Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

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Text on Button Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
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Four anthropomorphic green turtles appear before a white background. Each turtle dons a different color set of headband, armbands, and kneepads: (clockwise from left) red, purple, blue, orange. Each also wields a different kind of traditional Japanese weapon: sai, bo, kitana, nunchaku. Above the characters is stylized text: white text in a red banner above larger green text that mimics the pattern of a turtle's shell.

Curl Text copyright MIRAGE STUDIOS BUTTON-UP 2011 AUSTIN TROY, MI 48083
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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 of entertainment history, yielding additional comic books, television shows, video games, motion pictures, and a wide array of merchandising.

Catalog ID EN0130

Superman Gold

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Illustration of the superman symbol in red on a gold background

Curl Text TM & copyright 2003 DC COMICS
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This design depicts the shield worn by the fictional superhero Superman from American comic books, DC Comics. Superman has been a character in DC Comics since the late 1930's.  The original design for the shield was first showcased in Action Comics in June of 1938 and shown as the letter "S" with with red and blue on a yellow background that looked like a police badge.  The shield became diamond shaped, as depicted in the button, in the Max Fleischer cartoon series Superman in the 1940's.  The "S" stands for Superman and has been worn on the chest of the super hero since the character's inception.

Catalog ID EN0223

Sunset Carson

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Text on Button SUNSET CARSON
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Black and white photograph of a man in a white cowboy hat on a yellow background with black text on a white banner across the bottom

Curl Text copyright REPUBLIC PICTURES
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Sunset Carson was a Western film star from the 1940s whose original name was Winifred Maurice Harrison.  Before he started working in the film industry, he was a rodeo cowboy, which took him to South America for work.  He went by three different names during the course of his life, first Winifred Maurice Harrison, then Michael Harrison and finally Sunset Carson after signing a contract for his own series of Western films.  

Catalog ID EN0204

Star of Vaudeville Charmion Standing on a Swing

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Text on Button STAR OF VAUDEVILLE CHARMION
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Brown and white photograph of a woman standing on a swing on a brown background with white text

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Made by HYATT MFG CO. BALTO. MD. BADGES & BUTTONS OF ALL KINDS

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Charmion was the stage name of the American Vaudeville trapeze artist and strong-woman Laverie Vallee. Her most famous act consisted of her mounting the trapeze in full Victorian attire and stripping down to a leotard while swinging from the trapeze. This act was captured on film in 1901 for a short Edison film called "Trapeze Disrobing Act." Vallee lived from 1875 to 1949.

The Edison film can be viewed here.

Catalog ID EN0162

Lisa Frank Star

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Text on Button Star
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Illustration of a person with long orange hair and wearing a multi-colored dress in front of a white and blue moon on a dark blue background with white text

Curl Text copyright LFI CHINA
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Star is a character created by Lisa Frank, Inc. She is characterized as a dreamer who loves writing, poetry, painting, astrology, and pizza.

Sources

Star. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2015, from Lisa Frank website: http://www.lisafrank.com/pages/popups/gang/star.html.

Catalog ID EN0228

Spock Sitting Star Trek

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Text on Button Star Trek
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White text outlined in black on a black background with red lights and a screen in the background with Spock

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Star Trek is science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry. Star Trek aired on NBC from September 8, 1966 to June 3, 1969. The show follows the crew of the USS starship Enterprise as they explore space and go "where no man has gone before". The show takes place in the 23rd century in the Milky Way Galaxy. The original show lasted three seasons and spawned many other television series, movies, and books.

Spock or Mr. Spock, who was first portrayed by Leonard Nimoy, serves aboard the starship USS Enterprise as science officer and first officer. Spock is half human and half Vulcan. Vulcan are an alien species from the planet Vulcan known for their ability for reason and logic without  interference from emotions. Vulcans are also know for their ability to “mind meld” which is a technique for sharing thoughts, experiences, memories, and knowledge with another individually.

Catalog ID EN0190

Soupy Sales

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Text on Button Soupy Sales
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Black and white image of a man over a white background. Text appears in white cursive letters on the bottom center of the button. 

Curl Text ©-'65 Soupy Sales - W.M.C.
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Soupy Sales (1926-2009) was an American comedian, actor, and radio and TV personality. Born Milton Supman, Sales first established himself as a radio DJ after returning from service overseas during World War II. He later transitioned to television, where he became well known for having pies thrown at his face, among other gags. He also hosted children's shows throughout the 1960s. Entertainers such as Howard Stern, Pee-wee Herman, and Andy Kaufman have all listed Soupy Sales as an influence on their styles. 

Catalog ID EN0109

Snidely Whiplash

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Text on Button SNIDELY WHIPLASH
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Illustration of a character in a black suit and black top hat with green skin on red-orange background with black text

Curl Text copyright 1984 P.A.T. WARD BUTTON-UP CO. 22120 RYAN WARREN MI 48091
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Snidely Whiplash is the villain voiced by Hans Conried on the animated television series The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show (1959–64), a parody of early 20th century melodrama and silent film. Whiplash is the archenemy of Dudely Do-Right, a dim-witted, but conscientious and cheerful Canadian Mounted Policeman.

Catalog ID EN0202

Shmoo

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Text on Button SHMOOSIC IN THE AIR SHMOOOO
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Black text on red background that reads SHMOOSIC IN THE AIR and SHMOOOO with two musical notes. Underneath is the character Shmoo depicted in white and blue with black edging.

Curl Text copyright UFS
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The Shmoo was introduced in the Li'l Abner comic strip in 1948. Created by cartoonist Al Capp, the Shmoo is shaped like a bowling pin and is very amiable. It also reproduces prodigiously, and its only wish is to help mankind. In the comic strip, the multiplying Shmoos are eventually deemed a menace and hunted down. Though the Shmoo appeared sparingly in Li'l Abner, it inspired nearly 100 products and became a pop culture sensation. Candy-filled Shmoos were even dropped over West Berlin as part of "Operation Little Vittles" during the 1948 Berlin Airlift. The Shmoo also generated debate about its social implications as an allegory on mankind's greed.

Catalog ID EN0211