Hallmark Cards facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Retail, greeting card, television |
| Founded | January 10, 1910, in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Founder | Joyce Hall |
| Headquarters | 2501 McGee Street,
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United States
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Number of locations
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1,245 stores (September 2023) |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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| Products |
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| Brands | |
| Revenue |  US$5.0 billion (2020) |
| Owner | Hall family |
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Number of employees
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30,000 (2020) |
| Subsidiaries |
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Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a large American company. It is owned by a family and is based in Kansas City, Missouri. Joyce Hall started the company in 1910.
Hallmark is the oldest and largest company in the United States that makes greeting cards. In 1985, the company won the National Medal of Arts. Besides cards, Hallmark also makes party supplies, gift wrap, and stationery.
Hallmark bought Binney & Smith in 1987. That company later changed its name to Crayola, LLC. You might know Crayola for its famous Crayola crayons, markers, and colored pencils. Hallmark is also involved in television. They have produced the long-running Hallmark Hall of Fame TV series since 1951. They also launched the Hallmark Channel in 2001.
Contents
Hallmark's History
How Hallmark Started
In the early 1900s, postcards were very popular. Joyce Clyde Hall and his older brothers, William and Rollie, started the Norfolk Post Card Company in 1907. They began in a bookstore in Norfolk, Nebraska.
The next year, Rollie bought out the business partner. The company became "Hall Brothers," also known as the Hall Book Store. The postcard business grew too big for the store. So, Joyce moved it to Kansas City in 1910.
By 1912, the postcard trend had slowed down. The company then started selling "Christmas letters" and greeting cards. A few years later, they shortened their name to the Norfolk Card Company.
New Ideas and Growth
In 1917, Joyce and Rollie Hall "invented" modern wrapping paper. They ran out of regular colored tissue paper at their store. So, they used fancy French paper meant for lining envelopes instead. People loved it!
The next year, they sold the lining paper again. After that, the Hall Brothers began printing their own special wrapping paper designs. By 1922, the company had grown across the country. Their staff increased from 4 to 120 people. They also started making everyday greeting cards, not just holiday ones.
The Hallmark Brand is Born
In 1928, the company introduced the name Hallmark. This name came from the "hallmark" symbol used by goldsmiths in London in the 1300s. Goldsmiths used it to mark their high-quality items. Hallmark started printing this name on the back of every card.
That same year, Hallmark was the first greeting card company to advertise nationally. Their first ad was in Ladies' Home Journal. Joyce Hall himself wrote it. In 1931, a big Canadian card maker, William E. Coutts Company, Ltd., joined with Hall Brothers. This was Hallmark's first international business step.
Famous Slogan and TV Shows
In 1944, Hallmark adopted its well-known slogan: "When you care enough to send the very best." A Hallmark marketing executive named C. E. Goodman created it. You can see the original card with the slogan at the company's headquarters.
In 1951, Joyce Hall sponsored a TV show for NBC. This show became the Hallmark Hall of Fame. It has won 80 Emmy Awards over the years. Hallmark now has its own cable television channel, the Hallmark Channel, which started in 2001.
In 1954, the company's name officially changed from Hall Brothers to Hallmark. In 1958, Hallmark bought the William E. Coutts Company, Ltd. in Canada. For many years, Hallmark's Canadian branch was known as Coutts Hallmark.
Christmas Ornaments and More
Hallmark Cards started making Christmas ornaments in 1973. Their first collection had 18 ornaments, including six glass balls. The Hallmark Keepsake Ornament collection is special because each year's ornaments are only available for that one year.
By 1998, 11 million American families collected Hallmark ornaments. Also, 250,000 people were part of the Keepsake Ornament Collector's Club. This club started nationally on June 1, 1987.
In 1980, Hallmark Cards bought Valentine & Sons. This company from Scotland was one of the oldest publishers of picture postcards in the world. In 1998, Hallmark also bought Creative Publishing from Britain and InterArt from the U.S.
As of 2014, The Paper Store LLC is one of the largest groups of independently owned Hallmark Gold Crown stores in the U.S. This partnership began in 1972.
Hallmark Employees
Hallmark has over 27,000 employees around the world. About 20,000 of them work in the United States. Around 2,700 employees work at the main office in Kansas City.
Company Leadership
On June 26, 2019, Mike Perry became the president and CEO of Hallmark. Donald J. Hall Jr. is the executive chairman. David E. Hall is the executive vice-chairman.
Creative Teams
Hallmark has about 900 creative staff members. These include artists, designers, writers, and photographers. They create more than 19,000 new or updated greeting cards and other products each year. The company offers over 48,000 different products at any time.
Products and Services
Hallmark offers many different products and services.
Greeting Cards
Hallmark Cards have several popular brands and characters. Shoebox is the company's line of funny cards. Maxine, a funny older woman character, first appeared on Shoebox cards in 1986. hoops&yoyo and Revilo are other popular card lines. Hallmark bought Forever Friends in 1994.
Hallmark has also provided software for making and printing cards. This software is called Hallmark Card Studio. They also worked with Microsoft on Microsoft Greetings Workshop.
Gift Products
Hallmark sells many gift items. These include:
- Gifts and greeting cards
- Ornaments (mostly for Christmas)
- Books
- Stationery
- Sentimental frames
- Recordable plush toys
- Plush figures
- Bookmarks
- Snow globes
Popular Characters and Brands
Hallmark works with many popular companies and characters for their cards, ornaments, and gifts. Some of these include:
- Beatrix Potter
- Dr. Seuss
- Epic Games
- Ford Motor Company
- General Motors
- Hasbro
- Harley-Davidson
- Mattel
- MGM
- National Basketball Association
- National Football League
- National Hockey League
- Netflix
- Nickelodeon
- Nintendo
- Peyo (The Smurfs)
- Sanrio (Hello Kitty)
- Sesame Street
- Sony Pictures
- Star Trek
- The Hershey Company
- The Lego Group
- The Walt Disney Company (including Family Guy, Ice Age, The Simpsons, Star Wars, and Marvel Comics)
- Thomas Kinkade
- Tim Burton
- Ty Inc (Beanie Babies)
- Universal Studios (including DreamWorks Animation)
- Warner Bros. (including Looney Tunes, DC Comics, Hanna Barbera, and Cartoon Network)
- WildBrain (including Peanuts)
Hallmark Visitors Center
The Hallmark Visitors Center is at the company's main office in Kansas City, Missouri. It has exhibits about Hallmark's history. You can see old greeting cards and postcards, Christmas ornaments, and art from the company's collection. There are also displays about the Hallmark Hall of Fame TV shows and awards. You can also watch a movie about Hallmark's history.
Hallmark School Store
Alvirne High School in Hudson, New Hampshire, has the only Hallmark school store in the U.S. This store, called "Bronco Barn," sells Hallmark cards along with food and drinks. Students in Marketing classes run the store. It is open to students all day and after school.
Hallmark Companies and Assets
Hallmark owns several other companies and properties:
- Bernama TV: A news TV network in Malaysia. Hallmark owns a small part (7%) of it.
- Crayola LLC: This company makes Crayola-brand crayons and other art supplies.
- DaySpring Greeting Cards: This is the world's largest Christian greeting card company. Hallmark bought it in 1999.
- Hallmark Baby: A website that sells baby clothes, toys, and decor.
- Hallmark Business Connections: This company helps other businesses. It provides reward programs and gift certificates.
- Hallmark Channel: This is a cable television network. Hallmark Cards owns this company (Crown Media Holdings). They also launched the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel in 2004.
- Hallmark Gold Crown: These are stores that sell Hallmark cards and gifts. Many are owned by independent businesses, but some are run by Hallmark.
- Halls: An upscale department store located at Kansas City's Crown Center.
- Hallmark Movies Now: A streaming service where you can watch Hallmark movies, TV shows, and original productions.
- Rainbow Brite: A franchise of children's dolls and a TV series.
- Shirt Tales: A franchise of cards featuring animals with messages on their shirts.
- Sunrise Greetings: Another greeting card company located in Bloomington, Indiana.
- Zoobilee Zoo: A 1986 TV show about animals with artistic talents.
Hallmark Cards also manages the Crown Center shopping and office complex. This complex is right next to Hallmark's headquarters.
Maxine Character
"Maxine" is a funny character who appears on Hallmark's Shoebox greeting cards. She first showed up in 1986. As of 2017, over 160 million Maxine greeting cards have been sold. Maxine is an older woman character who often says funny, grumpy things. A Hallmark artist created her. Besides cards, Maxine has been on t-shirts, coffee mugs, holiday ornaments, and other items. In 2000, she was in an animated TV special called "Maxine's Christmas Carol."
Hallmark Music
In the mid-1980s, Hallmark started a music division. They released music albums with songs by popular artists. In 2004, Hallmark partnered with Somerset Entertainment to make Hallmark Music CDs.
Past Companies
- Hallmark Entertainment: This company produced TV shows and mini-series. It was sold in 2006.
- Univision: Hallmark owned this Spanish-language TV broadcaster from 1986 to 1992.
Hallmark Around the World
Hallmark has branches in several countries:
- Hallmark Australia
- Hallmark Belgium
- Hallmark Canada
- Hallmark Germany
- Hallmark Netherlands
- Hallmark UK & Ireland
- Nihon Hallmark (Japan)
See also
- Cardmaking
- Hallmark holiday
- Rainbow Brite
Images for kids
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Hallmark corporate headquarters entrance.
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Hallmark corporate offices.
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A Hallmark Store in Toronto Eaton Centre.
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Hallmark birthday cards.
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A Hallmark Gold Crown store in Evansville, Indiana.
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A Crayola pack of 64 crayons.
