Chicago Bar and Grill Green

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Text on Button I LOVE CHICAGO A BAR & GRILL PRUDENTIAL PLAZA
Image Description

An illustration of a city skyline against a green background with yellow text on the illustration and black text above it.

 

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Chicago was a Bar and Grill located at Prudential Plaza in its namesake city. Although the restaurant is no longer in operation, the two towers that make up Prudential Plaza still grace Chicago’s skyline. One Prudential Plaza, completed in 1955, was the first skyscraper built in Chicago after World War II and was the headquarters for Prudential’s Mid-America Company. Rising 41 stories high, at the time it was the tallest building in Chicago and had the world’s fastest elevators. Two Prudential Plaza was built in 1990 with 61 stories. It is notable for its beveled architecture and spire reaching into the sky. Today, the two towers together encompass an entire block across from Millennium Park and house luxury apartments, businesses, restaurants, and various services.

Catalog ID CH0102

Chicago Bar and Grill Blue

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Text on Button I LOVE CHICAGO A BAR & GRILL PRUDENTIAL PLAZA
Image Description

An illustration of a city skyline against a light blue background with white text on the illustration and black text above it. 

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Chicago was a Bar and Grill located at Prudential Plaza in its namesake city. Although the restaurant is no longer in operation, the two towers that make up Prudential Plaza still grace Chicago’s skyline. One Prudential Plaza, completed in 1955, was the first skyscraper built in Chicago after World War II and was the headquarters for Prudential’s Mid-America Company. Rising 41 stories high, at the time it was the tallest building in Chicago and had the world’s fastest elevators. Two Prudential Plaza was built in 1990 with 61 stories. It is notable for its beveled architecture and spire reaching into the sky. Today, the two towers together encompass an entire block across from Millennium Park and house luxury apartments, businesses, restaurants, and various services.

Catalog ID CH0101

Bozo the Clown Pink

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Text on Button ©BOZO THE CLOWN © L.H.P.C. SM
Image Description

A color illustration of Bozo the clown with blue and red dots around the illustration. Red and black above and below the illustration on a pink background. 

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JAPAN

Curl Text MADE IN JAPAN
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Bozo the Clown was created in 1946 by Alan W. Livingston. The character was introduced to the world by Capitol Records in the form of a children’s record with an accompanying illustrated book set. Bozo later morphed into a popular television character when Larry Harmon (Larry Harmon Pictures Corporation, L.H.P.C.) bought the rights to Bozo in 1956. Harmon’s vision of a half-hour television show spawned hundreds of Bozo clowns around the U.S. with a few additional international clowns.  Arguably the most famous portrayal is the Chicago Bozo, Bob Bell, who performed on the WGN show from 1960-1984. His grandson, Alex Bell, a pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds has a tattoo of his grandfather’s face in full Bozo make-up on his arm as well as a pair of clown shoes with the words “The shoes will never be filled.”  

Catalog ID CH0096

Bozo and Mr. Ned

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Image Description

A photograph of Bozo the clown, Mr. Ned, and two other figures siting /standing together on a dark green background. 

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The image on the button displays the show's characters, Bozo the Clown (center), Cooky the Clown (lower left), Mr. Bob (upper left), and Ringmaster Ned (right). The Bozo Show ran on Chicago's WGN-TV from 1960 until 2001. By the end of the 1960s, the show was a television franchise, popular in many major markets, but it was WGN's that remained most popular. It was highlighted by the Grand Prize Game, a game where children threw a ping pong ball into a metal bucket for a change to win toys.​

Catalog ID CH0081

Bethune Day July 9, 1972

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Text on Button BETHUNE DAY July, 9 1972 NCNW CHICAGO SECTION
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Large black text on an orange background. 

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The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance the opportunities and the quality of life for African-American women, their families, and communities. The NCNW was founded in 1935 by Mary McLeod Bethune, who saw the need for harnessing the power and extending the leadership of African-American women through a national organization. Born in Mayesville, South Carolina, to parents who had been slaves, Bethune started working in fields at age five. She took an early interest in education and attended college hoping to become a missionary in Africa. She started a school for African-American girls in Daytona Beach, Florida. It later merged with a private institute for African-American boys and was known as the Bethune-Cookman School.

Catalog ID CH0082

Arthur Godfrey Stock Show

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Text on Button Arthur Godfrey STOCK SHOW CHICAGO
Image Description

A  black and white illustration of Arthur Godfrey holding a horse by the reins. Above the illustration is the words  "Arthur Godfrey" in white script text inside a black box. Black curved text around a white border. 

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Arthur Morton Godfrey (August 31, 1903 – March 16, 1983) was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead. As one of the most prominent of the early master commercial pitchmen, Godfrey was strongly identified with many of his many sponsors, especially Chesterfield cigarettes and Lipton Tea. Having advertised Chesterfield for many years, during which time he devised the slogan "Buy 'em by the carton," Godfrey terminated his relationship with the company after he quit smoking, five years before he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Subsequently, he became a prominent spokesman for anti-smoking education.

Catalog ID CH0074

37th Annual Convention

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Text on Button 37 TH ANNUAL CONVENTION CHICAGO, ILL. JUNE 1939
Image Description

An illustration of a crest with several notable elements: A knight's helmet on top, an eye below the helmet on the right side of the crest, a ribbon that splits the crest in half, and a lion below the ribbon on the left side of the crest.  Closely below the crest is a ribbon with a motto in a different language and the year 1897.  The illustration is on a white background and is surrounded by black text. 

Back Paper / Back Info

Made by 
AMERICAN
BADGE
CO.
CHICAGO.
ILLS.

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Have info on this button? Contact us here.

Catalog ID CH0094

Snoopy For President

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Text on Button SNOOPY FOR PRESIDENT @ UNITED FEATURES SYNDICATE, INC.
Image Description

A lenticular button that switches between an image of snoopy and large black text, both on  a white background. On the edge of the button there is lenticular image of white stars on a red background that switches to an image of red stars on white background.

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Hallmark

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Snoopy is a cartoon dog in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. He is Charlie Brown's pet dog. In the comic, Snoopy often imagines himself in fanciful roles, perhaps in this case, as President?

Catalog ID EN0075

Woodsy Owl

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Text on Button WOODSY OWL SAYS...Give a hoot! Don't pollute!
Image Description

A red owl with large eyes holding a whistle is wearing a green hat and pants with a black belt. Background is white and text is black. There is a thin red line out the outside of the button

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VARI-VUE®
MT.VERNON, N.Y., U.S.
PAT. NO. 2,815,310
 

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This button features Woodsy Owl, a character used by the United States Forest Service. While Woodsy's current motto is "Lend a hand - care for the land!" his original motto was "Give a hoot! - don't pollute!". Woodsy was used widely throughout the 1970s, and in 1974 Congress even passed an act to protect the image of the character (public Law 93-318). While not as old as Smokie the Bear, he is an icon environmental icon none the less.

Over the years many have claimed to have created Woodsy, but still today there is no definite creator through most evidence points to a man named Harold Bell around the first Earth Day celebration in 1970. 

Catalog ID CA0103