Grey text with little pink feet below and pink heart with little grey feet on a white background

This button shows the logo for the Pablove Foundation. It is part of the "awareness kit" given to individuals who donate to the foundation. The awareness kit includes a temporary tattoo, the button, a sticker and a campaign to-do list.

The Pablove Foundation has the mission to fund pediatric cancer research and advances in treatment, educate and empower cancer families, and improve the quality of life for children living with cancer through hospital play, music and arts programs.

Black text red heart/black outline on white background

Heart-shaped pin, white-chalk handwritten text on red background

The text on the button “I luv you beary much” is a play on the pronunciation of the word very. The spelling of “love” as “luv” is an eye dialect, the use of nonstandard spelling for speech to contrast standard pronunciation, sometimes done ironically. 

Red text on white background.

Doris Weatherford claims that these buttons were created by George Sheldon, aide to Florida Governor Reuben Askew. They were created in the 1970s in relation to the reforms that were going on.

Yellow text on black and red crest-like symbol with white trim on blue background.

The English Spelling Society (TESS) states that English spelling is “probably the most irregular of all alphabetic systems” because you can’t always tell how to spell a word from hearing it and you can’t always be sure how to say a word by the way it’s written. For example: there, there, thare, their (Bell, 2011).

Poor spelling prevents people from “becoming competent readers or spellers, with devastating effects on their lives.”  It “reduce[s] their employment prospects and exclude[s] them from the mainstream of life.”  According to TESS, “learning to read and write English would be much easier and less time-consuming if its spelling were more consistent, but people are either not aware of it or choose to ignore it” (English Spelling Society). 

With the invention of text messaging, we may be doomed. That’s just Gr8.  

Illustration of alligator or crocodile wearing pink shirt and blue sneakers looking in mirror at image of turkey wearing same outfit. White text on black background.

LaCoste Crocodile or Izod Alligator? Either way, this illustration pokes fun at the preppy subculture. Merriam -Webster defines preppy as “a student at or a graduate of a preparatory school” as well as “relating to or being a style of dress characterized especially by classic clothing and neat appearance.” This same dictionary defines turkey as not just a gallinaceous bird, but also, “failure, flop; especially : a theatrical production that has failed,” “three successive strikes in bowling,” and “a stupid, foolish, or inept person.”

Black Gothic text on white background.

The phrase, “thou shalt not hassle,” came into the popular American lexicon somewhere between the 1960s and 1980s. It is often presented as an additional biblical commandment, sometimes noted as the 11th, 12th or 13th commandment. This is exemplified in a print poster housed by the Library of Congress that states, “The 12th Commandment Thou shalt not hassle.” This poster was gifted to the LOC by Gary Yanker, a collector of political and social propaganda and agitation posters.

The visualization of the slogan “thou shalt not hassle” with a bold, gothic font has been embraced and proliferated by the clothing brand Heavy. Heavy Clothing grew out of Zac Doom’s Blogspot that was started in 2009. Heavy has strong ties to biker culture, and frequently imposes the phrase over images that could be considered provocative, such as police officers admonishing bikers, mug shots, marijuana etc.

Photograph of cat wearing purple, yellow, red, and blue wig.

This button was one of the prizes in Busy Beaver Button Co.'s 2011 "Kitty Wigs Books and Buttons" contest, which included a copy of Glamourpuss: The Enchanting World of Kitty Wigs plus a full set of 2.25 inch Kitty Wigs buttons. The buttons were courtesy of kittywigs.com, the creation of author Julie Jackson and her Siamese cat, Boone. 

A photograph of a gray cat wearing a red wig with pigtails. White website text in the lower left edge.

Kitty Wigs (kittywigs.com) is a company that provides wigs for owners to glamor-ize their pets (usually kitties, but doggies have been known to sport these colorful wigs).  According to their website, "Kitty Wigs are a fun prop to be used to enhance playtime with your feline friends. They're especially fun for photo sessions."  

When ordering the package, the owner recieves a wig in a "paw-proof" case, a mouse rattle, stationary, and a button like the one pictured here.

Cartoon drawing of a red Cadillac with LED head lights. ASK ME HOW WIN A CADILLAC are in all capital letters, with ASK ME HOW written in purple letters above the car and WIN A CADILLAC written in red letters below the car. There is a Florida Lottery logo to the left side of the button. The entire button is yellow.

This button is most likely from the Florida Lottery’s LOTTOMOBILE car giveaway. LOTTOMOBILE was a program initiated by the Florida Lottery which gave away a number of cars of various makes and models using a mail-order form. For example, in 1996 the Florida Lottery gave away 25 Cadillac Seville's to a number of lucky winners.