Black text on yellow background

Candid Camera was a television show from 1948 to the 1970s, and has been revived several times since then. It first began as The Candid Microphone on radio before coming to television. The show was all about practical jokes and getting people to do things on hidden camera before letting them in on the joke. Hosted by Allen Funt, he and many other celebrities would be placed in funny situations and would play a joke on that person. No one was immune to the practical joke. At the end of each joke, the person would be told, "Smile, You’re on Candid Camera." They would point toward the camera showing the person that they were just on television.

This show has been revised many times over with other guests and hosts including Peter Funt, son of Allen Funt, and co-host Mayim Bialik. It was shown on every broadcast channel and several cable channels. It has a large following on the web, and full episodes can be watched online.

White background with curved blue text on top and bottom and a horizontal line of blue text in the center of the button.

The Sisters of the Good Shepherd is an order of Catholic nuns that was established in Louisville, Kentucky in 1842. In that city the nuns ran a shelter for homeless and at-risk girls. They also provided vocational training for women in skills like sewing and stenography. The Sisters remain active in their mission to promote the welfare of women and girls, most recently by speaking out against human trafficking.

The original site of the convent at 8th and Madison no longer exists.

Bright yellow text with large red bubble text curved at the top above an illustration of a smiling boy with red hair in the center and small green text curved at the bottom.

The image of the boy with nose upturned along with the words press here for a punch in the nose is a joke and play on words. To press the button with a finger would be to punch the cartoon image in the nose, however, touching the button of a stranger uninvited may invite them to physically want to punch someone in the nose.

Creative House Productions Inc. originated in 1964 and was a design and manufacturing company based in Chicago, Illinois. It was responsible for the creation of many promotional comic pins found in gumball machines and Cracker Jack boxes. Creative House eventually created the brand PinMart, which became the first website to sell lapel pins. PinMart eventually outgrew its parent company and bought Creative House in 2008.

Golden yellow background with curved black text on top with three horizontal lines of text below.

In 1932, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's newspaper, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, offered a five-week long giveaway to daily readers. "Prosperity Buttons" with serial numbers printed on them were delivered to subscribers, and each day winning numbers would be printed in the Post-Gazette, in news stories about the campaign and in the classified columns. The giveaway was intended to demonstrate confidence in the return of prosperity following the Great Depression. There was a weekly grand prize of $100 every Saturday, as well as $5, $10 and $25 daily prizes throughout the week, encouraging subscribers to read each daily paper and new subscribers to sign up for daily delivery of the Post-Gazette. 

Large black text on a pale pink background.

The now defunct Unicorn City Corporation was located at 55 Greenwich Street in New York City. The gift shop claimed to be purveyors of unicorn “gifts extraordinaire” and operated from 1976 until the company was permanently dissolved in 1993.

Golden yellow background with large wrap around text forming a border, circle in center filled with smaller text.

The Parisian Novelty Company which was founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1898. In 2008, the button portion of the Parisian Novelty Company was sold to the Matchless Group and renamed Matchless Parisian Novelty, Inc.

Black text curved around top with an illustration of a dog wearing a collar in the center.

Tweeduroy was a clothing line for boys by Hockmeyer Brothers, Inc., New York. Advertisements described it as the “Aristocrat of Corduroys”  known for “its beauty of pattern, rich coloring, lustrous finish and remarkable durability.” Tweeduroy was marketed as the suit for the active outdoor boy with suits made of cotton corduroy which was stronger than wool tweeds.

White background with black text at the top and red text outlined in black at the bottom, with a smaller circle in the center containing an illustration of a man with a red-banded hat and a black bow tie. A speaker bubble with text is next to the left side of his face. 

The "Politeness Man" is a character featured in a comic strip of the same name in National Lampoon magazine in the 1970s. Politeness Man campaigned for good manners and against rudeness. It was drawn by Ron Barrett, a graphic artist who illustrated other National Lampoon comic strips. He has also illustrated books, including Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, written by his wife Judy Barrett.

White text on a green background.

Have info on this button? Contact us here.

White background with large blue text in center of button, smaller blue text curving around the top and bottom of button.

Have info on this button? Contact us here.