Illustration of opposing tops of doric columns on a purple background.  Text appears between the two columns.

Sir Mix-A-Lot was born Anthony Ray in Seattle on August 12, 1963. An eclectic music fan but a rabid hip-hop devotee, he was already actively rapping in the early '80s, and co-founded the Nastymix record label in 1983 with his DJ, Nasty Nes, who also hosted Seattle's first hip-hop radio show. Mix-A-Lot had long had a knack for mimicking (and mocking) the pimps he'd watched while growing up in Seattle, and adopted their visual style. He debuted for Def American with 1992's Mack Daddy, whose first single, "One Time's Got No Case," was a critique of racial profiling by police. It went virtually unheard, but the follow-up, "Baby Got Back," became a pop phenomenon virtually from the moment MTV aired its provocative video (which was eventually consigned to evening-hours only). "Baby Got Back" spent five weeks atop the pop charts, selling over two million copies and went on to win a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance. Billboard magazine ranked it as the second biggest single of the year (1992).

Small pebble painted blue is affixed to button.  Pebble has painted smile, two attached googly eyes, and tuft of synthetic orange hair.  Beige background with red and purple text. 

This button features a pet rock with orange troll hair and was used to promote KYYX 96.5, a radio station in Seattle, Washington from 1977-1984. From 1977 to 1982 it ran as a Top 40 station until 1982-1984 when it aired more new wave music. There were new personalities featured on the shows and the moniker was "The Rock of the '80s."

Illustrated vignettes of a smiling woman's face with flowers, a palm tree and grass, and two roosters facing each other aggressively. 

Puerto Rico is an island in the Caribbean, it has been a U.S. territory since 1917. Called the “island of enchantment,” where its largest city; San Juan, has 3.4 million diverse people living there. The predominant language is Spanish with English considered the secondary language for the country. Puerto Rico is a popular vacation destination with its fusion of cultures, bioluminescent beaches, festive food finds, and radiant rainforests. Spotting a native Puerto Rican parrot is a frequent favorite of ornithologists and birders alike while visiting the island’s, El Yunque National Forest. 

Lenticular button alternates between two images: Photograph of Bill Murray's face with and without clown makeup.  Text appears above and below photograph.  White and green horizontally striped background.

Quick Change is a movie from 1990 directed by Howard Franklin and Bill Murray, and also starring Billy Murray along with Geena Davis and Randy Quaid. The film is a crime comedy based off of a book by Jay Cronley. Dressed as a clown, Grimm (Murray) and his two accomplices (Davis and Quaid) rob a bank in New York City, but their getaway does not go according to plan and they are faced with countless troubles while trying to leave New York. The film was not as commercially successful, but it was well received by critics. It is also the only directorial credit of Bill Murray's film career.

Illustration of person sipping from a straw inserted in a capsule-shaped object on a white background. Black text in irregular font diagonally positioned next to and below person's head.

Hippy Sippy was a Japanese candy produced in the late 1960s and imported into the United States by R.J. Albert & Sons. The packaging was shaped like a syringe and the candy resembled brightly colored pills. The candy played on the popular hippy and drug culture happening in the United States at the time, and each package came with a button that typically stated "hippy sippy says" and then another phrase alluding to drug usage slang such as "I'll try anything.". The FDA ultimately recalled the candy in 1969 because of the controversy surrounding the drug paraphernalia inspired packaging.

A woman standing in a blue dress with a gold chest plate that has the words "I Will" and winged head piece on a white background.  Red text above and below one the edge of the button.

“I Will” was an allegorical goddess symbolizing the City of Chicago analogous to how Uncle Sam symbolizes America. The Chicago Inter Ocean sponsored a contest for “a figure typical of Chicago’s spirit” to represent the city. Charles Holloway designed a goddess suited for battle with a phoenix on her helmet and “I Will” on her breastplate. Holloway won the contest and the Inter Ocean used “I Will” in their advertising for the 1893 World’s Fair. After the event, “I Will” (both the goddess and the phrase) were used in Chicago marketing.

Illustration of anthropomorphic peanut with large teeth wearing a vest, coattails, bicorn hat and boots on a white background.  Black text around the outside edge of the button.

This anti-Jimmy Carter button from the 1976 presidential election parodies both the then-candidate's smile and farming background.  The peanut-Carter character is depicted as Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France.  Delusions of being Napoleon have been a common trope for depicting insanity in cartoons and television shows. 

Before his political career, Jimmy Carter worked for his family's peanut farming business.  Jimmy Carter was also often caricatured as having a wide, toothy smile.  The United States presidential election of 1976 pitted incumbent President Gerald Ford against Jimmy Carter, the former Governor of Georgia.

Illustration of two human skeletons on a black background.  One is taking a photograph of the other using a large-format camera, the other is sitting in a chair.  Red text below illustration.

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Black and white photograph of Mr. and Mrs. Carter inside a red heart on a green background with white text

There were quite a few different images utilized to commemorate the inauguration of President Jimmy Carter in 1977. This photograph includes both Jimmy and his wife Rosalynn but others, some of which can be seen on this website, feature just Carter himself. James Earl Carter Jr. served as the 39^th President of the United States from 1977-1981. His previous political experience included being a member of his local board of education, a Georgia State Senator and later as Governor of Georgia. He served on nuclear submarines while a member of the U.S. Navy. After his father passed away, he left the Navy and ran the family peanut farm in Plains, Georgia. Carter won the presidency with Senator Walter Mondale as his running mate. During the campaign, he created a media firestorm by stating that he had committed adultery in his heart many times and that he did not care if people used the word f***. He won the election with the largest percentage of the popular vote of any non-incumbent since Eisenhower.  

Black and white photograph of jimmy carter inside an oval with a green band around it on a white background with an outer gold edge with green and black text.

During Jimmy Carter's run for President, he promised on the campaign trail to be more in touch with ordinary people than previous presidents and candidates have been. In order to achieve this goal, he decided to throw a series of town hall meetings, which kicked off in Clinton, MA.

Carter, a former senator and governor, won the election and became the 39th President of the United States in 1976. He ran against Republican Gerald Ford. Before the election, President Carter was relatively unknown outside of Georgia. He ran as the underdog and Washington outsider who would be a good change for America. 

Overall, Carter's presidency was marked by inflation, recession, and an energy crisis. However, he did fulfill some campaign promises, particularly that of pardoning Vietnam War draft evaders. One of the most notable events of his presidency was the Iran hostage crisis in 1979, during which 52 Americans (both citizens and diplomats) were held hostage for over a year.