Illustration of an American flag with a yellow ribbon tied around the pole on a white background

A flag with a yellow ribbon is an emblem supporting military troops sometimes meaning, “bring our troops home.” This symbol is most prevalent to the public’s response to Operation Desert Storm in Iraq. Desert Storm was the combat period of the Gulf War that began as a reaction to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990. After months of diplomacy, Desert Storm was initiated on January 17, 1991, to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait with more than 900,000 troops from 24 countries. Within 100 hours of the operation’s start, there was a cease fire and the majority of troops left Iraq under Saddam Hussein’s leadership.

Desert Storm was the first war after the Vietnam conflict and the public actively showed their support with the display of yellow ribbons on trees or partnered with the colors of the U.S. flag. Unlike previous wartime symbols, the yellow ribbon often represented a family unit or business rather than a single person, and were far more decorative than other representations: they were carefully crafted to be beautiful while retaining their political meaning.

White text on a red background

Fox DeLuxe Beer was brewed by the Peter Fox Brewing Company in Chicago. Peter Fox was the son of Harold Fox, one of the nine brothers who owned the brewery. The brewery began operation in 1933 and became a well-known brand in Chicago. In the 1940s, the Fox brothers increased their production capacity after buying out some of their competitors and acquiring more properties outside of Chicago. In 1944, the brewing company was ranked number thirteen out of twenty five leading breweries in the United States. The brewery ceased operation in 1951 but Fox DeLuxe Beer is still a prominent name among beer enthusiasts.

Blue and white illustration of an eagle with stars on its body and red and white stripes on the sides

The bald eagle became the national bird of the United States in 1782. It has appeared on official documents, U.S. coins and dollar bills, military insignias, and government buildings. The symbolism represents strength, courage, and freedom. This graphic combines the eagle with patriotic red, white, and blue imagery of the stars and stripes of the American flag. Originally, the turkey was suggested as a national bird; however, the founding fathers felt the eagle showed more strength. Also, the bald eagle is indigenous to North America. Currently, their population has dwindled; they are protected under the National Emblem Act of 1940.

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."