What is the origin of "cute as a button"?

Answer by  Kriket (1029)

Some believe it is in reference to the button quail who is small and fluffy, and generally the cutest thing alive. Not many people know too much about quails any more, and the modern mind thinks about clothing buttons and not fluffy little birds chirping cutely on a dew struck morning.

Answer by  Flauta (33)

This phrase probably originated back in the days when buttons were both expensive and intricate, no the blah buttons of now-a-days