Signature Collection to Feature Award-Winning Comedian's Witty Observations
About Everyday Life
CLEVELAND, March 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- American Greetings
Corporation (NYSE: AM) announced today that it has signed a licensing
agreement with Ellen DeGeneres to partner on a signature line of humorous
greeting cards entitled the ellen collection(TM). The greeting card venture
will allow the award-winning comedian's millions of fans to share her witty
musings on everyday life in a fun, new way.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070320/CLTU029 )
The 32-card ellen collection will feature illustrations of the comedian
along with her trademark wit and quirky observations about ordinary, daily
life situations. Selections will be available for birthdays, friendship,
thank you and encouragement, beginning this summer exclusively at major
super centers, drug stores and grocery stores carrying American Greetings
products. The ellen collection was developed in close collaboration with
Ellen and her team to reflect the hip but relatable style that has earned
her People's Choice Awards for "Favorite Daytime Talk Show Host" and
"Favorite Funny Female Star" two years running.
"American Greetings is excited to partner with Ellen and bring her
sense of humor to life on this special collection of cards," said Steven
Willensky, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for American
Greetings. "Her authentic humor embodies exactly what today's women find
the funniest. The everyday, shared experiences she jokes about are far
funnier than anything that could be made up, and are exactly what endears
her to so many people. Fans will find that the new cards really capture
Ellen's personality and sense of humor."
"I look at having a line of cards as another extension of being a host;
helping you wish your loved ones well, piggy-backing on your birthday
greetings," DeGeneres said. "I like to be up in the middle of everything
and doing it this way is much easier than crashing parties."
Recently the host of 2007 Academy Awards, DeGeneres continues to
receive widespread critical and public acclaim for her hit syndicated talk
show, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," which to date has won 15 Daytime Emmy
Awards. She also won the Producers Guild Award for the second consecutive
year for Outstanding Variety Television Show, and was voted "Favorite TV
Host" in a Time Magazine poll, up against such impressive competition as
Oprah Winfrey, Regis Philbin, Kelly Ripa and Meredith Vieira.
Since she was first nationally recognized in 1982 as a comedian in New
Orleans, her many contributions to the entertainment industry have earned
her numerous accolades, including a Golden Apple Award as Female Discovery
of the Year from the Hollywood Women's Press Club, a Lucy Award honoring
women in Television and Film and an Amnesty International Award. DeGeneres
was the first female comedian the legendary Johnny Carson ever invited to
sit on his couch, an honor he bestowed upon only the most gifted
entertainers. She also starred in an Emmy Award-nominated HBO comedy
special, and is the author of two New York Times Bestsellers.
About American Greetings Corporation
American Greetings Corporation (NYSE: AM) is one of the world's largest
manufacturers of social expression products. Along with greeting cards, its
product lines include gift wrap, party goods, stationery, calendars,
ornaments and electronic greetings. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, American
Greetings generates annual net sales of approximately $1.8 billion. For
more information on the Company, visit
http://corporate.americangreetings.com.
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