An illustration of two feet with black shoes with yellow text under them. Red background on top and blue background below.

This button is one of several produced by Topps Wise Guy. Topps was founded in 1938 and today sells predominantly candy and sport collectibles. In 1965, Topps began the division Topps Wise Guy, where they produced humorous and satirical buttons.

An illustration of a confused looking man with arrows around him pointing in several different directions. Black text above the illustration and red text below it on a yellow background. 

This is one of dozens of variations of “Don’t follow me, I’m lost” buttons. The exact origins of the quote are unknown though it may have originated from the famous Indian philosopher, Uppaluri Gopala Krishnamurti, also known as U.G. Krishnamurti, who was most known for rejecting ideas of enlightenment and called himself an “anti-guru”. 

An illustration of dentures with large teeth with yellow text above and below the illustration. Everything is set on a red background. 

Typically, the phrase “I don’t bite” is used to convey to another person that there is no reason to be afraid of approaching or talking; it is meant as an assurance that no harm will come out of an interaction. Because of the irony of the phrase being featured alongside an illustration of large dentures, “I don’t bite” can now seem sarcastic and humorous.

An illustration of a police officer's head with red text below it and white text above it, all on a yellow background. 

The phrase "cop out" refers to avoiding doing something one ought to do according to the Oxford dictionary. A cop is also a slang for police officer. Given the imagery and words, this "cop out" appears to be implying that joining the police force is taking an easy profession.

Creative House Productions Inc. originated in 1964 and was a design and manufacturing company based in Chicago, Illinois. It was responsible for the creation of many promotional comic pins found in gumball machines and Cracker Jack boxes. Creative House eventually created the brand PinMart, which became the first website to sell lapel pins. PinMart eventually outgrew its parent company and bought Creative House in 2008.

An illustration of a bearded man with dripping ice on top of his head. Yellow text above and below the illustration on a blue background. 

Beatniks represented a mainstream depiction of the Beat Generation. Herb Caen, a columnist at San Francisco Chronicle created the term “Beatnik” in April 1958, to satirize the Beat Generation in association with Sputnik, the Russian satellite. Fashion trends emerged of black turtlenecks, leggings, straight cigarette pants, dark glasses, goatees, berets, horizontal striped shirts, and loose sweaters. In mass media, silly, chill, and indifferent characters represented beatniks, who typically frequented coffee shops, played the bongos, and used drugs. Beatnik lingo influenced American popular culture, with beatnik men and women referred to as cats and chicks. Words such as “cool”, “like”, “crazy”, “dig”, and “rad” entered everyday American vocabulary. This trend lasted until the early 1960s.

However, in reality, the Beat Generation was a literary movement rejecting capitalism, materialism, and conformity to the status quo which featured writers such as Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac in the 1940s-1950s. The referred to themselves as Beats, meaning “weary” and “beatific”. They worked on their craft, and explored spirituality by experimenting with drugs, jazz, sensuality, and Eastern religions. Beats detested the beatnik fad. This movement influenced hippies and other alternative cultures.

An illustration of an anthropomorphic bear covered in Christmas decorations. 

The Christmas themed button was intended to elicit joy and positivity during the holidays.

Red text on a yellow background.

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An illustration of a blonde woman with red red text above her and white text below her on a green background.

A "booby prize" is a prize given as a joke to the last-place finisher in a race or competition, according to Oxford. The imagery of the attractive blond woman suggests that the joke here is not a last place prize, although blond women finishing last is its own known joke line, but a prize based on looks or appearance with a sexual connotation toward breasts or their slang, "boobs".

Creative House Productions Inc. originated in 1964 and was a design and manufacturing company based in Chicago, Illinois. It was responsible for the creation of many promotional comic pins found in gumball machines and Cracker Jack boxes. Creative House eventually created the brand PinMart, which became the first website to sell lapel pins. PinMart eventually outgrew its parent company and bought Creative House in 2008.

An illustration of a boy with TNT in his mouth. Red text above the illustration and black text below on a blue background. 

"Blow your mind" is a phrase meaning to amaze, strongly affect, or overwhelm according to Miriam-Webster. The use of TNT, a known explosive, in the imagery suggests a more literal connotation of the phrase.

Creative House Productions Inc. originated in 1964 and was a design and manufacturing company based in Chicago, Illinois. It was responsible for the creation of many promotional comic pins found in gumball machines and Cracker Jack boxes. Creative House eventually created the brand PinMart, which became the first website to sell lapel pins. PinMart eventually outgrew its parent company and bought Creative House in 2008.

Black text on a yellow notebook page background.

The popular phrase “the best man for the job is a woman” most likely inspired the book Why the Best Man for the Job is a Woman: The Unique Female Qualities of Leadership by Esther Wachs Book, published in 2000. The book celebrates women breaking the glass ceiling and thriving in professions that were previously male dominated. This empowering phrase has been quoted by women taking or campaigning for roles previously held by men. This pin is styled like a memo on a steno pad. A memo or memorandum is message that may be used in office and a steno pad is a pad of paper specially used for taking dictation. This style further emphasizes the importance of the message in a school, office or work setting.