Branded merchandise is as American as baseball, jazz and apple pie.
Before it became a defined business category, patriotic merch was already being produced and distributed as mass messaging tools. These promotional products weren’t essential to “brand campaigns” yet, but they demonstrated the core concept that would define the industry: Branded merch powers lasting connections.
In many ways, the story of patriotic merch is also the story of the industry itself, illustrating how it grew, evolved and responded to national moments.
From political campaigns to wartime mobilization to cultural movements, merch has remained a powerful force in shaping public opinion, national identity and consumer capitalism.
The Birth Of Political Merch
You must go back 237 years for the dawn of patriotic – and political – merchandise in the U.S., as commemorative buttons were distributed at George Washington’s presidential inauguration.
“There was a dozen different buttons, and some said ‘Long Live The President’ because they were treating him like a king. They didn’t know what to say,” says Tony Lee, president of the American Political Items Collectors, a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to promoting the collection, preservation and study of materials relating to political campaigns and the presidency.
Throughout the 1800s, political merch consisted of primarily brass and metal items, Lee says. To show support for candidates, people would have an image of them on tin, which they would put into a brass shell and wear on their lapel. They also wore silk ribbons with the candidate’s name and a message.
“It wasn’t until 1896 when manufacturers invented the ability to mass-produce buttons,” Lee says, “and that changed everything.”
That’s the year New Jersey-based supplier Whitehead & Hoag patented the celluloid pinback button, which was used in the 1896 presidential campaign of William McKinley. National advertisers realized buttons could display something more commercial than just political figures, and Whitehead & Hoag monopolized that business for the early part of the 20th century.
- Co-founder Benjamin Whitehead was elected the first president of PPAI, then known as the National Association of Advertising Novelty Manufacturers, in 1904.
As manufacturing scaled, so did U.S. imagery in advertising. Calendars, paper fans, trading cards, glassware and other products were decorated with the American flag, the bald eagle and other patriotic symbols.
‘We Can Do It!’
In 1917, the nation entered World War I, which necessitated some adjustment in the branded merch industry. Steel shortages caused several firms like Iowa-based distributor Vernon (founded in 1902) to temporarily discontinue manufacturing and concentrate instead on the distribution side, according to PPAI records.
As for suppliers, many of them added a new client – the U.S. armed forces. Merch became a tool for mobilization: Liberty Loan campaign buttons, pins and posters; factory incentive awards; and products decked out in red, white and blue or emblazoned with military insignia were all in high demand.
If World War I marked the beginning of companies relying upon patriotic branding, then World War II solidified it as a powerful marketing strategy. With the line between government propaganda and commercial promotion blurred, wartime messaging became central to corporate identity.
For example, Ohio-based distributor Kaeser & Blair (founded in 1894) offered a catalog of patriotic products, including war ration books and stationery. Americans received these books, which contained stamps for purchasing gas, meat, sugar, tires and other rationed items, to manage resources during the war effort.
And once again, the merch industry made necessary adjustments to support the war effort.
Stebco Products, a Chicago-based manufacturer of briefcases, started turning out boxes for infantry field telephones, instrument cases for Air Corps bombardiers and flyers’ clothing bags. To its line of cloth products, Cincinnati-based supplier Kemper-Thomas Co., one of the 12 charter members of PPAI, added civilian gas masks and Marine Corps fatigue caps.
Another charter member, Minnesota-based distributor Brown & Bigelow, offered a line of proximity fuses for artillery shells. Before New Jersey-based supplier Peerless Umbrella became synonymous with umbrellas, the company produced parachutes for the military during WWII.
Vernon manufactured ammunition boxes and sold window blackout kits for homes and businesses on the East and West coasts to deter shelling from offshore German U-boats during World War II.
In March 1944, Vernon was honored for an “outstanding production contribution to the war effort” and presented with the Army Ordnance flag, described as a “symbol of the Army’s gratitude for work performed on the home front.” At the award presentation, Major Gordon Fowler urged 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.”
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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 printing became cheaper, political expression became fashionable with students able to create whatever designs they wanted in the comfort of their garages.
- During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Information Agency asked PPAI for “civil action gifts” to distribute in remote agricultural areas of the Southeast Asian country. The Agency believed gifts such as pencils, sewing kits and vegetable slicers could bolster morale in villages under attack by the Vietcong.
Following the Vietnam War, President Gerald Ford was trying to get prices and wages under control. In announcing his anti-inflation campaign, Ford badged his lapel with a “WIN” button, an acronym for “Whip Inflation Now.” Within a month, Adcraft Manufacturing alone sold 5 million WIN buttons.
Celebrating Americana
As the ’60s came to a close, patriotic merch was inspired by another shining moment: American astronaut Neil Armstrong becoming the first person to walk on the moon.
Kaeser & Blair capitalized on the moon landing to market its “space age” advertising specialty package. “Technology has certainly increased since 1969, and that remains an important focus at Kaeser & Blair,” Kaeser says.
Bill Bywater, chairman emeritus of Bankers Advertising – a 130-year-old distributor in Iowa City, Iowa – remembers the anticipation of the historic event.
“We had a salesman in Wapakoneta, Ohio, which was the hometown of Neil Armstrong,” says Bywater, who has been with Bankers for more than 60 years. “The city commissioned us to do a plate with a very nice design of Armstrong. It was so exciting. I took my family and we went to a resort in Missouri to make sure we could watch it because the landing was scheduled to take place in the middle of the night.”
The nation threw its biggest celebration to date just seven years later, with the U.S. Bicentennial marking a massive surge in patriotic merch. Red, white and blue apparel was all the rage, and companies incorporated traditional American symbols into their branding strategies, offering planners, calendars, glassware and even custom vinyl products.
“Probably the most significant thing I remember in this business was the bicentennial,” says Bywater, a PPAI Hall of Famer. “The McCleery-Cumming Company, which was known as the Washington line right here in Washington, Iowa, came out with a bicentennial calendar with custom art depicting the founding of our country and it sold very, very well.”
Congress established the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration that would, among other things, establish an official emblem to promote the occasion. Because ARBA was picky about who could obtain a license, PPAI petitioned for allowing anyone to use the seal instead of restricting it to a chosen few.
Although ARBA eventually relented and authorized licenses for commercial purposes, the Association wasn’t taking any chances – it had its own U.S. Bicentennial logo designed. A Bicentennial Information Resource Kit, containing the reproducible logo, directory of services and information sources, was created and mailed to all members. By early 1976, nearly 5,000 proofs of the alternative emblem had been distributed.
When The World Stopped Turning
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, triggered one of the largest waves of patriotic merch.
Americans proudly wore apparel and products featuring rallying cries like “United We Stand” and “Never Forget.” American flag lapel pins became ubiquitous in media and politics. Patriotic merch provided a visible, shared way to process grief, demonstrate unity and regain a sense of control in the face of trauma.
- PPAI participated in the Industry United campaign to fund a “gift of appreciation” to 9/11 rescue and recovery workers.
Nine days after 9/11, President George W. Bush urged Americans to “go about your lives” as hiding in fear or disrupting their daily routines would be perceived as a victory for the terrorists. “I encourage you all to go shopping more,” Bush said in an effort to strengthen the weakened economy.
So, they did. “After 9/11, we were so busy with USA-themed items that we were working 12- and 14-hour shifts to attempt to keep up,” says Don Girard, president and CFO of Dallas-based supplier National Banner Company. “We usually keep a good supply of printed and unsewn red, white and blue items in stock, so we had all we had to do was gear up sewing.”
After 9/11, patriotic merch took on deeper meaning, according to Ari Ruden, vice president of marketing at Allentown, Pennsylvania-based supplier Royal Industries.
“Many clients intentionally sought American-made items as a way to express unity and support for U.S. workers,” Ruden says. “We fulfilled a number of projects through large distributors supporting military and civic initiatives, and the messaging during that time was far more personal and values-driven.”
America At 250
As the United States prepares for its semiquincentennial, domestic manufacturing has been in high demand, in large part due to President Donald Trump’s trade policy and push for made-in-USA products.
“Patriotic merch resonates most when it’s produced here at home,” Ruden says. “For us, that connection between message and manufacturing is what makes the category meaningful. As we look ahead to America 250, we’re preparing by expanding our patriotic stock imprints across planners, calendars and other core product lines, and by emphasizing our long-standing commitment to union manufacturing in the U.S.”
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A 30-plus-year industry veteran, Steven Eckenrode, CAS, vice president of sales at Pennsylvania-based supplier Moderne Glass, says he’s never seen as much focus on patriotic products as he’s experiencing right now.
“We’re seeing the America 250 celebration logos everywhere,” Eckenrode says. “They appear on the orders from the distributors, and we can’t walk through our production facility without seeing them. Most of these designs are unique and original.”
Moderne Glass has created several America 250 logos designed for the bottom of glassware.
Like many distributors primed to meet clients’ needs, Barker Specialty in Connecticut has stocked up on a curated selection of American-themed products, especially those made in the U.S.
“The outpouring of patriotism around 9/11 was remarkable with virtually every business, school and organization desiring to show support for our country,” says Gerry Barker, president of Barker Specialty. “While there are clearly different points of view within the U.S. today, we’re anticipating a great amount of patriotic fervor surrounding the 250th anniversary of the founding of America.”
Corrigan is deputy editor at PPAI.
