Posted 5 months ago
glitterghost
(70 items)
Here's a very specific anti-satirical pin relating to Bill Clinton and Al Gore. At the time there were controversies relating to Bill and Al's use of marijuana at the time, and Bill's association with affairs. Of course their bus was also iconic, so this pin seems to combine all of these factors together with the artist's reoccurring nicknames he uses for Bill and Al, BILL K and OWL.
This pin was produced in 1996 by Terribly Insensitive Products, who were based out of Oklahoma City. The Artist Jim Bayne/Michigrin seemed to collaborate with them heavily and produced an entire set of these pins at the time. Some other versions of these pins feature different colors, and I speculate it may be they may be a later color way.
About the artist: Jim Bayne is an American political cartoonist best known for his satirical pinback buttons produced during the 1990s. Working under the imprint Michigrin (a tongue-in-cheek nod to “Michigan grin”) as well as in collaboration with the provocatively named Terribly Insensitive Products, Bayne created a distinctive body of political pins that mixed caricature with humor.
His pins, typically marked © Michigrin or Bayne, featured hand-drawn watercolor-style illustrations of major political figures, especially those from the Clinton-Gore era.
Distributed through mail-order, collector circuits, and political gatherings, Bayne’s pins often bore the signature hallmarks of indie political art. His collaboration with Terribly Insensitive Products further cemented his role in 1990s-era political satire, with buttons marketed specifically for their humor and collectibility.




