toast to winter and Aspen's unique lifestyle. Now, the four day festival includes a canine fashion show, concerts, and film screenings. Each year, a contest is held to determine the slogan for the next year's event. 

Sources

Aspen Chamber Resort Association, Inc. (n.d.) Wintersköl. Retrieved from https://www.aspenchamber.org/event-calendar/wintersk%C3%B6l%E2%84%A2-0.

Catalog ID SM0191