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Real world article
(written from a production point of view)
Hallmark logo
Hallmark logo

Hallmark Cards, Inc. is an American greeting card company founded in Kansas City, Missouri in 1910.

First introduced in 1973, Hallmark has produced more than 8,400 different Keepsake Christmas ornaments, encompassing a wide variety of themes and entertainment properties. [1]

Starship ornaments 1991 to 2021

Starship ornaments 1991 to 2021

In 1991, Hallmark debuted its first Keepsake ornament based on a starship, character, prop, or scene from a Star Trek film or television production.

The company has frequently used recorded music, sound effects, and clips of actors' voices taken from iconic Star Trek episodes and movies for audio features contained within some of their electronic ornaments (or their display stands) and greeting cards.

A number of actors from Star Trek productions have also appeared in print ads, television commercials, and promotional appearances for Hallmark's products.

Hallmark has also produced other Star Trek-related merchandise including lunchboxes, lenticular greeting cards, buttons, sticker sets, e-cards, party supplies, novelties, plush toys, and jigsaw puzzles. The puzzles were produced through their Springbok subsidiary until 2001, when the brand was sub-licensed by Allied Products.

PopMinded

PopMinded logo
PopMinded logo

Many of Hallmark's licensed entertainment products are currently marketed under its PopMinded pop culture collectibles brand and are promoted by the company's Creative Director, Christine Taylor, and Senior Writer Kevin Dilmore, the author (or co-author) of a number of authorized Star Trek short stories, novels, greeting cards, and magazine articles.

Star Trek Keepsake releases

1991 release

1992 release

1993 release

1994 release

1995 releases

1996 releases

1997 releases

1998 releases

1999 releases

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2000 releases

2001 releases

2002 releases

2003 releases

2004 releases

2005 releases

2006 releases

2007 releases

2008 releases

2009 releases

2010 releases

2011 releases

2012 releases

2013 releases

2014 releases

2015 releases

2016 releases

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2017 releases

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2018 releases

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2019 releases

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2020 releases

2021 releases

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2022 releases

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2023 releases

2024 releases

2025 releases

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2026 releases

* "Value" ornaments sold at mass-market retailers; not branded as a "Keepsake".
† Walmart-exclusive "Value" ornament; not branded as a "Keepsake".
‡ "Storytellers" function independently and can also electronically interact in concert with each other, utilizing synchronized dialogue clips (with more than 250 combined phrases from "Mirror, Mirror"), sound effects, music, and light features; excluding the tree topper, a separately-purchased Keepsake Power Cord (that can power up to seven ornaments) is required; the rest of the series (McCoy and Scott) is slated for release in 2022 and all previously released ornaments from the series will be available for the (three year) duration. [2]

Background information

Ornament appearances in Star Trek episodes

To create the battle sequences between the Federation and Klingon fleets in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "The Way of the Warrior", the effects department used Playmates toys, Ertl model kits and Hallmark Bird-of-Prey Christmas ornaments in the background in an effort to keep production costs down. When these ships were required to explode, special effects manager Gary Monak filled them with explosives and party glitter. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, pp. 263-265)

Set decorator James Mees used colorfully repainted Hallmark USS Voyager and Klingon Bird-of-Prey ornaments for Miral Paris' baby crib mobile in "Prophecy". The mobile's Klingon D7-class battle cruiser was a small plastic AMT model that had been repainted.

An "unfinished" ship-in-a-bottle of the USS Voyager purported to have been built by Joe Carey and seen in "Friendship One" was actually a 1996 Hallmark Keepsake ornament which had been modified for the show by production staff.

While unsuccessfully evading Q, Quinn reduced the starship USS Voyager to the size of a Christmas ornament and tethered it to a Christmas tree in "Death Wish". Perhaps not entirely coincidentally, Hallmark's USS Voyager ornament was released a few months after the episode debuted.

Product promotion involving Star Trek actors

Commercial for the 1992 Galileo shuttlecraft ornament

Commercial for the 1992 Galileo shuttlecraft ornament

Leonard Nimoy recorded a special holiday message from Spock for use within Hallmark's 1992 Shuttlecraft Galileo ornament. He also appeared as himself in a television commercial for the ornament and performed the Vulcan salute. [3]

In 1993, Hallmark aired a television commercial featuring Patti Yasutake in the role of Nurse Alyssa Ogawa, who was seen questioning the shipboard computer and then replicating a USS Enterprise-D Keepsake ornament. Majel Barrett-Roddenberry provided the voice of the computer. [4]

Hallmark's television commercial for the 1994 Klingon Bird-of-Prey ornament featured Robert O'Reilly in the role of Gowron, commanding the bridge of a Klingon ship. His raucous Klingon language pitch was subtitled in English. [5]

Martha Hackett appeared as a Romulan officer aboard the IRW Khazara in Hallmark's 1995 Romulan Warbird ornament television commercial. [6] Hackett appeared in a similar costume to the one she wore in the role of Sub-Commander T'Rul in "The Search, Part I" and "The Search, Part II".

William Shatner and Christopher Lloyd appeared in a 2015 Hallmark Hall of Fame television production called Just in Time for Christmas. To promote the holiday movie, Shatner autographed a Star Trek Keepsake ornament for a contest. [7]

On 21 July 2018, Doug Jones autographed one hundred USS Discovery starship ornaments for fans at Hallmark's PopMinded booth at the San Diego Comic-Con. [8] Jones also signed one hundred Saru and Michael Burnham ornaments for fans on 6 October 2019 at the New York Comic Con.

Additional background information

Lynn Norton's USS Bellwether from the exhibition in 2016

Lynn Norton's USS Bellwether from the Star Trek: 50 Artists 50 Years exhibition in 2016

In-store promotional materials

In-store promotional materials

See also

External links