White text in a red banner above larger green text that mimics the pattern of a turtle's shell on a blue background.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) were created by cartoonists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. The four anthropomorphic turtles, named after Renaissance artists—Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo—made their debut in the eponymous comic book series published by Eastman and Laird's Mirage Studios in 1984. The duo published subsequent issues of the series in response to the Turtles' initial popularity. By the late 1980s they would go on to license their creations in one of the most successful franchises in entertainment history, yielding additional comic books, television shows, video games, motion pictures, and a wide array of merchandising.

Cream background with a cartoon gray tabby cat standing on two legs at the bottom center. The cat is holding the strings for a bunch of seven balloons that are many different colors. The balloons are light blue, medium blue, green, yellow, and red.

Chole the feline is a character featured in the children's book Chole and Maude created by illustrator Sandra Keith Boynton. Boynton was born in Orange, New Jersey, in 1953 and raised in Philadelphia. She attended Yale University majoring in English and later studying drama. Starting in the mid-1970s, Boynton designed greetings cards for the card company, Recycled Paper Greetings. Her designs feature cartoon animal characters and humorous messages. Boynton's illustrations have expanded from books and greeting cards to clothing, gift wrap, buttons, mugs, posters, rubber stamps, and much more. In addition to Boynton's many cartoon creations, she wrote, produced, and released a number of music albums in the late 1990s. Boynton resides in New England where she continues to create, design, and produce whimsical cartoon illustrations.

A duck wearing a blue hat and blazer holding a lit cigarette, over a white background, with curved red text above. 

Howard the Duck is an anthropomorphic duck published by Marvel Comics and created by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik. He first appeared in Adventure to Fear #19 in December, 1973 as a secondary character. The bold-faced Howard became a cult-hit and graduated to his own ongoing series in 1976 and a spin-off newspaper strip in 1977. 

Eventually, Howard attracted the attention of Disney who claimed that there was too much of a likeness to Donald Duck. With the threat of a lawsuit from Disney hanging over Marvel's head, Howard the Duck had to be redesigned. Disney laid out an agreement with specifics of what Howard could physically look like, including that the character must always wear pants. In 2009, the Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel entertainment and now owns most Marvel characters including Howard the Duck. 

Illustration of a skeleton walking with an exaggerated footstep, and a yellow half moon over an orange background. Black text is curved along the top. 

The oldest written record of the phrase “trick-or-treat” dates back to a 1917 newspaper from Ontario, Canada. It is believed that trick-or-treating, as we know it today, began in Ontario, where children dressed in costumes would go from house to house and ask for food or money while saying “trick-or-treat.”

However, the origins of trick-or-treating date back further to an 1800s Scottish and Irish tradition called guising. As part of this tradition, children would dress up in disguises and would go door-to-door asking for cakes, fruit, or money. Similar to jack-o-lanterns, they would carry carved out turnips or other root vegetables as makeshift lanterns to light their way. 

This tradition of guising goes back even further to the Celtic festival of Samhain, a pagan celebration that marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. It was believed that during this time the veil between the world and the afterlife was at its thinnest, allowing the souls of the dead to briefly pass over. To appease the souls of the dead, people would leave out food and drinks. Some would also disguise themselves as the dead to hide from malevolent spirits.  

Red and yellow text over a black background. "Partners FOR" is red, while "reproductive justice" is yellow. 

IPAS Partners for Reproductive Justice is a nonprofit organization that has worked for over 50 years to provide reproductive justice around the world. The organization advocates for a comprehensive approach to ensuring contraception for all and building sustainable abortion ecosystems. These ecosystems are built around health knowledge, social and community support, training healthcare workers, and more. By supporting communities around the world in five different continents, IPAS' goal is to ensure that everybody has the right to reproductive freedom and high-quality safe access to abortion care and contraception.

Minimalist white drawing of a face with big eyes and spiked hair over a black background, with white text at the bottom right. 

SPOO Printing is an independent merchandise company located in Jersey City, New Jersey. Screen printing became part of streetwear fashion during the 1980s, allowing independent artists to create unique characters and designs on the cheap. From the 1980s to the early 1990s, SPOO merchandise was sold at street fairs and flea markets in New York City. As of 2024, SPOO continues to produce custom screen printed shirts and other merchandise. 

Pink and yellow flowers spring out of a red and yellow shoe marked with a peace symbol, over a tan backround. Blue text is curved along the top and bottom. 

The phrase "War is not healthy for children and other living things" was a quote first coined by artist Lorraine Schneider in opposition to the Vietnam War.  This particular pin was created by Stewart Edward "Stew" Albert of the Youth International Party.  Called the "Yippies" for short, the Youth International Party was part of the radical anti-war movement of the late 1960s.

White text over a black background. At the bottom right is an hourglass filled with red sand. 

Both the quote and design on this button are by contemporary art designer Maigen Elske.  This particular design is a color lithograph found in the online collection at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Illustration of The Simpsons family over a pink background in the center, and a green one along the rim. Text is on the top and bottom right. 

The Simpsons is one of the longest running shows in American television and has released over 30 seasons since it’s debut in 1989. The show revolves around an animated family living in the fictional city of Springfield where they experience the common—and sometimes not so common!—struggles of the average American family. 

As of 2023, the show is still on the air and has amassed many accolades including 35 Emmy’s, 34 Annie Awards, and 7 People’s Choice Awards.

Brown text over a black background. Behind the text are abstract golden shapes of a couple dancing. 

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