American Greetings Makes Summer Sizzle

CLEVELAND, July 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- People everywhere look to the summer as a time to unwind—enjoy the warmer weather and outdoors, take advantage of slower work periods and plan vacations with family and friends. While the rest and relaxation is plentiful, birthdays, holidays and many other events continue to be celebrated and the need for greeting cards never slows down. Fortunately neither does American Greetings Corporation (NYSE: AM), and they will surely keep the card aisle full all summer long with humor, sentiment and artistry to commemorate every special occasion.

This year's summertime collections feature unique inventions, new characters and traditional favorites. American Greetings introduces Turbo Button™, a funny new line of music and motion cards showcasing dancing characters that YOU control. Simply opening the card gets the party started and, when you're ready to change up the fun, just push the actual Turbo Button again and again to speed up (or slow down) the sound and motion to hilarious effect. With funny copy, quirky characters, and loads of play value, Turbo Button is a quick way to add some laughs to your next big occasion. Dancing characters include a kitty, monkey, wrestler and hamster.

In addition, American Greetings welcomes comic relief to its summer collection. There's a new doctor in the greeting card aisle and you'll never expect who she is. Dr. Jill is everyone's favorite girlfriend. She only has a Ph.D. in common sense, but gives the best advice no holds barred. She shares her vision of tough love and thoughts on life in words that are so unbelievably true, they make you laugh out loud. Bottlecap™ cards will also provide grins by playing on pop culture, hot topics and birthday fun. A compelling mix of best-selling and exciting content provides laughter for many occasions or just because.

Fans of the popular boy band, One Direction, will now flock with excitement to nationwide retailers as American Greetings introduces a fun, fan-based card line, inspired by the larger-than-life group. The One Direction collection features birthday and everyday greeting cards, plus additional tech and keepsake formats (posters/stickers).

Wedding and anniversary season is in full swing with brides and grooms everywhere planning special days that will last a lifetime and couples celebrating years of marital bliss. The American Greetings wedding and anniversary card collection will make every couple's day even more momentous. Its handcrafted elegant designs lend a sophisticated and upscale look, while heartwarming sentiments offer consumers the right words to express their congratulations. 

Shoppers will also go bonkers over Boofle ™, the lovable stuffed pup who has an international fan-following of all ages and continues to warm hearts with greeting cards for birthdays and anytime. The adorable puppy adds sweet sentiments and warmth to summer birthdays and anytime greetings. Boofle is made from 100% love and cuddles and is sure to brighten any day.

For celebratory cards that share life's moments, American Greetings highlights Kathy Davis' "Hello, Sunshine" collection with bright and cheerful greetings. Beautiful watercolor designs and sincere, heartfelt messages inspire meaningful collections.

Summer features additionally include designs from content partner Mary Engelbreit, accomplished illustrator, lifestyle designer and best-selling author whose style has graced greeting cards for nearly three decades. Her iconic illustrations evoke emotion and offer consumers many ways to send love and well wishes.

The justWink app celebrates summertime over the July 4^th holiday by declaring independence! This 4th of July, celebrate America's break up with King George (and his band of merry misfit redcoats) by sending a patriotically-perfect card. Whether the holiday is filled with grillin', chillin', or small "controlled" explosions, justWink's got the perfect greeting card to make Independence Day sparkle. The free smartphone app by American Greetings now boasts a collection of more than 500 cards that can be sent via text, email, Facebook and Twitter. Additionally, the cards are now available on Windows 8 and can be sent through the web at justWink.com.

Consumers can find the latest summer collections at participating drug chains, grocery stores and mass retailers nationwide, as well as in American Greetings and Carlton Cards retail stores. For more information on American Greetings, please visit www.corporate.americangreetings.com. You can also follow American Greetings on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest.

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 greetings on the Web, including greeting cards available at Cardstore.com and electronic greeting cards available at AmericanGreetings.com.  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 $1.9 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