Illustration in black, white, and pink on a teal background shows a man in profile wearing sunglasses, a jacket, and a pink bow tie. Black text reads "Commander Salamander" above the image, and pink text below the image reads "Joe Commander."

Commander Salamander was a famous clothing store in Washington, DC, from 1979 until its closing in 2010. It stocked punk styles of clothing and pop culture knick knacks. This Georgetown institution even made it to the Urban Dictionary it was so popular.

But what about the name, Commander Salamander, exactly where did that come from? Although not confirmed as the inspiration, there was a very popular children's cartoon hosted by Captain Tugg which ran in the DC area in the 1960s on WTTG. Actor Lee Reynolds played Captain Tugg and a handful of other characters including one by the name of Commander Salamander. 

Red logo and text on a white background

In 1898, Uneeda Biscuits were the first product to be packaged using the In-Er Seal system. The design consisted of a cardboard box and waxed inner wrapper to "seal in the freshness" of baked goods. At the time, this was a major improvement. The biscuits and their innovative packaging mark the first product release of the newly created National Biscuit Company (N.B.C., but later Nabisco). The company represented a merger between the three largest regional bakery franchises in the US at the time. The superior packaging provided more distribution time, longer shelf-life and better tasting products. The memorable red and white logo is reported to be based on a 15th century printers mark.

Blue text on a white background

The American Tobacco Company was one of the first cigarette companies to give away badges and buttons.  The “Oval” cigarette described the means in which the cigarette was pressed, with most of the tobacco being in the middle of the cigarette. 

 White text  on blue background.

Bobby Sox were first manufactured around 1927 and became popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Bobby socks had a thick upper part that was turned down to form a thick cuff at ankle height. They were often worn by girls as part of a school uniform and were a popular choice to wear with saddle shoes, loafers, or Oxfords.

The Ideal Novelty and Toy Company was founded in 1907 by Morris and Rose Michton after having invented the Teddy bear. Early on they made "Yellow Kid" and 200 other composition dolls made of sawdust and glue. Other famous toys made by Ideal were the Magic 8-ball and the Rubik's Cube.

White button with blue and black text and a black silhouette of Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin's hat and cane are shown being blown away from a desktop computer on a table carrying a flower in a vase.

In August 1981 the advertising agency Lord, Geller, Federico, and Einstein launched IBM's first Personal Computer with its hugely popular Chaplin ads. Harkening back to an earlier time, a simpler time, the print and television ads were largely black/white and featured Charlie Chaplin's "little tramp" character, played by character actor Billy Scudder. IBM was hoping to reduce public fear of the computer and highlight its simplicity and applications. Using a lovable old-timey character like the tramp made computers seem within reach and not some scary thing from the future. (Whether or not the US$1,565 base price was truly within reach is arguable!)

Press Release announcing the new IBM Personal Computer

Footage of IBM's Charlie Chaplin campaign

Illustration of the House of Guitars storefront, with the name and address surrounding in black with a white background.

The House of Guitars, HOG, is a huge music store in Irondequoit, a suburb Rochester, New York. It has 4 floors of musical instruments and an elaborate maze of adjoining buildings that sell records, t-shirts, buttons, and other music related items. The look of the store has been compared to a rummage sale, with piles of t-shirts on the floor, guitars packed in to tight spaces, etc. HOG got it start in 1964 with three brothers working out of their mother's basement. A wise move early on to meet the demand created by Beatle-mania gave the business a solid start, and eventually their own storefront which they've occupied since (the building is featured in the company's logo which printed on our button).

HOG is also known for its advertising during the 1960-70s. In the 1960s HOG started making commercials which ran on late-night television. "We just turned on a 16-mm camera and had rock ‘n’ roll music playing in the background." They were shocking to most adults, but had the opposite affect on the younger generation. As did their billboard campaigns. In response to a conservative group's billboard "Beautify America. Get a haircut," one of the Schaurbroeck brothers responded with his own, featuring his image and the HOG logo stating: “Help Keep America Free. Let Your Hair Grow.”

Black text on center circle with orange background, surrounded by a ring of 'HONDA' repeated in orange on green, surrounded by a final ring of decorative green/orange Os on a purple background.

Honda was a relatively small motorcycle manufacturer during the 1960s when they began exporting to the U.S. There is some academic debate as to how Honda became so successful, but it has since become the largest motorcycle manufacturer and the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines.

Illustration of a young blonde girl crying with red irritated eyes and nose. There's also an image of a white bird next to the girl's head. Button has white background and red text.

Allergy Annie was a character developed by Honeywell HVAC company to promote their air cleaning products. The doll and coloring book were offered for free when readers agreed to have a representative demonstrate "(in your home) the multiple benefits of this Honeywell Electronic Air Cleaner."

Red-eyed Annie in our button should not be confused with the new Annie. In May of 2012 "Allergy Annie" was trademarked by a company selling allergy labeling products. Wonder if they know about the "real" Allergy Annie?

Hot pink background, black text and line drawing of a smiley face with swirling eyes and its tongue hanging out.

This button promotes the Lusty Lady, a famous peepshow in Seattle and San Francisco that operated from 1985-2010.

White Harry's "sign" outlined in yellow includes address and phone number in red text. Background is red with repeating text "I'm just wild about Harry" in white.

Harry's New York Bar is located in the Park Lane Hotel on Central Park South in New York City. It was named after Harry Helmsley, a New York real estate developer and philanthropist who once owned the Empire State Building and Flatiron Building. The Park Lane hotel opened in 1971. The slogan "I'm just wild about Harry" evokes the 1921 hit song of the same name by Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle.

From 1972 until his death in 1997, Harry Helmsley was married to Leona Helmsley, who supposedly once said, "We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes." Her 1989 conviction on tax evasion and hostile treatment of employees and others earned her the reputation as the "Queen of Mean."