Sunday, February 14, 2021

80's Valentines

I thought my three ornaments posts were likely to be the most odd of what I write here but now I expect posts about greeting cards are more strange. The first time I posted about them was in 2019 when I took a look at holiday cards from video game publishers. This one is about a few Valentine's Day cards that I received in the 1980s. Regular cards aren't at all interesting but these are all cards that feature a licensed product or character. Over the years I've saved way too many things, greeting cards being among them, so as I go through them and toss many, I set aside any that have a tie-in or are very '80s. 

Since I don't have kids I've not paid attention to what is available at stores these days though I'd guess not much has changed. We used to buy a box of themed cards, typically small cardboard rectangles that have a line for your name and one for a friend's name, and then hand them out at school. Does everyone still do that? Here is one I received from a classmate in elementary school so I probably got it between 1983-85. It's actually food-themed as it is from Cracker Jack and says "You're a Crack Jack pal." I scanned the envelope as well since that has a Hershey's Valentine's sticker on it.

The next two were not from a classmate but a family member. I've no idea if the bat-themed one is officially licensed from DC Comics or not. It has a girl dressed in a bat costume with a heart exclaiming "I'm batty about you!" Whether it is official or not, it's probably meant to be Batgirl because otherwise why would anyone associate bats with Valentine's Day? Next to that is one that does have a copyright listed on it of 1987. This one is of the comic book and cartoon cat Heathcliff who states "Lookin' good, valentine!" 


This final card is full size so I've got a scan of the inside too. It's from my sister and I couldn't tell you why she initially wrote 13 as the date before overwriting it with 14 but at least she dated it so I know I received it in 1988 (copyright on the back is 1986). I'm rather surprised Hallmark had cards associated with BraveStarr, especially one for what I'd consider a minor holiday. BraveStarr launched as a toy line in 1986 and had an animated series from 1987-1988. The show combines science fiction and wild west themes, and it's not set on Earth though the protagonist was born there. Inside the card it mentions New Texas which was another planet.

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