Colorful illustration of a rooster's head, facing left.

This button was created as part of the Busy Beaver Button Co.'s Button-O-Matic 2015 series "Bestiary". The series was curated by Tony Fitzpatrick, and was in collaboration with Yollocalli Arts Reach students. This button was one of two created by artist Victor Martinez. 

Yollocalli Arts Reach was founded in 1997 to address the educational and artistic needs of children and teens. Since its founding, the organization became the Arts Partner in Resident of Chicago Park District and has worked with several other organizations in Chicago to showcase its students' art. 

Colorful illustration of a man wearing horns, and grinning.

This button was created as part of the Busy Beaver Button Co.'s Button-O-Matic 2015 series "Bestiary". The series was curated by Tony Fitzpatrick, and was in collaboration with Yollocalli Arts Reach students. This button was one of two created by artist Victor Martinez. 

Yollocalli Arts Reach was founded in 1997 to address the educational and artistic needs of children and teens. Since its founding, the organization became the Arts Partner in Resident of Chicago Park District and has worked with several other organizations in Chicago to showcase its students' art. 

Illustration of yellow sky with blue text and an orange music note on blue water over a white bottom edge with red text

Chicagofest was an annual music festival in Chicago that ran for two weeks every year from 1978-1983. It was the vision of Mayor Michael Bilandic and was held on the Navy Pier that had been reopened. The festival featured 16 different stages that were separated into different music genres. Over 600 performances were conducted during every festival. Some of the musicians who performed at the festival include: Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, The Blues Brothers, the Charlie Daniel’s Band, Alice Cooper and Aretha Franklin. The logo of a red music note swimming in blue water against a yellow background is from the very first Chicagofest that was held from August 4-21, 1978.

Illustration of a black barrel on a tan background with wood planks and yellow flames rising out of the top. Text on barrel is white and text below barrel is black and yellow.

The term "Brotherhood of the Barrel" was coined during the Chicago Firefighters Strike from February 14 - March 7, 1980. The "Brotherhood" was formed by the striking firefighters that huddled around barrel fires to warm up while picketing outside. This pin was created towards the end of the strike as a rallying point for firefighters to wear in solidarity.

An image of two people shaking hands is in the center of a white and red button surrounded by two rings of encircling text.

The Kentucky State AFL-CIO is one of hundreds of state and local labor councils. Since its creation in 1905 it has fought for economic justice, living wages, and union freedoms. The image on the button is the same one that Kentucky State AFL-CIO currently uses. 

Illustration of a Cessna A-37 attack plane on an orange background.  White text is superimposed over illustration.  Black text on bottom edge of button.

From 1980 to 1992, a civil war plagued the Central American country of El Salvador, with an estimated 75,000 Salvadorans losing their lives throughout the conflict. The war was primarily between the military-led government of El Salvador, which was backed by the United States, and the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), a coalition of guerrilla groups. On the side of the FMLN is the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES). Founded in 1980 and based in Washington D.C., the organization promotes opposition to the United State's funding and political support of the Salvadoran military. Though the war ended in 1992, mementos such as this button illustrate CISPES strong opposition to the countries military and its allies.

Black text and a black and white image of Oliver North.

During the late 1980s, the Iran-Contra scandal was a major news event. Oliver North was a member of the National Security Council and was involved in the funneling of money to Nicaraguan guerrilla groups in violation of the Boland Amendment. His trial took place in 1988, and his conservative supporters used buttons like this one to show their support. North later went on to become a television host and a New York Times bestselling author.  

White text on a red circle with an outer white, then yellow-green then black outer ring

The American Tobacco Company introduced Lucky Strike cigarettes in 1916, acquiring its name from a chewing tobacco that originated in 1871. In the 1930s it was the best-selling cigarette in the United States, controlling 39 percent of the market in 1931. However, sales dwindled as smokers sought filtered cigarettes. In 1980s Lucky Strike had less than 1 percent of the market. The company introduced a new filtered, low-tar cigarette aimed at male smokers ages 21 to 35 in the early 1980s. In the 2000s and 2010s, the company saw an uptick in sales, which some have tied to the television drama Mad Men. In the show, Lucky Strike is the client of a New York City advertising agency, and the cigarette is frequently smoked by many characters. Lucky Strike sold 23 billion packets of cigarettes in 2007 when the series first aired. In 2012 the company sold 33 billion.