White background with dark green curved text at top with a green illustration of a highly decorated arch with horses and people on top of the arch with large black numbers across the arch.

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.

Purple background with bright green bubble text and black text on the top part of button with large orange bubble text in the center of the button and black text below.

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.

Black text on a yellow background, small black square logo with a lowercase "b" in the center in the lower left

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

Red background with a white horizontal bar in the middle with black text and three small red stars below the text. White text in the smaller red portion below the white bar, and a photograph of part of a man's head in the left foreground.

America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction was written by Comedy Central's The Daily Show host Jon Stewart along with that show's writing staff. Published by Grand Central Publishing in 2004, the book mimics the style and format of a grade school textbook and satirizes many aspects of American history, politics, and culture, in particular the 2004 U.S. presidential election. The book features a forward by "Thomas Jefferson," various arts and crafts activities, as well as chapters entitled "The President: The King of Democracy," "Congress: Quagmire of Freedom," and "The Media: Democracy's Valiant Vulgarians."

Red text on a white background.

Republican presidential candidate Wendell Willkie ran against Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1940. His campaign produced millions of buttons in response to items in the news about Roosevelt in an attempt to gain name recognition. 

White text on a red background with a thin white circle that makes a border around the text.

The Button was a bar located in Fort Lauderdale, located on Las Olas and A!A.  The owner, Greg Newell, was also known as "The Father of Spring Break."  The bar was open from the 1960s to 1980s.  Newell promoted the bar by hosting events such as wet T-shirt contests and beer bashes.  Newell passed away in 2003.  

Black text on a white background.

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White background with underlined small black text at the top of the button with larger font beneath it centered on the button.

Mantronix was a hip hop musical group from New York City.  They were influential in the early "electro funk" scene, which featured electronic instrumentation by utilizing synthesizers and hardware drum machines.  They were active from 1984-1991.  Their debut album was called "The Album", and was released in 1985. 

Yellow background with line illustration of a mug with an overflowing beverage with red text overlaying the image and very small font on the bottom of the button.

Peter Hand Brewing Company was founded in the late 1800s by Peter Hand in Chicago. They were known for their German-style beers, and Meister Bräu was one of their most popular brands. In the 1960s, James Howard and some of his associates purchased the company, renaming it Meister Bräu, Inc. In the early 1970s, Miller Brewing Company took over under the Peter Hand name but closed it in 1978. They used the Peter Hand brand name and introduced Old Chicago, which is used as a play on words for this button.

An image of an 'L' (elevated) train car appears in gold in the center of the button, all on a black background. Surrounding the image at the button's edge, as well as below it, is text in the same color.

The first "L" began operations in 1892, making it the second-oldest rapid transit system in the Americas, after Boston's "T". The Chicago Rapid Transit Company and the Chicago Surface Lines were merged in 1947 to become the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). Manufactured and distributed in 1992, this button celebrates the city's centenary of rapid transit.