Black smiley face with arched eyebrows on blue background. 

The classic yellow smiley face is comprised of a yellow circle, two black dots for eyes and a black arc ending in serifs for a mouth. It  was designed in 1963 by by commercial artist, Harvey Ross Ball. Ball was commissioned by The State Mutual Life Insurance Company to create a happy face to raise the morale of their employees. His version was created in 10 minutes. The design was printed onto more than 50 million buttons. Neither Ball nor the company copyrighted this smiley, so it was continually used by other businesses in their promotions.

The design and concept is quite simple and was definitely used before Ball’s 1963 version. However his has become the most iconic. Variations have been used for advertising campaigns and in popular culture ever since.

Black text and yellow text outlined in black on pink background. 

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White text on black background. 

The “Do it.” button delivers a blunt, two-word prompt that invites any kind of action. It can be used for personal motivation or political messages. Such slogan buttons flourished in the late 1960s, when cheap pinbacks became common media for expressing attitude and activism, with short, bold phrases designed for quick reading. Because it doesn’t specify a particular cause, the message remains versatile and timeless. It illustrates how brief slogans can be used as portable expressions of mood and purpose.

Blue illustration of a monkey scratching its head below blue text. White background with red border. 

A phrase that means don't bother me. 

Illustration of two women and a man in a red sleigh guided by two brown horses. Snow-capped scene with them riding by a red barn and brown house.

"Over The River and Through The Wood", originally known as "The New-England Boy's Song about Thanksgiving Day", is a poem by Lydia Maria Child. The poem became a classic Thanksgiving and later Christmas poem and was made into a popular holiday song. The poem's imagery has inspired many illustrations and paintings and has become deeply entrenched into American folklore.

On a purple button, the word Joy is in bold, white warped letters, covering the entire button.

Joy is a great feeling of happiness.

1960s era fonts were often used in slogans which promoted peace, love, and joy rather than war. The war between the USA and Vietnam went from Nov 1, 1955 to Apr 30, 1975.

The peace, love, and joy phrase was used by Hippies, short for hipsters, a subculture which began in the 1950s beatnik coffee house scene predominately in San Francisco. Hippies continue to exist today with new generations of liberal minded activists who believe in peace, love, and joy.

A pink button with black oval eyes and a smile. 

The classic yellow smiley face is comprised of a yellow circle, two black dots for eyes and a black arc ending in serifs for a mouth. It  was designed in 1963 by by commercial artist, Harvey Ross Ball. Ball was commissioned by The State Mutual Life Insurance Company to create a happy face to raise the morale of their employees. His version was created in 10 minutes. The design was printed onto more than 50 million buttons. Neither Ball nor the company copyrighted this smiley, so it was continually used by other businesses in their promotions.

The design and concept is quite simple and was definitely used before Ball’s 1963 version. However his has become the most iconic. Variations have been used for advertising campaigns and in popular culture ever since.

White text on green background. 

Have info on this button? Contact us here.

Back eyes and u-shaped grin on yellow background. 

The classic yellow smiley face is comprised of a yellow circle, two black dots for eyes and a black arc ending in serifs for a mouth. It  was designed in 1963 by by commercial artist, Harvey Ross Ball. Ball was commissioned by The State Mutual Life Insurance Company to create a happy face to raise the morale of their employees. His version was created in 10 minutes. The design was printed onto more than 50 million buttons. Neither Ball nor the company copyrighted this smiley, so it was continually used by other businesses in their promotions.

The design and concept is quite simple and was definitely used before Ball’s 1963 version. However his has become the most iconic. Variations have been used for advertising campaigns and in popular culture ever since.

An orange button with black oval eyes and a smile. 

The classic yellow smiley face is comprised of a yellow circle, two black dots for eyes and a black arc ending in serifs for a mouth. It  was designed in 1963 by by commercial artist, Harvey Ross Ball. Ball was commissioned by The State Mutual Life Insurance Company to create a happy face to raise the morale of their employees. His version was created in 10 minutes. The design was printed onto more than 50 million buttons. Neither Ball nor the company copyrighted this smiley, so it was continually used by other businesses in their promotions.

The design and concept is quite simple and was definitely used before Ball’s 1963 version. However his has become the most iconic. Variations have been used for advertising campaigns and in popular culture ever since.