An illustration of of a blue star on a white background with white text on a red background circling the star. 

On March 4, 1933 the Olean Times Herald ran a full-page article about the Made in America Club. The club was founded during the Great Depression to promote the manufacturing and purchase of American made products with American grown or harvested resources. The efforts of the club helped to boost the economy and provide jobs for the unemployed. The article that ran on page ten of the Olean Times insists that “whether it’s a box of matches or a barrel of oil; whether it costs pennies or dollars—be sure that the product you buy was made or grown in America. It’s your duty to your nation, your family and yourself.” Each member of the club had to sign a pledge card with the following oath:

I hereby pledge myself to buy, so far as is practicable, only products made or grown in America, by American labor, of American materials—and thereby protect my job, give work to my fellow Americans, and maintain the American standard of wages. 

A large blue B on a white background with white text on a blue background circling the B.

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An orange circle with yellow text surrounded by a yellow border. Orange text arches on the border also.

Lifebuoy Soap is the second oldest soap brand and was introduced by the Lever Brothers in 1895.  In the newspaper The Age, on November 22, 1937, there appears an advertisement for the Lifebuoy Soap League of Health Guards. The advertisement appears on page 3 in the Women’s Section. The ad states “MOTHERS! See that your children join the LIFEBUOY LEAGUE OF HEALTH GUARDS now!” By joining the league children will be encouraged to stay clean and healthy and avoid infections. The members are encouraged to stay healthy by “sign[ing] a promise to maintain health and cleanliness, and to avoid the danger of dirt and germs by washing regularly with Lifebuoy Medicated Health Soap.” Once they have joined the children will receive a certificate and a “red and yellow enameled badge with silvery wings.” 

An illustration of child wearing a square academic cap and sitting at a desk on a white background.  On the edge of the button, circling the illustration, is large black text on a red background. 

Quiz Kids was a radio program, eventually turned television program, which ran for 13 consecutive years from 1940-1953. The program was broadcasted to a national audience and featured extremely intelligent kids answering questions sent in by listeners. Each program was 30 minutes of question and answer. The show was broadcast live and listeners were entranced by how quickly they answered questions, even problems that required calculations without pencil and paper. The contestants ranged in age from 5 to 15 years old. The show was broadcast in the late afternoon, roughly the time period between when children would get home from school and eat dinner. The show made it acceptable for children to be exceptional and well educated. The Kaynee Company used the Quiz Kids program to promote their line of boys clothing in commercials.

An illustration of a jester on a red background with blue and red text on a white background circling the image

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An abstract  illustration of a smiling face made of simple red lines and shapes with black and red text below the image. Bot the image and text sits on a white background. 

Rockaway’s Playland was an amusement park that opened in 1901 in Queens, New York and closed around 1986. The park was originally known as Thompson’s Amusement Park after the owner LeMarcus Thompson. Thompson was the inventor of the modern rollercoaster that debuted at Coney Island. Playland’s famous rollercoaster was called the “Atom Smasher.” The New York Times reported in 1987 that the amusement park would be permanently closing due to the high costs of insurance and the lack of clientele. The area of the park was sold to housing developers. The image of a clown has always been associated with the amusement park, but shifted at some point to the more abstract version shown on this button. For additional images of Rockaway Beach and Rockaway Playland from the 1800s until its destruction in the 1980s visit this site. 

An illustration of a windmill with text on all sides of the illustration on a dark blue background. 

IBEW Local 231 Charter was issued on May 10, 1916 in Sioux City, Iowa. They represent about 350 members. Their jurisdiction covers 26 counties in all - 16 counties in Northwest Iowa, three counties in Southeast South Dakota, and seven counties in Northeast Nebraska. http://ibew231.com/

An illustration of an golden hour glass on a red background with blue text above and below the hour glass. 

This button may be from The Golden Hours Club, a club for active seniors at Saint Tarcissus, a Catholic Parish in Chicago. The group meets biweekly and provides speakers to help seniors stay active and informed; they also volunteer and go on outings outside the parish. 

Illustration of a lake with a fish leaping out of the water, a duck flying next to a cloud and a hunting rifle and fishing rod criss-crossed over the image. There is black text along the top edge and centered under the illustration on a white background.

The East Palestine Sportsmen’s Club is located in East Palestine, Ohio, very near Pennsylvania. According to the website (http://www.epsportsmensclub.org/) of this club they are a non-profit organization who strives to “bring closer cooperation between sportsmen, farmers, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the National Wildlife Service and the general public in an effort to increase awareness of wildlife and its habitat.” The club dedicates itself to education through training in hunter safety and firearms. Furthermore, the club works towards the improvement of hunting and fishing environments through educating members and nonmembers. The club also puts on benefits and events for community members. For example, they have held numerous fishing events for handicapped community members.

An illustration of a smiling man in a hat and overalls holding a corn stalk and waving. The illustration is outlined in green on a white background. There is a thicker green border with white text arching around the button.

Country Home Magazine was a publication that ran from 1984 to 2009 and was published by the Meredith Corporation. The magazine targeted an audience from more rural areas as well as people living in cities that wished to have a more "country" feel in their apartments or homes. The magazine ceased publication because of a drop in advertising and as a cost cutting stratagy of the parent company.