Large, bold text in the center of the button.  Black text on a red background.

“Sock it to me” conveys enthusiasm and a willingness to engage, often with a challenge. It gained popularity among Black musicians in the soul and jazz scenes of the late 1960s and early 1970s. In Aretha Franklin’s 1967 hit "Respect," background singers repeat the phrase to highlight eagerness for societal recognition and the demand for respect. The phrase also became a catchphrase on the TV show "Laugh In," signaling readiness for the next joke or story. The catchphrase was famously even said by Richard Nixon in 1968. In 1972, The Jimmy Castor Bunch used it in their song "Troglodyte" to suggest sexual advances. 

In 1960s slang, “teach” is used as a casual term for “teacher”—for example, “Hey, Teach.” It has been in use since at least the mid-20th century. Students say “Sure, teach” in the 1955 film Blackboard Jungle, illustrating the school slang of that era. The term can seem friendly or a bit cheeky depending on the tone. 

Illustration of an angry cartoon man holding a gun in each hand with a blue and red hat with bullet holes through it. There is a yellow ray surrounding him with a red background. Below the illustration are the words So REACH! in red bold letters on a white background. 

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Mickey and Minnie are smiling and holding each other. Minnie is wearing a red dress, a blue hair bow, and blue shoes. Mickey is wearing a blue jacket and red pants.  To the left of them are three red hearts. Below the hearts, along the lower left side of the button, are the words "LOV'IN" written in red. The background is white with a red outline. 

Both Mickey and Minnie were created by Walt Disney in 1928 in order to replace Walt Disney's old character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and his string of potential love interests. The placement of the text "Walt Disney Productions" on the back, the large size of the button, and the use of plastic are all characteristic of Disney pins during the 1970's and 80's.

Capitalized black and red text over a yellow background on the upper half, capitlaized white text and an illustration of the head of a knight in profile, wearing a white helmet with a plume of yellow and red feathers, over a black background on the lower half.  

Topps, a company that is best known for sports memorabilia, produced "Wise Guy" pins during the 1960s that featured  satire/parody for novelty and humor.

Image of a white layered birthday cake with nine lit candles. Yellow text surrounding the cake on blue background. 

Celebrating a birthday with a cake with lit candles is a practice that has evolved over hundreds of years across the globe. In Ancient Greece, there was a tradition of making moon-shaped cakes to bring to the temple of Artemis, goddess of the moon. The cakes had lit candles decorating them, meant to make them shine like the moon. In Roman times, cakes were made to celebrate some citizens’ 50th birthdays, although this was reserved for men of high social status. By the 18th century, Germans had a tradition of celebrating birthdays for children, called “Kinderfeste,” in which a cake would be topped with candles in the morning, and kept lit all day until the cake was eaten after dinner. It was not until the industrial revolution, however, that birthday cakes became a trend in the United States, when ingredients, baking tools, and even pre-made cakes cost less and were more accessible to the population.

Black text on a yellow background

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White text on a pink background

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White text on a blue background.

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Blue button with very small white text.

Well this is one way to enforce personal space.

Red text on white background. 

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