Purple, white, and orange background with white and pink letter and an illustration of a green cartoon-style reptilian animal sticking out its pink tongue about to eat a brown cricket

The Fluker Farms “I Ate a Bug Club” pinback button came as a prize with the Fluker Farms product “Chocolate Covered Crickets” from 2005-2009. 

In 1953 Richard Fluker started Fluker's Cricket Farm in Southern Louisiana which provided live bait to local fishermen. Today Fluker Farms breeds a wide variety of feeder insects for fishing bait and reptile food throughout the United States. They also provide supplies for reptiles kept domestically. 

Black text above a color illustration of a Smurf character with its eyes closed leaning up against a tree 

In 1958, Pierre Culliford (or Peyo) created a series of comics featuring little blue individuals who lived in mushroom houses, where no humans could find them. These “three-apple tall” beings who could live hundreds of years were originally called “Les Schtroumpfs” by Culliford, who was Belgian. The name came to be when Culliford forgot the French word for “salt” while dining with his French friend and fellow cartoonist, Andre Franquin. Culliford made up a French word for salt, Schtroumpfs, and later named his blue characters the same name. Eventually, the Schtroumpfs became known as “The Smurfs”.

In the 1960s and 70s, two animated films and ten animated shorts were released in Belgium, then in several other European countries. In 1981, Hanna-Barbera adapted the comic into an animated series, which became an instant hit in the United States. Due to its popularity, a variety of merchandising was created, including this 1980s button featuring Lazy Smurf napping against a tree. Smurfs enthusiasts enjoyed another revival in 2011, when another animated film was released in theaters. Since then, two more films were released in 2013 and 2017.

Fun fact: While Americans refer to these blue creatures as “The Smurfs”,  they are known as “Pitufos” in Spanish and “Dardasim” in Hebrew!

Blue, red, and purple text on a white background with two illustrated rainbow flags above a black and white illustration of the Chicago skyline  

The 1998 Chicago Pride Parade commemorated the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York. It was the 28th Annual Chicago Pride celebration and the largest Pride Parade in its history. 

The parade’s aims were community engagement, empowerment, and acceptance rather than petitioning for specific LGBTQ2+ rights and issues. The parade focused on showing the diverse Chicago queer community with lawyers, doctors, and 50+ politicians in participation, floats from Chicago Leather groups and Drag Queens, and many LGBTQ2+ allies with floats, signs, and literature. 

1998 Pride celebrations in San Diego and Atlanta also sported merchandise with the slogan “Unity in Diversity”.

White background with white text on red and blue outside rims and a black and white photograph of Bob Hope in the center

Bob Hope for President was the name of an NBC special that ran in 1980 prior to the United States presidential election between Ronald Regan and Jimmy Carter. The hour-long special included sketches where Hope pretended to be running for president, and featured a lengthy list of celebrities like Sammy Davis Jr., Johnny Carson, and Lou Ferringo. 

Bob Hope was a well-known actor, comedian, and host, best known for hosting hundreds of comedy specials. He also holds the record for hosting the Academy Awards: 19 times, more than any other performer. 

Black background with blue retro-tech text in the center and white cursive-style text on the top half

Before Macs and PCs, there was Kaypro and Osbourne. These microcomputers are the ancestors of the laptops and desktops used today. The Kaypro II was launched by Non-Linear Systems in 1982. Non-Linear Systems was headed at the time by the Kaypro’s namesake, Andrew Kay. Non-Linear Systems went on to produce the Kaypro IV and the Kaypro 10. Due to its higher storage specs and larger screen as well as its price point, the Kaypro II crushed the Osbourne I in the market. In 1982, a Kaypro II cost $1,795, which is equivalent to $5,711 in 2023. In 1983, Non-Linear Systems changed its name to the Kaypro Corporation, and later that year it was named the 5^th largest personal computer manufacturer in the world. Kaypro’s reign ended in March of 1990, when the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Kaypro officially sold its last assets and property in 1995, and the business shut its doors for good. 

White text on a black background around the rim and an illustration of a red heart with a black and white EL AL airlines plane tail fin in the center

EL AL, roughly translating to "toward the skies," is the official airline of Israel. Founded in 1948, the airline primarily worked to fly supplies during the Arab-Israeli War. Now, it is most famous for its nonstop flight from Boston to Tel Aviv, first introduced in 1961. It is one of the longest nonstop flights offered on the market. 

Color composite illustration of wild animals in the center. Surrounding the center image around the rim are two colored bands—dark blue and turquoise—with white text, two small black Mickey Mouse silhouettes, and small white illustrations of a dolphin and a turtle. 

In 1995, Disney created the Disney Conservation Fund in order to protect nature for future generations. The organization uses grants to invest in conservation efforts around the world. The “Marine Conservation Hero” line on this button indicates that at one point, its former owner donated at least one dollar to the Disney Conservation Fund at the Disney parks—in this case at the Living Seas at Epcot. Park-goers obtained buttons from this series by donating to the fund while at the parks, and Disney matched all donations. As of 2023, this fund is ongoing. Guests at the Disney parks can still obtain Conservation Hero buttons by donating to the fund, albeit with a different design than the one shown here. 

Rainbow striped upside down triangle on a white background with black and white text inside the triangle.

The Standing Committee for LGBT Awareness (SCLGBTA), now known as the Coalition for Sexuality and Gender Identities (CSGI), is a coalition that strives to build academic communities that value and empower people of all genders and sexualities. The group was founded in 1983, amidst the early years of the AIDS epidemic when many members of the LGBT community were facing discrimination.  

The coalition is part of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA), an association of higher education professionals who work to foster student learning in college and university settings. The ACPA meets once a year for its annual convention. 

White text on a black background with a small illustration of a white cigarette underneath a red anti-circle

By the late 1940s to early 1950s, the medical industry had performed multiple studies that demonstrated clear, adverse health risks that were a result of smoking. After recommendations from the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, and other medical societies—and despite lobbying by cigarette and tobacco companies—the United States Surgeon General released a 1964 report confirming the damaging health repercussions associated with smoking cigarettes. In the following decades a number of anti-smoking campaigns and programs were created, including the Smoke Stoppers program which was trademarked in 1997. Smoke Stoppers was a twenty-one day medical program designed to help patients stop smoking through the use of behavioral methodologies with daily guides.

Orange text outlined in black on a blue background

Up with People is an organization known for its international musical ensemble that promotes youth empowerment and positive messaging. It was founded as Sing-Out in 1965 by J. Blanton Belk, who wanted to bring together young people during the political tumult of the 1960s to bridge cultural barriers and create positive change through singing and performance. Its first performance was in Connecticut, but its membership and touring schedule quickly spread beyond the United States. In 1968 it was incorporated as a nonprofit, under the name Up with People. The ensemble has performed globally for world leaders and at famous events such as the Olympics and the Super Bowl halftime show. It remains active in the 2020s, with an alumni roster that includes the actress Glenn Close. One of Up with People's Super Bowl performances can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxK3qTsj_eE