White text on a brown background for one image and a color photograph of a hamburger on a brown background for the other

The best burgers in the business is a slogan for Wendy’s, an American international fast food restaurant. It was used from 1988-1992. Although Wendy’s does not have a “signature sandwich” like its competition, it does market all of its burgers as using fresh ground beef rather than frozen round patties. Wendy’s burgers are shaped into square patties so that the meat hangs off the circular bun and customers can clearly see what they will consume.

Illustration of Youppi holding a baseball bat. Blue and orange text .

A creation of Acme Mascots, Inc., Youppi! is the former longtime mascot of the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals). A giant and orange monster, Youppi! was first created by Bonnie Erickson, a designer for Jim Henson. The character was first leased to the Montreal Expos in 1979 and served as the team's official mascot until the end of the 2004 season upon the team's move to Washington D.C. Upon the team's move, Youppi's future was left uncertain. However, in 2005, Youppi was announced as the new official mascot of the Montreal Canadiens, an NHL team that is based in Montreal, Quebec. Youppi remains in the role and is officially the first mascot to have ever switched between any two major sports leagues in North America.

Illustration of a baseball player over a white sock on an orange-red background with an outer white then orange red ring and blue text on the white ring.

The Chicago White Sox is an American Major League baseball team affiliated with the American League. Originally founded as a minor league team in 1894, the Chicago White Sox were initially known as the Sioux City, Iowa Cornhuskers before moving to Chicago as a major league team with the new name, The White Stockings. The team's final name change to the White Sox' became official in 1904. The Chicago White Sox are also referred to as “the South Siders” in relation to their location to another Chicago baseball team, the Chicago Cubs.

The White Sox have won three World Series titles, in 1906, 1917, and 2005. Throughout history, the Chicago White Sox has had four logos, with three featuring a prominent navy “S” on a solid white uniform or white-with-navy-pinstripes uniform. From 1976 to 1990, the White Sox logo featured the outline of a baseball player and the word “Sox” in navy print hitting a red baseball.

Photo of Billy Williams holding a baseball bat. Black text​

On June 29, 1969, the Chicago Cubs held a celebration to honor their left fielder, Billy Williams, who on that day was playing in his 896th consecutive game. In doing so, Williams beat Stan Musial as the National League record holder. The ceremony to honor the occasion was held between games at Wrigley Field during a double-header against St. Louis. Williams was honored with a new Chrysler and a boat amongst other gifts from the Cubs organization. The Cubs won both games with scores of 3-1 and 12-1. William's continued to play in the MLB until 1976. Upon his retirement, Williams was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987 and was named a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.​

Read more about the History of Cubs Buttons on the Busy Beaver blog.

Blue text on a grey background

The Buffalo Bills were an American football team from Buffalo, New York. They played in the Eastern division of the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949. The team was formed as the Buffalo Bisons, but was renamed in its second season; the new name was a play on famed showman Buffalo Bill Cody, a decision the team hoped would make them more distinctive. When the AAFC league merged with the NFL in 1949, the Bills were not admitted to the new National-American Football League, and instead folded. Today, there is another team bearing the Buffalo Bill name playing in the eastern division of the American Football Conference of the National Football League. 

Illustration of a smiley face wearing braces on a yellow background

A “tin grin” refers to the mouth of a person who is wearing metal braces. Although dental technology has evolved and there are options for clear 3-D printed plastic aligners, the metal hardware option is still the most popular and cheaper option for young people and adults wanting to straighten the teeth in their mouth into a standard bite. When smiling in the sunshine, the metal gleams off of each bracket.

The classic yellow smiley face is comprised of a yellow circle, two black dots for eyes, and a black arc ending in serifs for a mouth. It was designed in 1963 by commercial artist, Harvey Ross Ball. Ball was commissioned by The State Mutual Life Insurance Company to create a happy face to raise the morale of their employees. His version was created in 10 minutes. The design was printed onto more than 50 million buttons. Neither Ball nor the company copyrighted this smiley, so it was continually used by other businesses in their promotions.
The design and concept is quite simple and was definitely used before Ball’s 1963 version. However, his has become the most iconic. Variations have been used for advertising campaigns and in popular culture ever since.

White text on a red background

In the last years of the Nixon presidency, and continuing on into Gerald Ford's administration, America's economy suffered three inflationary 'shocks': rising food prices, rising energy prices, and the end of the Nixon wage-price controls program. Consequently, the US underwent double digit inflation between 1974 and 1976. 

Ford's WIN (Whip Inflation Now) campaign (promoted on this button) began in 1974, when Ford addressed to the National Commission on Inflation, urging both public and private action to curb supply and demand. In a speech to Congress on October 8th, 1974, Ford declared inflation "public enemy number one," and proceeded to argue for a series of proposals that would curb supply and demand, effectually bringing inflation under control. 

Unfortunately for Ford, the general public did not embrace the "WIN" campaign. Many skeptics wore the pin upside down, explaining that "NIM" stood for "No Immediate Miracles," or "Nonstop Inflation Merry-go-round," or "Need Immediate Money." 

Green and red text on a white background with an outer black edge

In the 1976 election Democratic candidate Jimmy Carter ran a hard fought campaign to unseat President Gerald Ford. One popular tactic utilized by Carter was to criticize Ford for his handling of the Watergate Scandal and Richard Nixon’s subsequent resignation. In 1972, after the fallout from the attempted coverup of the Watergate Scandal, President Richard Nixon was forced under public pressure to resign. His Vice President Gerald Ford quickly assumed office and used his executive power to pardon Nixon of any crimes. This move generated significant criticism towards Ford’s administration and accusations of backdoor deals even sprang up (Kutler). The 1976 election saw much of this anger captured on propaganda materials displaying criticism of President Ford.

Photograph of William Randolph Hearst with white text

William Randolph Hearst Sr. (1863-1951) was an American politician, businessman, and newspaper publisher who built the media company, Hearst Communications in 1887. Recognized as the nation's largest newspaper chain, Hearst Communications owns numerous well-known publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Cosmopolitan, and Esquire. Outside of Hearst Communications, William Hearst was also involved in politics. Twice elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat, Hearst also launched campaigns for the position of President of the United States in 1904, Mayor of New York City in 1905, and for Governor of New York in 1906. However, none of these campaigns were successful. Furthermore, Hearst and his life also serve as the main inspiration behind the character of Charles Foster Kane, who served as the lead character in the film, Citizen Kane.

Black text and an illustration of a donkey around the outer edge with a black and white photograph of Rosalyn Carter's head in the middle on a white background

Eleanor Rosalynn Carter served as the First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981, while her husband James "Jimmy" Earl Carter Jr. served as the 39th President of the United States. During her time as First Lady, she was an active part in her husband's social and public policies, represented him in meetings with domestic and foreign leaders, and advocated for equal rights. Jimmy Carter ran in the presidential election in 1980, but was defeated by Ronald Reagan.