Photograph of a young boy's head and neck, wearing a black bowtie with dark hair and dark eyes on a white background

Alfalfa was one of the “Little Rascals” who appeared in the television show called Our Gang, about a group of poor neighborhood kids and the adventures they had. Though “Spanky” was originally the star, Alfalfa quickly gained popularity with his trademark cowlick and off-key singing of Bing Crosby songs. Alfalfa was played by Carl Dean Switzer, an experienced singer and musician, who won the role by singing in the Our Gang Cafe at Hal Roach Studios after being denied an audition in the studio itself. As an adult, Switzer had a few roles in B-movies, but mostly made a living as a dog breeder and experienced hunting guide for the stars. In 1959, at the age of 31, Switzer died of a gunshot wound after getting in a dispute over money with an acquaintance.

Red and white text on a blue background

"A League of Their Own" is a 1992 movie telling a fictionalized story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The film was directed by Penny Marshal and starred Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna, and Lori Petty. The screenplay was written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel based off of a story by Kelly Candaele and Kim Wilson.

The film was selected in 2012 to be preserved in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being culturally and historically significant.

Color illustration of one eye surrounded by a tan background with the abbreviation "JR." above the eye and the word "magician" below the eye in green capital letters. The words "Mahdi's Magic Circle" circle the illustration in light green capital letters. Words, illustrations, and tan background are over a black background. 

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Black text along upper portion of button. Illustration of Jerry Lewis with untied bow tie, holding microphone in center foreground. Entire illustration is on a red background with small white stars.

The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon was an annual televised fundraising event for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) that usually lasted six hours on Labor Day weekend. Actor and comedian Jerry Lewis hosted the broadcast from its 1966 inception until 2010. In the 1950s, Jerry Lewis hosted a Thanksgiving Party for MDA, which raised funds for the organization's New York City area operations, the success of which led to the Labor Day Telethon.  

White text on a black background.

The button was manufactured by the Busy Beaver Button Company in conjunction with the David Bowie Is exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA). The exhibit, which originated at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and ran in Chicago from September, 2014 through early January, 2015, was the first major retrospective of David Bowie's career. The button was manufactured in the run-up to the exhibit—before the MCA had even officially announced it—and was distributed by the museum and its staff in the months leading up to the opening. The lightening bolt that replaces the “I” in David on the button is a reference to Bowie’s iconic Aladdin Sane album cover.

There are 8 hearts with faces forming a circle. Colors of the hearts are red, light and dark blue, light and dark purple, yellow, and orange.

Chris Uphues is an artist and designer from Chicago, Illinois who currently works out of Brooklyn, New York. His work, often including animated creatures and hearts such as the ones shown here, has been featured in galleries, street art, and in collaboration with clothing and beauty brands. He now produces gifts and greeting cards alongside his wife and studio manager, Jen Uphues. 

White text on a black background.

This button is a play on the name of Ai Weiwei, a Chinese artist and activist. Known for speaking out against corruption and human rights violations of the ruling Communist Party in China, he was arrested in April 2011 and held for 81 days without any charges filed. Before his arrest, he had spent many years residing and displaying his artwork in New York City. 

This button was made for his film, "Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry".

Black text and a black and white photograph of the back of a shirtless woman looking over her shoulder

Tads Pants and Jeans was a clothing brand from the 1970s. Tads was a subsidiary of the parent company H.R. Kaminsky & Sons, based out of Fitzgerald, Georgia. The "Cover it with Tads" campaign was developed by a Florida-based advertising agency and featured Florida model Mary Clark. The semi-nude photo appeared in print ads in both women’s fashion magazines and in certain adult magazines. In addition to the print advertising campaign, the signature image of Clark also appeared on buttons, stickers, and posters. For a time, Kaminsky & Sons included the image on their official company letterhead.

Illustration of two people in dresses holding an ax over their heads on a brown background with lightbrown text above and below

The Lennon and Gibbons clothing store of St. Paul, Minnesota opened in 1899. This button depicts two women advocating liquor prohibition in the early 1900s. The woman on the left is wearing a tunic for the Modern Woodsman of America (MWA), a tax-exempt fraternal benefit society that sells life insurance to improve the quality of life of their members. The woman on the right is temperance activist Carrie Nation, known for smashing saloon windows with a hatchet, which is also pictured. 

Black and white illustration of an elephant  being kicked in the hind quarters by a donkey with black text above and below on a white background with a red outer edge. 

Lithograph button created by Geo. Haumann, owner of Character Display Co. in Chicago, Illinois. His company made mechanical and animated store displays and 2 known mechanical pinback buttons . This small litho button is the same general design as it's larger 2 1/4" mechanical counterpart. There are two similar versions of the mechanical button, with the donkey kicking the elephant and visa versa. These were manufactured by Green Duck Chicago and then hand assembled by Geo. Haumann.