Hallmark Cards

Hallmark Cards, Inc.
Company type	Private
Industry	Greeting cards, gift products, media
Founded	1910; 116 years ago
Founder	Joyce Hall
Headquarters	Kansas City, United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Mike Perry (President and CEO), Donald J. Hall Jr. (Executive Chairman), David E. Hall (Executive Vice-Chairman)
Products	Greeting cards, party supplies, gift wrapping materials, stationery, Christmas ornaments, plush toys, books, photo frames, bookmarks, snowglobes
Number of employees	27000+ (2014)
Website	www.hallmark.com

Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a family-owned, privately operated American enterprise based in Kansas City, Missouri. Established in 1910 by Joyce Hall, it stands as one of the United States’ longest-standing and most prominent greeting card producers. In recognition of its artistic contributions, Hallmark was honored with the National Medal of Arts in 1985.

The company’s range of products encompasses greeting cards, party supplies, gift wrapping materials, and stationery. In 1984, Hallmark expanded its portfolio by acquiring Binney & Smith—later renamed Crayola, LLC—famous for its Crayola crayons and markers. Additionally, Hallmark has a presence in media; it has produced the enduring Hallmark Hall of Fame television series since 1951 and launched the Hallmark Channel five decades later, marking its entry into television entertainment.

History

Joyce Clyde Hall, along with his brothers, established the Norfolk Post Card Company in 1907, initially running operations from a bookstore located in Norfolk, Nebraska. By 1910, the postcard business relocated to Kansas City and expanded its offerings to include greeting cards by 1912. The Hall brothers introduced a novel approach to wrapping paper in 1917 by utilizing French envelope lining paper to create their own printed wrapping paper products. By 1922, the company had experienced nationwide growth, increasing its workforce from just four employees to 120 and broadening its product lines beyond seasonal cards.

The name Hallmark was launched in 1928, drawing inspiration from the traditional hallmark symbol; it also became the first greeting card company to engage in national advertising. That same year marked Hallmark’s initial international expansion through an affiliation with Canada’s William E. Coutts Company. The slogan "When you care enough to send the very best" was introduced in 1944 to strengthen brand recognition. Beginning in 1951, Hallmark sponsored NBC’s Hallmark Hall of Fame, a television series that garnered 80 Emmy Awards and ultimately led to the creation of the Hallmark Channel in 2001. For approximately fifteen years, Hallmark held ownership interest in the Spanish-language network Univision.

In 1954, the firm officially changed its corporate name from Hall Brothers to Hallmark. It acquired full ownership of William E. Coutts Company in 1958 and operated its Canadian division under the name Coutts Hallmark until the 1990s.

Hallmark diversified further by entering the Christmas ornament market in 1973 with an initial set of eighteen designs. By the late 1990s, these ornaments had become collectibles in millions of American homes, supported by a nationwide Keepsake Ornament Collector's Club established in 1987.

The company’s expansion strategy included key acquisitions that enhanced its market presence globally: Valentine & Sons of Scotland was purchased in 1980; British greeting card maker W. N. Sharpe Holdings was acquired for $52 million in 1984; and Binney & Smith (later known as Crayola) was obtained for $204 million that same year. In 1998, Hallmark further broadened its reach by acquiring Britain’s Creative Publishing and U.S.-based InterArt.

As of 2014, The Paper Store LLC remains one of the largest independently operated groups of Hallmark Gold Crown stores within the United States, maintaining a partnership dating back to 1972.

Employees

Hallmark employs more than 27,000 individuals globally, with approximately 20,000 stationed in the United States. Of these, around 5,600 are full-time employees. The company's Kansas City headquarters is home to about 2,700 staff members.

Management

Since June 26, 2019, Mike Perry has held the positions of president and CEO, representing a leadership transition beyond the Hall family lineage. Donald J. Hall Jr. occupies the role of executive chairman, while David E. Hall functions as executive vice-chairman.

Creative resources

The creative division at Hallmark comprises nearly 900 professionals including artists, designers, stylists, writers, editors, and photographers. Together, they produce in excess of 19,000 newly designed or refreshed greeting cards and related merchandise each year. At any moment, the company offers a product range exceeding 48,000 items.

Greeting cards

Hallmark's assortment of greeting cards spans several proprietary brands and licensed collections. The Shoebox line, known for its humor, debuted in 1986 featuring the Maxine™ character. Other notable series include hoops&yoyo and Revilo. The Forever Friends brand was incorporated into Hallmark’s portfolio in 1994 after acquisition from entrepreneur Andrew Brownsword, who subsequently served as CEO of Hallmark Europe. In the mid-2000s, Hallmark Canada broadened its product range by acquiring Image Craft through its William E. Coutts Company subsidiary.

The company also offers card design software such as Hallmark Card Studio (developed in collaboration with Nova Development) and previously partnered with Microsoft on Microsoft Greetings Workshop.

Gift products

Greeting cards and gifts
Primarily Christmas-themed ornaments
Gift wrapping materials
Customized products
Party supplies
Books
Stationery items
Sentimental photo frames
Plush toys with recording features
Plush figurines
Bookmarks
Snowglobes

Licensors

Hallmark’s greeting cards, ornaments, and gift items incorporate licenses from leading brands including:

Hallmark Visitors Center

Situated within Hallmark’s Kansas City headquarters, the Hallmark Visitors Center presents the company’s legacy through exhibits showcasing greeting cards, Christmas ornaments, art collections, and displays dedicated to the Hallmark Hall of Fame programs and accolades. Visitors can also view a historical film detailing the company’s story.

Hallmark School Store

Alvirne High School in Hudson, New Hampshire operates the sole Hallmark school store in the United States. This store sells Hallmark cards alongside food and beverages and is managed by Marketing students as a practical business learning experience.

Subsidiaries and assets

Hallmark's extensive array of subsidiaries and holdings includes:

Additionally, the company oversees the Crown Center commercial complex adjacent to its headquarters and owns Litho-Krome Co., a lithography firm.

Photographic Collection

In 2006, Hallmark gifted its significant Hallmark Photographic Collection, which includes works by renowned photographers such as Todd Webb, to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art located in Kansas City.

Maxine

Introduced in 1986 as part of Hallmark’s Shoebox collection, "Maxine" is a fictional character who has sold over 160 million greeting cards by 2017. Created by artist John Wagner, Maxine is depicted as a cantankerous elderly woman frequently accompanied by her Bull Terrier, Floyd. Beyond greeting cards, Maxine has been featured on merchandise like t-shirts and mugs and starred in the 1999 animated special "Maxine's Christmas Carol."

Hallmark Music

During the 1970s in the Philippine market, vocalist Richard Tan performed the song "No One Throws Away Memories," which was featured in Hallmark advertisements. Hallmark launched its music division in the mid-1980s, releasing collections of songs by well-known performers. By 2004, the production rights for Hallmark Music CDs were licensed to Somerset Entertainment.

Former subsidiaries

Hallmark Entertainment: A producer of television series and mini-series; acquired by Robert Halmi in 2006 and subsequently merged into RHI Entertainment.
Univision: Held by Hallmark from 1986 until 1992, this expanded the company's presence in Spanish-language media.
Hallmark Business Connections: Established in August 1995 as a B2B branch providing personalized greeting cards and incentive solutions; divested in June 2019 to InComm, a payments firm based in Atlanta.

Copyright lawsuits

In 1994, astronaut Neil Armstrong initiated legal action against Hallmark Cards for unauthorized use of his name and the phrase "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind" on a Christmas ornament. The matter was resolved privately with undisclosed financial terms, which Armstrong donated to Purdue University. This lawsuit prompted Armstrong and NASA to impose stricter regulations on the use of astronaut identities and recordings, generally allowing usage only for nonprofit or government public service announcements.

On September 6, 2007, Paris Hilton filed an injunction against Hallmark Cards Inc. over unauthorized use of her likeness and trademarked phrase "That's hot" on a greeting card titled "Paris's First Day as a Waitress." The card depicted Hilton’s image on a cartoon waitress with a speech bubble stating, "Don't touch that, it's hot." Hilton’s legal representatives sought compensation based on profits from the $2.49 cards. Hallmark defended the card as parody falling under fair use protections. The Ninth Circuit Court denied Hallmark’s motion to dismiss, and the dispute was ultimately settled outside court.

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