Blow on my Horn

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Text on Button BLOW ON MY HORN I'LL FOLLOW YOU ANYWHERE
Image Description

Pink illustration of a unicorn with pink text above and below on an orange background

Curl Text copyright 1981 Unicorn City Corp. NY NY 10014 (union bug)
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While the phrase “Blow on my horn, I’ll follow you anywhere” is likely referencing a fondness for fellatio, the image of the unicorn is taken from Edward Topsell’s The History of Four-Footed Beasts and Serpents, a thesis on zoology published in 1658. 

Catalog ID IB0544

There's a Village Missing an Idiot

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Text on Button Somewhere in Texas there's a village missing an idiot.
Image Description

White text on a maroon background

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The phrase “Somewhere in Texas there’s a village missing an idiot” began to appear on bumper stickers and buttons when George W. Bush became President of the United States, in reference to his Texas origins.   

Catalog ID PO0632

Shit Happens Bush

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Text on Button SHIT HAPPENS
Image Description

Black and white photograph of George Bush's head on a red, white and blue background with white text across the top

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President George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st president of the United States, was in office from 1989-1993. He was a naval pilot in WWII and moved to Texas after the war. There, he was elected to represent Texas in the House of Representatives. Then, he became a UN Ambassador and later ambassador to China. He became the head of the CIA and was nominated to Vice President under Ronald Reagan. (The portrait is from his official Vice President photograph.)

Bush was elected President in 1988 and served one term. He saw the end of the Cold War and the first Gulf War. Bush was in many ways a classic example of a Republican, which led people with more progressive values to poke fun or mock his time in office.

Sources

George H. W. Bush. En.wikipedia.org. (2020). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._W._Bush.

Catalog ID PO0635

Muskie 72

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Text on Button MUSKiE 72
Image Description

Green illustration of an evergreen tree with Muskie 72 at the bottom on a white background

Curl Text union bug
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Edmund Sixtus Muskie, March 28, 1914 - March 26, 1996, had a noteworthy career in state and federal government that spanned five decades. Beginning as a member of the House of Representatives from 1946 to 1951 and later serving as governor of Maine from 1955 - 1959, Muskie served in the U.S. Senate from 1959 - 1980. Muskie, an environmental advocate during his time as governor, brought his love of the environment to the U.S. Senate. His work in the Senate led to the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970 and the Clean Water Act in 1972. In 1968, he was the Vice Presidential Democratic nominee. In 1972, Muskie was the front runner for the Democratic Presidential nomination losing to George McGovern. In 1980, he was appointed Secretary of State by President Jimmy Carter and served until the end of President Carter’s term in January 1981.

Sources

Athas, P.A. (2019, May 13). Memories of the muskie administrationhttps://first-draft.com/2019/05/13/memories-of-the-muskie-administration/

Catalog ID PO0634

If God Had Wanted Us To Vote

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Text on Button IF GOD HAD WANTED US TO VOTE, HE WOULD HAVE GIVEN US CANDIDATES
Image Description

Blue text on a light blue background

Curl Text copyright 1990 EPHEMERA INC.
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The quote “If God had wanted us to vote he’d have given us candidates” originated with American comedian Jay Leno. Leno is best known for hosting NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno from 1992 to 2009. 

Catalog ID PO0633

I Worship the Very Quicksand

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Text on Button I worship the very quicksand the President walks on
Image Description

Black text on an orange and yellow illustration of a sun

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"I worship the quicksand he walks on" is a quote from 1966 by Washington Post columnist Art Buchwald. The President he was referring to was President Lyndon B. Johnson. However, the quote has been used several times to describe other, mainly conservative, presidents as well. 

Popik, B. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/i_worship_the_quicksand_he_walks_on

Catalog ID PO0631

Bush He's Not My President

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Text on Button HE'S NOT MY PRESIDENT
Image Description

Color photograph of George W. Bush's head on a black background with white text

Curl Text #4754 copyright 2001 EPHEMERA, INC 541-535-4195 Made in U.S.A.
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The United States Presidential Election of 2000 between George W. Bush and Al Gore, the Supreme Court’s decision on Bush v. Gore, and the inauguration of Republican President Bush that followed are points of contention in democracy’s recent history. One of the closest elections in United States history, no official winner was declared on election night. When Florida’s votes were finally counted, the margin was so small that law required a recount of the votes. During the following month, several counties from Florida had to manually recount all votes. Bush v. Gore was the United States Supreme Court case to settle to recount dispute. While the election took place on November 7, 2000, the court ruling and outcome of the election were not decided until December 12, 2000. Although Al Gore had won the popular vote with 50,999,897 votes and 48.4% of the total votes cast, George W. Bush was announced the winner because he had 271 of the electoral votes, which is 1 more than the majority. The reason the recount had been so important in Florida was because the recount could have potentially tipped the number of electoral votes in favor of Al Gore, winning him the presidential election.
Many people were outraged by the Supreme Court decision claiming that the court had chosen their president and not the people’s votes. This spurred a group of more than 20,000 protestors to gather for Bush’s inauguration. There were approximately 10,000 law enforcement officials on Pennsylvania Avenue on the day of the inauguration. The number of law enforcement officers outnumbered the protestors in the actual demonstration area near the inauguration. Security for entering all areas was much tighter than previous inaugural days.

Sources

2000 United States presidential election. (2020, June). Retrieved June 23, 2020 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_United_States_presidential_election
Bush v. Gore. (2020, June). Retrieved June 23, 2020 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_v._Gore
Rosenbaum, D. E. (2001, January 21). The inauguration: The demonstrations; protestors in the thousands sound off in the capital. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/21/us/inauguration-demonstrations-prote…

Catalog ID PO0636

Submitted to the Fan Museum by Michael Scott


Information

Text on Button: 

YOU WIN ME!

Image Description: 

Illustration of a gold loving cup on a red background with white text.

Curl Text: 

Japan

Back Style: 

Locking pin

The Shape: 

Circle

The Size: 

2 inch

Year / Decade Made: 

1970s

The Manufacturer: 

Topps Chewing Gum, Inc.

Button Image

Submitted to the Fan Museum by Michael Scott


Information

Text on Button: 

U.S. NAVEL ACADEMY

Image Description: 

Photo of an abdomen and belly button (navel) with overlaid text in blue (U.S. NAVEL) and U.S. flag pattern (ACADEMY).

Curl Text: 

Japan

Back Style: 

Locking pin

The Shape: 

Circle

The Size: 

2 inch

Year / Decade Made: 

1970s

The Manufacturer: 

Button Image