White shield with a blue outline, a blue diagonal stripe and blue text on a silver background.

Young Life is a Christian youth organization and ministry currently headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Young Life operates clubs and camps throughout the United States and beyond. One of the core programs of Young Life is the operation of bible study groups.

White button with a blue checkerboard border and red text.

This phrase could refer to asking the reader for familiar acquaintance. It is one of a series of suggestive novelty buttons issued by Johnson Smith & Company in the 1930s. The buttons in this series all share the visual features of blue and white alternating rectangles around the perimeter of the button with red sans serif font boasting flirty expressions. The frivolous and fun nature of these buttons and other novelty goods produced in the 1920s and 1930s was purported by Johnson Smith & Co. as “provid[ing] an escape for people wracked with economic struggle brought on by WWI and the Great Depression” (Johnson Smith Company, LinkedIn).

Johnson Smith & Co. originated in 1914 as a novelty item mail-order company based in Chicago, IL. The company later moved to Racine, WI, Detroit, MI, and ultimately, Bradenton, FL. Though their website is now defunct, it was active as of 2012. Johnson Smith & Co. often advertised in print media aimed at young adults such as Action Comics, Boys’ Life, Popular Mechanics, and MAD. These ads and larger catalogs were influential in the development of American graphic design.

Illustration of two well-dressed women talking to each other with three clean-cut men behind them. Black text centered at the bottom on white background. 

The Village People was a hair salon located in Las Vegas.

Capitlaized white text outlined by a white circle, all on a purple background.  

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An illustration of a man and woman roller skating together. The man is wearing a suit and the woman is wearing a dress. The illustration is outlined in blue, the background is white, and there is a red border around the button.

Roller skates were invented by the Germans, in the late 1840s. During the 1940s, after the war, roller skating was a way to bring people together becoming known as a family activity that provided fitness, socialization and fun. Skating rink owners would hold contests in dance and figure skating. In 1970, there was a boom in roller skating industry with the Disco Era. 

Illustration of a brick pyramid with a yellow sky and blue water with boats and a dock in the background and blue night sky with stars and a moon and green grass on either side in the foreground. There is an illustration of a person in black pants and a red shirt holding a sledge hammer on one shoulder on the left side of the button and a man in a black and white suit sitting in a chair next to a blue and pink lamp and holding a sheet of paper on the right side of the button. There is a golden outer edge to the button.

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An illustration of a green frog wearing a red cape and beret and a white bib with "SF" in black. The frog is looking off to the right. The text is black and the background is white.

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A red button.

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Illustration of white dog on a background of blue sky and green grass. Text curved across bottom of the button.

Known as working dogs, the Spitz breeds were originally used for hunting, herding and pulling a sled.

This button is part of a larger set of 35 buttons, each with an illustration of a different dog breed. The were originally sold on a 6” x 9” cardboard sheet.

Illustration of a small light brown dog on a background of blue at the bottom and green at the top. Text curved across bottom of the button.

The Yorkshire Terrier originated in Great Britain.  It was originally used to control vermin in mills of Yorkshire, England.

This button is part of a larger set of 35 buttons, each with an illustration of a different dog breed. The were originally sold on a 6” x 9” cardboard sheet.