Blue text on a white background on the top of the button and an illustration of a scroll with blue text on it on a red background on the bottom of the button

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Illustration of a white tooth with arms and legs and a smiling face on a redish orange background.

This button features Murphy the Molar, a mascot created in the 1970s. Murphy was created by Dr. Samuel M. Green, DDS, director of dentistry in the Ontario Ministry of Health, to teach children how to properly brush and floss their teeth. Murphy the Molar was featured in videos, commercials, and buttons in part of a campaign for improved oral hygiene throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Dr. Green also created the Tooth Fairy Society of Canada in which children would mail out their baby teeth to the Tooth Fairy, and created the Smileathon, both of which were designed to encourage children to learn about dental health. Murphy the Molar was taken out of circulation in the 1980s, while Dr. Green retired from dentistry in 2000, but continues to be involved in public health movements.

(2005). From “Smileathons” to Rodeo: “Murphy the Molar” creator finds new creativity in retirement. Financial News & Views, 21. Retrieved from: http://www.algbrown.com/Newsletter21.pdf.

White button with a smirking smiley face and text on the left outer edge

Smirk and Dagger is a board game company that produces a variety of games centered around the fun of revenge and subterfuge between players. Some of the company’s most popular titles include Student Bodies, a zombie survival game set in a high school and Run for Your Life, Candyman!, a dark parody of the classic board game Candyland. Smirk and Dagger was launched on October 31, 2003 and was founded by Curt Covert, an art director and marketing professional with a long-time passion for board games and gaming culture. 

Blue and red text on a white background with a yellow outer edge and yellow stars on the white and a red smile under the red text

Ho Hos are a variety of chocolate frosted snack cakes made by Hostess, the same company that also produces Twinkies, Ding Dongs, and Sno Balls. The first Ho Ho was made by hand in a San Francisco bakery in 1967, and mass production quickly followed. Early advertising campaigns for Ho Hos featured the mascot "Happy Ho Ho,” a cartoon rendering of a Ho Ho dressed like Robin Hood. The snack also had its own jingle, which described Ho Hos  as "The chocolaty snack that gives you go! It's candy and cake, all in one. It's two great treats, and so much fun!"

Yellow and black smiley face with black text above and below the face and yellow text on the black mouth shape.

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Red, white, and blue color lithograph of a man representing Uncle Sam hanging another man (Adolf Hitler) from a tree with a red cord. Background is blue, white and brown. Slogan on front reads LET'S PULL TOGETHER in blue text on a white background inside a box that partially covers the Hitler figure.

This World War II-era mechanical button shows Uncle Sam hanging Adolf Hitler from a tree. When the cord attached to the lever near Uncle Sam is pulled, the Hitler figure with a Nazi swastika on his chest appears. When issued, the button came attached to a card that said "Let's Pull Together and Hang Hitler."