White text and an illustration of a yellow sun on a blue background

This button was distributed during the World's Fair in Chicago from 1933-1934 at the Sunsweet exhibit along with a sample of prune juice.  The logo "Century of Progress" was the headline of the World's Fair, which displayed the past 100 years of technological advanements.  Sunsweet Growers was originally founded in 1917 as the California Prune and Apricot Growers Association.  The company is currently headquartered in Yuba City, California operating the largest factory in the world that produces dried fruit.

Illustration of a fish wearingglasses and holding a can of tuna with red white and blue stripes over the top with white and blue text

In the mid 1960s, StarKist Tuna, a tuna company owned by Dongwon Industries, released buttons reading “Charlie for President” featuring their mascot Charlie the Tuna. First created by Tom Rogers in 1961, Charlie was shown wearing a hat and glasses typical to Greek fishers, and became famous when he appeared in dozens of advertisements as a fish who wants to be caught by StarKist because of his good taste. Charlie was retired for a short time in the 1980s but was brought back in 1999 and remains the mascot of SunKist Tuna.

Charlie the Tuna. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2015 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_the_Tuna

An illustration of Mr. Pikle. The character is a smiling pickle body in striped pants carrying a cane and wearing a hat and oversized white gloves. Upper banner is in red with white lettering, lower text is in red with overall white background.

The Pikle-Rite Company, a previously unincorporated entity based in Wisconsin, bought a pickle-making business in 1942. In 1946, the Pikle-Rite company began advertising their product with their mascot, Mr. Pikle. Through these advertisements, Pikle-Rite grew from a small family enterprise to a franchise sold in grocery stores across the Midwest.

In 1959, the company was involved in a lawsuit for trademark infringement in Chicago. Pikle-Rite, which had begun to use the trademark name “Polka” in 1956, was suing a Chicago-based company that sold pickles under the name “Pol-Pak” on the basis that "Pol-Pak" was imitating their name. Pikle-Rite won the suit, though the judge conceded that there was no proof that Pol-Pak was guilty of any fraud.

Illustration of pink scotch thistle flowers on a white background with black text underneath

Many gum manufactures in the late 1800's used pepsin powder in their chewing gum and marketed it as a way to aid in digestion.  Pepsin was thought to settle stomach issues and help people with digestive concerns. Scotch Thistle was once used as a treatment for cardiac stimulation, though it was never approved by the FDA.  Some heart medicines still use scotch thistle as a primary ingredient. It is also used to lessen mucous in nasal membranes. 

Rainbow stripes of color with a black bar across the center with white text on it

Pantone LLC is considered a primary authority on color. "In 1963, Lawrence Herbert, Pantone's founder, created an innovative system of identifying, matching and communicating colors to solve the problems associated with producing accurate color matches in the graphic arts community." To create their signature colors, Pantone uses a standardized production system called Pantone Matching System (PMS); this allows a manufacturer to order a color by its PMS number.  The company has expanded its view to art, entertainment, sports, and socio-economics in order to choose the next popular shade of the coming year. Patone’s color choice is met with great anticipation by fashion, graphic, and interior designers who use the color for their designs and packaging. You can find Pantone colors on accessories like watches, USB drives, iPhone cases, fabric swatches, and stationery! 

red text on a white background with a green stripe through the middle with white text on it

In 1918 the Oberto Brand was founded by Constantino Oberto and his Uncle John in Seattle, Washington. After Constantino’s death, his son Art took over the business and expanded the brand nationally. Today, Oberto continues to expand its production, manufacturing, and product lines.

Illustration of an orange letter M with black stripes and green letter on top with black text underneath on a white background

This button is for MTV (Music Television) which was born in the late 1970's by Warner Communications and American Express.  The two companies began the first, two way interactive cable TV system- Qube, in Columbus, Ohio.  Qube featured many different programming options- including children's shows, sporting events, and a channel specifically for music- Sight on Sound.  On August 1, 1981 Sight on Sound was renamed MTV and aired their first music video by the Buggles, "Video Killed the Radio Star."

Photograph of an orange with sunglasses on it and a smile drawn or painted onto it with orange on the orange peel and a white background with black text along the bottom.

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Red text on a yellow background with an illustration of a person in a suit and tie holding a briefcase and running while looking at their watch in the center of the button

The Long Island Rail Road began advertising their line of diesel trains during the late 1950s and 1960s with their new “Dashing Dan” herald. The company had recently replaced the last of their steam engines, and was taking on a new look when Dan was introduced in 1957 and became the official herald in 1959. Dan could be seen on transport trains, passenger cars, and machinery and was designed to appeal to the common working man. In 1962 a female counterpart called “Dashing Dottie” was introduced, meant to appeal to the women who were becoming a vital part of the workforce. The two “dashing” workers were replaced in 1966, but can still be found on some old train cars.

Castelli, Al. (n.d.). LIRR Symbols, Logos, & Heralds. [Web blog post]. Retrieved from: http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/lirrlogos.htm

Illustration of a yellow flower on a black background with black text on the flower

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