Sepia colored image of James Whitcomb Riley wearing a suit and glasses. 

James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916), born in Greenfield, IN, was a writer and poet famous for his works "Little Orphant Annie" and "The Raggedy Man." Riley authored approximately one thousand poems, the majority are in dialect; he was thus known as "the Hoosier Poet." He was sometimes mentioned as "the Children's Poet," because his works appealed to a younger audience. "Little Orphant Annie," his most prominent children's poem, later inspired the comic strip Little Orphan Annie in 1920s and 30s, which introduced the character Annie into  American households. Riley was considered as an Americana author for his depiction of America as a tranquil, wholesome, eccentric, sentimental and bucolic society, and the frequent celebratory imagery of American people in his works. Regularly struggling with alcohol addiction, Riley never married or had children and created a scandal in 1888 when he became too drunk to perform poetry reading during his touring circuits. Nonetheless, Riley was one of Americans' favorite authors; thousands of people showed up for his funeral. 

Black and white profile view photograph of James Dean in a cowboy hat on a silver background

Actor James Dean was one of the leading men in the 1956 film Giant. He acted alongside Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson in the film that took place in Texas from the 1920s till after World War II.  James Dean's character, Jett Rink, struck it rich after finding oil on his plot of land, and had previously been employed as a farm hand for Rock Hudson's character, Jordan Benedict, Jr.  The film uses thematic elements such as racial discrimination and war.  This was the last film James Dean acted in before being killed in a car accident.  He passed away before the release of the film.

The head of a man with a blue-green face and a red turban appears before a black background.

Portrayed by actor John Paragon, Jambi the Genie was a character on the television show Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986-1990) starring Paul Reubens. Previously, Jambi had also appeared in Reubens' live stage show, The Pee-wee Herman Show, which began in 1980.

Jambi is ostensibly a floating head in a jeweled box found in Pee-wee's playhouse. Anytime someone on the show utters the phrase "I wish..." Jambi's box opens and he says, "Wish? Did somebody say 'Wish'?" He then grants the wish with the following magic words, often followed by an increasingly complex sequence of additional nonsense words: "Mecca lecca hi, mecca hiney ho..." Paragon reprised the role of Jambi in the 2010 Broadway production of The Pee-wee Herman Stage Show: The Return, which was also aired as an HBO special.

Blue text on a white background with a red outer circle 

"I shot J.R" was part of an advertising campaign promoting the television drama Dallas, which aired on CBS from 1978-1991. In the beginning it was centered around the Ewing family, specifically the marriage of J.R. to Pamela Barnes, daughter of a rival family. Eventually the series began to focus on J.R's corrupt business dealings, becoming a trademark of the show.

The season finale of the 3rd season was titled "A House Divided". After hearing a noise outside his office, J.R. goes to investigate and is shot by a mystery assailant, ending the episode. This is one of the highest watched episodes of television of all time. The identity of the shooter would not be revealed until after the summer hiatus.

During the eight month break, many advertising campaigns were launched, including things such as "Who shot J.R.?",  and during the 1980 election "A Democrat shot J.R." amongst others. The success of this episode is credited with starting the trend of television shows to end their seasons with a cliff-hanger.

Florescent orange text on a black background

On December 20, 1978, the science-fiction thriller Invasion of the Body Snatchers, based on the 1956 film of the same name, was released. The film, starring big names like Donald Sutherland, Leonard Nimoy, and Jeff Goldblum, was about a health inspector's discovery that aliens were replacing humans with emotionless duplicates. To ensure that it would be a box-office hit, buttons, posters, and other paraphernalia were distributed in the months before the film's release. The advertisements paid off and the film was a hit with audiences, and continues to be considered one of the best film remakes in movie history.

Black-and-white centered photograph of Inspector Clouseau (portrayed by Peter Sellers) holding a magnifying glass surrounded by white text on a black background.

Movie theaters that showed the 1975 movie The Return of the Pink Panther featuring Inspector Jacques Clouseau had promotional posters that advertised "If you want a FREE Clouseau Button, ask an attendant! while they last."

Created by Blake Edwards, Inspector Clouseau is a character who has been portrayed in 11 Pink Panther movies by such actors as Peter Sellers, Alan Arkin, Roger Moore, and Steve Martin. The character has also appeared in several animated TV versions of The Pink Panther.

Brown outlined text on a yellow background

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a 1984 film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on a story by George Lucas. It is the second film in the Indiana Jones series and a prequel to the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark. After arriving in North India, Indiana Jones, played by actor Harrison Ford, is asked by desperate villagers to find a mystical stone and rescue their children from a cult practicing child slavery, black magic, and ritual human sacrifice in honor of the goddess Kali. 

The film was financially successful when release, but was met with mixed reviews which criticized its violence, later contributing to a PG-13 rating. The film was the subject of controversy due to its portrayal of India and Hinduism. Perhaps the most favorable part of the film was the addition of the eleven-year-old sidekick, Short Round, played by actor Jonathan Ke Quan, whose one-liners and facial expressions were popular with fans of the Indiana Jones franchise.

Illustration of a white ghost with a red "no" symbol over it on a black background with white text

Ghostbusters is a 1984 supernatural comedy film that was directed and produced by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The film features three parapsychologists, played by Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis, who start a ghost-catching business. It was nominated for two Oscars at the 57th Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song. A sequel called Ghostbusters II was produced in 1989. A remake was released in 2016.

Black and white photograph of Benji the dog with black text

Benji is the name of a fictional dog that has starred in at least 7 movies and a TV show. The first movie titled "Benji" introduces us to Benji, the loveable stray dog who helps whomever he can. In the first movie Benji befriends two children named Paul and Cindy. Despite their parents not letting them adopt Benji, he attempts to rescue them from the two people who kidnapped them. Eventually the children are rescued.

"Benji" was a box office success, grossing over $45 million despite it's budget of under $1 million.

Color illustration of Huckleberry Hound with red bow tie and American flag top hat. Red, blue, and white stripes are behind the illustration with one blue on each side of the illustration. The words "Huckleberry Hound" are listed above the illustration and the words "for President" below in red capital letters. The illustration and words are over a yellow background. 

Huckleberry "Huck" Hound is a blue cartoon dog with a Southern drawl and a homey, agreeable personality. He first appeared in the 1957 TV series The Huckleberry Hound Show created by the legendary animation studio Hanna-Barbera.  Most of Huck’s adventures had him unsuccessfully trying out various jobs, however, he usually came out on top, either through persistence or luck.  Part of Huck’s routine was to turn to the TV audience and make comments and asides throughout the show.

In 1960, Kellogg's, Huck’s exclusive sponsor, with the Screen Gems production company, developed a promotional presidential election campaign for the hound to grow the TV audience and increase revenue. Buttons, picket signs, balloons, comic books and even a record album were just some of the campaign memorabilia produced featuring Huck. Well-attended election rallies were held for him across the country at shopping malls, TV stations, baseball games and even state fairs. But as was the standard in 1960’s television, the promotional campaign was never a part of the actual TV show for fear of any episodes becoming ‘dated’ and deemed un-syndicatable.

By the next US election year, Huckleberry Hound’s popularity had been surpassed by Yogi Bear’s (another of Hanna-Barbera’s cartoons) so he was replaced by Yogi on the 1964 presidential ticket.