Traditional yellow smiley face design

Nasty Gal is a California based women's clothing and accessories store selling new and used clothing. It began in 2006 as an Ebay store selling vintage clothing. The company is named after the song and album by the American funk singer Betty Davis.

The classic yellow smiley face is comprised of a yellow circle, two black dots for eyes and a black arc ending in serifs for a mouth. It  was designed in 1963 by by commercial artist, Harvey Ross Ball. Ball was commissioned by The State Mutual Life Insurance Company to create a happy face to raise the morale of their employees. His version was created in 10 minutes. The design was printed onto more than 50 million buttons. Neither Ball nor the company copyrighted this smiley, so it was continually used by other businesses in their promotions.

The design and concept is quite simple and was definitely used before Ball’s 1963 version. However his has become the most iconic. Variations have been used for advertising campaigns and in popular culture ever since.

Traditional yellow smiley face design

The classic yellow smiley face is comprised of a yellow circle, two black dots for eyes and a black arc ending in serifs for a mouth. It  was designed in 1963 by by commercial artist, Harvey Ross Ball. Ball was commissioned by The State Mutual Life Insurance Company to create a happy face to raise the morale of their employees. His version was created in 10 minutes. The design was printed onto more than 50 million buttons. Neither Ball nor the company copyrighted this smiley, so it was continually used by other businesses in their promotions.

The design and concept is quite simple and was definitely used before Ball’s 1963 version. However his has become the most iconic. Variations have been used for advertising campaigns and in popular culture ever since.

Traditional yellow smiley face design

The classic yellow smiley face is comprised of a yellow circle, two black dots for eyes and a black arc ending in serifs for a mouth. It  was designed in 1963 by by commercial artist, Harvey Ross Ball. Ball was commissioned by The State Mutual Life Insurance Company to create a happy face to raise the morale of their employees. His version was created in 10 minutes. The design was printed onto more than 50 million buttons. Neither Ball nor the company copyrighted this smiley, so it was continually used by other businesses in their promotions.

The design and concept is quite simple and was definitely used before Ball’s 1963 version. However his has become the most iconic. Variations have been used for advertising campaigns and in popular culture ever since.

White background with blue text on top and red text underneath. 

The phrase “I LIKE BOYS” became a bold, recognizable slogan during the 1970s and 1980s, a period when feminist activism and LGBTQ+ visibility grew stronger in Western society. This type of button served both as a playful and political statement, depending on who wore it and in what context. Its simple design — featuring red and blue block letters on a white background — reflected the direct, unapologetic style common in activist and self-expression pins of that era. These buttons were frequently seen on college campuses, within feminist groups, at pride marches, and among punk and music subcultures, where they challenged gender norms and conveyed personal identity. Some versions were made as playful or flirtatious fashion accessories, while others carried more profound messages of solidarity and self-acceptance. This message shows how a brief, straightforward phrase can convey empowerment, humor, and resistance simultaneously.

A light pink background with a maroon circle surrounding the pin and maroon text inside it

The "I KNOW A SECRET!" button exemplifies mid-to-late 20th-century slogan pins, which were popular in the 1980s. Its wording is intentionally vague, implying the wearer has secret knowledge and encouraging curiosity—whether about an upcoming announcement, a party, or just a joke—making it a subtle way to prompt conversations.

White background with black text

The slogan, "I don't drink. I don't dance. I hate astrology. I have no phone." is related to an art piece by Josh Fraught from his exhibition Longtime Companion. The exhibition was to meant to capture a moment in the mid-1980's to early 1990's surrounding the representational politics of AIDS. Using these words, Fraught tried to reimagine feelings and words as personal outpourings, a way for the socially marginalized to find one another. 

Fraught is a San Francisco based artist that works with textiles. His work uses slogans, jokes, fabrics and various colors to bring his work to museums like San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston and more.

Yellow background with black text. Black circle outlining the text and groups of lines surrounding each line of text

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Sky blue background with dark red text

“Human Be-Ins" are events modelled after the original "Be-In" called the "The Gathering of Tribes for a Human Be-In" that was held in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, on January 14th, 1967. That Be-In featured all the iconic luminaries of psychedelic counter-culture, including Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, Richard Alpert (Ram Dass), Dick Gregory, Lenore Kandel, and Jerry Ruben. Here are some footage of the event: http://www.openculture.com/2014/09/rare-footage-of-human-be-in.html. 

The "Be-In" events are often accompanied with meditation, music, beat poetry readings, and use of psychedelic drugs and are based in humanist values. The term "Human Be-In" was coined from a chance remark by artist Michael Bowen at the Love Pageant Rally.

Red, orange and yellow background in descending waves. A white daisy with a green stem is next to the purple text

This button was created by the Russ Berrie & Company Inc. which was founded in 1963 by a toy salesman named Russ Berrie. The company sold "impulse" items such as, mugs, small figurines, stuffed animals, greeting cards, and various other home accessories. The company's brands included: RUSS, Applause, Sassy, and Kids Line. In 1964, Berrie created his first line of manufactured novelty items. The first was a line of stuffed animals called Fuzzy Wuzzies and the second was a line of rubber dolls called the Bupkis Family. In 1992 one of the companies oldest product, trolls, spiked in popularity due to wild demand. In 2009 the company changed its corporate name to Kid Brands, Inc. and as of April 2011 The Russ Companies no longer exist as an entity.

White background with yellow text outlined in red

Harvey Wallbanger is a cocktail made from vodka or gin, orange juice, and Galliano. It is known as an essential drink of the late ’70s disco and fern-bar era. The cocktail was allegedly created in a Sunset Boulevard bar in Los Angeles and was inspired by a Californian surfer named Harvey, who liked to drink Screwdrivers spiked with Galliano liqueur. One day, after binging on his favorite drink after a particularly bad day, he walked smack into the wall as he was heading out of the bar, hence the name “the Wallbanger.” George Bednar, a college football player and marketing director, launched the "Harvey Wallbanger" mixed drink to a national audience, giving the Wallbanger character and the tag line -- "My name is Harvey Wallbanger and I can be made." Today, the drink still connotes a sense of grooviness and funkiness. The button is most likely created in the 70s or early 80s to both promote the drink and convey a sense of humor--suggesting people to "take it easy" after a long hard day.