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). 

Black text on an orange background

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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. 

White text on a green background

Founded in 1966, the National Organization for Women (NOW) is the largest feminist organization in the United States. In 1972, NOW began a campaign in support of the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment), which, if passed, would constitutionally prohibit discrimination based on sex in the United States. The legislation included a seven-year deadline, which Congress extended until 1982 due to activist support. The deadline passed when the act was three states short of the 38 required for ratification in the Constitution. The “59 ¢” seen on this button refers to the gender pay gap: in 1963, when the Equal Pay Act was signed into law, women made on average 59 cents for every dollar made by their male counterparts.

In January 2020, the ERA reached the required 38 state ratifications. However, it is still not enshrined in the constitution. NOW continues to create similar green buttons, using the color of money to recognize the economic importance of the ERA. 

White shield on a blue background with blue text on the shield

White text on a green background

“McWashington” is a fictional and likely satirical name that humorously or critically combines well-known political figures. Likely originating around the 1972 U.S. presidential election, when George McGovern and Richard Nixon were major contenders, the button probably combines “Mc” (a hint at McGovern or Eugene McCarthy) with “Washington” (referring to George Washington). This pairing envisions a fictional “ideal” candidate and offers a playful critique of political branding. It is part of a broader trend of novelty or “anti-buttons” from the 1960s and ’70s, which used satire to comment on politics. 

Additionally, the “Mc” prefix has cultural significance, linked to the global McDonald's brand. In American slang, “Mc” often signals something mass-produced or generic, like a “McMansion” for a cheaply built large house. Thus, “McWashington” might also be a humorous remark on how political or national ideals are simplified, reducing Washington, D.C., or George Washington’s legacy to fast-food-style, mass appeal.