Illustration of a face with big eyes and an open mouth with teeth

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.

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Illustration of a yellow shooting star on a blue background

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Illustration of a red race car on a white oval backgound in the center of the button surrounded by a black and white checkerboard background

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Illustration of a red origami crane

While the origins of this particular button are unknown, the paper crane (or "orizuru") is the most popular design of the Japanese origami (paper folding) tradition. The paper crane represents the Japanese red-crowned crane, significant in Japanese culture. Paper-folding traditions began with ceremonial use at weddings and funerals, and some designs were attached to gifts as greeting cards are today.Origami is now often used as a form of recreation and entertainment, and many books on origami techniques have been published for anyone to learn the craft. 

Illustration of a glowing outline of a heart shape

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Black and white photograph of a woman

Photographic pinback buttons made with celluloid material were extremely popular from the late 1800s to the 1930s.  It was during the 1860s that photography became more available on the commercial market. Humphrey E. Copley of Connecticut sought a patent in 1861 to incorporate photographs onto buttons by utilizing a metal rim to hold the photograph in place. This technology coincided with the Civil War and mourners embraced the option of being able to wear visual representations of their loved ones. John Wesley Hyatt was an American inventor who received a patent for a product named celluloid in 1870. After refinement of the initial product, Hyatt’s celluloid became the first commercially profitable synthetic material. United States patent records reflect the usage of celluloid in making buttons with photographs in the late 1880s. In 1893 Benjamin S. Whitehead acquired a patent for using celluloid over the photo to protect the image. The increased availability of photography coupled with the ability of manufacturers to produce buttons inexpensively allowed the public to create a fashion fad out of the desire to have portable keepsakes.  

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Black and white photograph of a man wearing a suit

Photographic pinback buttons made with celluloid material were extremely popular from the late 1800s to the 1930s.  It was during the 1860s that photography became more available on the commercial market. Humphrey E. Copley of Connecticut sought a patent in 1861 to incorporate photographs onto buttons by utilizing a metal rim to hold the photograph in place. This technology coincided with the Civil War and mourners embraced the option of being able to wear visual representations of their loved ones. John Wesley Hyatt was an American inventor who received a patent for a product named celluloid in 1870. After refinement of the initial product, Hyatt’s celluloid became the first commercially profitable synthetic material. United States patent records reflect the usage of celluloid in making buttons with photographs in the late 1880s. In 1893 Benjamin S. Whitehead acquired a patent for using celluloid over the photo to protect the image. The increased availability of photography coupled with the ability of manufacturers to produce buttons inexpensively allowed the public to create a fashion fad out of the desire to have portable keepsakes.  

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An illustration of an angry black and white cat that is showing its teeth. The cat is centered on the button and the background is white.

Norma was a prominent toy factory in Soviet Estonia, famous for its toy cars and pins. Major production took place between 1960 - 1980. The items made by Norma are now considered vintage collectable. The buttons were usually produced in sets, such as a set of animated characters, flowers, animals, etc. 

Black and white photograph of an owl

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White and red text on a blue background

In 2000 Al Gore, Vice President under Bill Clinton, campaigned for the presidency with running mate Joe Lieberman. Gore ran as a Democrat against George W. Bush. Gore's platform was pro-choice, earning the women's vote, advocated for gay rights, and endorsed tax cuts that would pay for education and health care. After controversy in Florida over a proposed re-count of the votes, Gore won the popular vote but did not become President because Bush won the electoral vote, the fourth presidential candidate in American history to do so. Afterwards Gore became well known for his environmental activism, most notably his book and film An Inconvenient Truth, for which he earned the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

Al Gore. (n.d.). Retrieved December 15, 2015 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Gore.