White and Blue text printed over a red, white and blue background.

Wendell Willkie was the Republican presidential candidate in the 1940 election, with Oregon Senator Charles McNary as his running mate. Prior to the election, Willkie was a corporate lawyer, employed by the Commonwealth Southern Corporation, a company that distributed electricity in eleven states. He later became company president in the mid-1930s.

Before his campaign, Willkie had no experience as an elected public official. He had also never once run for public office before his presidential bid. Once a former Democrat and Wall Street industrialist, Willkie became one of the three major isolationist candidates fighting for the Republican nomination in 1940.

Although Willkie lost the election to incubent Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt, Roosevelt offered him the opportunity to serve as a US representative abroad. Willkie traveled to the Middle East, Britain, and the Soviet Union during the early 1940s. A few years later, in October, 1944, at the age of 52, Willkie suffered a major heart attack and died.

Red text printed below a photograph of General Douglas MacArthur on a white background.

General Douglas MacArthur is remembered for his successful command of the Southwest Pacific Theater during World War II, as well as leading other military operations, including the United Nations forces during the first part of the Korean War.  MacArthur was promoted to General of the Army in 1944, and in 1945 he was called on to command all of the U.S. Forces in the Pacific area.  

In 1948, conservative Republican groups attempted to nominate General MacArthur for President of the United States using the slogan “MacArthur for America.”  MacArthur was commanding Allied troops in Japan at the time, and was therefore unable to campaign for office. He quickly lost in the primary to Thomas E. Dewey, who was beat in the general election by President Harry S. Truman.

Red text on white background underneath a blue photograph of General MacArthur in uniform.

This button was manufactured in support of General Douglas MacArthur's campaign for president in the 1948 election. Following WWII, MacArthur had been serving as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers in occupied Japan. Although MacArthur's obligations overseas made him unable to campaign for the nomination, he had expressed interest in the nomination, saying that if offered the GOP nomination, he would not refuse.

MacArthur gained immense popularity amongst conservatives and was entered onto the Wisconsin primary ballot. Former New York Governor Thomas Dewey, however, won the Republican nomination. Dewey eventually lost to Democrat incumbent Harry Truman in the national election.

Photograph of Wendell Willkie bordered by black text on a white background, and an outer border of flag illustrations.

Produced in support of Wendell Willkie's 1940 presidential bid, this particular button features a rare black and white photograph of the dark horse candidate. Prior to the election, Willkie was a corporate lawyer, employed by the Commonwealth Southern Corporation, a company that distributed electricity in eleven states. He became the company president in the mid-1930s.

Before his campaign, Willkie had no experience as an elected public official. He had also never once run for public office before his presidential bid. Once a former Democrat and Wall Street industrialist, Willkie became one of the three major isolationist candidates fighting for the Republican nomination in 1940.

Although Willkie lost the election to incubent Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt, Roosevelt offered him the opportunity to serve as a US representative abroad. Willkie traveled to the Middle East, Britain, and the Soviet Union during the early 1940s. A few years later, in October, 1944, at the age of 52, Willkie suffered a major heart attack and died.

Blue and yellow text illustration with "XXX" whiskey bottle. Heart symbol for love and lips drawing the O in women.  

Country music singer Tom T. Hall (aka The Storyteller) wrote a song proclaiming "faster horses, younger women, older whiskey, and more money" are the mysteries of life.

But why do men love younger women? Supposedly, women mature faster than men, men like playing the role of breadwinner and protector, men like knowing they’re preferred to their "more virile male peers," and there are physical perks of younger women.

As for the whiskey, the XXX could mean distilled 3 times, a top-shelf, high-proof (44.4% alc/vol.) luxury.

Photo of bulldog with tongue sticking out wearing black glasses, black shirt and blue and pink polka-dot birthday party hat. White text on blue background.  

The Bulldog’s narrow windpipes, soft palates and narrow trachea often result in breathing problems; hence, the hanging tongue.  But that doesn’t stop the Bulldog from making us laugh. They’re always up for a photo shoot! 

Illustration of Dracula getting out of purple coffin. Black text on white background.

Russell Berrie (1933-2003) was a businessman at heart. He began his career as a toy salesman in 1956, which ignited his passion for the toy industry. Berrie envisioned selling inexpensive toys and knick-knacks in the checkout lanes at grocery stores, targeting impulse shoppers and children. Berrie started his own business—Russ Berrie & Company—inside a rented garage in 1963 with just $500. With the company's eye-catching easy-to-grab toys, sales grew to a soaring 1 million dollars by the late 1960s. Russ Berrie & Company went on to release numerous successful toys: the Bupkis Family and troll dolls, ultimately becoming a multi-million dollar company. The company’s success continued, partnering with other toy brands, including Barbie, Carter’s, and Disney, to create popular toys under licensing agreements. 

Russell Berrie was also a philanthropist, giving back to the community and expressing gratitude for his success. One of Berrie’s largest contributions was a grant of $13.5 million to build the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at Columbia University. After Berrie died in 2003, the business experimented with several mergers, ultimately leading to its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. In 2011, other toy companies purchased the remaining rights of Russ Berrie & Company.

Illustrated man salivating while eating sandwich. White text on red background.

A "freeloader" is someone who takes advantage of the charity, generosity, or hospitality of others. It was possibly originated as a trucker’s slang for "somebody who had goods carried along with somebody else's cargo at no charge." But by 1930s, its meaning had shifted to mean the sponger or schnorrer.

Its first documented use could be found in Daily Messenger (Canandaigua, N.Y.) on August 23rd, 1933: "He was inducted into office as the new president of Madison Square Garden..with the customary beefsteak gorging ceremonies and all the members of the freeloaders association in attendance." It was also alleged that "Freddie the Freeloader," a character from  50s-60s TV program The Red Skelton Show, popularized the word. 

Illustration of a freckle faced boy with a red hat and blue striped shirt. Blue and red text on a white background.

Illustration of a rabbit wearing a coat and hat running with text underneath. White illustration and text on a black background. 

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