An illustration of Daffy Duck with the red and white stripes of the American flag in the background. The rim is blue with white text. 

Looney Tunes began as animated short films from Warner Brothers in the 1930s. Tex Avery began working on Looney Tunes in 1935. He created the iconic characters Daffy Duck in 1937 and Bugs Bunny a year later. Daffy Duck’s character was later redesigned and given a personality change by cartoonist Chuck Jones, becoming more insecure and arrogant with a desire for the spotlight. The spunky duck is known for his catchphrase “Youuu’re deththpicable”. The button promoting Daffy Duck for President is one of several presidential campaign buttons featuring Looney Tunes characters, including buttons for the characters Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote. 

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Psychotherapy—also known as talk therapy—has its roots in ancient Greek culture. Philosophers including Plato, Xenophon, and Aristotle all explored the connections between mental health and medicine. Paracelsus (1493-1541) is credited as the first advocate for the use of what we now call psychotherapy, who viewed the most common cause of metal illness as being an emotional disconnect between the suffering person and their surroundings. The early versions of modern psychothereapy were founded by Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), Philippe Pinel (1745-1826), and Walter Cooper Dendy (1794-1871). It wasn’t until Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), however, that “talking cures” were introduced in therapy; Freud, alongside Jesof Breuer (1842-1925), formally founded psychoanalysis.

People seek therapy to address concerns surrounding relationship conflicts, professional and personal challenges, mood changes and fears, anxiety and stress, and traumatic experiences and PTSD, amongst other reasons. But there exist negative attitudes, beliefs, and discriminatory behaviors directed towards those suffering from mental health issues and seeking professional help. “Even Your Therapist Doesn’t Care” is a biting social commentary on the bias and stigma surrounding psychotherapy. The idea here is that no one, including a person’s therapist, truly wants to hear about a person’s mental health problems and that a person should “push through.”

Even still, studies have shown that about 75% of people who receive therapy report significant improvements to their symptoms. This button sheds light on the importance of de-stigmatizing therapy.

A photo of Sojourner Truth against a yellow background. Text appears to the left of the photo.

Sojourner Truth, born in New York in 1797, was an abolitionist, orator, and activist who based many of her endeavors on first-hand experience as a former slave. The abuse and injustice Truth experienced during her years in slavery inspired her to flee in 1827. She and her daughter sought safety in an abolitionist family named the Van Wageners who ultimately bought her freedom. Following her newfound freedom, Truth began preaching as a minister in New York City and later took to traveling, spreading the Gospel and meeting other famous abolitionists such as William Lloyd Garrison. In 1850, her autobiography, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth was published. Throughout the 1850s and during the Civil War, Truth continued to give anti-slavery talks around the country and was later honored with a White House invitation. 

Maria from The Sound of Music stands atop an alpine meadow.

The Edwin M. Knowles China Company operated out of Virginia from 1900 until 1963, when it folded due to competition from cheaper imported pottery. While active, the company was known for producing high-quality dinnerware with intricate designs. The name rights were eventually purchased by another company, The Bradford Exchange (originally founded as the Bradford Gallery of Collectors Plates) in the 1980s, and several series of collectible plates for popular movies were created. 

Among them were The Sound of Music (of which this button is promotional material for), The Wizard of Oz, and Gone with the Wind. The art for The Sound of Music series was done by T. Crnkovich.

Illustration of Belle and Beast dancing in a ballroom. Yellow text appears above them. 

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, released in 1991, was the first animated feature film in history to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The  ballroom dance scene pictured here combined hand-drawn techniques and computer graphic imagery using Computer Animation Production System (CAPS). 

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White text atop a color photograph of film still from the movie Titanic feature Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet

James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster film Titanic was a surprise hit and record breaking film. Inspired by the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912, the movie, starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, is reported to have cost $200 million to make, has a run time over three hours, and created cinematic history. It won eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and it was the first film to have a video release (to VHS) while the film was still showing in theaters; the film screened at cinemas for fifty-four weeks! Film executives at the time reported that they had not anticipated the demand and popularity of the film, and scrambled to have tie in merchandise. Some companies even sold items like replica life vests as souvenirs. Promotion did pick up in time for the two-tape VHS release in September of 1998, and in some cities people waited in lines outside the store at midnight to purchase the film. By that point, they were prepared for the demand: a total of 24 million copies of the film were created for VHS. 

Mirrored background with turquoise and purple irregular, layered shapes. An illustration of the cartoon character Garfield and black text in the foreground 

Garfield is a comic strip created by Jim Davis in 1978. The comics chronicle the experiences of the titular cat character Garfield, an orange, round tabby cat with a dry sense of humor. The comics also feature Garfield's human owner, Jon Arbuckle, and Arbuckle's dog, Odie. Garfield regularly expresses laziness, love of coffee and lasagna, and hatred of Mondays. As of 2015, Garfield was the most widely syndicated comic strip. It has led to multiple animated television programs and specials, live action films, and a large array of merchandise. 

Color reproduction of the Norman Rockwell painting "The Unexpected Proposal" fills the entire area. A narrow red and white band with black text covers a small portion of the lower part of the button. 

The Unexpected Proposal is a painting by Norman Rockwell from 1932. In 1986, the painting was reproduced on a plate as the first in a series titled, “Rockwell Colonials: The Rarest Rockwells.” The plates were approved by the Norman Rockwell Family Trust and the Rockwell Society of America, and crafted by Knowles China.

In 1916 when he was just 22 years old, Norman Rockwell made his first painting for The Saturday Evening Post magazine. He continued to provide covers for them for 47 years, cementing a connection with the magazine. Other works for which Rockwell is known are the series Four Freedoms, Rosie The Riveter, and The Problem We All Live With, an icon of the Civil Rights Movement.

White background with blue and black text and a black and white illustration of a cow in the center 

Trans-Species Unlimited was an animal rights organization founded by Dr. Giorgio P. Cave and Dana Marie Stuchell in 1981. The group promoted animal welfare through various means, including live events, flyers, and pinback buttons. Members protested the use of fur, animal testing, and other animal rights infringements using non-violence and civil disobedience. The Trans-Species Unlimited changed its name to the Animal Rights Movement, or ARM, before dissolving in 1992.