Hallmark Sells American Girl Brand Products

Hallmark Cards and Pleasant Company Announce Licensing Agreement; American Girl Gift Products Available at Hallmark Gold Crown Stores in Fall 2002.
Aug. 22-- Hallmark announced today that Pleasant Company, a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc., has granted the company exclusive rights to produce a wide range of personal expression products inspired by the popular American Girl brand. The first gift product offering will be based on The American Girls Collection, Pleasant Company's flagship product line of historical books, dolls and accessories.

Hallmark will be developing greeting cards, gift wrap, partyware, stationery, ornaments, gifts and memory keeping products that evoke the spirit of the American Girl brand and provide mothers powerful new ways to bond with their daughters.

An in-store boutique of quality products rooted in literacy, storytelling and history will be offered exclusively to the approximately 5,000 Hallmark Gold Crown stores and through Pleasant Company's award-winning consumer catalogue, at its proprietary retail store, American Girl Place, and at www.americangirl.com starting in September 2002. The offering also will include an assortment of books from The American Girls Collection.

"Fans of the beloved American Girls -- Felicity, Josefina, Kirsten, Addy, Samantha, Kit and Molly -- will find Hallmark has stayed true to the characters in the book series," said Peggy Bruce, product manager, Hallmark Licensing.

"The American Girl property is a proven winner and its popularity with consumers is strong. We believe the books' themes of fictional girls who lived during important times in America's past, when translated into Hallmark personal expression products, will appeal to mothers of girls ages 7 to 12. The brand fosters appreciation for the timeless traditions and values of girlhood and reinforces connections among girls, mothers and grandmothers."

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SOURCE Hallmark Cards