Illustration of a blue-skinned character wearing a white hat kicking a soccer ball over a green background with black text.

Smurfs are forest creatures created by Belgian writer and illustrator Pierre “Peyo” Culliford (1926-1992). They first appeared in the comic series Johan and Peewit in 1958. Their popularity quickly grew, leading to their own television series in 1959 and a Belgian animated show that aired from 1961 to 1967. The Smurfs' major breakthrough came with their introduction to the American audience through the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Smurfs, which ran from 1981 to 1990 and firmly established the lovable blue characters in American pop culture. 

The "history" of sports in the Smurf universe mainly originates from a special called "The Smurfs' Greatest Sports," where Smurfette hosts the first Smurfic Games. Ancient Greek traditions and feature events like the Smurf-a-thon and Smurfberry Toss inspire these games. Although characters like Soccer Smurf take part in other sports, such as soccer and "American football," in various fan-created stories, these are not part of an official Smurf sports history. Instead, they are specific events within those stories. Due to the large number of Smurf characters, the specific Smurf shown cannot be identified. 

Illustration of a rainbow on a white and blue background with white letters

In November, 1979, U.S. senator Ted Kennedy, the youngest brother of John F. and Robert Kennedy, launched a presidential campaign against incumbent (and fellow democrat) Jimmy Carter, who entered campaign season with very low approval ratings. Though Kennedy initially led Carter in the polls, Carter gained momentum after the start of the Iran hostage crisis, ultimately beating Kennedy for the nomination; Carter ultimately lost to Ronald Reagan in the general election. 

Despite this loss (and other scandals in his personal life), Ted Kennedy had a long career in politics, spending 47 years representing Massachusetts in the U.S. senate. 

Illustration of a white and brown cleaner box on a red background with white text. 

Kleenex Brand tissues have a long history, developed by parent company Kimberly-Clark for a surprising original use: as filters inside soldiers’ gas masks during World War I! The innovative, crepe-like paper proved to be so useful that after the war, Kimberly-Clark began incorporating it into their consumer products. In the early 1920s, it was used in menstrual pads branded as Kotex. In 1924, a thinner and softer version of the material came onto the market specifically as a makeup remover. It wasn't until 1929, in response to reports that Kleenex was being used in place of a handkerchief, that the brand morphed into its now familiar form. 

Kleenex packaging has changed repeatedly over the decades to reflect changing trends and new features of the product; the one seen on this button is representative of Kleenex in 1968. 

See the Busy Button Museum’s other Kleenex packaging buttons from 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1960, and 1964.

Illustration of a cartoon dog and bird riding a skateboard. Turquoise background with orange text. 

Snoopy and Woodstock are an iconic pairing from the wildly beloved comic strip Peanuts. Created by Charles M. Schulz in the 1950s, Peanuts follows a determined young boy named Charlie Brown who fails quite miserably at most things, but always manages to persevere. As you watch Charlie Brown grow and try new things you see the friends he gains along the way, including Snoopy, his beagle. Snoopy gradually becomes a character in his own right and begins to form his own personality and gains a number of personas as the comic progesses. Snoopy’s friend Woodstock the bird was added during the 1960s right after the events of the music festival of the same name. Charles Schulz was inspired by the festival’s logo which had a bird on it. Together the pair go on numerous adventures throughout the series and have remained a classic duo ever since. 

White text on a blue background with a white rim.

Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro were the Democratic ticket for the 1984 U.S. presidential election. Mondale served as vice president to Jimmy Carter in the prior administration, and Ferraro was Representative for the state of New York. The two ran in opposition to the incumbent president Ronald Reagan and vice president George H.W. Bush. Reagan won the election in a landslide, winning 49 states, with Mondale only winning his home state of Minnesota and the electoral votes from the District of Columbia. At 525 total electoral votes, Reagan set a record for the highest number of electoral votes ever won by a presidential candidate. 

White text on an orange background

“My Heart is on the Left” was—and still is—a phrase used by many progressive and left leaning activist groups and non-profit political organizations, like Americans for Democratic Action (ADA). ADA was founded in 1947 after the death of former U.S. president Franklin Delano Roosevelt by Eleanor Roosevelt, John Kenneth Galbraith, Walter Reuther, Arthur Schlesinger, and Reinhold Niebuhr as a way to uphold and further Roosevelt's sweeping New Deal reforms.

ADA supports a wide range of liberal policies and politicians, and were credited by former Massachusetts senator Ted Kennedy as the force behind the most recent national minimum wage increase. Since its founding, ADA has advocated for local, grassroots organizing efforts—and lobbying state-level politicians—as a key first step to enact change on the national level. lobbying local senators and their representatives as a way to enact broader change.

Illustration of a blue skinned character with a white hat and yellow checked pants swinging a golf club. Black text on an orange background. 

Smurfs are forest creatures created by Belgian writer and illustrator Pierre “Peyo” Culliford (1926-1992). They first appeared in the comic series Johan and Peewit in 1958. Their popularity quickly grew, leading to their own television series in 1959 and a Belgian animated show that aired from 1961 to 1967. The Smurfs' major breakthrough came with their introduction to the American audience through the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Smurfs, which ran from 1981 to 1990 and firmly established the lovable blue characters in American pop culture. 

The "history" of sports in the Smurf universe mainly traces back to a special episode called "The Smurfs' Greatest Sports," where Smurfette, a popular character, hosts the inaugural Smurfic Games. These games are inspired by ancient Greek traditions and feature events such as the Smurf-a-thon and Smurfberry Toss. The Golf Pro Smurf is a part of official Smurf sports history stories. There were two versions of this button produced—one green and one orange—each featuring two Smurfs wearing different hats. Due to the sheer number of Smurf characters, the specific Smurf depicted cannot be identified.

Blue silhouettes of animals over a white background with red and blue text. 

The Fund for Animals was an American organization dedicated to protecting animals from cruelty and neglect. The group was founded in 1967 by Cleveland Amory, a noted author and animal rights activist. The Fund for Animals led numerous large-scale animal rescue operations, including a four-year airlifting project to move wild burros out of The Grand Canyon National Park and the establishment of Black Beauty Ranch, a 1,400 acre animal sanctuary in Texas. The organization was a frequent partner of The Humane Society of the United States, and in 2021 the two organizations fully merged.

Illustration of a rhinoceros wearing a propellor hat and holding a popsicle with black text over a yellow background.  

The Lincoln Park Zoo is a zoo located within Chicago's Lincoln Park, a 1,208 acre park that sits alongside Lake Michigan. Founded in 1878, it is one of the only free admission zoos in the United States. 

The Super Zoo Picnic is an an annual celebration put on by the Lincoln Park Zoo. Those with paid zoo memberships can purchase tickets to this after-hours event which offers exclusive access to park amenities, food, and live entertainment. 

Click here to see the Super Zoo Picnic '83 button. 

Illustration of two men wearing fedora hats, sunglasses, and neckties with a police car over a blue background with white text. 

House of Blues is a chain of music venues that first opened in 1992. The brand was developed by Isaac Tigrett, founder of the Hard  Rock Café, along with a number of collaborators, most notably Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film The Blues Brothers, from which the House of Blues took much of its stylings and aesthetic. Aykroyd continues to promote the brand, usually by making appearances at the opening of new locations. A Chicago location opened in 1996.

The House of Blues bran places a heavy emphasis on the unifying power of music, as well as highlighting diversity. The African American roots of Blues music is particularly noted.