Keepsaker’s Korner

Next Meeting is Thursday March 14 at 7pm

OKCC meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month. We meet at Becky’s Hallmark, 11109 E 41st (northwest corner of 41st & Garnett, next to Furr’s).  Next month’s meeting will be April 11th.

At the March Meeting

This month it will be a Peanuts show tell.  Everyone please bring your special Peanuts items.

Community Service

Domestic Violence Intervention Service – It’s almost Easter so this month we are going to make Easter baskets for the kids at the DVIS shelter. We do have baskets but need the stuff to go in them.  In addition to candy please bring small toys like crayons, books, yo-yo’s, beanies, etc.

Food Bank – remember to bring your food items.  They will go to Broken Arrow Neighbors unless someone volunteers to bring them somewhere else.

New Club T-shirts

In case you haven’t been to a meeting lately, the new club t-shirts have arrived.  If you have reserved a shirt and have not picked it up, please let Sally Turner know that you still want it. Otherwise, all remaining shirts will be sold to other club members who did not pre-order.  You can call Sally at 838-8179 or email her at [email protected].

Newsletter Surprises!

If you are reading a paper version of this newsletter, you may be missing out!  With the paper version, I have to limit myself to 5 sheets of paper in order to mail it for 34¢.  With the on-line version, I don’t have that restriction – so the sky’s the limit!  Last month, the February online version had several extra articles: Teddy bears will follow Cow Parade into KC, New 'Tale of Two Teddies' celebrates toys' centennial, Bigger retailers join eBay's fold, and Parish nurse touches congregation (a story about club member Jeanne Draughon). And February was not the only time I’ve done this.  Who knows what exciting info you may be missing out on!! So be sure and check out the online versions when you get a chance.

Happy March Birthday to ….

Okie Keepsakers Meeting Minutes     February 21, 2002

President Rita Randall called the meeting to order.

Vice President Dana Blando reminded everyone to sign the sign-in sheet.  She reminded everyone that she had the tickets for the food donations.  After some discussion, it was decided for large items, 1 ticket would be given for each $1 of the product price.

Treasurer Sally Turner said that she still has t-shirts for sale.  She then read the Treasurer’s report:

$   991.83+        Beginning balance

      15.00+        Dues

      10.04+        Transfer from show account

    110.00+        T-shirt sales

66.06-                  January treats

      30.00-         February contest prizes

    150.00-         Unused Christmas fund to DVIS

        7.82-         February Postage   

+  872.99+        Ending balance

Secretary Teresa Pattison said

Sponsor news – Earline and Becky showed a Hallmark order book that had nice color pictures of the Halloween and Christmas merchandise.  Take a look and if you want anything, they will order it for you.  There are new Halloween glass ornaments and a black tree.  They had one of the new Bunnies by the Bay bunnies in the store.  There will be a postcard promoting it coming from Hallmark. They also had signup sheets for the Easter ornaments. The American Girl collection will be arriving in September.  There will be a register to win drawing for the newest American Girl doll. For Christmas, there will be all new wrap and card designs and a higher percentage of ornaments exclusive to Gold Crown stores.  There will also be new holiday Maxine items.

DVIS chairperson, Debra Kirk, said that next months we will be filling Easter baskets. There are still baskets left from last year.  In addition to candy, please bring small toys,etc.  DVIS also accepts old cell phones.

Sunshine Committee chairperson Terri Legrand had no report.

Hospitably committee – Jeanne and Cris thanked those who brought goodies this month.  Next month’s volunteers are Rita Randall, Dana Blando, and Debra Kirk.

Old business – We have a couple of last year’s clubs ornaments left from those who did claim them. Be thinking about what we want to do with them.

Jeanne Draughon spoke about Broken Arrow Neighbors, which serves BA, Bixby, and Coweta. In addition to food, they need toiletries which are not covered by food stamps.

New business – none

Program committee – Donna Lundy said that we will play Hallmark Bingo this month. Next month will be a Peanuts show and tell.  April will be swap and sell.

Door prize drawings:

            $25 monthly gift certificate – Jeanne Draughon

Hallmark Bingo winners were:

            $5 gift certificate - Heather Murphy

            $10 gift certificate – Kay Schwartz

$15 gift certificate – Kay Schwartz who then gave her $10 certificate to Vickie Greenwade who also bingo’d at the same time.

Want list: Lyndia Farrell is looking for Frostlight Farie Brilliana

Hallmark News

In case you haven’t read the March Collectively Speaking yet, Hallmark is going to make Halloween Keepsake ornaments in 2003!!!  I am really excited about this!!! Can you tell!!!!!!  Here are the comments that were posted by Nancy C on the internet who knows someone working on this line at Hallmark: 

“The display piece will be a thin metal haunted house silhouette. The windows and doorway will have hooks to hang the ornaments from. She's shooting to have the doorstep make spooky noises, but there's some concern that the metal would cause the sound to not come out right. There's going to be a witch with an attitude, two to three ghosts doing various jobs (one will be painting candy corn), one witch trick or treating, a cat with an attitude, a stack of three pumpkins, and a few others. The price on these will be list than $10 (probably around $5.95 or $6.95). Trish Andrews did one of the witches; when she was first approached, she wasn't sure she could do Halloween, but late that night she left a voicemail for someone like a project coordinator that she thought she could do that. These will be resin, except for the ghosts that may be another material to give them more of a translucent look. These will have scrapbook packaging (which is what I think they're using now, but I didn't really understand this part of her talk) and memory cards. I told her that you know that people will be wanting light and magic ornaments next, and she said that she knew that and you have to start small and build up in order not to kill something.

And here is some more she learned about next Spring’s ornaments:

In spring 2003, Birthday Wishes Barbie will be the only series piece. The rest of the spring line will be comprised of two collections, each with a specific theme. One will be Marjolein Bastin ornaments: a waterglobe, a sun dial (the dial will be metal, the rest resin), a bird house, and a bunny on a lettuce-looking leaf. With these will be a display stand that holds two ornaments (cost: about $10). These ornaments will be about $12.95 each and will be about 3" tall. I saw the sketches and they were wonderful looking! The normal sculptor who does the Marjolein Bastin work didn't do these - they had some of the Keepsake artists do them to get the detail that we see in the Keepsakes line.

The other collection is called Tweedle-Dee-Tweet. These five ornaments will almost all fit on the display piece ($9 to $12) and will cost about $6.95 to $12.95 each. There's a pair of birds (friendship theme), a mother and baby bird, a bird that she described as having an attitude, a photo frame, and a set of 3 mini clip-on ornaments.

The ornaments in both collections are designed to have the same theme but also to look nice if used separately. These will have special packaging and no memory cards.

One thing nice about these two collections is that they don't look like Easter-only, more like the Spring is in the Air series. So you could decorate with these and have them out all spring and maybe through summer.

The last thing that she told us about the 2003 ornaments is that the membership kit pieces are so nice that she's thinking about giving some gift memberships to friends. I asked if these were special because of the 30th anniversary of Keepsakes or whether they just came up with some really nice designs, and she said it was the latter.

Here’s something interesting that I didn’t know about concerning the studio pieces for this year.  This came from hallmark.com:  “The 2002 membership kit includes four Keepsake Ornaments that are the focal point of our "Santa's Big Night" collection. The centerpiece of the collection, "The Family Room," is a studio limited edition with all the Hallmark Keepsake artists contributing. Other pieces available for "Santa's Big Night" include "The Christmas Tree" — sized to scale and fully decorated. Find it at your Hallmark Gold Crown store during Ornament Premiere (July 13, 2002). Our "Set Of Toys" goes under the tree; it's available during October Keepsake Ornament Debut (October 5 & 6). Together, they create a charming scene of Santa's midnight visit.”

Dream Books are starting to mail!  Hallmark mailed out a VERY SMALL portion of Dream Books on 3/1 as a marketing test. The rest will mail on 3/22.  Those will go 3rd class bulk mailing - allow three weeks for delivery.

The April Collectively Speaking will have all the artist signing information for this year – there will 20+ signings.  They will occur after the October debut.  The signings from after 9/11 last year are to be rescheduled for this year. Plus the store winners from the membership drive that ended Dec. 31, 2001 are the others that are to be scheduled.

Ty News

Retirements:                click here for the latest Ty retirement notice

2/8/02   Sugar the Beanie Kid

2/11/02  Sizzle & Smooch Buddies  

2/12/02  Flynn, Lancaster and Barrymore Attic Treasurers  click here

2/14/02  Romance and Kissme Beanie Babies   click here

Introductions:

2/9/02   At the New York Toy fair, Ty introduces a new line called Teenie Beanie Boppers! There are 12 of them:  Hat Trick Hunter, Footie, Plapperstache, Rugged Rusty, Sweet Sally, Jassy Jessy, Pretty Penenolopy, Cool Cassidy, Snazzy Sabrina, Glitzy Gabby, Sassy Star, American Millie. These will retail for 4 to 5 dollars.  Anyone attending the show will receive them in April. All other retailers will receive them in May. Bendable, posable has some beans in them and they all have sculptured faces. (Looks like the rumor I published in last month’s newsletter was partially right.  If you want these you won’t have to go to McD’s!)

2/26/02  Ty introduces the internet exclusive America bear Beanie Baby. Click here for a picture and the link to order. This America is white with the flag on his left chest. One ear is red and white stripes and the other is blue with white stars.  The profits from this bear will support your local Red Cross.

Mum bear has sneaked into Europe without an official announcement.  England celebrates Mother’s Day in March.  This beanie is pink with a tulip on her left chest.

2/28/02  Another German exclusive Beanie Baby, Graf Von Rot      click here

In the March/April edition of Beanies & More (which is owned by Ty), pictures of the newest beanies are shown.  At this time, they haven’t even been shown on the internet yet, a very interesting turn of events – probably want to drive people to buy their magazine instead of getting the info for free on the internet. Here they are:

·         6 Beanie Babies: Mum (pink bear), Graf von Rot the bear, Panama the tree frog, April birthday bear, Hoofer the clydesdale, and Frolic the dog.

·         5 Beanie Buddies: Pounce, Legs, Dearest, Cinders, and Wrinkles

·         1 Classic: Skippy

·         3 Baby Ty: Tygerhugs, Cutsiemoosie, and Huggyducky

·         3 Beanie Boppers: Darling Debbie, Giggly Gracie, and Adorable Annie

3/5/02 Looks like pictures of the new Beanie Boppers have made it to ty.com in their category – just like all the other current ones.  No special announcement though like in the past.

3/6/02 Now on the Ty website, is a notice to visit your retailer to see the new designs.  I guess they won’t be on the internet for a while.

3/7/02 Now the rest of the new March introductions are on ty.com in their respective categories  - still with no special announcement.

St. Patrick's Day 2002 Facts

From hallmark.com

TRENDS The top U.S. markets for Hallmark St. Patrick's Day cards are New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago and Washington DC.  More than a third of all Hallmark St. Patrick's Day cards are sold in these five cities.

-10 percent of Hallmark St. Patrick's Day sales are in New York.

-50 percent of St. Patrick's Day card sales are during the week before St. Patrick's day.  This year, retailers expect the weekend before the holiday weekend to be unusually busy.

-In 2002, family, friends, keeping close and savoring nationally unifying moments of celebration have taken on new significance in light of September 11 tragedies and the resultant wave of unity sweeping across the nation.  Retailers began showing St. Patrick's Day cards on February 15.

WHEN St. Patrick's Day always is on March 17.  In 2002, the holiday falls on Sunday.

The first American St. Patrick's Day celebration appears to have been in Boston in 1737.  The custom was begun by the Charitable Irish Society of Boston, a Protestant organization founded that year to help needy Irishmen. 

WHAT   St. Patrick's Day invokes the spirit of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland who is credited with introducing Christianity into Ireland.

Observed as a religious occasion in Ireland, the more secular American celebration recognizes the contributions of Irish people to American life.

CELEBRATION While more than 40 million people of Irish descent live in the United States, "everyone's a little bit Irish on St. Patrick's Day," as the saying goes.  Americans of many backgrounds embrace and celebrate the Irish holiday.

Many communities across the nation host festive St. Patrick's Day parades, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Kansas City, and New York.

The wearin' o' the green is observed in schools, in the workplace and on the street.  Tradition says you'll get pinched if you're not wearing something green.

In some families and communities, Irish dinners of corned beef and cabbage are tradition.

Industry-wide, Americans will exchange about 15 million St. Patrick's Day cards 2002, making this the ninth-largest card-sending occasion in the United States.

Hallmark offers Shamrock-themed partyware, decorations and gifts.

Spirited Celtic tunes on a CD from Hallmark Music will enliven St. Pat's celebrations – and is a great gift for anyone a little bit Irish.

EVOLUTION OF THE HOLIDAY Hundreds of thousands of Irish citizens emigrated to the United States during Ireland's "potato famine" of the mid-1840s.  The year 1847 marked the peak of Irish immigration to America as a result of the crop failure in Ireland.

The Irish often met intolerance in this country as they arrived with little but the clothes on their backs.  The early struggles of the Irish in America prompted them to join in demonstrating pride in their homeland.  Early St. Patrick's Day celebrations sometimes became opportunities to reinforce negative stereotypes and create jokes at the expense of those of Irish descent. 

Over time, the rich traditions of the Irish have been embraced as part of the U.S. cultural heritage, and while it remains a festive holiday, St. Patrick's Day has become an occasion to honor and celebrate the Irish culture.

HALLMARK CARDS, GIFTS AND PARTY ITEMS  Hallmark designs St. Patrick's Day cards for both the Irish and the "Irish at heart."  One new card that features a red-haired child sitting in a huge Shamrock says I know where you'll be spending this St. Patty's Day…right here in me heart!

For 2002, Hallmark offers more than 100 different St. Patrick's Day greeting card designs, priced from 99 cents to $2.49, including 12 Shoebox humor cards.

Designs and sentiments reflect Irish religious and cultural beliefs.  Traditional Irish blessings and messages of faith, family, and pride in an enduring and rich heritage are featured on many Hallmark St. Patrick's Day cultural, religious and humorous cards.

Irish icons -- the shamrock, the flag, and the leprechaun (a fanciful shoemaker of Gaelic folklore, said to bestow good wishes and good luck) are favorites.  Rural landscapes evocative of the "Emerald Isle" are popular.  A new card shows a child dancing with abandon in the lush, green countryside: Sing, dance, celebrate…Today everyone is Irish.

For those lucky few who were born on March 17, Hallmark offers seven St. Patrick's Day birthday cards, and even a St. Patrick's Day anniversary card.

Multi-card packages at value prices appeal to those who want to reach out to both relatives and friends at St. Patrick's Day.

Hallmark.com offers several free animated St. Patrick's Day e-cards for friends and family.

Hallmark began producing St. Patrick's Day cards in the early 1920s.

LEGEND AND LORE History and legend intertwine to create the story of St. Patrick.  The only definite statement that can be made about St. Patrick's life is that he was not Irish. 

It is not known whether March 17 was the birth or death date of St. Patrick; it may be neither.

As far as anyone has been able to determine, St. Patrick was a Britannic Celt who was reared as a Roman Catholic.  The year of his birth is uncertain, but it may have been the latter half of the fourth century.

According to legend, St. Patrick was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Ireland at the age of 16.  During his six years in captivity, he found strength in his faith.

St. Patrick eventually escaped from his captors in Ireland, found his way back to his family in Britain, and became a priest.  Many years later, he returned to Ireland as a missionary to foster Christianity.

The shamrock as a symbol of St. Patrick's Day recognizes the saint's use of the clover to explain the Christian concept of the Trinity –  the three leaves representing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with the stem representing the Godhead.

St. Patrick is best known for driving the snakes out of Ireland.  As the tale goes, when the last snake refused to leave, St. Patrick built a box and challenged the snake to enter.  The serpent, intent on proving the box too small, crawled inside.  St. Patrick slammed the lid shut and plunged the snake into the sea.  (The snake was a pagan symbol, so this Irish folk tale may allude to St. Patrick driving paganism out of Ireland.)

Easter Symbols and Customs

from hallmark.com

Meaning of the Word "Easter" Centuries before Christ, the pagan tribes of Europe worshipped a beautiful goddess of spring named Eostre (EE-ah-tra).  Festivals celebrating the end of winter and the birth of spring were held in her honor at the end of March, the time of the vernal equinox.  Some historians believe the word Easter is a variation of her name.  Others see a connection between Easter and the rising of the sun in the east.

Easter Bunny The Easter bunny has its origins in pre-Christian fertility lore.  Hares and rabbits served as symbols of abundant new life in the spring season.  It really is a hare – not a rabbit – that symbolizes Easter.  From antiquity hares have been a symbol for the moon, and the first full moon after the vernal equinox determines the date for Easter.  Hares are born with their eyes open, while rabbits are born blind.  The hare was thought never to blink or close its eyes, and it is a nocturnal creature, like the moon.  The hare also carries its young a month before giving birth – like the changing moon erupting into fullness monthly. 

According to one legend, the Easter bunny was originally a large, handsome bird belonging to the goddess Eostre.  One day she magically changed her pet bird into a hare.  Because the Easter bunny is still a bird at heart, he continues to build a straw nest and fill it with eggs.

Easter Eggs In all cultures, the egg symbolizes the beginning of life or the universe.  Eggs were dyed and eaten during spring festivals in ancient Egypt, Persia, Greece and Rome.  These cultures regarded the egg as an emblem of the universe, the work of the supreme divinity, the germination of life.  Christians of the Near East adopted this tradition and the egg became a religious symbol – it represented the tomb from which Jesus broke forth.  The various customs associated with Easter eggs were not recorded in Western Europe until the 15th century.  Speculation is that missionaries or knights of the Crusades were responsible for bringing the tradition of coloring eggs westward.  In medieval times, eggs often were colored red to symbolize the blood of Christ.

Easter Lilies The lily is a symbol of purity because of its whiteness and delicacy of form.  It also symbolizes innocence and the radiance of the Lord's risen life.  It is called the Easter lily because the flowers bloom in early spring, around Easter time.  The Bermuda, or white trumpet, lily was brought to the United States from Bermuda in the 1880s by Mrs. Thomas P. Sargent of Philadelphia, Pa., and it has become the mainstay of Easter floral arrangements and church decorations.

Hot Cross Buns One of the oldest Good Friday customs is eating hot cross buns.  These small sweet buns, marked with a cross of white icing, may have originated in pre-Christian times.  Early Egyptians, Greeks and Romans marked their loaves of bread with symbols to honor their gods and goddesses. 

Many superstitions grew out of this custom – a cross bun kept from one Good Friday to the next was thought to bring luck, the buns were supposed to serve as a charm against shipwreck, and hanging a bun over the chimneypiece ensured that all bread baked there would be perfect.  Another belief was that eating hot cross buns on Good Friday served to protect the home from fire.

Dogwood Tree/Cross As one legend goes, at the time of Christ's crucifixion the dogwood tree was as tall as the oak and other forest trees.  Its wood was so strong and firm that it was chosen for the cross.  The tree was very distressed to be used for such a purpose and Jesus understood.  He told the tree, "Because of your regret and pity for my suffering, I promise this, never again shall the dogwood tree grow large enough to be used for a cross.  Henceforth it shall be slender and bent and twisted, and its blossoms shall be in the form of a cross.  And in the center of the outer edge of each petal there will be nail prints.  And in the center of the flower, brown with rust and stained with blood, will be a crown of thorns – so that all who see it will remember it was upon a dogwood tree that I was crucified, and this tree shall not be mutilated nor destroyed, but cherished and protected as a reminder of my agony and death upon the cross."

Origins of the Easter Parade/Wearing New Clothes In the early church, those who were baptized at the Easter Vigil dressed in white robes and wore the robes during Easter week as a symbol of their new life in Christ.  People who had been baptized in previous years wore new othes to indicate their sharing in the new life.  New clothes at Easter became a symbol of Easter grace.  In Europe during the Middle Ages, people in their new clothes would take a long walk after mass, which has evolved into the tradition of Easter Parades.  An American belief is that good luck can be ensured for the year by wearing three new things on Easter Sunday.

Easter Weather Superstitions If it rains on Easter Sunday, it will rain the following seven Sundays.  A white Christmas will bring a green Easter, and a green Christmas will bring a white Easter.

Source:  Hallmark Archives

With pols off limits, comics taking on big business

By JOYCE SMITH  Columnist  The Kansas City Star 2/5/02

Hallmark takes a comedic punch on `Saturday Night Live'

Maya Angelou's line of cards, gifts inspires a parody

It's not really that politically correct to pick on politicians right now, so the pundits are badgering big business.

"Saturday Night Live" recently took a jab at Kansas City's Hallmark Cards.

The card company just rolled out a new line of inspirational cards and gifts by poet Maya Angelou, the "Maya Angelou Life Mosaic Collection."

A "Saturday Night Live" comedian playing Angelou was introduced on the news segment of the show and was asked to read a few cards. Of course, they weren't written by the real Angelou, but by staff writers.

The first card: "I lay down in my grave and watch my children grow....I lay down in my grave, my grave to die. Happy 5th Birthday, Grandma."

"Angelou" declared it to be her favorite, as she did all the cards she read.

"It made my grandson cry for days," the character said. "And look, there's a little slot to put money in."

Hallmark Cards said that the line was doing well in the few weeks it has been on the market and that some stores have already placed second orders.

Tara Morrow, associate editorial director at Hallmark, said the skit surprised her because the line had only been out a short time, but it was the type of parody she would expect from "Saturday Night Live." It also will help raise awareness for the product, Morrow said.

"Saturday Night Live" also did a parody on Martha Stewart's Kmart woes. It had the domestic diva considering her options. She ruled out Sears because she doesn't have a softer side. But even though she said she wasn't interested in Target, she did provide her address and phone number if Target wanted to call.

Hallmark Cards reports 8 percent drop in net revenues

By JENNIFER MANN  The Kansas City Star

Posted on Tue, Feb. 19, 2002    

Hallmark Cards Inc. on Monday reported that its 2001 consolidated net revenues dropped 8 percent to about $4 billion, compared with roughly $4.3 billion for 2000.

It was the first significant decline for Hallmark in at least a decade, though its revenues were flat in 1993 compared with 1992.

The most significant contributor to the decline in 2001 revenues came from the company's family entertainment subsidiary, Hallmark Entertainment. The company said it had intentionally held off on the production of 25 to 30 films because of potential strikes by both writers and actors.

Company Chief Executive Officer Donald J. Hall Jr. said in a statement, "While the industry ultimately averted the strikes, the financial impact to the company could not be reversed," resulting in a 59 percent drop-off in revenues in that division. Hall took the helm of Hallmark on Jan. 1, after the retirement of Irvine O. Hockaday Jr.

Adding to the revenue decline was Hallmark's sale of three businesses in 2001: its greeting card business in France; Hunt & Broadhurst, a stationery business based in the United Kingdom; and subsidiary Binney & Smith's Revell-Monogram, a maker of plastic model kits. The money the company received for those sales is not booked as revenue.

Another part of the fall-off of revenues was a 1 percent decline in revenues in North America, which included sales of greeting cards, stationery, gift wrap, ornaments, partyware and gifts in the United States and Canada, and the Hallmark.com e-commerce division.

Crown Media, of which Hallmark owns 67 percent, reported a 44 percent decline in stock value during the year, despite a 39 percent increase in international and domestic cable subscribers.

Though the company said it was obviously disappointed in the revenue results for 2001, it is focusing on the future.

"The tragic events of the last year have been a powerful reminder of the need to connect with those we love, to honor others, to heal, to grow and to serve," Hall said. "Hallmark is more committed than ever before to help people enrich their lives by communicating and connecting in meaningful ways."

Hall said early consumer and retailer reaction to the company's new Maya Angelou Life Mosaic Collection, which was launched last month, had been positive.

Another bright note, he said, was customer reaction to the company's holiday retailing efforts.

"Today's retail environment is as challenging as any we've seen in a long time," Hall said. "Like many speciality retailers, declining retail traffic remains a challenge within the Hallmark Gold Crown stores. However, our holiday promotions were successful at stimulating traffic and additional greeting card purchases at year-end."

Among the promotional efforts Hallmark used during the holiday season were its popular Hallmark Kiss Kiss bears and a partnership with Coca-Cola to produce a special version of the classic " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas."

The company's international division saw an improvement in two of its biggest businesses, posting revenue gains in the United Kingdom and Australia.

Hallmark's Binney & Smith posted a 1 percent drop in revenues because of weakness in its international markets, although that division had record-setting revenues in June in a kickoff of back-to-school sales.

Commenting on future operations, Hall said: "As we look to the future, Hallmark will continue to focus on its core mission -- to enrich people's lives.

"The human needs to connect, communicate and celebrate are enduring needs, which is why I have such confidence in the opportunities the future holds for our company."           

Mr. Potato Head still hot at 50

February 6, 2002 Posted: 11:41 AM EST (1641 GMT)

(CNN) -- Who would have thought a plastic tuber could become so famous?

The mustachioed marvel known as Mr. Potato Head is celebrating his 50th birthday Tuesday, and for his manufacturer, Hasbro, that's no small, uh, potatoes.

The company threw a birthday party at its New York showroom, attended by Hasbro Chairman and CEO Alan G. Hassenfeld and cartoonist Jim Davis, on Tuesday morning at the American International Toy Fair. Davis is co-creator of a Mr. Potato Head comic strip.

Mr. Potato Head also received his AARP card, as befitting a character entering his Yukon-golden years.

"He is a great role model for others hitting their boomer years, truly embodying the philosophy that 50 is fabulous and one is forever young," said AARP President-elect Jim Parkel.

No starched shirt

All this for a character that looks like nothing so much as a produce seller from the Old Country, and which has been the butt of jokes for silly children determined to make his face look like a Cubist sculpture.

Mr. Potato Head was invented by Hasbro in 1952. Originally he consisted of plastic parts, such as eyes and mouths, intended to be stuck by children into actual potatoes. But, as the first toy to be advertised on television, from the beginning he seemed destined for the public eye.

Soon Mr. Potato Head was joined by a Potato Head family. (According to Hasbro's Web site, he married Mrs. Potato Head in 1953, and the couple had a "crop of over a dozen small fries.") In 1960, he gained a plastic "body" to go along with his plastic sense organs and appendages. His smiling mug has appeared on puzzles, play sets, board games, and even a battery-operated hand-held machine.

Moreover, he's been anything but a starched shirt. Through the years, Mr. Potato Head has been the "spokespud" for the American Cancer Society's "Great American Smokeout," a Don Rickles-voiced character in the "Toy Story" movies, a malevolent figure at the heart of a Nicholson Baker short story, and the star of Fox Children's "The Mr. Potato Head Show."

"Throughout his life, Mr. Potato Head has touched the lives of millions," says Hasbro's Hassenfeld. "He is so much more than a Hasbro classic, he's a cultural icon, and it is the people who have brought him into their homes -- and hearts -- that have helped him achieve that status."

Year-long promotions

As part of his 50th anniversary celebration, Hasbro is sponsoring a "50 Years of Smiles" promotion to benefit Operation Smile, a private, not-for-profit volunteer medical services organization that provides reconstructive surgery and related health care to indigent children and young adults in developing countries and the United States.

Moreover, the company is inviting people of all ages to submit a photo or drawing showing the person smiling and an image of Mr. Potato Head. At the end of the campaign, Hasbro will randomly select one entry and give the lucky winner a $25,000 grand prize.

Junction City family's collection could fetch a pretty penny

Former owner of bottling company keeps Coca-Cola memories alive

The Associated Press

The Lawrence (Kansas) Journal-World   Monday, February 11, 2002

Junction City — Coca Cola memorabilia have long been highly sought-after collectibles. People search the Internet and antique stores and often pay high dollar for a piece of Coke history.

The Lundeen family in Junction City has a large collection. Coke collecting has been a tradition of theirs, but maybe not for the same reasons other collectors search for the familiar red and white signature.

Donna Lundeen grew up with Coke, literally. Her grandfather John Will Deppish purchased a "soda water" company in 1901 and called it "Crown Bottling Works."

At that time, Coca Cola was already a popular drink in Junction City as it had been sold at Sargents Drug Store since the 1890s.

As demand for Coke increased in the growing town, Deppish took advantage of the opportunity and in 1916 started bottling the popular beverage.

In 1920, the Crown Bottling Company became the Coca-Cola Bottling Company.

As Donna grew up with Coca Cola, her husband, Charles, was introduced to it when he was 18 years old and started working on the production line in 1951.

Moving up through the ranks, he was elected president of the local bottling company in 1976.

Over the years, marketing promotions, advertisements, coke bottles and many other pieces of memorabilia began getting stored away.

A devastating fire in 1977, in the attic of the Ninth Street warehouse, destroyed what Donna and Charles now know would have been a valuable collection of memorabilia. Among the items lost were Coca Cola Santas, which today would have been worth a pretty penny.

"We lost a lot," Charles said.

But, not everything. The couple still has an extensive collection, much of which they are now trying to sell.

However, there are some things they plan to keep — some forever, some until the right price is offered.

"I've got Coca Cola rifles," Charles said. "Those were available to dealers only. When I bought them through the gun dealer 10 years ago, he wanted to buy them right then."

Among their collectibles are a variety of bottles, including ones that are stamped "J.W. Deppish Bottling Co." and some made by Liberty Glass for the Coca Cola annual conventions. Those, Donna said, are quite rare.

In the front window of the family's floral shop, there is a display that includes two of the large porcelain "bullets" or "bull's eyes," which they estimate to be from around 1945. Those carry price tags of $500 for the small and $2,500 for the large.

The window display also features two coolers from the 1950s that run $200 to $300 and are in working condition.

Another rare item they have is a collection of Olympic pins that were issued to dealers before some of the countries pulled out of the Olympics. Coca Cola reissued the set without countries that had withdrawn, but the Lundeens still have the original set.

Charles said he began to realize in the 1960s that much of the merchandise the company was producing would eventually have value to collectors.

"Things we bought for $25 or $30 are $400, $500 now," Charles said.

Popular these days are the Coca Cola polar bears, though Donna said she doesn't believe they will be worth too much because Coca Cola "snowballed the market with them," she said.

The same rings true with the tree ornaments, which Donna said she thinks will not appreciate for at least 10-12 years.

As Coca Cola comes out with more collectible series, she and Charles recommend that anyone interested in collecting purchase the first in any series.

"The first is always the hardest to find later," Charles said.