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HUMOUR NEWS
The funny
business If ever there was a time when we all need cheering up, it’s the last few years when we have all taken a battering from situations we cannot control; that have brought hurt and hardship to those we care about or empathise with. Not surprisingly, humour has seen us though, as evidenced by humorous cards once again coming out tops in in the recent PG Retail Barometer as the greeting card product area that has outperformed all others on the growth stakes in the last year. So, enjoy more than a few giggles with this year’s PG Focus On Humour Cards…
Catch ’em young! Kids giggling is one of the loveliest sounds in the world and there’s fresh research that shows littlies appreciate humour from a very early age – at just one month old! Released at the end of 2021, the findings were led by University of Bristol researchers and published in the Behaviour Research Methods journal, and they identify the earliest age humour emerges and how it typically builds in the first years of life. Using data from a new worldwide study involving 671 children from birth to 47 months, the team at Bristol’s School of Education (SOE) mapped by age young children's ability to laugh and make jokes, to determine what types of humour are present in early development and the ages at which different types of humour emerge. Parents of the youngsters from the UK, US, Australia, and Canada completed five-minute 20-question survey about their child’s humour development – and the team found the earliest reported age that some children appreciated humour was at just one month old, with an estimated 50% of children appreciating humour by two months, and 50% producing humour by 11 months. The data also shows that, once children produced humour, they do it often, with half of children having joked in the last three hours. Of the children surveyed, the team identified 21 different types of humour. Children under a year appreciated physical, visual and auditory forms of humour such as peekaboo games, tickling, funny faces, putting your head through your legs, funny voices and noises, chasing, and misusing objects like putting a cup on your head. One-year-olds appreciated several types of humour that involved getting a reaction from others – teasing, showing
Above: Getting the giggles – youngsters catch the humour bug early.
hidden body parts by taking off clothes, scaring others, and toilet humour, as well as finding it funny to act like something else such as an animal. Two-year-olds’ humour reflected language development, including mislabelling, playing with concepts such as dogs say moo, and nonsense words – children in this age group were also found to demonstrate a mean streak as they appreciated making fun of others and aggressive humour like pushing someone. Finally, three-year-olds were found to play with social rules, saying naughty words to be funny, and showed the beginnings of understanding tricks and puns. SOE associate professor Dr Elena Hoicka was the study’s lead author and said: “Our results highlight that humour is a complex, developing process in the first four years of life. Given its universality and importance in so many aspects of children’s and adults’ lives, it is important that we develop tools to determine how humour first develops so that we can further understand not only the emergence of humour itself, but how humour may help young children function cognitively, socially, and in terms of mental health. “The Early Humour Survey addresses an important gap of when different types of humour develop. It has the potential, with more research, to be used as a diagnostic tool in early development in terms of developmental differences, and to help inform early years educators and the UK’s national curriculum for 0-5 years.” It also shows there could well be an untapped market on the greetings front – maybe publishers should get designing those children’s humour cards now! Focus On Humour Cards 3-5 The Funny Business 9-11 Of Our Time 15-17 The Henries Finalists 20-21 Age Related 23-26 New Products Focus On Humour Cards is published by Max Publishing Ltd, publisher of Progressive Greetings Worldwide and Progressive Gifts & Home. It is distributed with the May edition of Progressive Greetings Worldwide. Editor: Tracey Bearton (traceyb@max-publishing.co.uk); Editorial Director: Jakki Brown (jakkib@max-publishing.co.uk); Advertisement Director: Warren Lomax (warren@max-publishing.co.uk); Max Publishing Ltd, United House, North Road, London, N7 9DP www.max-publishing.co.uk Tel: 020 7700 6740. Home of The Henries, The Retas and Progressive Greetings Live. Copyright: 2021
Focus On Humour Cards
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HUMOUR NEWS
Feisty range comes from chance encounter Chance meetings often turn out for the best and Dandelion Stationery founder Jo Wilson is pretty pleased Sarah Watts stopped by for a chat at her most recent trade show. Since the encounter in February, the pair have not only signed a licensing agreement, but also got a brand-new greeting card range designed and ready for customers to order – and it will all be on show for the first time at PG Live in June. Sarah now runs The Chiswick Gift Company, having expanded from the firm’s origins as Two Little Boys, designing unique, fun Above: Sometimes sweary – the new and quirky items including notebooks, porcelain Dandelion range with The Chiswick mugs and stationery with different and sometimes Gift Company. sweary slogans on, plus enamel pins and iron-on patches all featuring inspirational and motivational quotes. And when she wandered on to the Dandelion Stationery stand at Top Drawer recently, there was a great connection with owner Jo, whose own ranges have won a number of Henries awards. “It’s a great new collaboration with The Chiswick Gift Company,” Jo said, “we’ve joined forces to create a range of 22 bold greetings cards which are a little bit genuine and kinda feisty. Perfect for sending some serious motivation, marking milestones as well as birthday wishes or just because notes. These cards say a lot with a little and are that something a bit different.”
Alan’s cutting reason for creating funny designs
Above and right: Hair today – Comedy Card Company co-owner Alan with their first design.
Humour helps people deal with difficult situations and it was a hair-raising moment during the Covid crisis that prompted Comedy Card Company owners Alan and Lucy Auld to take the plunge into creating their own designs. Since running their own shop where they loved buying funny cards and hearing customers laugh out loud, the couple took their business online specialising in all greetingsrelated humour – from the gentle and inoffensive through classic cartoons and cheeky captions, all the way to the hilarious
but downright rude. And now, after the success of Alan’s first lockdown design inspired a whole collection, the Comedy Card Company will be debuting at PG Live - June 7-8 at London’s Business Design Centre. “With my hair taking on the look of a 70s rock star having resisted my wife's scissors,” Alan explained, “I drew a cartoon showing someone with wild, bushy hair having their first haircut since lockdown. The hairdresser was standing behind, firing up a hedge trimmer while urging the client to try and remain calm! “That one sold really well and we were spurred on to create more. I guess our years of buying and selling humorous cards gave as a valuable insight to what sells, giving us a head start. That said, of course, not all our designs hit the mark! Our own website was a great test bed though, and helped guide us to what worked and what didn't. “Combining a warped sense of humour and some seriously dodgy drawing skills, we’ve had a lot of fun producing some of our own silly designs. We have been both delighted and surprised by the sales on our website so much so that, in a moment of utter madness, we booked a stand for PG Live! “We might be experienced retailers but we are very much novice publishers. We are tentatively dipping our toes into the other side of the fence so to speak, but are excited to present a brand-new range of funny cards.”
Meet Thea’s uncle Nigel Uncle Nigel is a claim to fame for Bold & Bright founder Thea Musselwhite – for he’s Nigel Planer, the actor and comedian forever known as hippy dippy Neil from anarchic British sitcom The Young Ones. Admitting that some of her favourite TV comedy series are Motherland, Derry Girls, This Country, and Fleabag, Thea confessed: “I actually have a comedy veteran related to me, so I’ll have to also pick The Young Ones as one of my favourites – as my uncle was Neil in the series!” Nigel shot to fame with Rik Mayall, Ade Edmonson, Christopher Ryan and Alexei Sayle in the two series originally broadcast in 1982 and 1984, about students in a dingy houseshare where his character Neil was the put-upon morose pessimistic hippy studying peace studies – he even had a No2 hit with Hole In My Shoe. Right: Student stars – Nigel Planer (centre back) with his The Young Ones co-stars.
Dean’s delivery drive The king of naughty humour Dean Morris loves getting to know his customers, and he’s well known for posting a plethora of selfies when they rock up on his stand at trade shows. And a recent Facebook post proves he takes personal service very seriously, handdelivering the latest order to Hugs & Kisses in Tettenhall. Admitting he does only live just down the road, Dean added: “I ended up walking out with some cheeky chocolates – I’ve been meaning to buy some every time I pop in.” Shop owner Caroline Ranwell opened her doors in 2000, just a year after Dean began selling his naughty greetings, but only placed her first order with him a year ago. “She’s only been a customer for 12 months although I’ve known her for ages. She ordered for the first time at PG Live last year, she has some of the clean stuff and for the rude stuff she’s got me in the Cheeky Box. It all seems to be selling well as when I went in there wasn’t much left from previous orders. I literally live five minutes down the road and it’s great to supply local shops,” Dean added. Left: Personal service – Dean at Hugs & Kisses.
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FOCUS ON…HUMOUR OF OUR TIMES
A light in the dark With the various ongoing crises over the past couple of years leaving people desperate for a laugh, humour publishers have to keep a weather eye on everything from the often-bleak news, and social media trends, to the latest niche BBC3 comedy in their quest for the latest and most up-to-the-minute giggles. And the quintessentially British take that sees Emotional Rescue rush out designs like its Jam & Toast comment on events in Ukraine keeps those classics coming, as publishers discuss here. Humour never goes out of fashion but the subjects of those laughs change like the wind so publishers really need to keep their design pencils sharp, particularly with all the doom and gloom around at the moment. Rosie Tate, of Cath Tate Cards, concurs as they’re finding humour is a category that’s expanding in the bigger chains, and she’s impressed with the comedians who came to prominence via social media during Covid. She explained: “I love Alistair Green, Munya Chawawa, Harry Trevaldwyn and others who can create whole characters, scenes and satirical skits just with their phone in their front room. The advantage being that they can churn out topical comedy so quickly. Very clever and very funny – definitely saved me during the lockdowns! Being in the moment has struck a chord with Brainbox Candy co-founder
Ben Hickman, who said: “It’s been hilarious seeing the creativity in people during the pandemic and turning such a negative thing on its head. “There’s been some very funny memes and video sketches and, alongside this, there’s some stand-out comedians doing some very innovative stuff such as Joe Wilkinson, Sara Pascoe, and James Acaster, and podcasts like Athletico Mince and Gossip Mongers are hysterical. “This year started off pretty shabby with all the doom and gloom with you know what but, as always, British humour seems to shine a light out of the shadows.” Laura Kavanagh, founder of Go La La!, finds the humour card market the most diverse as the public’s tolerance for what makes them laugh is so varied,
Above: Topical comedy – a Jam & Toast design from Emotional Rescue.
which can make it tricky for shops to pitch their offer. But she added: “It’s always interesting to see what the public buy on online platforms from our ranges – it’s often quite different from those that the shops are selecting. Some of our top sellers sold D2C are the most rude ones! “As a humour publisher it’s difficult to
Above: Above: Dark times – new range from Go La La!
conjure the witty captions when there’s so much anxiety about the world. My partner John and I have had a tough time personally as we’ve lost three parents between us in the past 3½ years, and I think our humour has become quite dark and skewed at times. We recently
“I love The Thick of It, Have I Got News For You (pictured), QI, and Mock The Week.” James Mace, The Art File Above: One of the many of the time creations from Rosie Made a Thing.
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FOCUS ON…HUMOUR OF OUR TIMES brought out a range called Dark Matters which definitely reflects that.” Keeping spirits up is key for Bewilderbeest’s Ian Hamilton who has noticed the past couple of years have seen people looking for any kind of pickme-up for themselves and each other, with humour cards fitting the bill. And Bold & Bright’s Thea Musselwhite concurred: “Humour cards in general have changed a lot over the years. I actually think more and more people enjoy sending a cheeky card these days. There’s a lot of doom and gloom we all have to hear about, so there’s nothing better than giving people a laugh.” Rosie Made A Thing’s founder and creative maestro Rosie Harrison said: “What’s making me laugh now? These energy cost increases are a hoot. But seriously, us Brits are very good at finding humour in some dark places and there’s no shortage of subject matter at the moment." With a business name like the Comedy Card Company, co-founder Alan Auld definitely believes that, if you are going to send someone a greeting card, it should at least try to make them smile. He added: “Humour is very important as it helps us cope with many aspects of
“My favourite-ever comedian is Brendon Burns (pictured). I first saw him in 1998 and, most recently, he came and did an intimate gig which we hosted for friends in a local café. He is irreverent and very sweary! And my favourite alltime comedy show has to be Schitts Creek – such a fabulous cast, amazing characters and just the most wondrous comedy. It really was one of a kind. I miss it!” Laura Kavanagh, Go La La!
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life, whether it's the stress of work, the awful global news, or simply the depressing thought of getting older! We have found a slight shift away from cards at the ruder end of the spectrum. Certainly, those cards with bad language need to be genuinely funny with it.
The licensed card specialist expects this synergy between the digital world and humour cards to continue to grow – it has incorporated gaming already with Xbox-related captions such as “I’d pause my game for you”, and is anticipating trends and captions coming through based on social media slang language and memes, plus TikTok. Danilo managing director Daniel Prince added: “Humour around parenting remains a popular choice for cards, and designs such our Brightside Mother’s Day Daniel Prince, Danilo ‘Permission to go to the toilet alone* (*valid for one day only)’ and ‘To my favourite “There were lots of humorous cards parent (don’t tell dad)’ have seen a about lockdown that really cheered positive response from customers.” people up during the pandemic and in Sarah Boddy, who is the illustrator 2022 we’re already seeing topical behind Peartree Heybridge ranges humour about Putin and the including Creeping Thyme and Camilla energy crisis. Anything that makes us laugh a little in dark times can only be a good thing – it’s cheaper than therapy!” For Dandelion Stationery’s Jo Wilson, you just can’t beat a good humour card, as she explained: “The ability to make someone smile or laugh out loud is absolutely the best medicine for most situations. I’m still seeing a lot of Covidrelated humour, I guess it’s to be expected in the aftermath of a pandemic! Alcohol (in Above: Digital inspiration – particular gin) Danilo’s Daniel Prince related humour also seems very topical.” & Rose, is convinced of the vital With a recent WGSN report showing importance of humour. She said: laughing emojis feature in the top 10 “Everybody needs a giggle now and then, most-used ones online, it showcases how especially with everything that’s gone on humour is one of the main sentiments in the last couple of years. It’s good to expressed in the digital world. Danilo is look at the lighter side of life and laugh reflecting this trend with its Joy Pixels at ourselves. range, using a range of humour emojis to “Although lockdown was terrible, it create a vibrant card collection. was incredible how people filled their
“I think TV shows like Friday Night Dinner and Derry Girls (pictured) combine a perfect mix of comedy and drama and are extremely bingeable.”
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FOCUS ON…HUMOUR OF OUR TIMES
Above: United front – Sarah Boddy.
time making short, extremely-funny gifs to make other people laugh. It really showed a united front and kept people spirits up. “Cards came into their own during this time as it was a great way to keep in touch and let loved ones know that you care, and humour again wins the day – sending a smile and a giggle through the post, what’s not to like? “Humour has definitely changed in the last few years. There are less filters so to speak! I think there are a lot more cards that are sarcastic and rude without meaning to offend.” Funny cards will always have a place in the British public’s heart for The Art File’s James Mace, who explained: “A lot of our culture and history has been built on humour especially the self-deprecating kind, the written word, and a good old pun or turn of phrase. All of these aspects mix together to create the perfect recipe for
greeting card that will make you giggle. “That being said, original humour on cards is hard to come by these days, but always makes both the sender and the recipient smile!” From the home of Giggles, one of the longest-running humorous greeting card ranges, UK Greetings’ editorial manager humour and character studio Mark Graham, summed up: “Humour cards are going from strength to strength and there is so much choice available for consumers in a market which just gets more and more competitive. From perennial classics which stand the test of time like UKG’s Giggles brand to contemporary humour like our Text From Toilet there really is something for everyone these days. “Everyone’s talking about the rising cost of living and energy bills in 2022, so humour references to saving money are likely to be popular, and the
Above and right: So much choice – UKG’s designs.
World Cup in Qatar is coming up at the end of the year so we expect to see plenty of football humour on the shelves as part of the build-up.” A relative newbie on dissecting the nature of British humour and where it is likely to go is
“My favourite TV show of recent times is Mortimer & Whitehouse Gone Fishing. Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse are two of my favourite comedians and the programme is a wonderful blend of their humour and friendship, poignant discussions about mortality and the backdrop of beautiful riverside scenery.” Mark Graham, UK Greetings
The Grey Earl’s Jon Bishop. “We Brits are not renowned for our wild abandonment and expressive ways,” he said, “but we are exceptional at taking the piss so, having a card which can nudge the recipient towards the idea of what we're getting at, via the means of a gag feels like a fitting way to do it. “The beauty of the humour market is that there are no boundaries, everyone has a sense of humour and it is tickled by whatever tickling device does the job – a metaphorical tickling device I might add, unless it's one of those fancy plush cards with extra bits glued onto the front. So there really is something for everyone and, right now, we need all the laughs we can get.”
“I have always loved Ab Fab (pictured) – never get tired of watching Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley – but I also like Miranda Hart and Dawn French. I also love America’s Grace and Frankie. It’s a bit nuts but I just adore Frankie…my kids think I’m gradually turning into her!” Sarah Boddy, artist, Peartree Heybridge
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THE HENRIES FINALISTS
Hooray for The Henries
Winning at The Henries awards is a great achievement for any publisher, and the Best Humorous Range is one of the most hotlycontested categories with Rosie Made A Thing taking the 2021 title, beating off the challenge from Bold & Bright, Brainbox Candy, Emotional Rescue, Pigment Productions, and Redback Cards. Here PG recaps on all six finalists and where they’re headed now.
Shiny shiny sexy sexy simplicity Brainbox Candy co-founders (and buffoons) Ben Hickman and Mark Williams: “As with any of our ranges, at the initial design stage we always set out to create something completely different to anything we’ve designed before. We’ve used special finishes on some of our ranges in the past such as embossing and spot UV. “We regularly use a bright and fun colour palette so, for a change, on Quotish we opted to go for a beautiful uncoated white card with shiny shiny gold foil typography. So shiny in fact, that all the magpies in town were tapping on the studio window. “This forced the captions to work harder but the simplicity was eye catching, especially alongside the sexy, sexy bespoke black and gold envelope. It’s like the range got all dressed up in its poshest frock to go to the Henries themselves, just without the monumental hangovers that we get from such an event. After all, there’s no reason why humour cards shouldn’t look and feel gorgeous too, right Malcolm? Malcolm? “Since the Henries shenanigans, the success of the range has continued to grow with Age cards, Seasonal and Occasions being introduced.”
Above: Rosie Harrison (left), founder of Rosie Made a Thing collecting the Henries 2021 trophy from Hyve’s Alison Graham, sponsor of this award category.
Making sense of humour
Collaborating with creatives has proven beneficial for the lean, mean, product-focused humour machine that is the Emotional Rescue operation, and one of the publisher’s latest link-ups has been with Paper Salad founders Karen Wilson and Claire Williams. Above and left: Not known for humour in their Daft capers from Ben and Mark own right, the ladies collaborated with with their finalist Emotional Rescue – where the team range Quotish. Below: Colourful is always learning and adapting to collaboration at Emotional Rescue. what the good old British public likes to have a good giggle at – and together they produced The Henries finalist Is It Friday Yet? collection. With the tagline being “making sense of humour”, Emotional Rescue cards are 100% recyclable, designed and produced in the UK.
Obsessed with miniatures As a three-time Henries finalist, Bold & Bright founder Thea Musselwhite knows her Janice & Jeffrey range hits the sweet spot for humour cards. She explained: “The range started right back in 2017 but, due to having young children, I didn’t really get around to doing anything with my ideas until 2019. I’ve collected miniature things since I was about six years old, so I have a bit of an obsession with it. Being able to use lots of my pieces in the cards is brilliant. “I launched my range at PG Live in 2019 – that was my first trade show and it had a great response, and really took off from there. I’ve been a Henries finalist three times now. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, haha! “I feel very fortunate that I’ve had such a good response to my range in the short time I’ve been going. Nothing like a global pandemic to slow things down, so I feel really grateful that it’s all managed to keep going and keep growing. “I’m still a very small set up. It’s just me working from home, but I have someone who stores and packs all my cards for me.” Left: Bold & Bright’s Thea Musselwhite with her designs
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The latest laugh from Redback Cards...
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THE HENRIES FINALISTS
A great remedy
“We were very big fans of Sean Lock and we’re stil devastated that he’s no longer with us :( A true comedy genius. Bob Mortimer is thankfully stil with us and another national treasure. He’s someone we’ve been fans of since the early Vic Reeves days. His Train Guy (pictured) sketches are bril iant, I mean someone knight this guy already. Have a campachoochoo on us yeah?” Ben Hickman and Mark Williams, Brainbox Candy
Cool, colourful and contemporary
Above and below: Team fun from Redback and Cloud Nine.
Cloud Nine is a cool, colourful, and contemporary card range that tells it like it is! Bursting with humour, the range is full of spoton observations on life, love and more. Redback Cards’ senior designer Luka Webb said: “Launched in 2017, Cloud Nine took inspiration from a foiled marketing flyer that we received. We loved the simplicity and lux look of the foiling, so we started to develop a quote range that expanded on this idea. “It was important to us that we came up with a concept that was readable from a distance, which would help it stand out on the shelf. After months of testing out fonts, colours and phrases, Cloud Nine was born! “Since reaching the finals for Best Humour Range at the Henries last year, Cloud Nine has seen more humour and occasions additions and an exciting new colourway, neon coral! We also released some super colourful rainbow ages that are perfect for celebrating those milestone birthdays. “As for where the range is going next, you’ll have to wait and see. But. as always, prepare yourselves for a whole load more laughs!”
“We were delighted to be shortlisted for the 2021 Henries Best Humour range with our The Life And Times collection,” commented Stephen Baker, sales and marketing director at Pigment. “It’s our mission to make cards that capture the mood of the time, with words, with art, and usually with a smile – The Life And Times range does that perfectly. It’s been a great hit with all our customers and we will soon be extending the collection into topical relations and occasions. “Our humour cards offer light-hearted relief from the heaviness of the world at the moment. Sending a humour card to a friend or loved one is a great remedy for the blues!” Below: Llama love from Pigment.
“Love lots of comedians but Peter Kay (pictured), Micky Flanagan and Michael McIntyre have to be favourites.” Alan Auld, Comedy Card Company
Double measure, naturally
Top: Expanding horizons, Rosie Harrison with her Boozy Boards and Happy Hour range (right).
“The Gin and Frolics range is inspired by people like you and me,” says Rosie Made A Thing founder and designer Rosie Harrison, “and the everyday nonsense that befalls us. The range has evolved over the years to include more diversity of characters which I think makes the humour more relatable to a wider range of people. “Since our Henries win last October, we’ve expanded the Gin & Frolics theme, launching our Happy Hour range – concertina cards which fold out to reveal a big old party and a message to make you smile. These have been really popular, as has the development of the range into other stationery and gifts, such as coasters, gift wrap and Boozy Boards.”
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FOCUS ON…AGE-RELATED HUMOUR
Just a number
Age is just a number, or so they say – but it’s also been a mainstay of the jokes on humour cards for many years. However, in these enlightened times where folk can take offence at almost anything, PG looks at whether age and decrepitude (perceived or otherwise!) are still valid targets for extracting the michael on a greeting card. Once upon a time, only young, unmarried women could be seen in public with their hair loose – nowadays, anything goes. A rainbow mohawk on a granny? Why not! Leather, studs, and chains for a punk babygrow? Looks dead cute! In the 21st century, there are far fewer restrictions here in the UK, but the world is also a more sensitive society, so anything that smacks of an -ism, especially ageism and sexism, is simply not tolerated, which means humour cards are being re-evaluated. “I guess jokes that err on the side of misogyny or sexism are no longer in favour,” said Rosie Tate, of Cath Tate Cards. “We currently have quite a lot of age-related humour cards about no longer being in your 20s, but that probably says more about us than anything else!” Having just hit the over-40s club himself, Jon Bishop, illustrator and tea drinker at The Grey Earl, agrees: “With two children in tow, there's nothing more I like than receiving a card telling me how past it I’ve become, or how my back is creakier than a rusty gate, or how I'm starting to smell of cabbage, or how I've already got a space reserved at the care home…I could go on. “Overtly sexist and misogynistic cards need to get in the big bin of bad card designs, the 80s were a loooong time ago. However, I think age-related humour still has a place for sure. We love to poke fun at one another, with a wry little smile and a silent ‘I love 20
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you really’ behind it all, it's what we as a nation do best!” Lucky enough to have good friends spanning the spectrum from their 20s to their 70s, Go La La! co-owner Laura Kavanagh struggles with the age thing and admitted: “One thing I find myself less drawn to these days when I’m buying their birthday cards, are those which mock getting old – as if ageing is a terrible thing! I like to find fun cards which celebrate age. Maybe it’s because I’m getting old!” Twizler’s Laura Murphy has a theory: “I think age-related humour has changed
“We are actually big fans of Family Guy!” Dan and Yvette Clarkson, Heyyycards
Above: Hee-haw – Twizler’s new Shenanigans donkey design. Bottom left and right: Not 20 anymore – Cath Tate Cards. Below: Poking fun – Redback Cards.
over the years and now people are much more willing to poke fun at one another. People don’t hide their age as much as they used to, especially women, probably because people are just looking more and more fabulous! “Now it’s about being proud to hit those milestone birthdays and still be doing it all – and that’s lucky because us humour publishers have a whole lot of cards designed to poke fun at your age.” This is a theme that resonates with the Redback Cards team who see topics such as the physical signs of ageing and wisdom (or the lack of it!) remaining the popular themes, but with an emerging trend for more age-positive cards.. And they believe ageing can be both joyous and challenging simultaneously, so the process should be celebrated in all its facets so, whether a card has relatable age humour or is a witty observation of what’s to come, the Redback mantra is that ageing is an inevitable part of life from which they can continually draw inspiration.
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FOCUS ON…AGE-RELATED HUMOUR For Mark Graham, UK Greetings’ it’s a state of mind? editorial manager humour and character “People’s attitudes studio, classic humour about cakes and have changed, their candles which don’t mention your age are outlook on life, their still as popular as ever, as is nostalgia. He sense of humour is added: “Perhaps we don’t see quite as fresher than ever – many designs about some physical even my nan's making aspects of the ageing process such as TikTok videos and Alan hearing and memory loss, false teeth, from next door is going on sagging boobs and incontinence, as there Naked Attraction next week used to be, but gags which relate to older and he’s 87!” people struggling with modern technology But reminding friends and family just are popular.” how old they are is a favourite thing for At Heyyy Cards, a lot of retailers that Dandelion Stationery founder Jo Wilson owners Dan and Yvette although she Clarkson speak to still do very well with age-related humour cards bought by both the younger and older generations but it does depend on each store’s customer base. They added: “As with any genre of humour in today’s more-conscious society, there’s a fine balance between being funny and being insensitive. While the public are still voting Above: Classic humour with their wallets, we believe from UK Greetings. there’s still a market for such tongue-incheek humour, though it depends a lot on admitted: “I think there is a lot more the type of setting they’re sold in and what political correctness these days which the audience in that particular retailer means we have to be really careful to try expects to see.” not to offend people – Brainbox Candy’s but ultimately ever-youthful co-owner humour should be Ben Hickman said: about making “Age-related humour people laugh, has changed from ideally without Laura Murphy, Twizler the point of view that being offensive.” everybody is getting James Mace, younger. I mean what even is old nowadays sales and marketing manager at The Art (apart from the cheese in the fridge) surely File, is happy with the current balance: “As
“I actually think Derry Girls is hilarious - it’s the nun, her delivery gets me every time!”
Of an age With their vast range of licences covering every age and taste from Peppa Pig to Peaky Blinders via Derry Girls and Cliff Richard, Danilo managing director Daniel Prince is convinced age-related humour never goes out of fashion. “In a time where humour can be very sensitive,” Daniel said, “the classic age jokes still seem to be acceptable. This is particularly true for the brands which target the older age groups like the hugelypopular Only Fools & Horses, Mrs Brown’s Boys and Dad’s Army. Everyone is facing real challenges at the moment and simple humour is something that can make us laugh out loud and distract us from the everyday issues.” Right: Great licences – Danilo.
“The Chair on Netflix, with the bril iant Sandra Oh – it’s a comedy that combines cheap physical gags with erudite satirical stuff, and has a heart of gold. An absolute winner. “ Nick Padmore, Deadpan Cards
always, every generation has a different sense of humour due to a different lived experience – the world around us changes so quickly, after all. However, people will always come back to the core funny topics that stand the test of time, and we believe age-related humour is one of them. Just make sure you know your audience before sending your cards!” And Bold & Bright founder Thea Musselwhite understands where age humour is coming from: “I think people are also quite happy to have a joke about themselves too, so age-related humour can be funny, as most of us can relate to it at some point in our lives – even if we don’t want to admit it!” Age is probably the last great refuge for acceptable jokes as the one thing no one can escape is getting older but, as Bewilderbeest’s chief nitwit Ian Hamilton opined: “I think a lot of the age-related jokes have already been done over the years, and people are looking for something different and a little less obvious. We’ve all seen the same jokes about age time and time again – bring on more variety!” Sharing his philosophy, which echoes Deadpan Cards’ ethos, owner Nick Padmore summed the lifecycle of age cards: “When I’m in the age cards section of a shop I like to imagine I’m an archaeologist from the future, trying to figure out what 2022 society was like based on nothing but cards. It’s quite a depressing mental exercise. You end up realising that the typical human life goes from balloons to booze to cats and, at some point, it all just turns into flowers!” Focus On Humour Cards
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our new range!
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FINDING QUALITY TEAM MEMBERS Looking for Artists, Sales Agents, Sales Representatives, Marketing Managers, Designers or Product managers? Talk to us about our Integrated Recruitment Package. An advert in PG magazine’s Appointment Section and a month’s worth of adverts on our digital news feed, PG BUZZ. For more details contact Warren Lomax on warren@max-publishing.co.uk or Tracey Arnaud on Traceya@max-publishing.co.uk
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Just for a laugh There’s always something new happening and that’s definitely true on the humour card front – so check out these fab fresh funny releases!
High in fibre To whet your appetite this spring, Bewilderbeest is releasing its new Wild Bites range, featuring eight recipe and foodthemed daft cards, from Beef Wellington to Crab Cakes. They look good enough to eat – don’t actually eat them, although they are high in fibre...paper fibre!
“In the studio, we’re big fans of the TV series Schitt’s Creek. It’s great for a quick pickme-up after a long day! We’ve actually worked on a range of cards featuring some of the main characters for our publishing brand Sunshine Llama with designer Ellie Purdy. They’re really popular, so we know we’re not the only ones obsessed with the show!” Lucy Nicholson, Lucy Maggie Designs and Sunshine Llama
Above: Bewilderbeest’s designs are good enough to eat.
Adding another dimension Super Fab is the new card range by Earlybird, which features some funny puns and typography to accompany vibrant neon colours. Founder and designer Dom Early started off as a humour artist so explains why he wanted to revisit the genre: “When I was younger (a while ago now!) my card artwork was all humour based, it started the business off really, so it’s great to do some more so we could add another dimension to the Earlybird portfolio. “I wanted to combine our striking neon look with some amusing imagery and, so far, they have been very popular. I think the vibrancy really catches people's eyes but also the funny sentiments hit the spot.” Printed on 350 gsm FSC accredited board, these designs come with a kraft fleck envelope and are embossed and spot UV finished along with the neon inks. Earlybird's printer Hartgraph is also carbon balanced and only uses vegetable-based inks. Below: Earlybird’s typography and puns.
Extremely relatable Relatable is the latest card range from Brainbox Candy and has been going down a storm since its launch. Featuring captions everyone can relate to and a lip-smackingly gorgeous colour palette, the designs are finished with a very touchy feely emboss and UV finish, die-cut and come with a candystriped bespoke envelope. It’s like being a kid in a sweet shop with these 20 designs! Right: Sentiments to relate to from Brainbox Candy.
Keep going on about it At Lucy Maggie Designs, the cards are known for their cheeky humour and new 2022 designs – an extension to the main card range – are certainly no exception. Founder Lucy Nicholson said: “Our favourite design from the new releases has to be our Birthday Month card, because it’s just so relatable! We all have that friend – let’s face it, we all have many friends – who likes to make a meal out of a birthday, whether it’s a big birthday or not. “We’re also really fond of some of the new Love cards, but perhaps we shouldn’t mention the captions on those!” Right: Lucy Maggie adds more cheeky humour.
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Self acceptance doesn’t mean you can’t have a laugh See it and say it how it is! See our new brochure to find out more www.mint-publishing.co.uk Tel: 0116 230 4197 Email: sales@mint-publishing.co.uk
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Getting stuck in War isn’t the best inspiration for funny cards, or any cards really,” said Deadpan Cards’ Nick Padmore, “but we’ve got a bunch of new cards coming out soon that get stuck into some of the more commercial dates in the diary, like Mother’s and Father’s Day and Valentine’s. Please don’t point out that two of those dates have already come and gone!” Left: Deadpan hit the more commercial dates.
Kinder humans all round As everything was hugely affected by the pandemic, humour has also changed and Paperlink has brought the language of the Covid crisis into its new Love Train range. Paperlink managing director Emma Young said: “It’s not just because it created a whole new way of life that we needed to find humour in to stay sane – see Working From Home from our new Love Train range – but it feels like we all got to know each other better. “We were at home more and imploring each other to `stay safe` most days. I think we have come out the other side as kinder humans all round and this too is reflected in humour. “At Paperlink we now keep most humour super positive and kind in content. Staying with the positivity theme, cards about ageing are less about being wrinkly and creaky and more about still being out there and up for it. “Women don’t feel the need to shy away from being older because they still look fabulous however old they are, and men don’t need to get out the pipe and slippers because they’re still having adventures. Our new range Bowling For Soup was created with this in mind – like our Ageing Disgracefully card. Overall, it’s all about respect across the board.” Above and left: Bowling For Soup and Love Train reflect post-pandemic humour.
Raves, robots and The Terminator Dom Greyer at Lesser Spotted Images has just published another 12 cards in the Jim'll Paint It range. The new designs include Ultimate 90s – all the heroes and villains of the 90s gathered together for the biggest illegal rave that never was! There’s also Robots – the iconic Beatles album cover reimagined with robots from down the years. Let us introduce you to Lt Cdr Data's Metal Hearts Club Band! And there’s Vegan Terminator – the Terminator accidentally arrives at a vegan cyclists’ cafe instead of a biker bar.envelopes.all about respect across the board.” Right: Colourful cards from Lesser Spotted.
“I flippin' love the comedian and poet Tim Key – he writes top level nonsense!”
Ready for a threesome
When Pink Pig included a fun golfing card in one of its ranges, customers had such a giggle it was an instant hit, so it made Bewilderbeest’s chief sense to expand the style into a nitwit Ian Hamilton complete new range featuring lots of other sports and pastimes, and Three Up was born. The new range features comical illustrations of characters enjoying hobbies such as fishing, cycling, paddle boarding and more. “I think everyone can identify with someone in one of the designs,” said founder Mabel Forsyth, “maybe a male family member in his fetching Lycra gear, or a pal who never misses her Zumba class!” There are 10 male and 10 female designs at present, with plans to extend the range very soon. Cards are all 150x150mm, and sold in packs of six cello-wrapped or naked with eko-kraft envelopes.
Above: Three’s not a crowd at Pink Pig.
Colourful and quirky The Art File’s brand-new Pabuku collection is both quirky and funny, combining both visual design and words to get a laugh. Stern-looking men in tutus and quips about crazy cat ladies are just some of the joys that can be found within this collection. Ulla Kopf and Ute Baurecker, the talented creators of Pabuku, fiercely believe that “normal is just an illusion”. This collection is for anyone who loves the bold and unapologetic, is openminded, and enjoys a bit of fun. The cards are finished with neon orange ink and come with bright orange and green envelopes, dependent on the design. One of The Art File’s wellestablished and popular humour card collections is Snap To Grid, which was shortlisted for a Henries award in Best Contemporary Trend Range. It’s a colourful collection by Heather Flynn featuring no rude ’n’ crude, just cheeky – and extremely relatable! – cards to make your pals smile. Above: The Art File’s completely different ranges.
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I only walk with Queens
Barking up the right tree
Join the Booze Cruise
Cath Tate has added to its best-selling PhotocatsandCanines range. Featuring philosophical felines and poetic pooches! These are a collection of dogs and cats with a sense of humour. In the new designs there is even a corgi fit for a Queen, just in time for the June Jubilee! All printed on 100% recycled paper. Above: Her Majesty would approve on this Cath Tate design.
Taking it gentle Very well known for its cheeky humour, publisher Go La La! has a gentler new range set for launch at PG Live, with founder Laura Kavanagh bring out a set of fresh designs in the Strudel collection. Right: Strudel is Go La La!’s latest launch.
HEADING HEADING
Poet And Painter gin enthusiast and designer Bryn Dineen has just put the finishing touches to a new collection called Booze Cruise, which will be launched at PG Live. “In vino veritas as we all know,” Bryn laughed, “and there are often some great (beer) belly laughs to be had, and the only thing about the cards that isn’t recycled are the jokes! “We’re also extending our keystone Motley collection, there are plenty of new silly smiley designs for both occasion and everyday consumption. Very much looking to pressing the flesh at PG Live – (whisper it) our favourite of all the trade shows.” All cards are 150x150mm, on matt FSC-approved stock, and are available naked, with eco clasp, or in biodegradable cello wraps. Above: No recycled jokes on Bryn’s designs
Enjoy the shenanigans Shenanigans is Twizler’s brand-new humour range for 2022 and, after a successful launch at Spring Fair, the team is excited to bring it to PG Live in June. Twizler’s Laura Murphy said: “The humour is fun and breezy with beautifully drawn and realistic images to add something a little different to your portfolio of cards – and ours!”
From giant sharks to amorous facehugging aliens, the Deleted Scenes collection by The Grey Earl has everything for the film fan in your life. Above: Twizler has fun with realistic images Being all about the big screen, this range perfect for movieThe Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards were dreamed up by professional lovers and photographers Tom Sullam and Paul Joynson-Hicks in Tanzania with the aim of cinema-goers and creating a light-hearted photographic competition that would celebrate animals also has the right credentials of being made in while also raising conservation and environmental issues. the UK, printed on FSC-accredited paper, and UK Greetings has developed a card range which features stunning highcontained in eco-friendly packaging. quality funny animal photos submitted by photographers worldwide, paired with
Comical creations benefit charity
Above: The Grey Earl has scenes you’d like to see.
“We’d have to go for some bril iant female comedians – currently in love with Katherine Ryan (pictured), Joanne McNally, Meg Stalter and Judi Love.” Rosie Tate, Cath Tate Cards
funny but simple easy-purchase edit and, each year, a percentage of revenue goes to support charities with sustainability and conservation goals. With literally thousands of competition entries annually, the end result is a truly spectacular offering with great rack appeal across stand alone, adult age and integrated captions. Tom said: “It’s fantastic to see the competition images reproduced so brilliantly on cards, as the images really do lend themselves to some great sends and we have many, many favourites among the range! “As well as the contributing photographers, who directly benefit from the sales and exposure of the cards, some of the most endangered animals in the world will also be supported through card sales of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, which is wonderful and fitting outcome.” UKG also offers the Quip Art range which takes a little inspiration from the Monty Python Animations, while seeking to bring to life various humorous situations with etched Victorian character artwork and each design features different animated elements or pop-ups. Right: UKG offers pop-ups and photographs.
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The GreATesT COLLeCTiOn OF GreeTinG CArDs in The WOrLD
Lots of happy, shiny people are looking forward to PG Live 2022… “We can hardly wait to visit PG Live this June – great way to celebrate N&Q’s belated 40th anniversary with our UK friends and partners!”
“The PG Live show has such a happy vibe and energy. It is my favourite show of the year. I love that it focuses on just greeting cards and offers a mix of large publishers, established independents and new starters.”
Alan and Vanessa Harnik directors of Notes & Queries USA
SAVE THE DATE Don’t miss PG Live 2022
Tuesday 7 - Wednesday 8 June Business Design Centre, London +44 (0) 7734 111633 www.progressivegreetingslive.com @PGLiveLondon #pglive2022
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Georgina Black owner Pretty Shiny Shop London
“I really love Progressive Greetings Live – if you are a retailer reading this and have never visited, I implore you to put it on your list to go. We always come back with new and exciting ranges.”
Maggie Wynn owner Just Cards Honiton
The FuTure OF GreeTinGs Book your frEE TickETS now www.progressivegreetingslive.com
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