This 1994 AMC theater and Hallmark promotion was something I had never heard of before. Lynn Norton shared images of a box that appeared in 1994 theater lobbies and the artwork is absolutely gorgeous. I have never seen an example of this piece and have no idea how many theaters it ended up in or how widely the promotion ran. A truly rare piece.

Lynn Norton: This was the face of a wedge-shaped corrugated box used to collect entry forms in theater lobbies. It has a slot cut into it under “ENTER HERE TO WIN” a 1994 KBOP Hallmark ornament. The original box was damaged by a leaking roof in our old studio. The back panel and base were discarded due to severe damage. The original container was folded/tabbed white corrugate with instructions printed on the back (see below).

I don’t have any examples of entry forms but suspect they may have been similar to forms used in Hallmark retail stores. The large photograph of a KBOP ornament is of my hand-painted original prototype (as were all images printed on retail boxes, catalogs and promotional materials). The collection-box photograph reveals paint chipping on both disruptor-cannon barrels. I fabricated the barrels with formed/soldered brass wire and painted them with water-based paint, which wasn’t durable enough for repeated handling.

My original concept drawing of the KBOP ornament was rejected. Hallmark creative-directors were uncomfortable enough with an “alien, bad-guy” STAR TREK ornament but obvious, exposed weapons was too much to ask. Also, quality-control managers warned of consumer, stabbing injuries. I had to remove the cannons from concept drawings in order to get approval. The licensor and I continued to pester Hallmark management with the notion that STAR TREK is a fantasy and weapons are part of storytelling. By the time I was putting finishing touches on the original sculpture, disruptor-cannons were approved for the ornament. It was decided to manufacture the barrels with soft, flexible plastic to avoid damage and injury. The soft plastic originally performed well, but gets brittle with age and becomes more prone to breakage. Win some. Lose some.