Red and black checkerboard background featuring the logo of the Canal Jean Company

A New York landmark since 1973, the Canal Jean Company is considered a famous New York institution. Known for their checkerboard logo, the company operated two stores at one point, with one located on Canal Street and the other being in the Soho area of Broadway. Deemed as New York city's largest provider of jeans, the franchise was considered an iconic institution in the city and provided New York shoppers with hundreds of different styles and brands of jeans. Though both stores did eventually go out of business, merchandise, specifically their buttons, remain popular.

White text on a blue background

It is likely that this slogan was created by George Sheldon in protest to reforms that he disagreed with. Sheldon was a campaign aide to Governor Reuben Askew in Tampa in the 70s. Sheldon’s connection to the motto stems from his work in the mental health field and his work by reforming the foster care system when he ran the administration for Children and Families within the Department of Health and Human Services in Tallahassee.

Yellow text and illustration on a red background

“Take me to your leader” is a popular sci-fi phrase that was first used in a 1953 cartoon published by The New Yorker. Since then, it has been stated on both the big and small screens for comic effect. The saying is most commonly uttered by an extraterrestrial being to the first human it encounters after landing on Earth.

“Lead me to your taker” is a humorous twist on this well-known cliché that was fixed onto buttons serving as prizes from gumball machines. In the 1970s, individuals could easily deposit coins into the machines and twist the metal lever to receive a pin-back with a catchy slogan. “Lead Me To Your Taker,” “Can’t You Read,” and “Don’t Follow Me I’m Lost” were just some of the phrases on the gumball machines’ buttons.

Illustration of a donkey head on a red, what and blue background with white text

The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States. The Democrats' roots can be traced back to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison’s Democratic-Republican party, also making it the oldest political party. Considered to the be the oldest and still-active political party, the Democratic logo of a donkey can be traced back to the 1870's and cartoonist Thomas Nast. While popular and recognized as a Democratic symbol, the donkey has never been formally adopted as the party’s logo.

Blue and red text on a white background with a red then blue outer ring

"Now more than ever" was President Richard Nixon's slogan for his 1972 reelection campaign. When it was initially proposed, Nixon staffers were concerned that the phrase was "too sophisticated." To address this concern, the Committee for the Re-Election of the President commissioned two focus groups to react to the phrase. According to Republican pollster Robert M. Teeter, who ran the focus groups, participants responded to the slogan's emotional appeal and catchiness. The groups further determined that the slogan "embodied the concept of 'help him finish the job.'" As a result, it was selected for Nixon's successful reelection bid. 

Yellow illustration of a sunflower on a brown background with yellow text in the center

In the 1936 election for United States President, Alf Landon was the Republican opponent to the Democratic candidate Franklin D. Roosevelt. Landon, being the governor of Kansas at that time, adopted the sunflower as his campaign symbol, because Kansas was known as the Sunflower State. Landon lost the race to Roosevelt by a large margin. 

Blue background with white text and two white stripes cutting diagonally through the middle

In 1980, Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts announced his campaign to run in the presidential election. The brother to former president, John F. Kennedy, Ted Kennedy ran against President Jimmy Carter, who sought a second term in office. Despite showing early potential, having won primaries in New York, California, and eight other states, Kennedy's campaign suffered from from numerous factors, most prominently of which was Kennedy's role in the Chappaquiddick incident. In July 1969, Kennedy accidently drove his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, killing his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne. Kennedy failed to notify authorities for ten hours following the incident, causing for his reputation to diminish in the process. The incident as well as general disorganization within the campaign forced Kennedy to withdraw his bid at the Democratic National Convention in August of 1980. Kennedy never sought the presidency afterwards.

Illustration of golf ball with inset illustrations of two men

These illustrations depict Dan Walker, an Illinois governor, and Bob McGaw, a Democratic mayor and were created for a Governor’s Golf Play Day in Rockford, Illinois. Dan Walker was the 36th governer of Illinois, and served just one term from 1973-1977. After losing is primary reelection bid to a democrat backed by Richard M. Daley, he turned his focus to business endeavors. In 1987, Walker was charged with federal bank fraud based on loans he took out to support his businesses. Bob McGaw was Rockford, IL's first Democratic mayor, elected in April, 1973. He focused on building and improving public works projects and reducing Rockford’s financial burden.

During the March, 1976 gubernatorial primary elections (which Walker lost), McGaw supported Governor Dan Walker, despite the fact that many of the "Chicago Machine" democrats—led by then-Chicago mayor Richard Daley—supported Walker's opponent. McGaw's support for Walker stemmed from the fact that Walker is said to have “discovered” Rockford, politically. McGaw states that before Walker’s term as governor, the city of Rockford felt politically isolated from Springfield and lacked communication with the state capital.

White text over 3 vertical blue lines on a red background

Adlai Stevenson III was an Illinois Democratic Senator from 1970-1981. After assuming office in 1970, due to the death of Everett Dirksen, Stevenson had to win a special election to fill Dirksen’s incomplete term. He then ran again in 1974 to secure the Illinois seat for Senator. 

Before becoming a U.S. Senator, Stevenson also served as the 63rd Treasurer of Illinois and was a Captain in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War. The Stevenson family had significant political ties with his Great-Grandfather Adlai I having served as Grover Cleveland’s Vice President and his Father Adlai II having served as Governor of Illinois and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. 

White and black text on a black and white background

In November 1995, the surviving members of the Beatles released a project known as the The Beatles Anthology containing a TV documentary, a book detailing the history of the band, and a three volume set of double-sided albums. To promote the event memorabilia was distributed to many retailers in the form of posters, buttons, clothing, etc. This memorabilia displayed lyrics to hit songs, such as Your Mother Should Know, released by the iconic band. 

Photo: https://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Beatles-Anthology-Promotional-Buttons-Set-Of-2-1995-NEW-/192427314584