Be Prepared! Buttons Save Lives in the Wilderness

Heading out into the wilderness this summer? 75% of all camp related injuries can be prevented by proper custom button preparation. Ward off mountain lion, bear, and rabid beaver attacks with these helpful button tips:

vintage buttons courtesy of hakes.com

1. Make noise. Wear your button collection on a name badge lanyard. The noise of the buttons clanging together will act as a bear bell, thus scaring away the wild animals.

2. Play dead. Drop to the ground, cover the back of your neck, and don’t move. Maybe the mountain lion just wants to admire your kitten buttons. Lying still will give him a chance to take a look and move on.

3. Fight! If the animal attack is unavoidable, fight back by using your button collection as Chinese throwing stars. A 2.25-inch button in the eye will slow down any angry bear.

4. Buddy System. Just as in button-making, hiking is best done in groups. While you’re fighting off a rabid beaver with your limited edition Chuck Norris button, your friend can run for help.

5. Bandage up. Worst comes to worst, a 1-inch button is a stylish way to fasten a tourniquet.

Always be prepared! Shop now at busybeaver.net to button up in time for the summer.

Friday the 13th Button

It’s Friday the 13th! Check out this vintage, black cat button:

While the number 13 has been considered unlucky for centuries, superstitions about Friday the 13th didn’t begin until the 20th century. And sometime over the past century black cats became the unofficial mascot for the ominous holiday. Busy Beaver’s love for all things kitten has us a bit disturbed by the negative depiction of our fave furry friend, but we do love the simply elegant design of this vintage button.

Need to create custom buttons for your next holiday or event? Shop now at busybeaver.net.

¡Button Up for Cinco De Mayo!

Check out these vintage Cinco De Mayo buttons from Dos Equis and Sol beer:

We love the use of the 2-inch diamond format for the top Dos Equis button and the bottom Sol button is a great example of a 2.25-inch lenticular button. And the third button— who can beat a dolphin illustration? It brings out the Lisa Frank lover in all of us!

Fourth of July is right around the corner! Order your celebratory buttons now at busybeaver.net.

Even Queen Victoria Buttoned Up

We spied what appears to be an antique royal wedding button in this piece from the BBC on the history of royal wedding souvenirs.
The director of the Museum of Brands in London (pictured here) explains that souvenir companies have been cashing in on royal weddings for over a century; the first appearance of commemorative mementos dates back to Queen Victoria’s marriage to Prince Albert in 1840. While royal weddings of the past were commemorated with objects like decorative plates and mustard tins, modern day royal wedding fare includes such oddities as a Charles and Diana rubik’s cube and William and Kate Twinings teabags.

Considering the hysteria surrounding tomorrow’s royal nuptials, Busy Beaver suggests adding this custom 2-inch square button to the list of wacky wedding souvenirs:

To make your own wacky wedding souvenirs, shop now at busybeaver.net.

Mystery Buttons

Custom buttons are a great form of advertising and subtle communication. But some buttons, when taken out of context, leave us with a mystery message. Case in point, the buttons pictured below:
What do they mean? What is their purpose? We just don’t know! Our best guesses, clockwise from top left, are an advertisement for an alligator delivery service, a mod-era NYC tourist button, a bird watchers themed band, and a promotion for country music’s latest dance craze.

Can you identify these buttons? Leave a comment below!

“Black Swan” and the Avant Garde

It’s time to cook up some Jesse EisenBurgers and True (Cheese) Grits! The 83rd Academy Awards air this Sunday on CBS. Will Natalie Portman win Best Actress for her performance in “Black Swan”? We’ll have to wait and see but in the meantime take a look at this striking “Black Swan” movie poster created by British design studio LaBoca:

Black Swan movie poster by British design studio LaBoca

One in a series, this poster’s design was influenced by Polish and Czech posters of the 60s and 70s. The designs are rather reminiscent of a series of 1966 avant garde art buttons currently housed at the Busy Beaver Button Museum:

Art in America Nov/Dec 1966 about avant garde buttons from Park Place Gallery in New York.

Scot Bendall, the art director on the project, compared designing the “Black Swan” posters “to creating a record sleeve“. We say he should’ve taken that concept of branded merch further and created a set of avant garde “Black Swan” buttons. Maybe for the DVD release?

Want to create your own custom buttons? Go to busybeaver.net.

Joel Carter Collection Buttons Up

Joel Carter "The Collector of Collections"

Renaissance man Joel C. is the Busy Beaver Production Manager and an avid button collector.  His enormous Chicago loft hosts collections of vintage musical equipment, mid-century furniture, beer cans, Y2K memorabilia, and of course, buttons.  Here’s what Joel  has to say about his amazing display of badge/button/pin-love:

Busy Beaver:  When did you start collecting buttons?

Joel:  I probably had a small collection as a young kid, but I started collecting more seriously about 7 years ago.

B:  How many buttons are in your collection?

J:  I probably have over 1,000 buttons.

B:  Where do you store and display your buttons?

J:  The main button display is in my kitchen.  The whole wall is tiled with cork and almost completely covered.  I probably have 700  on that wall alone (see photos).

B:  What is your favorite button?

J:  It’s hard pick a single favorite, but some I really like are a Mitch Hedberg button we made years back.  I also collect Soap Box Derby buttons we’ve made over the years.  Some older ones I have are some humorous Jimmy Carter peanut farmer buttons, Howard Stern ’94 run for NY governor buttons,  I also had a random “naughty” button collection that were unceremonious removed when my wife moved into my apartment with me.  I like many kinds of buttons. If it’s a cool design, funny or weird, count me in!

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Joel Carter “The Collector of Collections”