Black text on a red background

The slogan “Dare to Struggle, Dare to Win” has been used internationally as a rallying cry in leftist and revolutionary politics. The phrase is most strongly associated with Mao Zedong, who employed it during the Chinese Communist Party’s campaigns in the mid-20th century. In the 1960s and 1970s, it was adopted by a wide range of activist groups worldwide, including anti-war demonstrators, student movements, and labor organizations, as a call to perseverance in the face of political opposition.

In the United States, the slogan appeared frequently on protest signs, pamphlets, and buttons during the Vietnam War era, often produced by union printers like the N.G. Slater Corporation in New York City, a company known for manufacturing political and protest buttons. The red-and-black color scheme of this button underscores its ties to leftist political movements, with red symbolizing revolution and solidarity, and black often linked to anarchist or radical struggles.

The phrase has endured into the 21st century, resurfacing in political demonstrations and campaigns around the world, demonstrating its continuing symbolic power as a statement of resistance and determination.

Simple illustration of a group of children wearing colorful coats, walking up a large staircase, about to enter a building; the building is located on a green background meant to emulate grass, and has open doors and an arched window above the doors. Above the building is an orange background with white bold text

Children’s Day is a celebration of children’s wellbeing and joy that took shape in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the U.S., churches and civic groups marked it with special services, picnics, parades, museum or library open houses, and community fairs—many Protestant churches still observe it on the second Sunday in June. Internationally, the United Nations encouraged an annual observance in 1954; today many countries mark World Children’s Day on November 20, while others celebrate International Children’s Day on June 1.

This button serves as a mid-century American tradition. From the 1930s through the 1950s, towns, libraries, museums, and churches handed out inexpensive pin-backs as admission tokens, souvenirs, or “I took part” badges for Children’s Day events. The generic building in the design could represent a church, library, museum, or city hall. The back paper “DAVID C. COOK PUBLISHING CO., ELGIN, ILLINOIS” identifies a major Protestant church-supply publisher that produced Sunday-school materials and Children’s Day handouts; pieces like this were typically given to kids and helpers during the annual service, often on that second Sunday in June.

Red background with a yellow comic book-style "explosion" graphic in the center and two black letter "R"s outlined in red on top of the graphic; additional black text is found on the lower left-hand side of the button

Grape-Nuts™ cereal was developed in 1897 by the The Postum Cereal Company (now known as Post Consumer Brands), and is still sold in supermarkets today.  

Actor and singer Roy Rogers, a Western star, appeared in more than 100 movies and in multiple radio and television shows in the 1940s and 1950s.

In 1953, Post Consumer Brands collaborated with Roy Rogers to release a series of television ads and cereal box prizes. Rogers also appeared on Grape-Nuts™ packaging during the duration of this campaign.

Color illustration of the head of brown horse with light-colored mane on a faded, light blue background; the horse is wearing a black bridle

Actor and singer Roy Rogers, a Western star, appeared in more than 100 movies and in multiple radio and television shows in the 1940s and 1950s. Trigger the horse often starred alongside Rogers in these films and was known for tricks such as walking on his hind legs, bowing, and being housebroken.

In 1953, Post Consumer Brands collaborated with Roy Rogers to release a series of television ads and cereal box prizes. Rogers, accompanied by Trigger, appeared on Grape-Nuts™ packaging during the duration of this campaign.

After Trigger’s death in 1965, Rogers had the horse’s body preserved as a statue and displayed it in Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum in Apple Valley, California. 

Color illustration of the head and shoulders of the cartoon character Olive Oyl: a woman wearing a red shirt with a white collar; she has a distinctive nose and black hair pulled back into a horizontal ponytail

Olive Oyl is a classic cartoon character who first appeared in Elzie Crisler Segar’s Thimble Theatre comic strip in 1919. Although Olive Oyl was the main character for nearly a decade, Popeye the Sailor was introduced later, on January 17, 1929, and soon became the main focus. Over time, Olive shifted from being Ham Gravy’s girlfriend to becoming Popeye’s. She later became best known as the quirky, tall, and outspoken love interest often caught in a love triangle with Popeye and his rival, Bluto. She is portrayed as independent and temperamental, yet frequently finds herself in a damsel-in-distress situation. Recognizable by her slender build, bun hairstyle, and distinctive voice, Olive Oyl remains a cultural icon in American cartoons, appearing in comics, animated shorts, TV shows, and movies. 

Kellogg’s Pep cereal, introduced in 1923, included 13/16” lithographed paper-pinback buttons of a popular comic character as in-box prizes from 1945 to 1947. These collectible “Pep pins” came in five series of 18 comic-character buttons each, totaling 86 unique buttons. Authentic pins will have Kellogg’s Pep stamped on the back. Olive Oyl’s Pep pin was created in the 1940s, at the height of the character’s popularity. 

A black and white simplified illustration of the Chicago skyline divides the button in half with black text on a red background on the top and white text on a blue background on the bottom 

The Chicago White Sox are an American Major League Baseball team affiliated with the American League. Originally founded in 1894 as a minor league team, the Sioux City, Iowa Cornhuskers, the team moved to Chicago—and the major leagues—with the new name, The White Stockings. In 1904, the team name changed a third, and final, time to the White Sox. 

In the 1960s, potato chip companies like Crane Potato Chips sold bags of chips containing an MLB memorabilia button like this one. These buttons could be collected and redeemed for a fitting prize: a baseball! Crane Potato Chips, originally founded in 1928 as Licek Potato Chip Co., operated out of Decatur, Illinois. Each baseball button has DECATUR, ILL. proudly stamped on the backside.

Illustration of the dome of the United States Capitol in the center with two black stars on the left and right sides; red text on a white background above and white text on a red background below

The Washington Nationals are a Major League Baseball (MLB) team from Washington, D.C., but their history stretches back through earlier franchises. Baseball in the nation’s capital has had a unique past; Washington was home to two different teams called the Senators. The first Senators (1901–1960) eventually moved and became the Minnesota Twins, while a second Senators team (1961–1971) was later relocated to Texas, where they became the Rangers. That left Washington without an MLB club for over three decades, until 2005. The Nationals’ franchise actually started as the Montreal Expos, Canada’s first major league team, in 1969. When the Expos moved to D.C. in 2005, they became the Nationals, marking the city’s return to big-league baseball after 34 years. By 2012, the team had captured its first major league title and went on to be a regular playoff contender throughout the 2010s.

Crane Potato Chips, once based in Decatur, Illinois, has its own distinctive story. The company got its start in 1938 under Licek Confectioners and changed hands a few times before Ollie Crane purchased it in 1944, running it for nearly three decades. One of the brand’s most memorable features was its creative packaging—chips sold in large beige cans that doubled as handy storage. But what really stuck with fans were Crane’s baseball promotions in the 1960s. Each summer, the company handed out collectible pins featuring bright team logos and names, with Crane’s branding stamped on the back along with a promise of a free baseball. These colorful pins became a summertime tradition for kids and collectors, with the only dated set known from 1961.

Illustration of the head of a German shepherd dog in profile in front of a blurred natural landscape; the dog is alert with its tongue out

Bullet, a German Shepherd best known as “Bullet the Wonder Dog,” captured viewers’ hearts as a key animal star on The Roy Rogers Show, which ran from 1951 to 1957. Alongside Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and their famous horses Trigger and Buttermilk, Bullet was heavily featured in the series. He was skilled in performing stunts such as crawling, rolling over, and chasing down bad guys, often stepping in to protect the ranch or outsmart troublemakers. Off set, Bullet belonged to Roy and Dale, which made fans love him even more and cemented his place as a TV legend.

The pin-back button pictured celebrates Bullet and represents a piece of television history from the 1950s. This collectible button was given away as a promotional item for Post cereals, especially Grape-Nuts, and could be found as a prize in cereal boxes. As Bullet's fame grew throughout the show, a wide variety of merchandise, including buttons, plastic figures, and toys, was released. 

Black text on a yellow background

The "breezy button" collection from Armour Star meat packing company had 24 buttons, each with a catchy "breezy slogan." The buttons were given free in every package of Armour franks (hot dogs) during the 1950s.  

Armour and Company was founded in Chicago in 1867 by Philip Danforth Armour. Its success made Chicago's meat packing industry the central meat packing location for the country and helped the city of Chicago grow in prominence. 

This particular “breezy button” was likely inspired by the song “Crazy Man, Crazy,” a 1953 song by Bill Haley and the Comets.

Color illustration of six brown horses pulling two people on a red cart; the sky is blue and the grass is green, with red text around the top rim and white, black, and red text in the lower-right corner

In 1917, Thomas E. Wilson, the head of Wilson & Co. meatpackers and Wilson Sporting Goods, introduced the Six-Horse Hitch of Clydesdales as part of a bold marketing campaign. The team quickly became famous, winning championships at the International Livestock Exposition in Chicago and making appearances across the country, including the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. During World War II, the horses toured more than 150 cities to help sell war bonds, raising millions of dollars in the process.

In 1933, Anheuser-Busch purchased Wilson’s team to launch its own hitch, later known as the Budweiser Clydesdales. This button was part of Wilson’s promotional campaign, which was designed around the company’s six-horse hitch.