 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(March 2010) |
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| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Distributors, discretionary |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Headquarters | Carthage, Missouri |
| Website | www.preciousmoments.com |
Precious Moments Company, Inc. (PMI) is an American catalog order company that sells giftware. The company was formed in 1978 by the illustrator Samuel J. Butcher, as a licensing company.
Illustrator Sam Butcher, with his business partner Bill Biel, sold greeting cards at Christian book fairs under the company name of Jonathan & David. They partnered with Enesco, Corp. to sell giftware. [1]
In 1991, the company created a series of seasonal animated specials, starting with the Christmas special Timmy's Gift, [2] which focuses on an angel named Timmy following a star which will lead him to the newborn prince (later to be revealed as Jesus) he has to send a gift to. In 1993, a sequel was made, titled Timmy's Special Delivery. [3] Other seasonal specials were made throughout the 1990s, including the Easter special Simon the Lamb (1994), the Thanksgiving special Little Sparrow (1995), Who's Who at the Zoo? (1995), and The Story of Joseph, based on the story of the same name seen in the Book of Genesis.
In 2004, PMI and Enesco ended the licensing contract. [4] In addition to its original licensing duties, PMI's functions became product design, marketing, warehousing, and distribution. [5]
In 2008, PMI launched its new line of "Precious Girls Club" products, written by Cindy Kenney. The following September, country music singer Shannon Clemmons sued the company for copyright infringement and breach of contract. [6] [7] In October 2008, the federal judge assigned to the case dismissed 15 of 18 claims against PMI in the suit, and in November 2008, a jury cleared PMI of any wrongdoing with regard to the remaining counts. [8]
In 2021, it was announced an animated series based on the line is in production. [9]
The Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage, Missouri, is a theme park run by PMI. The "Chapel" itself is a structure within the park and was completed in 1989. [10]
The chapel features paintings by Sam Butcher, depicting children or childlike figures cast as Biblical prophets, angels, or figures from the parables of Jesus. [11]
In January 2007, PMI announced the discontinuation of many of its attractions, including the "Fountain of Angels", due to "financial difficulties arising from diminished numbers of paid visitors resulting from higher gas prices and the general decline of the brand". Other closures include the "Wedding Island", "The "RV Park", "The Gallery", and "Souper Sam’s". In Spring 2007, "The Gallery" was remodeled, renamed "The Samuel J. Butcher Museum" and reopened. [12] The Chapel, Gift Shop, and Visitors Center continue to be open to the public.
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the liturgical year in Christianity, it follows the season of Advent or the Nativity Fast, and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many countries, is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians, as well as culturally by many non-Christians, and forms an integral part of the holiday season surrounding it.
"The Gift of the Magi" is a short story by O. Henry first published in 1905. The story tells of a young husband and wife and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money. As a sentimental story with a moral lesson about gift-giving, it has been popular for adaptation, especially for presentation at Christmas time. The plot and its twist ending are well known; the ending is generally considered an example of cosmic irony. The story was allegedly written at Pete's Tavern on Irving Place in New York City.
The Boston Beer Company is an American brewery founded in 1984 by James "Jim" Koch and Rhonda Kallman. Boston Beer Company's first brand of beer was named Samuel Adams after Founding Father Samuel Adams, an American revolutionary patriot. Since its founding, Boston Beer has started several other brands, and in 2019 completed a merger with Dogfish Head Brewery.
Adam Augustus Wylie is an American actor, magician and a former Crayola spokesman. He is known most for playing Zack Brock, the youngest son of Doctor and Sheriff Brock's children, on Picket Fences from 1992 to 1996.
Samuel "Sam" John Butcher is an American artist. He is mainly known as the artist behind the Precious Moments brand of characters based on American-Christian themes. He draws in oil, water-color, acrylic, and mixed-media.
Eugene Freedman was an entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is widely known as the founder of the Enesco Corporation, the worldwide distributor for Precious Moments porcelain figurines between 1997 and 2005.
These Are Special Times is the seventeenth studio album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, and her first English-language Christmas album. It was first released in Europe on 30 October 1998, by Columbia Records. In the United States, it was released on 3 November 1998 through Epic Records. The album features cover versions of popular Christmas songs and original material, including "I'm Your Angel" and "The Prayer". Dion worked with David Foster and Ric Wake, who produced most of the album. These Are Special Times was released after two of Dion's most successful albums, Falling into You (1996) and Let's Talk About Love (1997).
Westview Cemetery, located in Atlanta, Georgia, is the largest civilian cemetery in the Southeastern United States, comprising more than 582 acres (2.36 km2), 50 percent of which is undeveloped. The cemetery includes the graves of more than 125,000 people and was added to the Georgia Register of Historic Places in 2019 and the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.
Department 56 is a U.S. manufacturer of holiday collectibles, ornaments and giftware, known for its lit Christmas village collections and Snowbabies collection. It is owned by Enesco and based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. The brand's first products were issued in 1976, and various distinct villages and sub-series have been introduced since then. An umbrella organization for Department 56 collector clubs was founded in 1992.
Gund is a Canadian-owned manufacturer of plush stuffed animals. The company is based in Edison, New Jersey, and distributes throughout the United States and Canada as well as in Europe, Japan, Australia, and South America. Gund is currently run by third generation family owner Bruce Raiffe whose grandfather Jacob Swedlin purchased the company from the original founder in 1925. Their slogan is “Gotta Getta Gund”.
"Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics" is the fifteenth episode of the third season of the animated television series South Park and the 46th episode of the series overall. An album of the same name consisting of versions of songs from the show as well as a number of additional songs was released the week prior to the episode's original air date, December 1, 1999.
Samuel French, Inc. is an American company founded by Samuel French and Thomas Hailes Lacy, who formed a partnership to combine their interests in London and New York City. It publishes plays, represents authors, and sells scripts from its Los Angeles, UK, and online bookstores. The company's London subsidiary, Samuel French Ltd., publishes stage plays for the UK market and serves as a licensing agent for performance rights; and runs a theatrical bookshop on its premises at Fitzrovia in central London, England.
Enesco is a privately held American giftware company that began in 1958. After changing ownership many times, the company was bought in 2023 by holding company Ad Populum. Brands owned or licensed by Enesco include Heartwood Creek and Department 56, and formerly Precious Moments and Things Remembered.
Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is the oldest and largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was awarded the National Medal of Arts.
Aladdin is a brand notable for its line of character lunchboxes including Hopalong Cassidy, Superman, Mickey Mouse and The Jetsons. Today, Aladdin continues to be a food and beverage products brand and is owned by Pacific Market International, LLC of Seattle, Washington and Aladdin continues to be a kerosene lamps and wicks products brand and is owned by Hattersley Aladdin Ltd of the United Kingdom.
A Christmas jumper is a sweater themed with a Christmas or winter-style design, often worn during the festive season. They are often knitted. A more traditional approach is a roll neck top-pulled garment. It can generally be said that embellishments such as tinsel, reindeer, or sparkles make a sweater "ugly," in terms of ugly sweaters.
Samuel Adams is the flagship brand of the Boston Beer Company. It is named after US Founding Father Samuel Adams, who inherited his father's brewery on Boston's King Street and worked as a brewer or maltster. Samuel Adams beer is brewed by the Boston Beer Company, which was founded by Jim Koch in Cambridge, MA, where he started the micro-brewery in his home. Koch comes from a long line of Cincinnati brewers, and Samuel Adams beer was started using a recipe now known as Samuel Adams Boston Lager.
Frederick George Reinert Jr., known professionally as Rick Reinert, was an American animator and the founder of the defunct studio Rick Reinert Productions. In addition to his work on two Winnie-the-Pooh projects for Disney during the early 1980s, he directed intros for After School Special and ABC Weekend Special, and was also a producer on Cap'n O. G. Readmore.
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