Zombie woman with black text and floating hearts on pink background.

This is likely a Halloween themed button.  Ghoul is used in the place of girl.

Bold pink text on black background with a white ring near the outer edge.

This was a common expression that was popularized by the Valley Girl movement in California's San Fernando Valley during the 1980s. "Bag Your Face" was said to somebody with the literal intention of putting a bag over their face either because the intended target was ugly or needed to shut up.

An image of a lemon with leaves behind red text.  Image bordered with red ring.

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Blue text on yellow background.

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Two little girls are standing opposite to one another, comparing their sweaters. The girl facing us with a smile is wearing the sweater washed in wool soap, the other girl hasn't been so fortunate and her sweater has shrunk leaving her bottom exposed. The color illustration has a blue/green backlight and sits center on the button surrounded by black text.

Wool Soap was one of several soap products manufactured by Chicago’s “Hog Butcher to the World” Swift & Company by 1915. In response to public concern over the amount of pollutants being released at its packing plants, Swift pioneered innovative ways of repurposing the byproducts from its meat, these included soaps, glues, fertilizer, hairbrushes and all sorts of canned low-grade meat products. These products diversified the company and improved efficiency.

The memorable illustration of the little girls was actually the creation of another company, from whom Swift purchased the trademark to use in its advertising. They appear in several ads for the soaps. Wool soap being a bit of a misnomer, the tallow soap was marketed for both personal hygiene and laundry.

"The 'Swift Soap Children' Stand for Cleanliness and Purity" (Collier's 1908 ) - another version with the little girls

"My mama used Wool soap." Another version.

Red text inside a cartoon speech bubble on a white background.

This memorable advertising catchphrase from Wendy's fast-food chain restaurant first aired on television in January 1984. In January of 1984, Wendy's fast-food chain aired a television commercial declaring "Where's the beef?" The popular commercial featured three elderly women examining the tiny hamburger of fictional competitor, Big Bun. Clara Peller, an overnight success at age 81, is pictured yelling, "Where's the beef?!" The hugely popular ads increased Wendy's sales by 31% but came to an unexpected end when Peller appeared in a 1985 commercial for Prego pasta sauce announcing that she finally found the beef. 

Black text printed on probably white background. Slightly skewed printing to the top right.

"The Old Reliable," Sweet Caporal Cigarettes were produced by Kinney Bros. Tobacco Company, New York starting in 1878. Shortly after, Kinney Bros merged into the giant American Tobacco Company. A.T.C.'s monopoly was broken in 1911 but they retained Sweet Caporal. The popularity of the brand may be linked to its novel use of collectible cigarette cards and pinback buttons included in each pack. There was a series of conversation starters such as "What will you take for it?," "Here's your hat," and "what's your hurry," illustrated Mutt and Jeff phrases, American flags, an Aircraft Spotter Series in the 1940s ("Learn to know friend from foe"), and many baseball series over the years.

It might be hard to imagine that baseball cards were the prize inside a pack of smokes, but these tobacco company promotional items were instrumental in the proliferation of baseball cards (and Sweet Caporal wasn't the only brand sponsoring them). One conscientious player, Honus Wagner, objected to the association. The company pulled his card after he announced he "did not care to have his picture in a package of cigarettes." Unsurprisingly, one of the 57 Wagner cards produced in 1909-1911 sold in 2007 for $2.8 million, the highest price ever for a baseball card. Sweet Caporal brand was discontinued in the US in 1969 after the introduction of a filtered version, but continued in Canada until 2011.

Black text on a white background.

Sweet Caporal Cigarettes issued pinback buttons and trading cards as premiums with their cigarette products. There was a series of premiums that had witty sayings from the turn of the century. Phrases included "What's your hurry," "You make me grin," "Wanted a wife." "The Old Reliable," Sweet Caporal Cigarettes were produced by Kinney Bros. Tobacco Company, New York starting in 1878. Shortly after, Kinney Bros merged into the giant American Tobacco Company. A.T.C.'s monopoly was broken in 1911 but they retained Sweet Caporal. The popularity of the brand may be linked to its novel use of collectible cigarette cards included in each pack. There was illustrated Mutt and Jeff phrases, American flags, an Aircraft Spotter Series in the 1940s ("Learn to know friend from foe"), and many baseball series over the years.

It might be hard to imagine that baseball cards were the prize inside a pack of smokes, but these tobacco company promotional items were instrumental in the proliferation of baseball cards (and Sweet Caporal wasn't the only brand sponsoring them). One conscientious player, Honus Wagner, objected to the association. The company pulled his card after he announced he "did not care to have his picture in a package of cigarettes." Unsurprisingly, one of the 57 Wagner cards produced in 1909-1911 sold in 2007 for $2.8 million, the highest price ever for a baseball card. Sweet Caporal brand was discontinued in the US in 1969 after the introduction of a filtered version, but continued in Canada until 2011.

Black text on yellowish green background. Illustration shows the head of a man with a yellow turban and a large, droopy mustache.

Pinback buttons were distributed at the 1939 New York World's Fair to advertise a brand of laxative called Saraka manufactured by the Schering Corporation. The product touted its two-part approach to curing constipation, "Bulk Plus Motility," and carries the Good Housekeeping seal. The suffering Saraka "Sultan Inbad the Ailer" and his story were illustrated in charming cartoons carried in LIFE magazine (Aug. 21, 1939).

Photograph of an English muffin with a large pat of butter on a plate with black and white text on an orange background.

Samuel Bath Thomas, an Englishman who emigrated to New York City in 1874, opened his bakery in 1880. The famous muffin that bears his name was a fancy alternative to toast that quickly became popular in the US. Trademarked in 1926, the brand Thomas' English Muffin was reported to be first used in 1894; this puts Thomas' invention of the muffin at about this time. The muffins' unique "nooks and crannies" are advertised to be less dense than competitive brands and are a prized corporate asset of current owner Bimbo Bakeries.

The secret recipe is held by only seven employees at the company. So what happens when one of the lucky seven decides to jump ship and take a job at rival Hostess...lots of lawyers appear to battle over "nooks and crannies"!

But maybe some clues can be found elsewhere. How about the 15' x 20' oven found hiding in one of Thomas' original NYC bakeries. The massive brick oven was uncovered by the current owners during a 2006 DIY renovation.