Blue text on a white background. 

The Bloomfield (New Jersey) Public Library's junior book club, founded in 1933 by children’s librarian Barbara E. Schroeder, was created to re-engage young readers at a time when movie-going and other leisure activities were drawing children away from the library. Meetings included book reviews, dramatizations, contests, and holiday programs, and membership quickly grew from forty to nearly one hundred by the end of its second year. 

To boost participation, the library divided members into two competing teams—the “Reds” and the “Blues”—and awarded points for activities such as recruiting new members, giving book reviews, and performing at meetings. Each participant received a pinback button like this one, which was distributed during the 1934-35 membership drive. The initiative was considered a success, with increased attendance and higher circulation of children’s books reported that year.

Illustration of a child dressed in white jumping over a red background with white rim and black text.

The Boston Children's Museum was founded in 1913 by a group of teachers looking to provide a unique learning experience for young students that focused on skill building with activities such as nature walks, using a telescope, model making with clay and wax, and many others. In the 1960's, then-museum curator Michael Spock instituted innovative new policies to get museum objects out of cases and into the hands of the children visiting the museum, a practice that was part of the larger movement towards hands-on learning for children in schools and other educational institutions. 

The Boston Children's Museum continues to offer activities, award-winning exhibits, and relaxed STEAM-based lessons all geared towards children. The museum's website also hosts a variety of "museum at home" activities that families can engage with without physically visiting the museum.  

Illustration of a long necked bird wearing a suit and top hat on a cream-colored background with blue text.

The Lincoln Park Zoo is a zoo located within Chicago's Lincoln Park, a 1,208 acre park that sits alongside Lake Michigan. Founded in 1878, it is one of the only free admission zoos in the United States. 

The Super Zoo Picnic is an an annual celebration put on by the Lincoln Park Zoo. Those with paid zoo memberships can purchase tickets to this after-hours event which offers exclusive access to park amenities, food, and live entertainment. 

Click here to see the Super Zoo Picnic '84 button.

Illustration of a blue-skinned character wearing a white hat kicking a soccer ball over a green background with black text.

Smurfs are forest creatures created by Belgian writer and illustrator Pierre “Peyo” Culliford (1926-1992). They first appeared in the comic series Johan and Peewit in 1958. Their popularity quickly grew, leading to their own television series in 1959 and a Belgian animated show that aired from 1961 to 1967. The Smurfs' major breakthrough came with their introduction to the American audience through the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Smurfs, which ran from 1981 to 1990 and firmly established the lovable blue characters in American pop culture. 

The "history" of sports in the Smurf universe mainly originates from a special called "The Smurfs' Greatest Sports," where Smurfette hosts the first Smurfic Games. Ancient Greek traditions and feature events like the Smurf-a-thon and Smurfberry Toss inspire these games. Although characters like Soccer Smurf take part in other sports, such as soccer and "American football," in various fan-created stories, these are not part of an official Smurf sports history. Instead, they are specific events within those stories. Due to the large number of Smurf characters, the specific Smurf shown cannot be identified. 

Illustration of a rainbow on a white and blue background with white letters

In November, 1979, U.S. senator Ted Kennedy, the youngest brother of John F. and Robert Kennedy, launched a presidential campaign against incumbent (and fellow democrat) Jimmy Carter, who entered campaign season with very low approval ratings. Though Kennedy initially led Carter in the polls, Carter gained momentum after the start of the Iran hostage crisis, ultimately beating Kennedy for the nomination; Carter ultimately lost to Ronald Reagan in the general election. 

Despite this loss (and other scandals in his personal life), Ted Kennedy had a long career in politics, spending 47 years representing Massachusetts in the U.S. senate. 

Illustration of a white and brown cleaner box on a red background with white text. 

Kleenex Brand tissues have a long history, developed by parent company Kimberly-Clark for a surprising original use: as filters inside soldiers’ gas masks during World War I! The innovative, crepe-like paper proved to be so useful that after the war, Kimberly-Clark began incorporating it into their consumer products. In the early 1920s, it was used in menstrual pads branded as Kotex. In 1924, a thinner and softer version of the material came onto the market specifically as a makeup remover. It wasn't until 1929, in response to reports that Kleenex was being used in place of a handkerchief, that the brand morphed into its now familiar form. 

Kleenex packaging has changed repeatedly over the decades to reflect changing trends and new features of the product; the one seen on this button is representative of Kleenex in 1968. 

See the Busy Button Museum’s other Kleenex packaging buttons from 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1960, and 1964.

Illustration of a cartoon dog and bird riding a skateboard. Turquoise background with orange text. 

Please contact us if you have more information.

White text on a blue background with a white rim.

Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro were the Democratic ticket for the 1984 U.S. presidential election. Mondale served as vice president to Jimmy Carter in the prior administration, and Ferraro was Representative for the state of New York. The two ran in opposition to the incumbent president Ronald Reagan and vice president George H.W. Bush. Reagan won the election in a landslide, winning 49 states, with Mondale only winning his home state of Minnesota and the electoral votes from the District of Columbia. At 525 total electoral votes, Reagan set a record for the highest number of electoral votes ever won by a presidential candidate. 

White text on an orange background

Please contact us if you have more information.

Illustration of a blue skinned character with a white hat and yellow checked pants swinging a golf club. Black text on an orange background. 

Smurfs are forest creatures created by Belgian writer and illustrator Pierre “Peyo” Culliford (1926-1992). They first appeared in the comic series Johan and Peewit in 1958. Their popularity quickly grew, leading to their own television series in 1959 and a Belgian animated show that aired from 1961 to 1967. The Smurfs' major breakthrough came with their introduction to the American audience through the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Smurfs, which ran from 1981 to 1990 and firmly established the lovable blue characters in American pop culture. 

The "history" of sports in the Smurf universe mainly traces back to a special episode called "The Smurfs' Greatest Sports," where Smurfette, a popular character, hosts the inaugural Smurfic Games. These games are inspired by ancient Greek traditions and feature events such as the Smurf-a-thon and Smurfberry Toss. The Golf Pro Smurf is a part of official Smurf sports history stories. There were two versions of this button produced—one green and one orange—each featuring two Smurfs wearing different hats. Due to the sheer number of Smurf characters, the specific Smurf depicted cannot be identified.