White background with red text. 

Have info on this button? Contact us here.

White background with red text.

Have info on this button? Contact us here.

Green and red text with an illustration of Santa Claus in the middle on a white button. 

Wieboldt Stores, Inc. was a Chicago general retailer that opened in 1883 and closed in 1986 after the company went bakrupt. Its flagship location was State Street in downtown Chicago with a number of other locations in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. Wieboldt's cultivated a welcoming atmosphere, employing a multilingual sales staff. For that reason, they were popular among working-class shoppers who could not afford or felt unwelcome in the big downtown department stores.

Like most department stores during the late nineteenth and early to mid-twentieth centuries, they had elaborate Christmas decorations and displays with accompanying advertising campaigns. Wieboldt's even sponsored a seasonal radio show and then television program featuring the Cinnamon Bear, which told the story of a stuffed bear who lived in the enchanted world of Maybeland. The Cinnamon Bear aided two young children who came to Maybeland to find the lost the silver star that topped their Christmas tree. Wieboldt's sold stuffed teddy bear versions of the Cinnamon Bear during the Christmas season.

Yellow background with green and red text. An image of a tear drop shaped cartoon man in red, white, and blue attire. He has a bike next to him and the Country Companies logo. 

Reddy Ryder was the safety mascot for an insurance company called Country Companions (now known as Country Financial). Reddy Ryder was a puppet character who focused on bicycle safety and helped teach it to children in an informational but entertaining way. After every safety presentation, children received a Reddy Ryder button like the one pictured to help them remember bicycle safety rules.

Silver background with black text. 

Every motorcycle and bicycle has a front fork that holds the front wheel in place while allowing it to turn and brake. BMW developed a telescopic front fork incorporating hydraulic shock absorbers in the mid-1930s. This design isolated road bumps from the bike frame and the rider. Telescopic front forks became standard on motorcycles and are seen on some bicycles now as well. Being that the forks have oil-filled shock absorbers, good oil seals are essential to performance. Universal Accessories advertised their Leakproof™ fork and shock absorber seals as sized to fit “virtually everything.” By 1977, they had improved their seals with Teflon coating that they claimed reduced friction by 80%. Despite some advertising in 1970s motorcycle magazines, little is known about the company.

Have more info on this button? Contact us here.

Red background with white text and a small white circle with red text. 

After meeting Hugh Hefner while working on a sketch job for a Chicago department store, LeRoy Neiman got his first big break with the newly created Playboy magazine. Neiman published sketches and wrote a regular column in the men’s magazine. In the 1960s, while living in New York City, Neiman continued his craft, drawing and painting major athletes and other famous figures. The New York Times featured some sketches made by Neiman at the first Muhammad Ali/Joe Frasier boxing match in 1971. He went on to be the official artist of five Olympic games beginning in Munich, 1972. Neiman painted for such events as the 1968 Democratic National Convention, the Bobby Fisher-Boris Spassky World Chess Championship in 1972, Broadway plays, and even the Super Bowl. For the ‘79 and ‘76 Olympic games, the fast-food restaurant Burger King sponsored a promotion with Neiman where diners would receive an Olympic print when they purchased specific menu items. Commemorative LeRoy Neiman pins were also given to diners wishing to donate.

White button with yellow text outlined in red. The image of a hotdog riding a hotdog train is about the text. 

This is an advertisement for Franksville, a restaurant located in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1964, Franksville is best known for their hot dog specials and their logo still features the image on the button.  

Brown button with the image of Mickey Mouse holding an orange vase on it. 

The Epcot World Showcase at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida shares the culture and cuisine of eleven countries from around the world, including Morocco. The Morocco Pavilion opened in 1984 and is designed to look like a Moroccan city. The pavilion features three Moroccan restaurants, several stores, an outdoor bazaar, and Moroccan-themed entertainment. It is also a place where guests can meet and visit with the Disney characters, Aladdin and Princess Jasmine.

Yellow button with black text and black illustration of King Tut's head. 

Have info on this button? Contact us here.

McDonald's logo at the top over red letters reading, "BIG MAC," over a photograph of said hamburger, which is over black text in French on a white background.

Canada was the first foreign market the U.S.-based fast-food restaurant chain McDonald's entered. They opened their first Canadian location in British Columbia in 1967. McDonald's became the largest foodservice operator in Canada by 1981. They maintained that position until 2005 when they were overtaken by Canadian coffee and doughnut fast food restaurant Tim Hortons. 

The popular McDonalds menu, the McFlurry, originated in Canada. It was first served at a McDonald's in Bathurst, New Brunswick, in 1995 and was being served at McDonald's across Canada within two years.