238. Sadie Hawkins Day (2002).

An early and prominent Dogpatch settler, Hekzebiah Hawkins, was frustrated that his hideous spinster daughter Sadie had no suitors. He established a legally-binding race so she would finally have a chance of catching a man. It soon became the code o' the hills and every year in November from 1937 through 1977 cartoonist Al Capp worked a Sadie Hawkins Day Race into his Li'l Abner continuity. The rules were simple: all eligible Dogpatch bachelors stood at a starting line. When the mayor fired his pistol in the air, they would run for their miserable lives. Moments later, a second shot was fired and the town's unmarried women would take off in hot pursuit. The men who were dragged back to the starting line before dusk were required to marry their captor on the spot, a job carried out in relish by Marryin' Sam.

Since the late 1930's, in a classic case of life imitating art, hundreds of Sadie Hawkins Day dances have come to be held annually, from college campuses to retirement homes. The real-life "gimmick" (a particular novelty in the pre-feminist era) is that women are the aggressors, asking men to the event. The portrait of Sadie Hawkins on this button is by Frank Frazetta, a Capp "ghost" from 1954 to 1961 and later famous in his own right for his marvelous barbarian and fantasy paintings.

Kitchen Sink Press published twenty-seven 12" x 9" volumes of Li'l Abner Dailies, many of which are still available in this web store. This is the 3rd of 7 Li'l Abner buttons created by DKAA, the agency which represents Capp Enterprises, Inc. It is intended for promotional purposes only but, while supplies last, you can acquire this advertising item for $2.50.

1.25 inch diameter

One note, for serious button collectors, you may want to read the KSP BUTTON TEXT which explains the numbering systems for identifying the various buttons produced over the last 30 years, or see the COMPLETE KSP BUTTON LIST. The list is VERY long, so be patient while it loads.