White text on a purple background. 

This is a motivational button. 

Yellow text with black shadow above a pair of big footed, hairy cartoon legs on blue background.

Although the act of streaking has been popular since the mid-1960s, the term "streaking" was first used in 1973. The term was coined during a mass nude run at the University of Maryland. Streaking is different from nudism, because the streaker intends to be noticed by an audience. It is also different from "flashing", in that it is not intended to shock the victim. Perhaps the most widely seen streaker in history was 34-year-old Robert Opel, who streaked across the stage flashing the peace sign on national television during the 46th Annual Academy Awards in 1974. The high point of streaking's pop culture significance was in 1974, when thousands of streaks took place around the world. A wide range of novelty products were produced to cash in on the fad, including buttons, patches, and t-shirts.

Read more about the History of Streaking Buttons on the Busy Beaver blog.

A black and white portrait of Jesse James with black text above and below on a white background.

This button was popular among the youths during the 60s and 70s. It is a humorous representation of Jesse James (1848-1882), a famous American outlaw, gang leader, robber, and murderer from Missouri and the most famous member of the James-Younger Gang. In lieu of the common portrayal of Jesse James as the tough and lawless man, the button claims him to be a hippie, a person that was associated with a subculture involving a rejection of conventional values.

Blue text on a white background.

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Dark blue text in stencil style is centered in the middle on a white background between red background.

The phrase on this button comes from the Saturday Night Live character the Church Lady created by Dana Carvey. The Church Lady sketches appeared on the show between 1986 and 1990.

Illustration of a freckle faced girl with blue glasses and red pigtails. Blue and red text on a white background.

This artwork has been created with both girls and and boys, and can be found on other novelty pieces, such as shirts.

Red and black text on yellow background. 

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Off white cowboy hat on a red background with off white text curving upwards underneath the image of the hat. 

Dodge—the American auto brand—had a large marketing initiative during the late 1960s centered around its quality customer service and friendly employees. Entitled the “White Hat Special,” this promotional campaign referred to Dodge salespersons, or the “Dodge Boys,” as “good guys in white hats” who could “beat the competition to the draw.” The “White Hat Special” based its theme on the popular westerns of the day and took its slogans from Hollywood star Roy Rogers’ famous maxim: “The good guys wore the white hats.”

So, what did Dodge’s “White Hat Special” entail? With the company pivoting away from performance and focusing on looks and comfort, the package included upgrades that improved the aesthetics of its cars. Should a customer choose to take Dodge up on its “White Hat Special,” he would receive extras like a vinyl roof, wood-grained steering wheel, remote-controlled rearview mirror, whitewall tires, and deep-dish tire covers, all for a discount.

Five lines of green text with one line of red text between the second and third green lines on a white background. 

This button most likely refers to the “shoulder-tap test” in golf. The shoulder-tap test is considered the best way to determine the proper plane of the golf swing. To determine if the golfer’s plane is correct, the golfer keeps swinging the club back until it hits him/her on the shoulder, which indicates a proper plane. If the club taps the golfer anywhere else, such as the neck or the upper arm, the plane of the swing is too upright or too flat. 

Capitalized white text above capitalized black text.  All text below illustration of two feet at top of button.  All on a red background. 

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