Purple text on a silver background.

Illustration of Ted Hake wearing a bluish-green shirt and wearing a button of himself on an orange background with black text

In 1968, Ted Hake created Hake’s Americana and Collectibles Auction #211, the first auction to specialize in American pop culture. Hake has authored many price guides for collectibles, including political items, pinback buttons, and other pop culture memorabilia. In 2004, he sold the company, but continued to work as a full-time consultant for them. In 2012, Hake launched tedhake.com, a website that sells buttons and other pop culture artifacts from Hake's personal collections at fixed prices.    

The Busy Beaver Button Museum features a button in which Ted is wearing a button of himself wearing a button that features himself which is also in the museum here.

White text and an illustration of a pointing hand on a blue background

“I’m with stupid” is a humorous insult commonly seen on t-shirts, with a hand pointing in one direction. The phrase is sometimes paired with a t-shirt worn by a second person stating “I’m stupid”. 

Illustration of a red worm holding a book on a white background

Back in the day, (the early 1900s) people coined the phrase "Bookworm" referring to someone who is like those tiny silkworms that tend to hang out on the pages of print books. Jokingly it implies other meanings such as being nerdy, geeky or studious. Today, after all this time, bookworms are still synonymous with books and reading. 

Blue text on an orange background

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Red text on a yellow background

The expression “nuts to you” dates to the 1930s and was commonly used as a derisive retort or dismissal. Perhaps due to the anatomical connotation for the word “nuts,” the phrase was singled out by the Hays Office as too profane for cinema after its inclusion in the 1940 film The Bank Dick. The Hays Office, or Production Code Administration, was a morality enforcement office created in 1934 through an agreement with major film studios, meant to regulate and censor content in films. This office predated the film rating system we know now and required studios to get their seal of approval on any film before the final cut made it to theaters. On this phrase, their order was brief: “Please eliminate the expression ‘nuts to you.’”

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“Small breasted women have big hearts” is a popular expression of unknown origin, and is frequently used to complement women with small breasts. 

Illustration of a hand with legs and the middle finger up on a bright yellow background

This button was one of many sold at The Big Store in New York City. Prominent during the 1960s and 1970s, The Big Store specialized in counter culture, anti-Vietnam War, and psychedelic novelties. 

White block text and an illustration of a person holding their head in their hands on a pink background

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