American Greetings Birthday Calendar Offers a Fun Twist on the Traditional Facebook Birthday Post

CLEVELAND, Oct. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- There are more than 750 million people on Facebook and the one thing each and every one has in common is the guarantee of countless well wishes on their wall for their birthday. The convenience of passing along a quick post on the wall of a friend or family member certainly lets them know you care, but a birthday is a special occasion befitting even more of a gesture, and the American Greetings Corporation (NYSE: AM) has introduced a way to make the simple act even more fun and memorable with its free Birthday Calendar Facebook app. Now, in addition to the wide variety of creative ways to connect available with the app, users can send a free virtual birthday celebration with Balloon Bash.

This fun new option allows anyone to send a friend a one-of-a-kind birthday wish that is guaranteed to make their day in no time at all.  Once the Birthday Calendar app is added to your account you just select the Balloon Bash feature and it takes you through a quick and easy process to create your own special wish.  After selecting the lucky recipient from your list of friends, you can choose a specific balloon color just for them, add a personal message from a drop down listing of suggestions or create your own, and encourage friends to join in by creating their very own Balloon Bash for the birthday celebrant.

The best part is the great experience for the recipient. Every Balloon Bash is posted to their wall and they can click through to an animated presentation showcasing all of the Balloon Bashes created for them. Each post is numbered so they can see just how many of these fun birthday wishes they've received, and the customization allows for each one to be truly unique and special.

The Balloon Bash experience is just the latest introduction from the American Greetings Birthday Calendar app, which continues to offer the perfect mix of convenience and creativity for everyone looking to connect.

"We are constantly working to introduce new options that will make our service even more fun and convenient and Balloon Bash is a perfect example of that, as well as the creativity that fans can only find with the American Greetings Birthday Calendar," said Sally Schriner, president of American Greetings Interactive. "Our free app is the most useful and innovative reminder service available for Facebook users, and we are excited for even more people to check us out and take advantage of all that we have to offer."

Used by millions, the American Greetings Birthday Calendar app is one of the most popular birthday apps on Facebook. The useful and convenient app includes everything you need to stay organized, with the ability to easily add birthdays, holidays, and special events to your personal Facebook calendar, as well as setting up daily or weekly alerts. In addition to the convenience, the popular app also offers great original content. From animated ecards and virtual gifts to original online postcards that offer the perfect, irreverent way to say hey, there is no better way to stay connected and organized on Facebook.  For more information, visit the official Birthday Calendar app page and become a fan.

The Birthday Calendar application is a joint effort between BigDates Solutions and American Greetings.

About American Greetings Corporation

For more than 100 years, American Greetings Corporation (NYSE: AM) has been a creator and manufacturer of innovative social expression products that assist consumers in enhancing their relationships to create happiness, laughter and love.  The Company's major greeting card lines are American Greetings, Carlton Cards, Gibson, Recycled Paper Greetings and Papyrus, and other paper product offerings include DesignWare party goods and American Greetings and Plus Mark gift-wrap and boxed cards.  American Greetings also has one of the largest collections of electronic greetings on the Web, including cards available at AmericanGreetings.com through AG Interactive, Inc. (the Company's online division).  In addition to its product lines, American Greetings also creates and licenses popular character brands through the American Greetings Properties group.  Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, American Greetings generates annual revenue of approximately $1.6 billion, and its products can be found in retail outlets worldwide.  For more information on the Company, visit http://corporate.americangreetings.com.

SOURCE American Greetings Corporation