White text on black background.

Clarion Associates, Inc. is a third generation privately owned family business located in Hauppauge, NY. The company is the largest insurance company specializing in musical instrument insurance worldwide. They insure all types of instruments and musical equipment, including sheet music. Their catchy 24-hour claim hotline 1-800-violins prompts the question: do musicians insuring guitars have a problem with this?

Mr. Zip, a cartoon character in blue, with an orange face carrying a yellow postal bag marked "U.S. MAIL" and a postal letter.

Mr. Zip, or Zippy, was based on an original design by Howard Wilcox of the Cunningham & Walsh advertising agency. The design was purchased by AT&T and given to the United States Postal Service (then the United States Post Office Department) to encourage the adoption of zip codes by the general public in the early 1960s. AT&T had warned the postal service that the public might be less than cooperative, citing their own difficulties introducing area codes.

Black text and illustration of a man with pickle body, tomato head, and green bean arms and legs appears over a soft pastel-colored background. Man is walking with a cane and briefcase marked "WILLIAMS."

Mr. Pickle was an advertising character used by Williams Bros. Co., established in Detroit, Michigan around 1885 by William H. Williams and his brother Henry. The initial launch of "Mr. Pickle of Michigan" was as a poster advertising campaign in Columbus, Ohio in 1910-1911. It cost less than $400 to post the entire town for five weeks! Its success encouraged the company to run the ads nationally.

Mr. Pickle is not all pickles; he's more of a vegetable man. However all ads for the company include their slogan "Pick the Pickle from Michigan" even when advertising other products. Here's one for Williams' Tomato Catsup.

Black/white illustration of Mr. Peanut - peanut with arms, legs, tophat, cane and monocle - appears over a yellow background with red text. 

Planters Peanuts' iconic mascot stems from a creative winning contest entry from a fourteen year-old Virginia schoolboy, Antonio Gentile. His drawing was modified slightly (spats, top hat, monocle and cane) and has evolved over the years since its public debut in the Saturday Evening Post in 1918. Mr. Peanut has promoted the country's first roasted peanut company every since.

A 2006 contest to choose what accouterment to add to Mr. Peanut's wardrobe resulted in no change. The public has grown to love Mr. Peanut, as is, it seems. In 2010, Planters' gave Mr. Peanut a voice with actor Robert Downing Jr.

Blue illustration of a character, whose face is hidden by a large swath of hair, wearing a tuxedo, top hat and carrying a cane, on white background with blue edge trim.

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White button with dark blue border and text (except for center text "IT POURS," which is inverted).

Morton Salt Company started in Chicago in 1848 under a different name as a sales agency, only later becoming the prominent in the  salt business. It was Joy Morton who acquired a a major interest in the late 1880s who stamped his name on the company. Morton is credited with many innovation including adding an anti caking agent to keep table salt dry even in damp conditions. It wasn't until 1924 that Morton Salt Company began distributing iodized salt nationally in part to address the prevalence of goiters in the Great Lakes region. Today, the company is the leading producer and marketer of salt for food, industrial, and road uses.

Illustration of an open cylindrical container of Morton's Iodized Salt in blue and green on a white background with dark blue text.

Morton Salt Company started in Chicago in 1848 under a different name as a sales agency, only later becoming the prominent in the  salt business. It was Joy Morton who acquired a a major interest in the late 1880s who stamped his name on the company. Morton is credited with many innovation including adding an anti-caking agent to keep table salt dry even in damp conditions. It wasn't until 1924 that Morton Salt Company began distributing iodized salt nationally in part to address the prevalence of goiters in the Great Lakes region. Today, the company is the leading producer and marketer of salt for food, industrial, and road uses.

The iconic Morton Salt Girl has been associated with the brand since her 1914 introduction with the new slogan "When it Rains, It Pours" in a series of Good Housekeeping magazine ads. The young girl illustrated is walking in the rain with a large umbrella scattering salt behind her. [The slogan was adapted from the proverb "it never rains but it pours," early 1700s.]

Navy blue text on white background; button divided in three horizontal sections with inverted text in the center.

Long before milk mustaches of the "Got Milk" campaign appeared, the benefits of milk have been advertised on glass bottles delivered daily by the milkman, in magazines and in newspapers.  Beginning in the 1940s milk was being promoted by doctors, schools and the government as a necessary part of a healthy diet. The first federal milk program offering subsidized milk to school children around the country was introduced in Chicago in 1940. By the 1950s milk had become a family staple in the households of the post-war baby boom era.

Blue and gold CrystoGlass background.  Black text on yellow circle around periphery of button face.  Image of gabled top of skyscraper with golden rays coming out of top.

Metropolitan Life Insurance (often known as MetLife) was founded in 1868 and has provided insurance, annuities and benefit programs. The company’s headquarters was the MetLife Tower until 2005. It is depicted in the button. It was erected in 1909 and was the world’s tallest building until 1913. Its image and the slogan “The Light That Never Fails” have been featured in their advertising for years. A national landmark, the majority of the MetLife Tower was converted to a hotel. 

Buttons made with the crystoglas process, which was developed by Whitehead and Hoag, was used around 1915. Crystoglas buttons are produced by placing clear celluloid on certain areas of the front of the button with colored foil underneath over a stamped metal background. The process was not used often due to the high cost. 

Purple psychedelic illustration of two men wearing hats on carousel horses with purple text on white background.

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