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

Have info on this button? Contact us here.

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.

Black text on a white background

The phrase "Let's Lock Loins" dates back to the 1960's "free love" counter culture. 

Purple text on a yellow background.

“Be Creative, Invent a Sexual Perversion” was a phrase featured on merchandise originally sold in the Kazoo Bookstore on Fairfax in Los Angeles, California. This bookstore was one of several owned by the L.A. Free Press, the country’s first and most successful underground newspaper. Art Kunkin, a member of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), first launched The L.A. Free Press in 1964. While it labeled itself as a liberal newspaper, it took shots at both parties and the shortcomings of the country’s two-party system. It gained a substantial following after its reporting of the Watts Uprising in 1965. The bookstore and advertisements were once mentioned by The New Yorker’s, Renata Adler who had visited the store. Aside from wearable motifs like buttons, the store carried posters, cigarette papers, roach clips, and obscure books and pamphlets on various topics including drugs and Eastern religions.

Red and white text on a brown background

Mae West (August 17, 1893 - November 22, 1980) was quoted saying this quirky line. West was a playwright and actress who was known for her sexual subjects. She wrote Sex,  Drag, The Wicked Age, Pleasure man and The Constant Sinner. In the early 1930s, saying lewd words in public could be reason to get arrested on moral charges. West's work was recognized by Hollywood, which led to parts in movies like Night After Night (1932), I’m No Angel(1933), Klondike Annie (1936) and My Little Chickedee’s (1939). In 1935, she became the second highest earner in the United States. In her later years, West performed similar plays as in her early days at a nightclub. During the same time, she published her autobiography, Goodness Had Nothing To Do With It (1959).