Ten Great Vintage Political Pins
Photo by Billy H.C. Kwok/Getty, Images via Wolfgang Politics Lists Political Pins
Since the beginning of American history, politicians have run for office. And while we’d like to believe that every November Americans carefully dissect the policies of each candidate, weigh them against their personal worldviews and make an informed decision, it’s pretty apparent that that isn’t the case. A snappy slogan or killer put-down during a debate often goes much further than a well conceived plan for tax reform. That’s why political pins have been so important to American politics. Here’s a few vintage ones that swayed way too many hearts and minds—and all available at Wolfgang’s Vault. Click the links to find where you can order them for yourself.
Apparently these pins are most commonly found in the apartments of dead hippies from the 60s. So, you know, real hippies. Not these Coachella wannabes. And like any true hippie, this pin is fighting against the notion that life should be experienced without a psychedelic filter from drugs.
This pin is interesting because upon first glance, it’d be easy to assume that it’s some sort of anti-gay protest. It utilizes a rainbow, but also says, “Hell, no.” Inexplicably, the pins were actually created in protest of nuclear proliferation in the late 70s, and the slogan was very popular at the time. Just goes to show that good graphic design is important.
I’ll admit, this isn’t the most inspiring tagline ever created. Between 1968 and 1984, American farm workers led a boycott of the industry. They were led by Cesar Chavez and attempted to boycott California grapes, Chiquita bananas and non-union lettuce. The goal was to have their union, United Farm Workers Union, recognized. They were largely ineffective, but, to be fair, it’s hard to get super excited about lettuce.
4. Ronald “Super Monster-Super Creep” Reagan
It’s not often that a political pin would play off the name of a David Bowie album, but this was the 80s. David Bowie’s fourteenth studio album, Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps), is often considered to be one of his greatest albums. Reagan haters apparently decided to use the title to imply that Reagan was both a scary monster and a super creep. Surprisingly, this didn’t work.
An American classic, pins depicting an angrily pointing Uncle Sam have been around for years. Here, the surly hero demands that we vote. Thankfully, the pin encourages political participation without espousing any particular party.
Speaking of graphic design, San Francisco apparently could use some. This pin is a pretty inoffensive attempt to encourage recycling. What is offensive if how terrible a drawing it is. It looks like a rejected School House Rock segment. That said, pretty cute stuff.
There was a time when Singapore had just too many children running around. In an effort to curb all that Singaporese sexy time, the government initiated a “stop at two” campaign. Two children was the idea, not twice a week or something. Unfortunately, this campaign worked too well and a little while later they had a population shortage and needed to encourage people to get back to work in the bedroom.
In what has to be the least-threatening pin of all time, hippies apparently wanted to make it clear that they voted. Bucking the stereotype that hippies do nothing but lay around and smoke drugs all day, these pins point to a politically active group of free-loving pot heads. Apparently that’s threatening to somebody.
It’s no secret that the Republican party has had some rough times recently. After months of scandals stacked on scandals stemming from the White House, now could be the time to simplify the message. This pin basically just says, “Hey. We’re the Grand Old Party, and we’re a bunch of nice guys.” It’s simple, happy and ignores the current political climate which could be a godsend.
There’s not a lot of funny things to say about this particular pin. The whole idea is that legal abortions reduce the number of self-abortions that have historically were performed through the use of a coat hanger. The debate about whether abortion should be legalized still rages today and is a highly emotional conversation no matter where you land on the issue. This is a straightforward, but brutally effective pin that is as relevant today as it was whenever this pin was actually created.
For more awesome pins that you could buy for yourself or your politically-inclined significant other, check out Wolfgang’s offering’s here.