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Laugh-In was a popular American sketch comedy television show created by Dan Rowen and Dick Martin.  The show, which consisted of 140 episodes, ran from 1968-1973.  The title was a play on words reflecting the “love-ins” and “sit-ins” common in the 1960s hippie culture and civil rights movements.  Skits from the show featured regular cast members and special guest stars and became the launching platform for stars such as Goldie Hawn, Lilly Tomlin and Arte Johnson.  Laugh-In became the #1 television show in America within two months of its debut.

Judy Carne (1939-2015) was born Joyce Autrey Botterill in Northampton, England.  She is best known for her portrayal of the “sock it to me” girl from the Laugh-In series where she appeared from 1968-1970.  Carnes line, “sock it to me,” was usually followed by being dowsed with a bucket of water or falling through a trap door, or some other kind of indignity.  Her life post-Laugh-In consisted of a few Broadway appearances, two marriages (Burt Reynolds and Robert Bergmann), and problems with drug addiction and alcohol.  In 1985 Carnes published an autobiography titled Laughing on the Outside, Crying on the Inside.  In her later years, she returned to England and enjoyed a quiet life in the city in which she was born.

Black and white photograph of a woman on a blue background with black text

Laugh-In was a popular American sketch comedy television show created by Dan Rowen and Dick Martin.  The show, which consisted of 140 episodes, ran from 1968-1973.  The title was a play on words reflecting the “love-ins” and “sit-ins” common in the 1960s hippie culture and civil rights movements.  Skits from the show featured regular cast members and special guest stars and became the launching platform for stars such as Goldie Hawn, Lilly Tomlin and Arte Johnson.  Laugh-In became the #1 television show in America within two months of its debut.

Jo Ann Worley (b. 1937), appeared in the first three seasons of the show, and went on to make appearances as a guest start in numerous television shows and game shows.  Best known for her boisterous voice, Worley stated that as a child she would lip-sync in church so as not to drawn out the other parishioners.  Recently, Worley appeared as the voice of Armoire the Wardrobe in the popular video games Kingdom Hearts I and II.

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Laugh-In was a popular American sketch comedy television show created by Dan Rowen and Dick Martin.  The show, which consisted of 140 episodes, ran from 1968-1973.  The title was a play on words reflecting the “love-ins” and “sit-ins” common in the 1960s hippie culture and civil rights movements.  Skits from the show featured regular cast members and special guest stars and became the launching platform for stars such as Goldie Hawn, Lilly Tomlin and Arte Johnson.  Laugh-In became the #1 television show in America within two months of its debut.

Henry Gibson (1935-2009), born James Bateman, was the flower-holding poet from the television series.  After earning a bachelor’s degree from the Catholic University of America, Gibson served in the Air Force as an intelligence officer with the 66^th Tactical Reconnaissance in France from 1957-1960.  As a civilian returning to America, he roomed with Jon Voight, a college pal, and the two came up with an act depicting 2 brothers from the Ozarks who wreaked havoc wherever they went.  One of the brothers Voight dubbed “Henry Gibson” and the name stuck.

When Gibson auditioned for the Laugh-In series, he read a poem and did a back-flip.  The show’s executive producer was so impressed he told Gibson to show up for work on Monday.  All of the poems Gibson performed on the show were his creation.  Gibson’s later professional career included numerous television and film appearances and he earned the National Society of Film Critics’ award for best supporting actor in Nashville. 

Black and white photograph of a man with black text on a red and on a blue background

Laugh-In was a popular American sketch comedy television show created by Dan Rowen and Dick Martin.  The show, which consisted of 140 episodes, ran from 1968-1973.  The title was a play on words reflecting the “love-ins” and “sit-ins” common in the 1960s hippie culture and civil rights movements.  Skits from the show featured regular cast members and special guest stars and became the launching platform for stars such as Goldie Hawn, Lilly Tomlin and Arte Johnson.  Laugh-In became the #1 television show in America within two months of its debut.

Dick Martin (1922-2008) was an American comedian and director, best known as co-creator of the Laugh-In series.  A graduate of Michigan State University, he formed a comedy team with Dan Rowan in 1952 and played in nightclubs throughout the U.S. and overseas.  The pair also appeared frequently on Colgate’s Comedy Hour.  Later in his career, he directed The Bob Newhart Show and the 1980s sitcom Newhart.

Black and white photograph of a man on blue background with black text

Laugh-In was a popular American sketch comedy television show created by Dan Rowen and Dick Martin.  The show, which consisted of 140 episodes, ran from 1968-1973.  The title was a play on words reflecting the “love-ins” and “sit-ins” common in the 1960s hippie culture and civil rights movements.  Skits from the show featured regular cast members and special guest stars and became the launching platform for stars such as Goldie Hawn, Lilly Tomlin and Arte Johnson.  Laugh-In became the #1 television show in America within two months of its debut.

Dan Rowen (1922-1987) was an American comedian who co-created the comedy series Laugh-In with Dick Martin.  Rowen was actually born on a carnival train in Oklahoma, and traveled and performed with his parents until he was 11, when he was orphaned.  He then spent the next 4 years in an orphanage in Colorado, until he was adopted at the age of 15.  After completing high school, Rowan hitchhiked to Los Angeles and began working in the mail room at Paramount.  A year later, he became the youngest staff writer for the studio.  Rowan served as a fighter pilot in WWII and received several military decorations including the Purple Heart.  After discharge he returned to California, and teamed up with Dick Martin and toured as a comedy team until the pair created the Laugh-In series.

A ring of orange around the edge of the button, and an orange stripe across the middle with a floral decorative design on either side.  Black text inside orange ring and stripe.

The Beatles were a well-known English rock band comprised of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. The group experimented with several musical styles and quickly gained popularity. They first appeared as “Beatlemania.” The band was nick-named the “Fab Four” and by 1964 were internationally loved. After the group broke up in 1970, there was a widespread movement, speared by Muhammad Ali and Joel Sacher, to reunite the band.

Blue and White halved button with white blue and red text. 

Equal Rights for Public Employees is likely a reference to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, its purpose is to enforce federal laws prohibiting workplace discrimination against employees of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information. They also work to prevent discrimination from occurring by giving presentations to employees about law enforcement and writing documents about equal employment opportunity laws to help employees understand their rights and responsibilities at work. Their vision is to respect and include workplaces with equal employment opportunities for all.

Illustration of a bottle top with white text on blue and red outlined text on yellow on a white background

Dad’s Root Beer was developed in the 1930s by Barney Berns and Ely Klapman of Chicago, Illinois. By the 1940s, Dad’s was one of the most consumed brands of root beer in the U.S. The company’s bottling plant, located in the Avondale area of northwest Chicago along the Kennedy Expressway, was a fixture in that neighborhood. After the plant was moved to Indiana in the 70s, the Chicago location was renovated into condominiums. Jules Klapman, grandson of the co-founder was able to expand the product to the international market. The Dad’s brand was sold to IC Industries and then Monarch Beverage Company and is currently headquartered in Jasper, Indiana. 

A white-bearded Norseman carries a club and a shield that reads, The Nourse Brands, while wearing a horned helmet and fur-lined boots. He stands above a message that reads, Nourse Oil Co, in black text following orange text that reads, "Business is Good." There is an orange and black checkered outer border and an inner background tan color behind the man. In the center is a whole where a wooden stick should be to use as a spinning top.

Nourse Oil Co. was an independent oil company founded by John Cuming Nourse at age 19 in 1904. He is also referred to by the name Jack. The company based operations in Kansas City in 1917 where Nourse painted his slogan, “Business is Good,” on the company building. The company produced Nourse Brands motor oil between 1925 and 1945 in Omaha, Nebraska. All of the brand’s advertising featured the “Nourseman.” It is based on the concept of a hardy Norseman with his armor, shield, war club and horned helmet. Nourse wanted his legacy after death to have his name and his Nourse brand be known widely for "lubrication."

Blue text on a white background around a red, white, and blue illustration of a box of cracker jack.

In the 1930s, Cracker Jack caramel popcorn featured prize tin toy tops with a wooden peg handle in their snack boxes. Cracker Jack was the creation of Frederick William Rueckheim, a German immigrant who sold the popcorn in Chicago beginning in 1871. The Cracker Jack name became a registered trademark in 1896 and the company began selling their product in moisture-proof paper packaging and is considered by some historians as the first junk food. The company provided a wide variety of trinkets as prizes including toy tops, miniature wagons, beer mugs, dice, trading cards, and whistles.

The snack has been commonly sold at American baseball games, and is featured in the song “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Cracker Jack was bought out by Frito-Lay, who in 2016 replaced the trinkets with a digital code that purchasers can use to log into the company’s site to view their favorite baseball moments.