Today’s Titters
There’s always something new happening on the funnies front and, while people don’t laugh at the same things, greeting card folk share some definite trends causing laughter – of both the genuine and stressed variety!
“Trump and his associated chaos has led to global stress but, where there is stress, there’s always a bit of humour to soften the blow. I firmly believe that all humour, funny greeting cards included as these cards show, is all about helping us cope with the stress and worry of life whether that's ageing, the economy or simply the endless trials of life!”
“I find Josh Berry very funny at times. He often pops up on my Instagram feeds. I particularly love his impersonations which were the thing that kick-started his career a few years ago. The video of him talking to Andy Murray as Andy Murray (pictured) is priceless. I’m also a fan of Jack Skipper. Instagram is a great source of funny clips and can absorb me for hours if I’m not careful! I also love Sara Pascoe.”
Lucilla Lavender, co-owner, Lucilla Lavender
Alan Auld, co-owner, Comedy Card Company
“These days, I tend to tune into the News At 10 for my daily roundup of politics from overseas and a hit of hysterical laughter though, admittedly, it’s often coupled with head-in-hands despair. The balance of comedy and horror on show is something not even the Inside Number 9 team could conjure. I’ll leave it to you to guess which nation – and its leader – I could be referring to!”
Jon Bishop, founder, The Grey Earl
“The internet is a constant source of shareable giggles and we ping memes and videos back and forth between us constantly – all in the name of comedy research, of course! Lately, we've all been watching Last One Laughing, listening to Shagged, Married, Annoyed, and I think Katie might have mentioned a time or two that she has a mad crush on Richard Ayoade (pictured).”
Sophie Mann, senior designer, Redback Cards
“We often listen to David Sadaris (pictured) reading his diaries on Radio 4 and we love his dark, morbid humour. We still can’t get enough of the silliness of Bob Mortimer. Incidentally, his old coconspirator Vic Reeves aka Jim Moir, who we also love, lives locally and has been known to shop in Objectables. His daughter bought one of our cards for his birthday once. Hope he liked it.”
Tim Gould, co-owner, Objectables
“I'm much more likely to laugh at my dog doing his routine of four tricks to get a treat than stand-up comedy. I love an Instagram meme and get a steady stream of them from my bestie. Also, the cheeky quips you get from the RuPaul's queens (pictured) make me wish I was sassy enough to get away with saying the same thing!”
owner, Running
“I've recently finished watching Last One Laughing (pictured) on Amazon Prime Video. If you've not seen it, it's a show where 10 comedians are put in a room for six hours and aren't allowed to smile or laugh. The concept is simple but great and it had me in stitches –
Bob Mortimer and Richard Ayoade are amazing.”
Lucy Nicholson, owner, Lucy Maggie Designs
“There have been two things that have been taking our office by storm over the last couple of weeks – Series 3 of The White Lotus (pictured) which has got a lot more love online this series than ever before, and Last One Laughing on Amazon Prime. Coowner Jamie Mitchell has actually watched this four times already. I haven't seen it myself, but I've had the full rundown on lunch at work so it feels like I have!
Harry
Ferrin, B2B sales manager, Ohh Deer
He may be a Scot, but The Grey Earl’s Jon Bishop is happy to join with the rest of the UK on the invectives front: “I think we Brits are incredibly good at identifying subject matter to make fun of, usually at our own expense. I’m not sure insults on cards will be as prevalent as they were in the innocent 80s, but surely we’ll still be able to rinse one another out with a little bit of lighthearted tomfoolery? I’m hoping so anyway –my business depends upon it!”
spot for a little sarcasm,” according to director Rosie Tate, and the two collections blend sharp, dry cynicism with pure silliness, adding a “new quirky edge” to the publisher’s offer.
Having just returned to living in the north after 25 years in London and Amsterdam, the local chatter and wet summers are resonating with Running With Scissors’ Steven McFee: “I’m loving hearing some of the insults and slang from my childhood like lady muck, doyle and wazzock!”
At Objectables, co-owner Tim Gould loves a creative insult having utilised Twat Teeth, Badger Tits and Bobble Cock in the past to varying success: “Our new Poncy Git card will get its first outing at PG Live in June, it’s part of our new Dark Arts range.
“To our huge surprise and delight the bestselling card from that range so far is Happy Birthday You Mad Old Fucker, reminding us that a jolly insult is still a huge part of the British tradition of friendship.
Rosie Harrison’s personal favourite insult is knob as the Rosie Made A Thing founder knows light-hearted digs and ageing gags always land well with their audience: “We find it’s all about having a laugh without being too mean.
“If you’re after something a little more direct our Stroke Me range turns up the swears and the sass. It’s bolder, cheekier, and a bit naughtier than Gin & Frolics and we love it for that.”
Insults are the core of the Deadpan and Betiobca brands at Cath Tate Cards, as “the British public will always have a soft
the office, and some outrageous email subject headers!”
GBCC’s head of creative Lucy Ledger mused: “The thing about humour is, although there can be peaks and troughs in what’s popular, it’s still very subjective which makes the creation of a great range always a challenge – and anyone who has met David Byk, our ceo who likes to get involved with design selection, will probably know that his sense of humour isn’t to everyone’s taste!”
With all the research Hallmark undertakes to make sure its ranges are
“We also make bespoke insult cards for shops who ask – memorably Stuart and Lisa Delahoy of Set in Leicester asked us to make Leicester’s Biggest Cockwomble. It’s an insult not much used down here in Folkestone, but is clearly alive and kicking in the East Midlands!”
Another big fan of creative insults is Quite Good Cards’ James Ward: “I’ve even got a screenprinted heart hanging on my wall filled with all the affectionate names my wife and I call each other. I used to be a ‘give over, you daft c**t’ kind of guy but now that I’ve got a three year old I’ve reverted to the slightly softer insults my dad used when I was growing up – imagine my pride when my son recently told me I was being a dunderhead. I practically welled up!”
right on the ball, trends strategist Heather William explained: “Humour and the ability to connect with each other in less serious ways has always been a fundamental need in the greetings space. The ability to make fun of something to make someone laugh is a universal trait and a powerful social tool for strengthening relationships.
Redback’s senior designer Sophie Mann commented: “Insults don't often convert well onto a sendable card, as funny as they might be. Cheeky, irreverent terms of endearment are much more the order of the day – dozy mare and twat being a couple of our in-house faves. It certainly makes for lively conversations in
“Laughter is shown to have physical and psychological benefits –from lowering stress to boosting Immunity and even easing pain! A YouGov survey showed that sense of humour is the second most important characteristic in a romantic partner for half of Brits. What better reason to send a funny card to your other half?
“Considering Stamford researchers suggest the average fouryear-old laughs up to 300 times a dayyet by the time we are in our 40s we only laugh about three times a day – surely sending and receiving funny cards will only keep us laughing longer, and more often!”
Above: A wet northern summer is worth it for Steven McFee.
Above right: All about the bums with Arrthi.
Above: Objectables’ latest insults.
Below: Quite Good’s James Ward loves creativity.
Bottom: Hallmark’s Abstract Alley design is a favourite for many.
What’s new pussycat
Puss and pooch, gnomes and cocktails, history and everyday observations – there’s so much to laugh at, and publishers and illustrators pull it all together for the delectation of retailers and customers, as can be seen in this round-up of the latest in humorous card releases.
Garden mischief
Prepare for some garden mischief! Cheeky Legends by Arrthi Studio unveils its hilarious new Gardening Gnomes collection at PG Live. This range features nine outrageously funny designs starring designer Arrthi Little’s cheeky gnomes, all printed on high quality board and sold naked – to match the gnomes!
PG Live stand 153
Huzzah for Huzzah!
The Art File has a variety of humour card collections that are perfect for every occasion. Snap To Grid, Rock On and Snowtap cards have been popular bestselling collections for years, winning consumers over with adorable, deadpan and playful cards that will make anyone smile. This year The Art File has recently introduced Huzzah, a playful medieval series of die-cut birthday cards. This showstopping card collection features witty medieval scenes and innovative card design with every infused with bold colours, intricate design and relatable humour.
PG Live stand 200
Wait for the reveal
At Cath Tate Cards they’re thrilled to be launching a new Piña Colada and Betiobca humour designs for PG Live. The 70s-inspired humour of Piña Colada has grown since its 2023 Henries nomination, while Betiobca’s retro styling is also going strong. And director Rosie Tate whispered: “Plus there’s very exciting new collaboration, which we can’t reveal just yet…”
PG Live stand 307/426
Today’s Titters
Donald Trump is definitely back with a thud as a relevant and topical subject matter. Whether he’s funny is definitely debateable, but it’s laugh or cry I guess and, if the world does go down in flames, I’ll at least sell a few more cards with him on first. There are new ones coming for PG Live (pictured). Other than the crazy tangerine I’m still finding randoms reels of people falling over and jump scares really funny. Guess I’m going to Hell, when my time comes.
Dean Morris, owner, Dean Morris Cards
Choosing cheeky
One of Hallmark’s newest humour collections is Mojito Mayhem – a cheeky range of cards that’s loud, proud, and says it like it is!
Featuring bright colours, fun die-cuts and bold text full of personality, the collection captures life in a playful and relatable way. The publisher has also tapped into the inner child while embracing positivity in humour, with its new Disney humour range. Paired with Disney’s stunning imagery, characters and storytelling, this collection highlights the irreverent joy of sending silly memes. Through shared knowledge of the character personalities and stories, the jokes embrace a sense of positivity and playfulness, all while encouraging the shared experience of laughing with each other.
PG Live stand 519
Saying the funniest of things
When I Grow Up from UK Greetings features funny quotes and observations from children on aspects of adult life paired with appealing modern photography, proving that it’s true that kids do say the funniest and the sweetest things sometimes. And Paper Rebel is a new sophisticated humour range with a contemporary design aesthetic. The editorial offers witty takes on popular themes with some laugh-outloud designs about rude-sounding words and subtle nostalgic popular The ones like a nod to The Fresh Prince.
PG Live stand 400
Over the counter
Retailers are well positioned to know what’s hitting the funny bone for today’s consumers. PG asked a selection about what humour ranges are turning that frown upside down.
Carl Dunne, co-owner, Cards & Gifts, Dronfield
“We have actually extended our humour range from a 4ft display to 20ft as we’re seeing a huge trend in customers when they can’t find a relation birthday card they like or an open male birthday card they’re opting now for a humorous card.
“The biggest seller we’ve noticed this year is Model
Pickles & Patch range from UK Greetings and Not Now Jeff (complete with neon envelopes) from IC&G
Other lines that are selling well are still the Giggles range from UKG and also Violent Veg from Carte Blanche
Janet Ross-Jordan, Cards and Gift Wrap, Bayble, Isle of Lewis
which, after the many years that I’ve been stocking them are still holding their own within our top humour sellers.
“If people are wanting a more risque card then it has to be Dean Morris without a doubt.
“When people ask for a distinct caption or specific subject matter that we can’t immediately match, we always point them in the direction of our humour selection where most customers will stand for a good 15 to 20 minutes and, all we hear from that side of the shop is laughter, giggling, trying to snigger under their breath. Now and then we get a gasp of shock followed by a sneaky little laughter when they come across some of the Dean Morris designs!”
“My bestselling humour card this year is Life In The Old Dog Yet by Laura Stone, published by Lilac Tree
Designs
“The British love of animals is reflected in my humour card sales as nearly all my bestselling design feature animals. Squirrel Feeder by Citrus Bunn and The Diet Starts Tomorrow by Wrendale
Designs are long-standing favourites. More recently cards by Helen Smith, also published by Lilac Tree Designs, are making a comeback with Fun With Technology and Pub Anagrams being top so far.
“For trends, it seems we still like to tease friends and family about their age, our love of animals never
wanes and, yes, drink-related cards are still up there.
“My customers seem to appreciate the clever, witty puns –even in Gaelic my own Rainbow Cow pun is one of my bestselling Gaelic cards and now available as a coaster and fridge magnet!
Below: Lilac Tree Designs, Citrus Bunn
Sugar rush!
“Monkeyshines was conceived during a very fruitful – yet sugar-induced – nap,” is the explanation from Pigment’s humour lead Rob Palmer.
The idea for the range came, after a member of Pigment’s design team “had consumed nothing but strawberry bon bons and Red Bull for 72 hours straight! Not the balanced diet we’d usually recommend, but one that did seem to get the creative juices flowing,” reveals Rob about Monkeyshines.
“In particular, the Tits card came about after an in-house illustrator mistook a pigeon for a blue tit. Rather than correct the error, we decided to lean into the stupidity. The rest is slightly confused history.
“Since The Henries’ nomination, the range has developed an inflated ego and refuses to be stocked anywhere near the sympathy cards, claiming their vibes to be too much of a downer.
“With stocks of the range having almost tripled, we’re beginning to suspect the cards are somehow multiplying when no one’s looking, as we’ve caught them in different positions at the warehouse each morning.
“The cards plan to dictate their own future, as they’ve formed a union and demanded total creative control. However, do expect to see a refresh, with plenty more weird and wonderful randomness in the coming months.”
Love for innuendo
Hand-created artwork is still the basis for Poet And Painter’s cards, where founder and director Lucy Creed, who works with old art school pal Bryn Dineen, is celebrating the company’s 10th birthday.
“We were over the moon to be nominated for The Henries 2024 – warmhearted humour is at the core of everything we produce at Poet And Painter so we were particularly thrilled to be selected in this category,” Lucy said.
“Our Motley range is our ever-growing core collection of what we regard as our place to freestyle creatively. We don’t really plan it, or design by theme, it just evolves according to what’s making us laugh at the moment of creation. Life is endlessly bonkers, so there is always plenty to work with.
“We draw and write everything in-house at Poet and Painter and we try to keep everything as fresh as possible, by moving away from trending colours and treatments and focusing on what makes us laugh, creating an illustration to reinforce the humour – and we love messing around with word play, especially if it involves a body part!
“As kids of the 70s, we’re steeped in love for the innuendo and, although self-confessed potty mouths, we never swear in print. As a general rule in life I think how far we go with humour depends on personal preference and your relationship with a person which is why it’s great to have such a wide choice across the greeting card industry.”
Flapping good fun
Having lifted The 2023 Henries humour trophy with Holy Flaps, Redback Cards’ constant updating and expansion earned the bestselling Holy Flaps range its place as a 2024 finalist.
“In the manic age of ‘here today, gone today’ trends, it seems that funny never goes out of fashion,” explained Redback’s senior designer Sophie Mann.
Due to popular demand, the Redback team has been continuing to work on new additions to the Holy Flaps range, which is taking a transatlantic trip alongside the publisher’s also popular Cloud Nine as Louie Awards nominees this summer.
The collaboration between Redback and the Holy Flaps crew has been going from strength to strength since 2018 with its sleek black thermography and eye-catching neon envelopes having two Henries trophies to date.
Sophie added: “We find the bestselling designs usually strike a light balance between straighttalking language, self-deprecating humour focused on the quirks of adulting in the modern age, and often an underlying message of support or encouragement, leaving a sweet aftertaste to complement the laughter.”
Animal-tastic!
Proof that the artist submissions system really does work, that’s exactly how Woodmansterne discovered Lee Fearnley, the man behind the animal-tastic Natural Yoghurt range.
Artist and cartoonist Lee Fearnley contacted Woodmansterne through the publisher’s artists submissions email address in May 2023 as he was looking for a new partnership having worked with various greeting card companies previously.
Woody’s art director Ian Blake loved the combination of characters and humour he saw in Lee’s work so immediately got in touch.
“Lee had various ranges he had developed, and the one that became Natural Yoghurt was a perfect fit for our customers, blending animal characters in human situations. Since then, we have developed two further ranges with him,” explained Ian.
Subsequent to The Henries last year, Ian added that “the everyday range has been refreshed and we have used designs for other captions, including male relations and Christmas humour.”
Above: Sophie loves these bestsellers.
Above: No swearing with Motley
Above: Leigh Fearnley’s Natural Yoghurt designs
Above: Rob Palmer blames sugar for Monkeyshines.
