PPAI • MAY 2026 • 31 Branded combs for Iowa Senator Leroy S. Mercer’s re-election campaign in the 1940s (courtesy of Bankers Advertising). employees to continue their efforts until victory was secured. Political & Patriotic Merch Explodes In the years following World War II, American manufacturing represented pride, stability and growth. Patriotic themes reflected optimism and belief in the country’s future. With national sentiment at an all-time high, Kaeser & Blair released The All-American Holiday Line catalogs, which offered a wide selection of print material, such as letterheads, calendars and envelopes. Each catalog – featuring Uncle Sam shaking hands with Santa Claus – had pockets to store a selection of stock images and examples of typesetting symbols. “We still have these on display at our K&B Museum,” says Mitchell Kaeser, co-CEO of Kaeser & Blair. “I call them the original emojis.” Perhaps only eclipsed by President Donald Trump’s ubiquitous red “Make America Great Again” hat a half century later, President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s “I Like Ike” button for his 1952 campaign is the most prominent political merch in U.S. history. “I Like Ike” was an effective slogan because it’s short, rhythmic and personal. At just three words, it fit effortlessly on buttons, hats, posters and any other imprinted item. “It’s the best example of a mass-produced lithograph button,” Lee says. “They made tens of millions of that button, which is why it still shows up in people’s drawers and sewing boxes.” Thanks to television transforming candidates into brands, political merch exploded throughout the 1960s. In addition to buttons, pins and apparel, there was great demand for yard signs, balloons, flyers and bumper stickers – which were invented by Forrest P. Gill, founder of Kansas-based supplier Gill Studios in 1946. “From Carter and Reagan to the historic 2008 election of Barack Obama, we’ve been the backbone of political and patriotic messaging for over half a century,” says Jeff Flowers, director of marketing at Gill Studios. “We’ve seen trends come and go, but the core of what we do remains: helping people show their support, proclaim their allegiance and share their voice. We’ve been here for all of it, and we’re not slowing down now.” The amount of political promotional products doubled for each election in the 1960s, according to Lee. “By the time you had Nixon running in 1968, political promotional items were everywhere,” he says, “and there were probably tens of thousands of companies making these items for candidates.” During that same period, political merch evolved from primarily focusing on candidates to representing cultural movements. There were pins, buttons, armbands, posters, T-shirts and more items showing support for civil rights and women’s rights and protesting the Vietnam War. As screen Thanks to television transforming candidates into brands, political merch exploded throughout the 1960s. America Was Branded From The Start | Must Read Vernon was presented with the U.S. Army Ordnance Award in 1944 for outstanding production contribution to the war effort. The All-American Holiday Line catalogs of 1948-1949 and 1950-1951 from Kaeser & Blair.
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