Blue text on a blue background

This button is most likely related to the campaign to abolish the national holiday of Mother’s Day. In 1908, Anna Jarvis spearheaded the first Mother’s Day events to honor her own mother who was a Sunday school teacher and took care of wounded soldiers during the Civil War. She then campaigned for the holiday to become official and in 1914, Congress made it so. The floral and greeting card industries quickly took advantage of the commercial possibilities of the holiday and by 1920, Jarvis was disgusted by all manufacturers profiting from the holiday. She spent the rest of her life going door-to-door getting people to sign petitions to try and abolish the holiday she founded.

White text on a red circle with a white then a blue ring around it

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Black and white photograph of Franklin D. Roosevelt wearing a suit.

Franklin Roosevelt served as President of the U.S. from 1933 -1945. During this time, he led the U.S. through the Great Depression and World War II. He also expanded the powers of the federal government through a series of programs known as the New Deal. Roosevelt was the only president to ever be elected four times

White text on a black ground, black text on a blue background and blue edges

In 1991, the English group Right Said Fred debuted the pop music hit “I’m Too Sexy.” The song’s lyrics primarily consist of a list of items, people, cities, and more that the singer describes himself as “too sexy” for. The song concludes with the statement that the singer is too sexy for the song itself.

Orange background with black smiley face 

The classic yellow smiley face is comprised of a yellow circle, two black dots for eyes and a black arc ending in serifs for a mouth. It  was designed in 1963 by by commercial artist, Harvey Ross Ball. Ball was commissioned by The State Mutual Life Insurance Company to create a happy face to raise the morale of their employees. His version was created in 10 minutes. The design was printed onto more than 50 million buttons. Neither Ball nor the company copyrighted this smiley, so it was continually used by other businesses in their promotions.

The design and concept is quite simple and was definitely used before Ball’s 1963 version. However his has become the most iconic. Variations have been used for advertising campaigns and in popular culture ever since.

Smiley face with white shamrock eyes on a green background surrounded by a white outer edge with green text and green dots with red outlines with a green outer edge

This button was most likely produced for non-Irish people to wear on Saint Patrick's Day, a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on March 17, the day of Saint Patrick's death. Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, and the day commemorates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland and the heritage and culture of the Irish people.  According to legend, Saint Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to Irish pagans, which accounts for the use of the shamrock to depict the eyes of the face on this button. It is customary to wear shamrocks and the color green on Saint Patrick's Day. Celebrations around the world include parades, feasts, festivals and drinking alcohol. 

Black text and a smiley face with a toothy grin on a yellow background

The classic yellow smiley face is comprised of a yellow circle, two black dots for eyes and a black arc ending in serifs for a mouth. It  was designed in 1963 by by commercial artist, Harvey Ross Ball. Ball was commissioned by The State Mutual Life Insurance Company to create a happy face to raise the morale of their employees. His version was created in 10 minutes. The design was printed onto more than 50 million buttons. Neither Ball nor the company copyrighted this smiley, so it was continually used by other businesses in their promotions.

The design and concept is quite simple and was definitely used before Ball’s 1963 version. However his has become the most iconic. Variations have been used for advertising campaigns and in popular culture ever since.

White text on a blue background

Pabst Blue Ribbon's advertising slogan in the early 1940s was, "33 fine brews blended to make one great beer!", often shortened to "33 to 1." The shorter version of the slogan was already familiar to the public because it is a common betting odd. This button is likely part of Pabst's advertising.

Pink and blue whimsical text with illustration of yellow stars and a yellow moon wearing a night cap.

“I’m the stuff dreams are made of” is a play-on-words rephrasing the famous expression “the stuff dreams are made of.” The phrase appears for the first time in the movie Maltese Falcon in 1941. Humphrey Bogart utters these words referring to a highly esteemed item; therefore, “I’m the stuff dreams are made of” means I am a precious or highly sought after individual.

Black text on a bright green background

“I’d go straight for you” is a declaration from a person indicating that they are so attracted to the other person that they would change their sexuality. This is most likely to be worn by people who are bisexual, pansexual, or just have a fluid sexuality.