Black font on a faded orange background.

The parody or antidote to the "I(We) try harder" buttons.

A black and white comic image of a bearded man with a hat, and glasses carrying two bags of money.The image is marked ''R.L. GOLDBERG''.

In the early 1900s, along with other tobacco companies, Tokio issued many 7/8" cartoon pinback buttons displaying comic art by famous cartoonists of the day. They were given out as premiums with a purchase of Tokio Cigarettes.

The artist behind the illustration was Rube Goldberg, a famous cartoonist/humorist who coined the phrase, "I'm the Guy Who...", around 1910. 

Bold black text on white background.

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Red text on a white clover with red background.

Penny King gumball machines are antiques that were small and designed to sit on a countertop. They typically had a body made from cast aluminum and a globe made from glass. For just one cent, they dispensed pin-back buttons as prizes during the mid-twentieth century. Buttons that read "Quit Your Kiddin'," "Hot Dogs," and "Let's Get Acquainted" were just some of that could be collected from these machines.

An illustration of a man's white hairy legs, with black text on a darker blue background.

This button is part of Legal Momentum's advertising campaign during the 1970s. Legal Momentum is the oldest non-profit legal organization dedicated to advancing the rights of women and girls through law and public policy. "Hire Him, He's Got Great Legs" was an advertisement in 1973 used as a parody of women’s rights in the workplace.

Bold black text on orange background.

HI is an acronym for Houston Instruments and not, at first glance, for the greeting, "Hi". Houston Instruments, founded in 1959 in Houston, Texas, produced analog recorders. As their business grew, they added products such as digital plotters, graphic digitizers and other analog items. Houston Instruments relocated from Houston to Austin, Texas, in 1974 after outgrowing their Houston location. In 1974, Austin had many high-tech companies. The backing paper of the pinback button notes the new Austin location as well as the two devices HI was most known for, graphic plotters and analog recorders.

Thin black and red text on yellow background.

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Red illustration of a women with red text and outer ring with white background.

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White text on a black background.

"Give a damn" is the slogan for the New York Urban Coalition campaign.  Also, it is the name of a song released as a public service for the campaign by Spanky and Our Gang. Here is a video link of the famous 1968 commercial for the New York Urban Coalition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuDBcpmiipI.

Dark green psychedelic text on yellow background.

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