American Greetings
Encyclopedia
American Greetings Corporation, Inc. is the world's largest publicly-traded greeting card
company. It is based in Brooklyn, Ohio
and sells paper greeting cards, electronic greeting cards, party products (such as wrapping papers and decorations), and electronic expressive content (e.g., ringtones and images for cellphones). In addition to the American
Greetings brand, the company owns the Carlton Cards, Tender Thoughts and Gibson brands of greeting cards.
American Greetings is also famous for their toy
design and licensing division, Those Characters From Cleveland (now American Greetings Properties). The most-popular copyrighted properties owned by this division include Strawberry Shortcake
, the Care Bears
, The Get-Along Gang
, Popples
and Holly Hobbie
. American Greetings also holds an exclusive license for Nickelodeon
characters.
-drawn cart, American Greetings has been run by members of the family since its inception. Irving I. Stone
(Sapirstein's oldest son, who changed his surname to Stone) was stuffing envelopes at age five, handling the business during his father's illness when he was nine, and worked for the company fulltime upon leaving high school. He was succeeded as CEO by his son-in-law Morry Weiss in 1987, and took the title "Founder-Chairman" previously held by his father, when Weiss became chairman in 1992, before dying in 2000. In 1993, American Greetings began sponsoring the Entertainment Tonight
"ET Birthdays", and remained sponsor until 2000, when competitor Hallmark Cards
took over sponsorship.
In 2003 Morry Weiss's sons Zev and Jeffrey became CEO and President respectively; Morry Weiss remains Chairman. In early 2007, American Greetings replaced Kellogg's as the sponsor for Dragon Tales
. American Greetings has also branched out onto the Internet, and owns a network of websites. On October 25, 2007, it announced the purchase of Webshots
from CNET for $45 million in cash.
In 2010, American Greetings announced that they will be moving their headquarters out of Brooklyn, OH
, and relocating to a new facility at Crocker Park within the city of Westlake, Ohio
.
and Care Bears
properties to DIC Entertainment (now part of Cookie Jar Entertainment
). However, on January 9, 2009. it was announced http://news.awn.com/index.php?ltype=search&range=all&search=Cookie+Jar&newsitem_no=25939 that the planned sale had been called off. As a result, the properties remain under American Greetings' ownership as the company searches for a new buyer.
On March 24, 2009, MoonScoop offered to pay $95 million for the Care Bears
and Strawberry Shortcake
properties and related rights held by Cookie Jar. Under that deal, American Greetings would pocket $76 million for the animation assets while Cookie Jar would get $19 million for its own rights.
On March 30, 2009, Cookie Jar made a $76 million counter bid for Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake. Cookie Jar has until April 30, 2009 to complete a deal. If Cookie Jar fail to close a deal, MoonScoop had until June 7, 2009 to complete its own deal with American Greetings.
In May 2009 American Greetings filed a $100 million lawsuit against Cookie Jar with Cookie Jar filing a $25 million countersuit against American Greetings over the Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake deal. In August, 2009 MoonScoop filed a lawsuit against American Greetings over the Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake deal.
Greeting card
A greeting card is an illustrated, folded card featuring an expression of friendship or other sentiment. Although greeting cards are usually given on special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas or other holidays, they are also sent to convey thanks or express other feeling. Greeting cards,...
company. It is based in Brooklyn, Ohio
Brooklyn, Ohio
Brooklyn is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 11,169 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Brooklyn is located at ....
and sells paper greeting cards, electronic greeting cards, party products (such as wrapping papers and decorations), and electronic expressive content (e.g., ringtones and images for cellphones). In addition to the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Greetings brand, the company owns the Carlton Cards, Tender Thoughts and Gibson brands of greeting cards.
American Greetings is also famous for their toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
design and licensing division, Those Characters From Cleveland (now American Greetings Properties). The most-popular copyrighted properties owned by this division include Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberry Shortcake is a licensed character owned by American Greetings, originally used in greeting cards and expanded to include dolls, posters, and other products...
, the Care Bears
Care Bears
The Care Bears are characters created by American Greetings in 1981 for use on greeting cards. The original artwork for the cards was painted by artist Elena Kucharik. In 1983, Kenner turned the Care Bears into plush teddy bears...
, The Get-Along Gang
The Get-Along Gang
The Get Along Gang were characters created in 1983 by American Greetings' toy design and licensing division, "Those Characters from Cleveland" , for a series of greeting cards...
, Popples
Popples
Popples is a series of fantasy characters created by Those Characters From Cleveland , a subsidiary company of American Greetings. Popples resemble brightly colored teddy bears or marsupials , and have pouches on their backs that they can go into and resemble brightly colored balls.-History:Susan...
and Holly Hobbie
Holly Hobbie
Holly Hobbie is an American writer and illustrator, and the name of a fictional character based on this person.Hobbie is the author of the popular Toot and Puddle children's books, and the creator of the character bearing her name...
. American Greetings also holds an exclusive license for Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
characters.
History
Founded in 1906 by Polish immigrant Jacob Sapirstein (1885–1987), who sold cards from a horseHorse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
-drawn cart, American Greetings has been run by members of the family since its inception. Irving I. Stone
Irving I. Stone
Irving I. Stone was an American philanthropist, businessman, and founder-chairman of American Greetings, which was founded by his father Jacob Sapirstein....
(Sapirstein's oldest son, who changed his surname to Stone) was stuffing envelopes at age five, handling the business during his father's illness when he was nine, and worked for the company fulltime upon leaving high school. He was succeeded as CEO by his son-in-law Morry Weiss in 1987, and took the title "Founder-Chairman" previously held by his father, when Weiss became chairman in 1992, before dying in 2000. In 1993, American Greetings began sponsoring the Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
"ET Birthdays", and remained sponsor until 2000, when competitor Hallmark Cards
Hallmark Cards
Hallmark Cards is a privately owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce C. Hall, Hallmark is the largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was awarded the National Medal of Arts....
took over sponsorship.
In 2003 Morry Weiss's sons Zev and Jeffrey became CEO and President respectively; Morry Weiss remains Chairman. In early 2007, American Greetings replaced Kellogg's as the sponsor for Dragon Tales
Dragon Tales
Dragon Tales is an American animated pre-school children's television series chronicling the adventures of two siblings, Max and Emmy and their dragon friends Cassie, Ord, Zak, Wheezie, and Quetzal...
. American Greetings has also branched out onto the Internet, and owns a network of websites. On October 25, 2007, it announced the purchase of Webshots
Webshots
-History:Webshots was created in 1995 by Auralis, Inc. in San Diego, California. It was initially a sports oriented screen saver sold at retail for desktop computers. Founders Andrew Laakmann, Danna Laakmann, Nick Wilder, and Narendra Rocherolle migrated the desktop software to the Web and became...
from CNET for $45 million in cash.
In 2010, American Greetings announced that they will be moving their headquarters out of Brooklyn, OH
Brooklyn, Ohio
Brooklyn is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 11,169 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Brooklyn is located at ....
, and relocating to a new facility at Crocker Park within the city of Westlake, Ohio
Westlake, Ohio
Westlake is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 32,729 at the 2010 census. It is an affluent suburb of Cleveland, Ohio and is located 12 miles from Cleveland's downtown.-Geography:Westlake is located at...
.
Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears
In 2008, American Greetings announced the sale of its Strawberry ShortcakeStrawberry Shortcake
Strawberry Shortcake is a licensed character owned by American Greetings, originally used in greeting cards and expanded to include dolls, posters, and other products...
and Care Bears
Care Bears
The Care Bears are characters created by American Greetings in 1981 for use on greeting cards. The original artwork for the cards was painted by artist Elena Kucharik. In 1983, Kenner turned the Care Bears into plush teddy bears...
properties to DIC Entertainment (now part of Cookie Jar Entertainment
Cookie Jar Entertainment
The Cookie Jar Group is an American and Canadian producer of children’s entertainment, consumer products and educational materials...
). However, on January 9, 2009. it was announced http://news.awn.com/index.php?ltype=search&range=all&search=Cookie+Jar&newsitem_no=25939 that the planned sale had been called off. As a result, the properties remain under American Greetings' ownership as the company searches for a new buyer.
On March 24, 2009, MoonScoop offered to pay $95 million for the Care Bears
Care Bears
The Care Bears are characters created by American Greetings in 1981 for use on greeting cards. The original artwork for the cards was painted by artist Elena Kucharik. In 1983, Kenner turned the Care Bears into plush teddy bears...
and Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberry Shortcake is a licensed character owned by American Greetings, originally used in greeting cards and expanded to include dolls, posters, and other products...
properties and related rights held by Cookie Jar. Under that deal, American Greetings would pocket $76 million for the animation assets while Cookie Jar would get $19 million for its own rights.
On March 30, 2009, Cookie Jar made a $76 million counter bid for Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake. Cookie Jar has until April 30, 2009 to complete a deal. If Cookie Jar fail to close a deal, MoonScoop had until June 7, 2009 to complete its own deal with American Greetings.
In May 2009 American Greetings filed a $100 million lawsuit against Cookie Jar with Cookie Jar filing a $25 million countersuit against American Greetings over the Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake deal. In August, 2009 MoonScoop filed a lawsuit against American Greetings over the Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake deal.
Licenses
(Note: not all licenses are original creations by American Greetings. Some were licensed from third parties, where indicated)- Betsy's Kindergarten AdventuresBetsy's Kindergarten AdventuresBetsy's Kindergarten Adventures is a slice of life cartoon intended for young children. The show premiered on January 19, 2008 on most PBS Kids stations, but currently does not air. The show follows a girl named Betsy as she starts out her school years...
- Care BearsCare BearsThe Care Bears are characters created by American Greetings in 1981 for use on greeting cards. The original artwork for the cards was painted by artist Elena Kucharik. In 1983, Kenner turned the Care Bears into plush teddy bears...
- Dragon TalesDragon TalesDragon Tales is an American animated pre-school children's television series chronicling the adventures of two siblings, Max and Emmy and their dragon friends Cassie, Ord, Zak, Wheezie, and Quetzal...
- Get-Along Gang
- Holly HobbieHolly HobbieHolly Hobbie is an American writer and illustrator, and the name of a fictional character based on this person.Hobbie is the author of the popular Toot and Puddle children's books, and the creator of the character bearing her name...
(original) - Holly Hobbie & Friends
- Lady Lovely LocksLady Lovely LocksLady Lovely Locks and the Pixietails was a character property created by American Greetings Corporation in the mid-1980s. The characters were licensed for a toyline by Mattel, and for a syndicated animated television series by DiC in 1987...
- MadballsMadballsMadballs were a series of toy rubber balls created by AmToy, a subsidiary company of American Greetings in the mid-1980s.The toys incorporated gross-out humor in the vein of Wacky Packages and Garbage Pail Kids...
- Maryoku Yummy
- My Pet MonsterMy Pet MonsterMy Pet Monster is a plush doll first produced by American Greetings in 1986. As one of the few plush dolls marketed to boys at the time, My Pet Monster would prove popular throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. The doll has blue fur, horns, and a fanged smile and is recognizable by its orange...
- Paintbox Studios
- Peppermint RosePeppermint RosePeppermint Rose was a line of dolls made by Mattel and American Greetings in the early 1990s. It also inspired an animated half-hour special that was made in 1993, aired syndicated and released on video.- Characters :...
- PopplesPopplesPopples is a series of fantasy characters created by Those Characters From Cleveland , a subsidiary company of American Greetings. Popples resemble brightly colored teddy bears or marsupials , and have pouches on their backs that they can go into and resemble brightly colored balls.-History:Susan...
- Pretty Freekin Scary
- Strawberry ShortcakeStrawberry ShortcakeStrawberry Shortcake is a licensed character owned by American Greetings, originally used in greeting cards and expanded to include dolls, posters, and other products...
(selling rights to HasbroHasbroHasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
and Cookie Jar EntertainmentCookie Jar EntertainmentThe Cookie Jar Group is an American and Canadian producer of children’s entertainment, consumer products and educational materials...
) - Sushi PackSushi PackSushi Pack is an American animated television series produced by DIC Entertainment and American Greetings, that aired on the KEWLopolis block on CBS November 3, 2007 - September 12, 2009...
(created by Studio Espinosa and Cloudco http://www.studioespinosa.com/workdetail.php?proid=57) - The Electric Company (2009 TV series)The Electric Company (2009 TV series)The Electric Company is an American children's educational series for young children aged 4–8 on PBS, derived from the 1971 series. The series premiered as a four-episode mini-marathon on PBS on January 19, 2009, then became a weekly series with an episode shown each Friday. On September 7, 2009,...
- TinPo (created by UNKL http://www.unklbrand.com/stories/tinpo/)
- Twisted WhiskersTwisted WhiskersTwisted Whiskers is a design for greeting cards developed and licensed by American Greetings and created by Terrill Bohlar since 2001. It includes digitally modified photos of animals, creating a caricature. The series includes greeting cards, gift items, wrapping paper, notepads and holiday items....
See also
- CardmakingCardmakingCardmaking is the craft of hand-making greeting cards. Many people with interests in allied crafts such as scrapbooking and stamping have begun to use their skills to start making handmade cards. This has contributed to cardmaking becoming a popular hobby....
- Carlton CardsCarlton CardsCarlton Cards Limited is a Canadan greeting card company. Their lines of cards include Carlton, Gibson and Tender Thoughts. They also distribute the American Greetings line of cards in Canada. This is not to be confused with Carlton Cards Retail, Inc.....
- American Greetings' Canadian branch. - Carlton Cards Retail - American Greetings' store management.