Crowns honoring Hallmark's 100th Birthday!

Remember Jeanee's post awhile back about the crowns that Hallmarkers could create to help celebrate Hallmark's Centennial? Well, one of the gals on my team here in Hallmark's Licensing Design Studio created a series of five Centennial Crowns to honor one of Hallmark's Licensing partners, Lucasfilm. She has been a fan of Star Wars since she was a child, so the project was also a personal one for her. Here are her crowns: Yoda, Darth Vader, Leia, Chewbacca, and a Star Wars tribute crown.



Each of the Star Wars crowns features a sound clip (or several!) from the character and/or music from Star Wars. You can read more about the crowns and the artist behind them on Star Wars.com.

Rainbow Bright Returns!

...and other exciting Hallmark news!

First let me learn ya some stuffs! Did you know that in 1984 Rainbow Bright was created by Hallmark?

Today, Hallmark officially learned about our return to Rainbow Land with Rainbow Bright and the Color Kids. That's right, Playmates has picked up the rights to release the toys this summer or fall for the 25th anniversary of the franchise! For Fall 2009, they will be debuting three dolls (Rainbow Brite, Moonglow, Tickled Pink) and three horses (Starlite, Sunriser, Shimmer). Below, might be your first look at the new, slightly older, updated look for Ms. Bright and her horse Starlite:

We'll try and keep you current on the renewal of this beloved character, but in the meantime, check out the Unofficial Rainbow Bright website for updates.

Also, did you know that Crayola is one of Hallmarks Subsidiaries? Well, they are, and they were here talking about their latest and greatest creation, the Color Wonder Magic Light Brush. For those who have no clue what this is, it's a brush that fiber-optically lights up depending on the paint it's dipped in. The lights are needed because the paint is clear, and only reacts to the Color Wonder Paper, so there is no mess. Woh. There is a lot of technologies going on here at one time.


Lots of other exciting things, exclusive things, are happening to Hallmark Gold Crown stores this year — especially around Christmas. When we're allowed to talk about them more openly, we'll be sure to let you know.

For now, i hope this tickles your fancy.
-Josh

New on "Hallmarkers Who Blog" List

It seems that every day I meet a new fab Hallmarker... Dave M. is one of those people.

I have been in the Licensing Design Studio since September, and am getting to know more about my talented, funny, sincere, and diverse team here, of which Dave is a big part of. A 2008 Reuben Award Winner, illustrator, and designer for Hallmark, I can always count on him for a smile, a little-known fact, a silly story, or a great joke.

All joking aside, Dave is a great guy and his blog has some wonderful product, inspiration, and laughs -- check out his blog under "Hallmarkers Who Blog." Also, check out his People Page on Hallmark's PR site.

From KC to NYC

Hallmark recently had an exhibit at the New York Licensing Show, June 10th-12th at the Javits Convention Center in New York City.

Most people know that Hallmark has licensing relationships with places like Disney, Mattel, Marvel, Dreamworks, and many more (and we've got the cards, plates, cups, napkins, ornaments, and gifts to prove it!). However, most people don't know that we also have a group responsible for licensing out some of Hallmark's creative assets.

From the Hallmark Design Collections website. "For nearly 100 years, Hallmark has been creating images that people love. Each year, we add more than 23,000 new illustrations, designs, and photographs to our collection—a collection that spans every emotion, occasion, and season. Hundreds of thousands of images are waiting for you—created by Hallmark artists and photographers, or derived from Hallmark-owned collections. It's a treasure trove of creativity, one that will truly set your products apart."

So, below are some photos from the Hallmark Design Collections booth at the New York Licensing Show. Be sure to check out the Design Collections website to browse more of the collection and for information on how to tap into our unparalleled creative collections!