Blue text along the top and bottom outer edge and an illustration of a character made of lightning bolt like arms and legs and holding tools.

Reddy Kilowatt was the mascot developed as the official spokesman for generating electricity.  Reddy Kilowatt was the branding character starting in 1923 and served as such for the next 70 years.  The character was seen internationally, from Africa to South America.  The mascot was commercialized upon and seen on items ranging from jewelry to playing cards.  Reddy Kilowatt declined in popularity as a result of the changing landscape of energy production and consumption.  Currently, there are a few licenses owned by electrical companies to use the Reddy Kilowatt character.

Illustration of a black and white character standing on a black missle like shape holding on to it by a reign and holding binoculars on a white background

Kellogg's issued a set of military insignia pins with their PEP cereal in 1943. The set is known as the “Pep War Insignia Pins” and features 36 WWII military squadron emblems. It was created for Kellogg's by the legendary "Premium King" Sam Gold. The Kellogg's Pep cereal brand sponsored radio programs and was known for giving away premium items such as trading cards, badges, and pinback buttons.

The mascot of the Navy Observation Squadron 3 was Disney's Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

Illustration of a caucasian man in a black naval uniform on a white background.

One of a series of 86 different comic character buttons issued by Kellogg's and given away with PEP cereal between 1945-1947. Other characters in the series included Orphan Annie, Dick Tracy, Popeye and Felix the Cat.

Don Winslow was the lead character in the comic strip Don Winslow of the Navy that was distributed from 1934 to 1955. He was a  Lieutenant Commander in Naval Intellegence and chased after spys. The comic strip was also made into radio and film serial versions.

Illustration of a brown and white dog standing on green grass with a white sky background and black text along the bottom edge.

The Boston Terrier originated in the United States. These dogs are intelligent, friendly and can be easily trained.

This button is part of a larger set of 35 buttons, each with an illustration of a different dog breed. The were originally sold on a 6” x 9” cardboard sheet.

Illustration of a colorful butterfly

Seagrams Seven Crown Whiskey and the lemon-lime soda 7-Up mix to create a cocktail called the "Seven and Seven". Throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, Seagrams Seven and 7-Up created joint advertising campaigns based on this cocktail. Among the slogans developed to advertise the two products, a 1979 campaign referred to Seagrams Seven and 7 Up as “America’s Favorite Couple”. The Seven and Seven cocktail appeared in movies and television shows from the 1970s, including 1973’s Mean Streets and 1977’s Saturday Night Fever. In 2000, the Seagrams Company’s liquor assets were divided between the British beverage company Diageo and the French company Pernod Ricard. 

Turquoise white and yellow text on a yellow and turquoise bakckground with a checkerboard outer edge

Rock Island Diner was a UK-based 1950s-themed restaurant chain. Its first location opened in London in the mid 1980s. Stylistically, the restaurant aimed to emulate American diners of the 1950s. The menu featured classic American diner food like hamburgers, french fries, and milkshakes. Servers at Rock Island Diner were called “Dinettes”. The Dinettes were a major draw to the restaurant, and would perform choreographed dances on the counters, often to 1950s rock and roll songs. Rock Island Diner was an integral part of a trend in the 1980s and early 1990s of rock-themed restaurants in London. The restaurant was located adjacent to Madame Tussaud’s Rock Circus, a rock and roll-themed wax museum. Due to the success of the London outpost, Rock Island Diner opened at least additional locations in the mid-1990s, however all Rock Island Diner locations were closed by the early 2000s.

Red illustration of a lion's head in the center of the button surrounded by red and black text

The oil company Gilmore Oil Company of Los Angeles developed an advertising campaign in the 1930s using the Red Lion to promote their product.  The oil company was founded by Arthur Fremont Gilmore in 1905, after discovering oil on his dairy farm.  The advertising campaign focused on the different colors of gasoline, which was the first time an oil company advertised gasoline by its color.  Dye is added to gasoline to indicate whether or not it was high-sulfur and low-tax, while clear gasoline was untaxed. Red Lion gas first appeared on the West Coast in the 1920s and remained until the 1940s.  

Illustration of a bald man in a red coat with tails and blue pants carrying a try with bottles and glasses on a yellow and red background with black text over the top of the image

Pfeiffer Beer was a Detroit, Michigan-based brewery established in 1889. Pfeiffer was founded by Conrad Pfeiffer, a German native who immigrated to the United States in 1871. The company was initially branded as Conrad Pfeiffer Beer, but was renamed the C. Pfeiffer Brewing Company in 1902. Pfeiffer ceased operation during the years of Prohibition, but reopened in 1933 and was rebranded for the third time, as the Pfeiffer Brewing Co. The company, which produced several German-style beers, experienced steady growth through the middle of the 20th century, but was acquired by Wisconsin-based G. Heileman Brewing Company in 1972. Heileman was acquired in 1996 by the Stroh Brewery Company, which discontinued the Pfeiffer line soon after.

Illustration of a red white and blue bottle cap with red text on a white background

Pepsi is a carbonated drink created in 1893 in New Bern, North Carolina, by Caleb Bradhman in his local drugstore. Originally named Brad's Drink, it was renamed Pepsi-Cola on August 28, 1898 because the original creator of Pepsi wanted the drink to be appealing but also aid in digestion, hence the ingredients pepsin and kola nuts. The Pepsi bottle cap became part of Pepsi's logo in the 1940s, though the design has changed considerably throughout the company's advertising history. 

Illustration of a man with a mustache wearing a large sombrero with black text on the brim and a red and white blanket over one shoulder with black text along the bottom

Longy's El Rancho Grande Mexican restaurant was located in Lombard, Illinois. The restaurant was popular in the 1960s. Shortly after moving spaces in the early 1970s, the restaurant closed.