A Callithump! Special Edition is now available in Lord Hall, University of Maine, Orono!

Totally Buttons, as the name suggests, is entirely buttons. Each capsule contains one 7/8-inch button. The buttons are all hand-made by us Callithumpians. The machine in Lord contains around 450 of a projected 1,000 designs. Collect them All! Capsules vend for the special low, low price of just 25 cents, instead of the usual 50 cents. Get yours now! At this INSANELY low price they won't last long!

Why Totally Buttons?

Buttons, also known as badges or pinbacks, have been around since the late 1800s. Since that time, both their purpose and construction have remained almost unchanged. An image on paper is sandwiched between disc of metal and plastic (or celluloid, originally). A twisted pin is attached to the back to allow it to be affixed to cloth. In the 1800s, as today, people used pinbacks to proclaim their devotion to famous entertainers, political candidates and important causes; to make jokes, to display witticisms or conversation starters.

In some ways buttons can be seen as precursors to blogs, MySpace, Flickr and and other user-centered mediums. They provide a way to express your opinion publicly. The pre-Internet world provided few opportunities for this. By putting on a button, anyone who walks past you can know that you are a fan of Edwardian stage actress Lena Ashwell, or that You Like Ike, or that you're not As Think as You Drunk We Am. Callithump's mission has always been to get creativity into public spaces. Buttons are a natural medium for this!

As always, Callithump! is participatory media. Do you have a great idea for a button? A piece of artwork that would reproduce well in a tiny, tiny space? A slogan, cause, or curiosity that deserves public display? Let us know! You do the design, we'll do the production, and we'll reward you handsomely with buttons of your own design.