thumb|upright=1.2|Heinz pickle pins

The Heinz pickle pin is an advertising item from the H. J. Heinz Company, being a small green pin made in the shape of a pickle. where a simple and inexpensive gift was thought to be necessary to draw visitors toward Heinz's relatively out-of-the-way booth in the second floor upper gallery of the Agricultural Building. complete with painted white cap and keystone-shaped label. The first batch of ketchup pins made also feature a printed "2000" to denote its commemorative status. A total of one million ketchup pins were produced, which is roughly the equivalent of a year's worth of pickle pins.

Spinoffs and other items

Besides the year 2000 ketchup pin, several similar items to the Heinz pickle pin have appeared over the years. A golden lapel pin in the shape of a pickle is a recent example, and Heinz has also made a pickle whistle, presumably as a fun item for kids too young to wear a pin (similar to the Oscar Mayer hot dog whistles distributed from the Wienermobile). In recent years, the amount of Heinz merchandise available has increased to the point that Heinz began operating its own retail store called the House of Heinz, located in Grove City, Pennsylvania.

See also

  • Lapel pin
  • Pin-back button
  • Promotional merchandise
  • Wienermobile – a series of automobiles shaped like a hot dog on a bun which are used to promote and advertise Oscar Mayer products in the United States

References

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Further reading

  • The Story of the Pickle Pin. Picklesburgh.com.
  • Image of the H. J. Heinz Co. Booth at the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, Illinois, 1893. The Henry Ford.
  • Heinz timeline
  • 1893 Columbian Exposition site