Sparkie Club Hi, Hey, Hello There

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Text on Button HI, HEY, HELLO THERE! I'M SPARKIE
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Black and white illustration of the character Sparkie on a white background surrounded by black text

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ST. LOUIS BUTTON CO MFRS., ST. LOUIS, MO

Curl Text © ARTHUR-SAMPSON ENTERPRISES, INC.
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Sparkie was one of the titular characters featured on the popular 1950s children’s radio show, Big Jon and Sparkie. Both Big Jon and Sparkie known as, ”the little elf from the land of make-believe, who wants more than anything else in the world to be a real boy”, were both voiced by Jon Arthur. The show first aired in 1950 from WSAI, a Cincinnati radio station. The program aired daily and featured a two-hour special on Saturdays called “No School Today” on WSAI and the ABC network.

While the show never successfully made the transfer to television, it paved the way for children’s television shows such as The Howdy Doody Show and Captain Kangaroo. Big Jon and Sparkie incorporated teaching moments into the shows, which was seen as a radical concept at the time. This concept did not become more common until the airing of PBS programs such as Sesame Street and Mister Rogers Neighborhood. Big Jon and Sparkie moved to The Family Radio Network in 1962 and ran until 1982. Archived episodes can still be heard online.

Buttons featuring Sparkie were commonly produced during the latter half of the show's run. The Sparkie Club was a sponsorship and merchandising program related to the show. It involved companies paying for special promotions relating to the show so fans could mail in proof of purchase (for example, ten milk bottle caps or milk carton lids) to get a specifically branded Sparkie Club Button.

Sources

 Big John and sparky (big Jon and Sparkie): No school today. Old Time Radio. (2024). https://www.otrcat.com/p/big-john-and-sparky 

Big Jon and Sparkie. Jay Johnson’s Monkey Joke. (2024). https://monkeyjoke.com/big-jon-and-sparkie/ 

Tribute to Jon Arthur (1982) big Jon and Sparkie no school today: KGO, Ted Hering: Free download, Borrow, and streaming. Internet Archive. (2020, May 20). https://archive.org/details/tribute-to-jon-arthur-1982

Sponsor Magazine. (1952, August 25). How to get the most out of a kid show. Sponsor, 32-35, 83-85. https://archive.org/details/sponsormagazine-1952-08/Sponsor-1952-08-2/

Catalog ID CL0688

I'm the Guy That Put the Art in Garters

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Text on Button I'M THE GUY THAT PUT THE ART IN GARTERS
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Black text on an off-white and light blue speckled background. The text is above and below an illustration of a bald man in a green suit with his hand and hands raised, a cigar hanging out of his mouth

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Quality TOKIO Cigarette FACTORY No. 649 1st DIST., NEW YORK THE WHITEHEAD & HOAG CO. PATENTED

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Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) was an American cartoonist and inventor who is best known for his cartoon depictions of impossibly complicated machines to accomplish simple mundane tasks. Goldberg is the only person ever to be listed in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as an adjective.

While working as a cartoonist for the New York Evening Mail in 1912, Goldberg came up with the “I’m the Guy” character. The popularity of the "I'm the guy..." slogans caught the eye of tobacco marketers who marketed the buttons in the 1910s as an incentive to buy some of their cigarettes. The versatile Goldberg even wrote a song with the phrase!

Sources

I’m the Guy. (n.d.) Retrieved March 9, 2024 from http://ronevry.com/imtheguy.html

Mallory, Mary. (2017, July 3). Hollywood Heights: ‘I’m the Guy’ – Rube Goldberg as Comic Performer. The L.A. Daily Mirror. Retrieved March 9, 2024 from https://ladailymirror.com/2017/07/03/mary-mallory-hollywood-heights-im-…

Rube Goldberg Institute (n.d.). About Rube Goldberg. Retrieved February 6, 2024 from https://www.rubegoldberg.org/all-about-rube/a-cultural-icon/

Catalog ID AD1098

Erin Go Bragh Shamrock

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Text on Button ERIN GO BRAGH
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Black text on a white background above an illustration of an two flags, a shamrock, and a harp atop a glowing yellow background

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[price tag 1.00]

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“Erin Go Bragh” is a phrase often heard on St. Patrick’s Day. In the original Irish, “Éirinn go Brách” is roughly translated to mean “Ireland Forever.” The phrase was coined as a rallying cry during the Irish Rebellion of 1798, a revolt of the Irish against British rule. Although they were unable to obtain their independence at that time, the phrase was picked up by the Irish people as a sign of their allegiance to Ireland. The phrase found its way to the United States through its use by a unit of Irish-American volunteers fighting for Mexico in the Mexican-American War in the 1840s. Today the phrase is used by Irish-Americans to celebrate their heritage.

Sources

Dempsey, Bobbi. (2024, March 13). What Does “Erin Go Bragh” Mean? Reader’s Digest. Retrieved from https://www.rd.com/article/what-does-erin-go-bragh-mean/

Catalog ID IB0853

McLaughlin Brothers Horse Importers

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Text on Button McLAUGHLIN BROTHERS HORSE IMPORTERS KANSAS CITY MO COLUMBUS O StPAUL MINN
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Black illustration of a horse in motion with black text on an off-white background

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Made by OHIO BADGE CO. 1231 N. High St., Columbus, O. [union bug]

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James B. McLaughlin and John McLaughlin were horse importers operating from 1890 to 1913. They founded the McLaughlin Brothers Livery and specialized in Percheron coach horses. One early business card had their location listed as Columbus, Ohio and their specialty as both Percheron and French coach horses. 

 

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Catalog ID AD1096

I'm a Husky

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Text on Button I'm A Husky I Eat HUSKY BREAD
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Illustration of a man shooting a basketball with black text on an orange background 

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The University of Washington in Seattle was established in 1861. Before 1922 the university experimented with a number of different school mascots including Vikings, Indians, and the Sundogger. In 1922, after calls for a different mascot, the Associated Students of the University of Washington formed a committee to select a new mascot. They landed on the Husky as the school’s official mascot and it has remained the mascot to this day. 

Sources

Colors  (2022, November 18). UW Brand. https://www.washington.edu/brand/brand-elements/colors/

 

Timeline 150. (n.d.). University of Washington. https://www.washington.edu/150/timeline/

 

University of Washington. (n.d.). Washington Huskies. https://gohuskies.com/sports/2013/4/18/208229209.aspx

Catalog ID SP0188

Pennies Don't Come From Heaven

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Text on Button PENNIES DON'T COME FROM HEAVEN THEY COME FROM SOUND ADVERTISING and SELLING
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White text on a red background on the top half; black text on a white background on the bottom half

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“Pennies from heaven” is a phrase from a song by singer Bing Crosby, as well as a 1936 film by the same title that Crosby starred in. The song, which remained on popular music charts for over ten weeks, has lyrics speaking metaphorically of how hardships will pass and riches will return to life as a matter of course. The phrase and the notion has remained colloquially in American culture, and used for perhaps humorous purposes such as discouraging the idea of beneficence appearing from the sky and encouraging a work ethic instead. 

Sources

Joel Whitburn’s Pop memories, 1890-1954 : the history of American popular music : compiled from America's popular music charts 1890-1954 : Whitburn, Joel : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : (1986). Internet Archive; Menomonee Falls, Wis. https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/104/mode/2up

Pennies from Heaven. (n.d.). IMDB. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028092/

Catalog ID AD1095

Rally Day Horns

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Text on Button RALLY DAY "AND GATHER THOU THE ASSEMBLY TOGETHER" - NUMBERS 20:8
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Illustration of a rising sun above an illustration of two crossed flags behind two horns with an open book in the center; large red text on the top of the button and small blue text on the bottom

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GOODENOUGH & WOGLOM CO. Sunday School Supplies 122 Nassau St., N.Y.

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Catalog ID EV0972

Ricordo de la Festa Nazionale

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Text on Button RICORDO DE LA FESTA NAZIONALE 1920 LA ITALIA REUNITE
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Black text on a white background with a color illustration of the flags of Italy and the United States attached to crossed yellow flag poles

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[sticker: 70]

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Catalog ID EV0971

Swift's Golden Neck Layer

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Text on Button Swift's Golden Neck Layer
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Yellow background with black text on the top above a large black and white illustration of a chicken in between two large baskets filled with eggs

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[sticker: 161]

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Swift Hatchery did business in Iowa in the 1940s and 1950s. In a 1949 newspaper ad, the chicks "Husky, Hearty, and Healthy" are proud to present “Swift’s Golden Neck Layer.” The breed was being offered in Iowa for the first time, and was described as a golden opportunity for poultry raisers! [emphasis taken from ad]

Sources

Swift’s Golden Neck Layer. (1949 January 20). The Algona Upper Des Moines (Algona, Iowa). p. 14.

Catalog ID AD1094