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.   

yellow text on a brown background with 7 thin black horizontal lines

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Black text on an orange background

Whether you call it "mining for gold", "picking boogers", or "clearing the bats from the cave", nose picking is widely regarded as bad manners and worse hygiene. In the vein of signage thanking people for not smoking or not stepping on the grass, this button shows appreciation for those who keep their fingers out of their noses.

Illustration of a red and white cat wearing a black graduation cap on a yellow background with red text

Hep Cat is a term to describe the hipsters of the 1930s and 40s. Hep Cats would dress, talk and act like the jazz performers they idolized. With the rising popularity of jazz in the 30s, “Young white people began to travel to African-American clubs and neighborhoods, especially Harlem, to embrace black music and dance”. This term would later be morphed into the word we use now: hipster.

Some popular "hep cat" jazz musicians of the time include: Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Bing Cosby, Cab Calloway and Benny Goodman.