Red illustration of a content dog with its eyes closed and a black nose. Yellow text on a wedge shape of black background.

This flirty expression basically means I like you, or I am interested in you.

Black text on white background.

The Man of La Mancha was a Broadway musical that debuted in 1965 and was turned into a movie in 1972. Both the musical and movie were inspired by the 17th century novel Don Quixote, although it was not a true rendition of the novel. During the height of the musicals success, the main campaign tagline was What, you’ve only seen Man of La Mancha once? In response to the campaign, buttons like the one pictured were made and could be purchased at the show. The word once is emphasized since the campaign tagline asked about seeing the musical once.

Black and red illustration of a smiling giraffe with red text on a light green background.

High-Hattin' means being snobbish or arrogant.

Red illustration of a character peeking out of a cooking cauldron with red text and blue fire. The hair forms a question-mark.

The man in the pot on this button is likely Kilroy, a popular character dating back to World War II. Kilroy was known for his large nose and question marked shaped hair, peering over the edge of doors, walls, etc.  He was a popular form for graffiti after World War II. His image was put on the statue of liberty, stamped into the dust on the moon, and placed inside the private bathroom that was used by Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill during a conference. As Stalin exited the bathroom he asked an aide, “Who is Kilroy?”

Color illustration of a girl in a dress and pigtails holding a sign with black text on a red background.

This was a "Buddy Button" from Norcross Greeting Card company. The Norcross greeting card company was established in the 1920s by Arthur D. Norcross. The company had its own design employees, but they also hired free-lance designers such as Mildred Urban who created the 'Red Sails and Sunset' design. Along with their popular designs, Norcross is also noted as the first commercial card company to produce Valentine's Day cards.

The museum has one other of the Buddy Buttons here.

White button with blue text

A vote is a formal expression of opinion or choice made by an individual or body of individuals, especially in an election, according to the dictionary definition. Candidates for an election are allowed many methods to campaign for the votes of their people or constituents. Although campaign items are allowed, there are strict rules preventing electioneering with U.S. elections so that a person may not electioneer for or against any candidate, measure, or political party within 100 feet of a polling place, meaning a wearable like this would no longer be acceptable to be worn while casting a vote in the voting booth.

Black letters on white background.

“Victim of the Press” was a slogan that was part of the highly controversial Aesthetic Realism movement, founded by Eli Siegel in 1941.  These buttons were made and worn by members of the movement in the 1970s, mentioned in Nat Hentoff’s article titled, “Minority protesters trash First Amendment", published in the May 5, 1993 edition of the St. Petersburg Times.  Photos of this button were originally published in an April 6, 1981 article by Paul R. Grossman in the New York Native, titled “Victims of Aesthetic Realism”. The New York Native was a biweekly gay newspaper which shut down in 1997. Eli Siegel committed suicide in 1978, and the movement was said to have totaled around 100 members.

Color illustration of a Mulford's "Aseptic Shield" with red and black text on a rose and off white background.

Founded in the 1880's, H. K. Mulford Company was a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based pharmaceutical company that developed medicines and vaccines. Founded by Henry Kendall Mulford, a Philadelphia pharmacist, H. K. Mulford company made many advancements in the field, including a patent for a pressed tablet machine, revolutionizing how medicines were distributed. Fighting outbreaks of diphtheria, H. K. Mulford developed a treatment and in 1895 became the first American industrial producer of diphtheria antitoxin. They would not stop there, in 1902 they patented the Mulford Vaccination Shield, designed to protect the open sore left behind after a smallpox vaccination, which requires the skin on the arm to be scraped (a process called scarification) and the vaccination inserted, which the company also produced. The company produced many different types of vaccinations for human and veterinary purposes, including rabies and antivenin. In 1929 H. K Mulford merged with the Maryland based Sharp & Dohme, ending independent development.

Blue shield with white lettering with red lettering inside the shield.

Although the act of streaking has been popular since the mid-1960s, the term "streaking" was first used in 1973. The term was coined during a mass nude run at the University of Maryland. Streaking is different from nudism, because the streaker intends to be noticed by an audience. It is also different from "flashing", in that it is not intended to shock the victim. Perhaps the most widely seen streaker in history was 34-year-old Robert Opel, who streaked across the stage flashing the peace sign on national television during the 46th Annual Academy Awards in 1974. The high point of streaking's pop culture significance was in 1974, when thousands of streaks took place around the world. A wide range of novelty products were produced to cash in on the fad, including buttons, patches, and t-shirts.

Read more about the History of Streaking Buttons on the Busy Beaver blog.

Plain black text on bright orange background.

The saying "Try it...you'll like it!" became immensely popular as a catch-phrase after the release of a commercial for Alka-Seltzer in 1971. The advertisement, which now holds a place in the CLIO Hall of Fame, comically depicts a gentleman explaining how his waiter repeatedly pushed him to try a dish which inevitably led to his need for the medicine's relief. After initially seeping into the minds of viewers via its association with the effervescent tablets, the commercial's catchy tagline later evolved into a stand-alone saying that was put on everything from buttons and t-shirts to coffee mugs and cookie jars. The term became a general offering of advice to keep an open mind -- an idea that was important among the younger generations of the 60s and 70s.