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A panic button is generally a device one presses and activates when one wants to quickly put an extreme measure into action. Pressing the panic button is often reserved for emergency situations as is the case for car alarms, medical alerts, and home burglary systems. Activating these can summon an emergency operator or other authorities depending on the type of panic button used. Panic buttons can also be pressed for much more serious scenarios, even setting a nuclear weapons system into motion for the rapid deployment of powerful bombs and missiles.

In pop culture, there are a number of references to the panic button including pin-back buttons bearing the word “PANIC” and computer keyboard adhesives that dress one key in red and turn it into a non-functional panic button.

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Flair Fi Fo Fum was a branch of Papermate's Flair pens, a felt-tip pen popular in the 1970s. Papermate had first introduced felt-tip pens to the United States in the 1960s after their invention by Yukio Horie, and because of their success began to expand their line a few years later. In the mid 1970s they released a series of wide felt-tip colored pens called Flair Fi Fo Fum, as a parody of the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk who says “Fee Fi Fo Fum”. In 1975 Papermate released television commercials, newspaper advertisements, and buttons featuring a giant saying “Flair Fi Fo Fum” to advertise the line. The pens have since gone out of circulation, but flair pens continue to be popular.

Pen. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2015 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pen.

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The image of the button fastener meant to be stitched onto fabric is a play on words with the pinback button. Although the item is not physically holding together the person or fabric, such as a stitched button is used for, the term "holding together" can also relate to mental or emotional state.

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.

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The Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was founded in 1970 in London. The GLF had the goal of equality for LGBTQ people in England. The first Pride Parade was held in 1972. The 1970's are widely considered to be a decade of sexual revolution in London. However, in the 1980's, there was a new wave of pushback against the gay rights movement due largely to the AIDS crisis. The focus of the gay rights movement in the 1980's became a call for solidarity among LGBTQ youth in response to the isolation many experienced from friends and family after coming out due to the association with illness. The GLF pushed for LGBTQ youth to take pride in their identities and rely on the gay and lesbian community for support. By the 1990's, the LGBTQ community had made a comeback and one London newspaper, Capital Gay, wrote, "The visibility of our community has rarely, if ever, been greater."

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The Brandywine Springs Amusement Park was extremely successful from 1900-1916 partly as a result of the Wilmington and Western Railroad having a line running directly to the property. People could also access the park via the People's Railway which was a trolley line that ran from downtown Wilmington, Delaware. There was no entrance fee and guests could either sit and enjoy a picnic or partake in the entertainment provided. Amenities were available for a fee and included a roller coaster, a dance hall, several theaters, a carousal and a boardwalk. In addition there was a full service restaurant and several smaller food vendors. The increased availability of the automobile led to the park's demise. The entrance archway to the Brandywine Springs Amusement Park was built in 1901. It was made completely out of wood and was covered with over 100 electric light bulbs. An inscription "Let all who enter here leave care behind" reminded those who were entering the park that it was a place of relaxation and enjoyment.

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The term bum has multiple meanings that could all be referenced with this phrase, You've been stuck by a bum button. The word bum can refer to something borrowed meaning this could be passed around between friends as a gag. Bum could also refer to something that is not working properly or defective, meaning this is a bad button that might be passed around as a gag when someone was expecting a nice prize. The word could also refer to the buttocks meaning that the intention was to stab or place this button onto the derriere, likely as a gag.

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.

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Badge Man International, based in Southern California, operated from 1979-1991 and specialized in custom entertainment and identification items like buttons, badges, trophies.