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hoops&yoyo™
| hoops is a pink kitty and yoyo is a green bunny. Together they are a couple of comical, carefree friends who never fail to find the fun in any situation. |
| Popular topics include drinking coffee, office humor, and funny comments about everyday things. |
| The hoops&yoyo™ name (all lowercase and run together without any spaces) is indicative of their non-stop energy and close friendship. |
| hoops&yoyo appeal to people of all ages, from young kids and teenagers, who enjoy their silly voices and zany antics, to adults – especially in the workplace – who appreciate the characters’ spontaneity, fun and friendship. |
| Nearly one out of every three Hallmark e-cards sent features hoops&yoyo. About 14 million hoops&yoyo e-cards are sent annually. |
| The voices of hoops&yoyo are sped-up versions of two Hallmark artists – Mike Adair and Bob Holt. |
| hoops&yoyo e-cards are never scripted. Their dialogue comes spontaneously from the minds of Holt and Adair. |
| hoops&yoyo are recognized worldwide with fans in countries such as Hungary, Russia, Italy, Malaysia and Brazil. |
| Other friends occasionally appear with hoops&yoyo, including piddles, a blue critter; as well as chilli bear; marshy, a giant marshmallow; puck, a mouse; and a bluebird named bluebird. |
Product News
- Hallmark has created a wide variety of hoops&yoyo greeting cards, many of which also have a sound component.
- Gift items include stuffed characters, bobbleheads, mugs including some with sound, sound buttons, jewelry, a water globe, blown-glass ornament and T-shirt. The line also includes office items such as note pads, adhesive notes, a memo board, dry-erase board, and projector light pens.
- The fun of hoops&yoyo has been captured in their own CDs. Their latest release, One Donut A Day, features short, fun, sing-a-long songs that focus on common hoops&yoyo themes, such as friendship, coffee, food, manners, and workplace humor.
- Nearly half of the hoops&yoyo gift products include some type of technology feature, such as sound, light or motion. For example, when you press the button on the commuter mugs, you hear the characters’ voices. Two ceramic coffee mugs come with jittering plush forms of either hoops or yoyo. Pull the string and they shake across whatever surface they are placed on.
- hoops&yoyo gift bags provide a fun way to present a gift. One bag features the voices of the characters.
- The hoops&yoyo website, www.hoopsandyoyo.com, features free e-cards and lots of items to download, such as desktop wallpapers, animated instant messaging icons, audio files, and more.
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The printables section of the website offers dozens of items that can be printed and posted in the home or workplace including calendar pages, office notes, boxes that can be folded and assembled, masks, gift tags, and coloring pages.
Character History
hoops&yoyo debuted in 2003 on a Fourth of July e-card on Hallmark.com. They were born of the mind of Hallmark artist Bob Holt. Eventually, fellow artist Mike Adair began working with Holt to develop the characters’ personalities.
The hoops&yoyo web site, www.hoopsandyoyo.com, was launched May 24, 2004, and quickly built a dedicated following. By 2005, 3 million visitors had come to the hoops&yoyo home page, and the numbers continue to increase.
hoops&yoyo first became popular beyond e-cards in the international marketplace. Hallmark’s international subsidiaries and licensing partners were the first to sell products featuring hoops&yoyo – mostly greeting cards, wearable items, and school and office supplies.
In 2007, Hallmark introduced its first collection of hoops&yoyo gift products in the United States, which are sold in Hallmark Gold Crown® stores.
Hallmark currently is working with United Media to license hoops&yoyo to other appropriate companies for use on their products in categories in which Hallmark does not compete.
In Stores
In addition to e-cards on Hallmark.com, greeting cards featuring hoops&yoyo are available wherever Hallmark products are sold. Gifts featuring hoops&yoyo are available at Hallmark Gold Crown® stores nationwide. Use the store locator on Hallmark.com to find the nearest Hallmark Gold Crown store.
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