WALT’S PEOPLE-Joyce C. Hall

Joyce C. Hall founder of Hallmark Cards became one of the first licensees for Walt Disney. Both had very similar childhoods, each spending their childhood in poverty, and in the Midwest (Hall in Nebraska, Disney in Illinois and Missouri). In 1910 Hall left the Husker state and settled in Kansas City. With him, he had his life savings and an idea for a business that would sell a line of postcards. His venture was successful enough that several years later Hall’s brothers joined him and the business became Hall Brothers Company. Business boomed during World War I and by 1917 they started to produce their own line of greeting cards.

In 1931 Hall Brothers Company (later Hallmark Greeting Cards and then Hallmark, Inc.) signed a licensing agreement with Walt Disney to produce greeting cards of all kinds. This relationship flourished for 24 years, when in 1955, Gibson Greeting cards and Disney signed an agreement. The big reason for the change is that Gibson had become one of the original lessees for Disneyland and agreed to set up shop on Main Street. In 1960 Hallmark returned to Disney, and also moved in to Disneyland, where they offered a line of greeting cards, postcards, wrapping paper, pocket calendars, and other items. A new overall license for all of Disney was signed again in 1971 and continued through 1984. During this time, Joyce C. Hall, who had retired in the 1960s, passed away in 1982 at the age of 91.

The advertisement above that features the famous mouse talking to himself (no Disney copyright, OOPS!) is from The Greeting Card May 1931. This trade periodical was published by The Greeting Card Association, Inc. in the interest of the retail dealer. The leading novelty and card companies often advertised in this publication, which included articles on market trends, window displays, advertising slogans, sales aids, merchandising ideas, and much more. I am certain that this is the earliest Hallmark/Disney item that was published, as the ad is basically announcing to the industry the joining of the two companies. We have other cards and advertisements here at the Institute, but this is by far and away the earliest (would love to learn of anything earlier). The fact that it is missing a Walt Disney copyright shows that the Disney Brothers were still learning their way around the merchandising world.

The relationship between Joyce Hall and Walt Disney was especially intriguing during the 1960s, when Hall was interested in discussing the involvement of Walt and WED in a project called Sign Board Hill–a planned community. This was at a time when Walt was considering his Utopian city, EPCOT, and in my research I found a very interesting round of correspondence between James W. Rouse, Joyce C. Hall, and Walter E. Disney (more on this in a future essay here at the Institute).

The personable Hall once recalled an amusing story that happened on a plane ride to California. He was talking with three children who were greatly looking forward to visiting Disneyland upon their arrival in the Golden State. Hall quizzed them as to whether they thought Walt Disney was a real person or an imaginary one like Santa Claus. Putting serious thought into the question, the oldest girl contemplated it for a minute, after which she proudly proclaimed “Both!”.