Illustration of the Thing on a greenish-blue background.  Yellow text in the foreground.

The image depicts the character the Thing from the superhero team the Fantastic Four.

The Fantastic Four is a comic book series created for Marvel Comics by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby.  Its first issue was published in November, 1961, and the series was canceled in 2015 after issue #645.  The series has been adapted into animated television series as well as movies.

The plot follows the adventures of the four team members, Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch and the Thing, who receive superpowers from cosmic rays when conducting a research mission in outer space.  The series was one of the first comic series where the heroes did not adopt secret identities.  It was also influential for its depth of characterization and portrayal of inter-personal conflict between the team members.  The breaking of these comic book tropes, as well as the series' focus on science-fiction and metaphysical "cosmic" story elements helped establish it as a popular series during the Silver Age of Comics in the 1960s.

Black text with squares around each letter on a white background

"Scrabble" is a word game in which players acquire points by placing tiles in crossword style onto the board in order to form words. It is for two to four players. "Scrabble" was created in 1938 and has sold roughly 150 million games all over the world. It is estimated that there are around 4,000 Scrabble Clubs around the world.

Scrabble: 60 facts for its 60th birthday. (2008, December 15). Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3776732/Scrabble-60-facts-for-its-60th-birthday.html

Sepia-toned photograph of a treehouse.
 

People have been building recreational treehouses for thousands of years. The Roman emperor Caligula built a multi-story “nest” in order to entertain guests. The influential Medici family in Renaissance Italy built them in their gardens, which may have sparked the trend. Starting from the 1600s to the 1800s, treehouses became popular in England and France, being used as garden playhouses, as restaurants and bars, or just as relaxing places to enjoy the view. As of 2023, treehouses have become popular worldwide, so much so that there are treehouse companies to build them for their clients, and many treehouses are now offered as short-term vacation rentals.

Black and white photograph of woman in tanktop looking at viewer.

Photographic pinback buttons made with celluloid material were extremely popular from the late 1800s to the 1930s.  It was during the 1860s that photography became more available on the commercial market. Humphrey E. Copley of Connecticut sought a patent in 1861 to incorporate photographs onto buttons by utilizing a metal rim to hold the photograph in place. This technology coincided with the Civil War and mourners embraced the option of being able to wear visual representations of their loved ones. John Wesley Hyatt was an American inventor who received a patent for a product named celluloid in 1870. After refinement of the initial product, Hyatt’s celluloid became the first commercially profitable synthetic material. United States patent records reflect the usage of celluloid in making buttons with photographs in the late 1880s. In 1893 Benjamin S. Whitehead acquired a patent for using celluloid over the photo to protect the image. The increased availability of photography coupled with the ability of manufacturers to produce buttons inexpensively allowed the public to create a fashion fad out of the desire to have portable keepsakes.  

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Photograph of woman wearing a white Edwardian style dress with white bow in hair.

Photographic pinback buttons made with celluloid material were extremely popular from the late 1800s to the 1930s.  It was during the 1860s that photography became more available on the commercial market. Humphrey E. Copley of Connecticut sought a patent in 1861 to incorporate photographs onto buttons by utilizing a metal rim to hold the photograph in place. This technology coincided with the Civil War and mourners embraced the option of being able to wear visual representations of their loved ones. John Wesley Hyatt was an American inventor who received a patent for a product named celluloid in 1870. After refinement of the initial product, Hyatt’s celluloid became the first commercially profitable synthetic material. United States patent records reflect the usage of celluloid in making buttons with photographs in the late 1880s. In 1893 Benjamin S. Whitehead acquired a patent for using celluloid over the photo to protect the image. The increased availability of photography coupled with the ability of manufacturers to produce buttons inexpensively allowed the public to create a fashion fad out of the desire to have portable keepsakes.

Have info on this button? Become a Button Museum fan and let us know.

Black and white photograph of man wearing suit and tie on a white background.

Photographic pinback buttons made with celluloid material were extremely popular from the late 1800s to the 1930s.  It was during the 1860s that photography became more available on the commercial market. Humphrey E. Copley of Connecticut sought a patent in 1861 to incorporate photographs onto buttons by utilizing a metal rim to hold the photograph in place. This technology coincided with the Civil War and mourners embraced the option of being able to wear visual representations of their loved ones. John Wesley Hyatt was an American inventor who received a patent for a product named celluloid in 1870. After refinement of the initial product, Hyatt’s celluloid became the first commercially profitable synthetic material. United States patent records reflect the usage of celluloid in making buttons with photographs in the late 1880s. In 1893 Benjamin S. Whitehead acquired a patent for using celluloid over the photo to protect the image. The increased availability of photography coupled with the ability of manufacturers to produce buttons inexpensively allowed the public to create a fashion fad out of the desire to have portable keepsakes.

Have info on this button? Become a Button Museum fan and let us know.

Black and white photograph of man with mustache wearing suit and tie on a white background.

Photographic pinback buttons made with celluloid material were extremely popular from the late 1800s to the 1930s.  It was during the 1860s that photography became more available on the commercial market. Humphrey E. Copley of Connecticut sought a patent in 1861 to incorporate photographs onto buttons by utilizing a metal rim to hold the photograph in place. This technology coincided with the Civil War and mourners embraced the option of being able to wear visual representations of their loved ones. John Wesley Hyatt was an American inventor who received a patent for a product named celluloid in 1870. After refinement of the initial product, Hyatt’s celluloid became the first commercially profitable synthetic material. United States patent records reflect the usage of celluloid in making buttons with photographs in the late 1880s. In 1893 Benjamin S. Whitehead acquired a patent for using celluloid over the photo to protect the image. The increased availability of photography coupled with the ability of manufacturers to produce buttons inexpensively allowed the public to create a fashion fad out of the desire to have portable keepsakes.  

Pink, green and white background on a yellow background,

White and pink illustration on a yellow background.