Illustration of a man with short brown hair and a striped shirt wtih a white gag across his mouth and a microphone in front of him on a white background wtih red text above

This button is representative of those who dislike and disagree with the opinions of radio talk show host, writer, and conservative political commentator Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh is known for his ultraconservative and controversial opinions. His national talk radio program The Rush Limbaugh Show debuted in 1988 in New York City and within five years became the most popular talk radio program in the U.S. Limbaugh’s commentary often enraged the specific groups he targeted, including feminists, the homeless, and the Democratic Party. Despite being seen as controversial and divisive, he was credited with helping the Republican Party win control of both houses of Congress in 1994 and was a key figure in the effort to impeach President Bill Clinton in 1998. 

Illustration of an orca whale with green text along the bottom on a white background

Greenpeace was founded in 1971 to protest U.S. nuclear testing off the coast of Alaska. Since its inception, Greenpeace has worked to ban commercial whaling and to protect Antarctica. Today it is an international organization that has offices in over 30 countries and continues to work to protect the environment against threats such as climate change and deforestation. 

Black grey and blue text on a white background

This button likely refers to and promotes clean air and air pollution control. When the air changes to the color gray, it is referred to as smog. In the United States, smog was brought to attention in 1933 after the publication of the book “Stop That Smoke,” by Henry Obermeyer. The United States later enacted the Clean Air Act in 1963 to control air pollution on a national level. Throughout history there have been major air pollution events, such as the event on November 24, 1966 in New York City, when smog killed at least 169 people. 

White text on a black background

MOVE is a Philadelphia-based self-proclaimed black liberation group founded by John Africa in 1972. The group is still active and engages in public demonstrations against racism, police brutality, and other issues. In the past the group has been involved in a couple major incidents. In 1978, there was a standoff that resulted in the death of a police officer and injuries to several other people. Because of this event, the nine members of the group received life sentences. ‘Free the MOVE 9’ represents the point of view that those who were involved and have been in prison since August 8, 1978, should be freed. 

Illustration of the symbol for female with an equal sign in red on a white background

Female equality is the view that both men and women should receive equal treatment and not be discriminated against based on their gender. The symbol on the button is the symbol for female equality. The symbol is made up of the symbol for female and an equals symbol within the circle. The symbol for female is based on the Venus symbol, which represents the Roman goddess Venus or the Greek goddess Aphrodite. By placing the equals symbol within the female symbol, it creates "female equality". 

Illustration of an insect holding a soda and dropping an apple core and other litter on the ground all on a white background with a red outer edge and slash across the image

The litterbug cartoon was first introduced in 1952 by the Pennsylvania Resources Council and was updated in 1997. The telephone number 888-LITTERBUG was for the Pennsylvania litterbug hotline, which could be called to report a person caught littering. The phrase ‘Don’t Be a Litterbug’ is now associated with anti-littering campaigns across North America.

Photograph of a nude woman from behind standing in front of a bicycle on a light brown background

The Safety Bicycle shown on this button was a model popularized in the 1890s. It was the first bicycle made that is similar to what we have today. At the time it was praised for its health benefits and seen as an equalizer, as one of the few things that put the poor man on the same level as the rich man. The Safety Bicycle was created in 1885 by John Kemp Starley in Britain and although not the first bicycle created, was the first bicycle that women were allowed to ride.

Prior to Starley’s creation the Penny Farthing bicycle was popular. It was named so due to the two British coins that its large front and small back wheels resembled. This earlier model bicycle required a jump start to mount, and as such it was seen as a recreational sport that only able-bodied men could participate in. These models, popular in the 1870s, were also expensive, which limited the potential users to not only men, but well-to-do men.
 

White text and illustrations of hands cleaning and painting on a blue background

This button is most likely related to two documentary film shorts released in 1953 and 1954 called The House in the Middle, which showed the effects of a nuclear bomb test on three small houses. The houses on the left and right are run down and poorly maintained, but the house in the middle is clean, freshly-painted, and well-kept. The middle house survives the attack, while the more rundown houses do not. The 1953 version of the film was created by the Federal Civil Defense Administration (which created a nationwide plan for fallout shelters) to show that taking care of your house could help protect you from a nuclear bomb dropped by the Soviet Union.

The 1954 version of the film was released in color by the National Clean Up – Paint Up – Fix Up Bureau, which was created by the National Paint, Varnish and Lacquer Association. This version of the film was geared more toward marketing paint than protection against bombs. 

Illustration of a person behind a red banner with white text over a white banner with red text

The National Clean-Up, Paint-Up, Fix-Up Campaign was created in the 1920s by the National Paint, Varnish, and Lacquer Association to simply sell paint. Cities throughout the United States held “Clean Up, Paint Up, Fix Up” weeks. During these weeks, citizens were enlisted to improve their neighborhoods by picking up litter, painting houses and fences, planting flowers, and performing any other tasks that would improve the aesthetic of the communities. 

However, the campaign took a fascinating turn during the Cold War. In the 1950s, the unincorporated organization known as The National Clean-Up, Paint-Up, Fix-Up Bureau, in cooperation with the Federal Civil Defense Administration, made a short propaganda film titled The House in the Middle. The film implores U.S. citizens to keep their homes tidy, freshly painted, and free of litter. The film’s narrator explains that keeping a tidy home and community will protect them from an atomic bomb. Here is a link to the film: https://youtu.be/pGJcwaUWNZg?si=gSkUx-tNL12e2Hm1

Illustration of a yellow book with purple text in the center surrounded by five circles with illustrations of children in them interspersed with pinkish stars on a purple background

This button comes from the Pizza Hut Book It! Program that was established in 1984 after President Ronald Reagan urged American corporations to get involved in education. The first button for the program debuted in 1985 and the program received a commendation from the White House in 1987. In 1989, Pizza Hut worked with the Library of Congress to help establish National Young Readers Day. The program encourages children to read by “rewarding their reading accomplishments with praise, recognition and pizza.” The program currently reaches over 14 million students in 38,000 elementary schools every year.

This button features the characters Holly (with long dark hair) and Penny (with short yellow hair).