Red background with a drawing of a man with a yellow shirt and black bow tie. Some drool off his smile and sweat coming off his head. The man has a red woman's silhouette in each eye. There is white text above his head to the left. 

This button is part of a set that features cartoon images of men's behaviors. There are at least five pins in the series, each depicting a different man. They are "Wolf," "Loudmouth," "Freeloader," "Lush," and "Shy Guy." Each man's illustrations accentuate their particular title with small details; the "Wolf" has a shapely woman's red silhouette for eyes. He is also drooling and sweating. The term "Wolf" in this context refers to "a man given to seducing women," or "a person who habitually preys upon others." Stylistically, the drawings are similar to mid-century cartoons found in adult magazines or illustrations on cocktail napkins.

Yellow with black text

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Light pink background with black text

The phrase “why try harder? I’m number 1” is often used to express confidence or pride in oneself. It can also be used to indicate that one is the best at something or that they are in first place. 

"I'm #1 so why try harder" is a more well-known variation of the phrase that was popularized by a photograph of an obese young man dressed in a T-shirt bearing the phrase while holding a cigarette in his left hand. The photograph was taken at the 1983 Fat People's Festival in Danville, Virginia, and was famously used as the primary cover art for the second studio album by English musician, DJ, and records producer Fatboy Slim (1963-), titled You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby.

Yellow background with red text. The question mark's bottom circle becomes the O in "Not"

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White background surrounded by a white and red checkered pattern. Navy blue text is in the white circle

Comic Motto Buttons, as they became known sometime in the 1940s (previously known as Comic Celluloid Buttons), hailed from Johnson Smith & Co. catalogues and became popular in the early to mid-20th century. Recognized by their iconic checkered border and featuring salacious slogans and witty banter, the catalogue promised, “Get acquainted – wear these comic celluloid buttons. Slip one or two of these buttons on your lapel and then wait for the wisecracks to begin. The girls get lots of fun out of them. At parties, you break the ice right from the start. Just give one of these to your guest, and it gives the party a flying start.” 

Johnson Smith & Company began in Chicago, Illinois in 1914 as a mail-order novelty and gag gift supplier, settling in Racine, Wisconsin in 1926. Johnson Smith & Co. or Johnson Smith Company sold an array of toys including pinback buttons with suggestive slogans meant as ice breakers.

White background outlined in red with blue text. In between the text there are two bees, one red one blue, facing each other

"What's Buzzin Cuzzin" was a popular phrase during the 1940's. 

Black background with orange text

"What you see is what you get" is an expression popularized by Flip Wilson in his performance as the drag character Geraldine in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In in the late 1960s and on The Flip Wilson Show.

Evidence suggests that the phrase was coined in the 1940s; the earliest citation of a form of the phrase traces back to an ad for a Filmo Sportster 8mm film camera in The Charleston Gazette in November 1949:

"You just sight, press a button and what you see, you get!"

The citation of the phrase in its exact form was first seen in print from an ad for a house sale, in The Oakland Tribune, May 1966:

"So with the exception of landscaping and decorator furnishings, what you see is what you get."

Top third of the button is white and the bottom is black. The text is vice-versa 

The term "Waiter from Hell" is a humorous, tongue-in-cheek phrase used to describe an extremely unpleasant or disastrous waiter or service experience. Common among service industry workers, it’s often used sarcastically by waiters or as an inside joke among colleagues. Similar to idioms like "boss from hell" or "vacation from hell," it emphasizes the severity of the situation. It also appears in comedic stories, such as Gene Perret’s article, which uses it satirically to describe memorable dining disasters.

Ephemera, Inc. is a Phoenix, Oregon-based novelty wholesale company founded around 1980, known for its humorous, irreverent products like magnets, buttons, and stickers. The company considers itself the “belligerent drunk of the online novelty item community,” featuring sarcastic, edgy slogans in a bold, throwaway style reminiscent of the literal meaning of “ephemera.”

Yellow background with navy blue text

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Cream background with black text at the bottom. Above the text is a black and orange illustration 

The mascot "Tough Guy" represents Hastings Manufacturing, a maker of piston rings for use in automotive, marine, agricultural, and other industrial engines. The mascot was introduced in 1936 and has been used in Hastings ads for nearly 80 years, including in the "Tech Tips" section of the company's website. Hastings Manufacturing was founded in Hastings, Michigan in 1915.