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One
of the reasons that Teleflora floral gifts continue to remain the
favorite of consumers is our constantly evolving licensing program. By
seeking out new and exclusive relationships with world-famous brand
names, including renowned artists, we are able to keep our custom-made
gifts as fresh as our florists' flowers. Here are some fascinating
facts about our current roster of licensing partners.
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BarcaLounger, comfortable recliners for discriminating consumers.
Fenton, the world's foremost creators of handmade art glass.
Galway, traditionally crafted Irish lead crystal.
Moulin Rouge®, the most famous cabaret in the world.
M&M's®, an American icon.
Thomas Kinkade, the most collected living artist.
Waterford, the most respected name in crystal.
Charles Wysocki, master of Americana art.
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In 1940, when Edward Joel Barcolo acquired a license to manufacture "scientifically articulated" motion chairs patented by Dr. Anton Lorenz (the creator of the Lorenz reclining mechanism for perfect relaxing posture), it was the beginning of a new tradition in households across America.
In 1941, the first metal and canvas "Just-It" adjustable outdoor reclining chairs went into production; and by 1947, the company had produced the first Barcalounger. Since that day, Barcalounger has represented relaxation, good styling, innovative design and exceptional quality - as well as comfort that fits beautifully in even the most sophisticated homes.
Most of all, Barcalounger is known for producing big, comfortable recliners for discriminating consumers, featuring the finest materials and the most experienced craftsmanship. In the 1960s, the company introduced "Designer Recliners" in styles created by well-known designers of the time, including Raymond Loewy. In 1975, Barcalounger appeared in a Smithsonian Institution design retrospective; and almost twenty years later, Barcalounger was asked to participate in an exhibit at New York's Cooper-Hewitt Museum on American Design. A Barcalounger is more than a reclining chair - it's an American tradition!
Today's Barcalounger is the result of over 50 years of extensive research and development, with comfort built from the inside out. So sit down, lean back and relax. Every Barcalounger chair is created with precision-cut wood frame parts made from kiln-dried lumber, double-doweled joints, a heavy gauge steel mechanism and heavy-duty sinuous springs, specially designed for seating comfort. It's a beauty that's beyond skin deep.
Barcalounger engineers realize their products will probably receive more use than any other piece of upholstered furniture in the house. That's why in home after home, all over America, the Barcalounger is known as everyone's favorite chair!
The Barcalounger plant in Rocky Mount, NC has 365,000 square feet devoted to implementing the latest manufacturing technology and the best production values available anywhere in residential furniture. As the company slogan says, "Because you're comfortable with the best."
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Founded in 1905 by brothers Frank L. and John W. Fenton, the
Fenton Art Glass Company ranks among the world's foremost
producers of handmade art glass and is the largest
manufacturer of handmade colored glass in the United States.
The company is renowned for innovative glass colors and for
decorative treatments on pressed and blown glassware.
During the early years from 1905 to the 1920s, Fenton design
was influenced by the brilliant glass artists at Tiffany and
Steuben. In late 1907, Fenton introduced "Iridescent Ware,"
now a popular collectible known as "Carnival glass."
Fenton's innovative opaque colors in red, blue and green
appeared in the 1920s and '30s. During the Depression, the
company produced practical items such as mixing bowls,
perfume bottles and tableware.
Even during tough times, Fenton has continued to develop new
glass colors and patterns, including pieces enhanced with
hand-painted floral decorations and 22k gold accents. Fenton
glass appeals to all types of customers, and, over the
years, this appeal has led to the company's great success.
The melting temperature for a batch of glass (consisting of
71% silica sand, plus soda ash and lime) averages 2,500
degrees F, and the largest furnace at Fenton Art Glass can
hold 9,000 pounds of glass! There may be as many as 14
ingredients used in making a particular Fenton glass color.
No two Fenton pieces are exactly the same because of the
nature of handmade glass processes.
Fenton glassmakers work in teams called "shops." The
craftsman who pulls molten glass from the melting furnace
for pressed glass is the "gatherer," and he uses an ancient
tool called a punty that is almost 6 feet in length. To
gather glass for a piece of blown glass, the gatherer uses a
blowpipe that is about 5 feet long.
The Fenton family prides itself on making glass the
"old-fashioned" way, employing many of the same techniques
and tools that were used a century or more ago.
In 2005, the Fenton Art Glass Company celebrated its 100th
anniversary. The company is now led by third- and
fourth-generation Fenton family members, who work side by
side with over 400 employees, including skilled glassworkers
and talented decorators, to create beautiful, handmade art
glass in Williamstown, West Virginia. Fenton Art Glass
products are collected around the world.
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Galway Irish Crystal is one of the world's best known and loved names when it comes to traditionally crafted Irish lead crystal.
Galway is known as the City of the Tribes, and is considered a jewel of Ireland's West Coast. Both the city of Galway – and Galway Irish Crystal – are located on the shores of Galway Bay, an area of great natural beauty! The company's Master Craftsmen are continuously inspired by the sheer magnificence of the surrounding countryside, and by the wealth of its history and folklore.
In fact, travelers journeying through the area are encouraged to stop in at the Galway Irish Crystal Heritage Centre. There, they can discover the intricacies of the crystal making process, and gain an insight into the history of this unique part of the world.
Each piece of spectacular Galway Irish Crystal is crafted with singular dedication to detail, and reflects a quest for timeless elegance.
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Since 1889, the spectacular Moulin Rouge® has been the most famous
cabaret in the world. It is renowned for the French Cancan and
sumptuous shows, complete with troupes of dancers in fabulous costumes
bedecked with feathers, rhinestones and sequins - plus gorgeous
settings, original music and the world's most beautiful girls!
The legendary cabaret was immortalized by painter Henri de
Toulouse-Lautrec, and the shows continue on today in all their glory,
with a current show spotlighting pirates, the circus, and a tribute to
Parisian women throughout the years.
A host of dazzling international stars has performed on stage at the
Moulin Rouge® - including Ella Fitzgerald, Liza Minnelli, Frank Sinatra
and Elton John, to name a few. They have followed in the footsteps of
French celebrities such as Maurice Chevalier, Jean Gabin, Edith Piaf
and Yves Montand.
An evening at the Moulin Rouge® is truly an experience, and
includes fine dining in a restaurant which can seat up to 850 guests,
accompanied by the Moulin Rouge® orchestra, and a spin on the dance
floor before the revue begins! The cabaret hosts up to 600,000
spectators a year, who consume 240,000 bottles of champagne.
The History of the Cancan
In 1889, the Moulin Rouge® opened its doors for the first time, and
welcomed on stage some young girls who performed a new and very
different dance - the Quadrille. The dance included revolutionary
movements, yells and a boisterous rhythm, accompanied by flowing skirts
lifted up high.
The dancers were "amateurs"- mainly washerwomen, linen maids,
laundresses and seamstresses by day, who transformed into Quadrille
dancers at night.
The new dance was a great success and immediately attracted
crowds of people from all walks of life. It was soon immortalized by
the English as the "French Cancan"!
Today, some 115 years after its beginning, the French Cancan
is still presented every night on the Moulin Rouge® stage. A training
period of five weeks is necessary for every new girl. The dancers take
part in frequent rehearsals, are subject to stringent requirements, and
are recruited from all over the world. Auditions are held from Las
Vegas to London and from Sydney to Paris to recruit dancers of both
sexes who are able to join the show and perform on the Moulin Rouge®
stage.
Whether at the Cannes Festival, Hollywood, Hong Kong or
Sydney, the Moulin Rouge® "Doriss Girl" dancers - named after Miss
Doriss, the cabaret's famous ballet mistress (until 1997) - travel near
and far to represent the Moulin Rouge® and Paris.
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Why create chocolate candies with a colorful shell? Because that
way, "The milk chocolate melts in your mouth, not in your hand"®!
M&M's® have become an American icon, known all over the
world. But who came up with the idea for this scrumptious little candy?
Amazingly, the idea for M&M's® was first hatched against the
backdrop of the Spanish Civil War. Legend has it that, while on a trip
to Spain, Forrest Mars Sr. encountered soldiers who were eating pellets
of chocolate coated with sugar. This prevented it from melting.
Inspired by this idea, Mr. Mars went back to his kitchen and invented
the recipe for M&M's® Plain Chocolate Candies.
M&M's® Chocolate Candies were first sold in 1941, and soon
became a favorite of the American GIs serving in World War II. Packaged
in cardboard tubes, they were sold to the military as a convenient
snack that traveled well in any climate. By the late 1940s, they were
widely available, and well on their way to becoming a favorite candy.
In 1948, their packaging changed from a tube to the characteristic
brown pouch we know today. By the mid-1950s, the brand made its debut
on television, and the famous slogan was born!
It's all about color…
In 1960, three new colors were added - red, green and yellow - to
the original brown color; and by the early '70s, the beloved M&M's®
characters first appeared. Soon, orange was added to the color mix,
while for a time, red was pulled - only to return years later, due to
popular demand. Seasonal color mixes soon followed, with Easter pastels
and Christmas colors joining the parade. And in 1995 - over a
half-century after the candies were first introduced - fans across
America voted for a new color. Blue won by a landslide, with 54% of the
more than 10 million votes cast. Today, M&M's® are available in a
virtual kaleidoscope of over 20 brilliant colors - leading to the
newest M&M's® slogan - "Chocolate is Better in Color!"™
World-famous!
In 1981, M&M's® Chocolate Candies were chosen by the first
space shuttle astronauts to be included in their food supply.
M&M's® Chocolate Candies are now on permanent display at the space
food exhibit of the National Air & Space Museum in Washington D.C.
In 1997 the brand debuted Green, the first female M&M's®
"Spokescandy." She toured the U.S. promoting her autobiography, "I Melt
for No One," and quickly achieved the celebrity status of her male
colleagues-Red, Yellow and Blue.
Today, the M&M's® characters are known and loved worldwide -
surpassing even the popularity of Mickey Mouse and Bart Simpson.
(Source: Marketing Evaluation, Inc.)
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About the Artist
Thomas Kinkade is not only Teleflora's best-selling artist, but the
most collected living artist in the world. Coming from a modest
small-town background, his luminescent, inspirational paintings reflect
simple pleasures and values.
While still living in his hometown of Placerville, California, Kinkade
spent one summer on a tour doing sketches with a friend, which turned
into a best-selling instructional book, landing both young men jobs
creating background art for the animated feature film Fire and Ice.
It was during this time that Kinkade began to experiment with light and
explore the imaginative worlds that would play such an important part
in his future work.
For a time, Kinkade earned his living as a painter, selling his
originals in galleries throughout California. In 1982, he married his
childhood sweetheart, Nanette, and two years later they began to
publish his art.
A devoted husband and doting father to their four daughters,
Kinkade strives to lead a balanced life, committed to family values. He
creatively fills his works with "love notes" by hiding the letter "N"
in his paintings as tribute to his wife, Nanette. His daughters also
find their own messages of love from their father as their names and
images often appear in many of his paintings.
Thomas Kinkade has been recognized not only for his art, but also for
his philanthropic efforts. The Thomas Kinkade Foundation serves and
supports non-profit organizations focusing on children, humanitarian
relief and the arts. Kinkade's involvement in such organizations, along
with his appearances on the award-winning news broadcast 60 Minutes, as well as Good Morning America, is testimony to the fact that his artwork is touching the hearts of millions worldwide.
Awards and Recognitions
Thomas Kinkade has received many awards for his works, including
multiple National Association of Limited Edition Dealers (NALED) awards
for Artist of the Year and Graphic Artist of the Year, and his art has been named Lithograph of the Year nine times. Most recently in 2004, he received a special award from NALED recognizing him as the Most Award Winning Artist in the Past 25 Years.
In the course of his fulfilling life, he has met with the Pope, U.S.
presidents, celebrities and other well-known dignitaries to convey his
hope-filled, life-affirming message.
Through the years, Kinkade's artwork has inspired a number of highly
successful Teleflora bouquets. His most recent offerings are for the
holidays: Teleflora's Thomas Kinkade Hurricane Bouquet, featuring a
hand-painted cottage modeled on his Memories of Christmas painting; and Teleflora's Thomas Kinkade Christmas Tree, a permanent tree.
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Waterford, which recently inspired two magnificent Teleflora keepsake
bouquets, is the most respected name in crystal. The company designs,
manufactures and markets an extensive range of crystal objets d'art,
stemware and gifts for distribution throughout the world. In recent
years, Waterford has built upon its reputation by expanding into
tabletop and gifts with the launch of the Marquis by Waterford, the
addition of Waterford Fine China, Waterford Fine Flatware, Waterford
Holiday Heirlooms, and Waterford Table and Bed Linens. Each of those
initiatives reflects the company's commitment to creating prestigious
products - for gift-giving, entertaining and home decorating - whose
classic designs transcend time.
History of Waterford Crystal
The beginnings of glassmaking in Ireland are lost in the mists of
time. However, archaeological evidence suggests glass was regarded with
respect from the early Iron Age. Indeed, medieval documents can prove
glassmaking existed in Ireland back in the middle 13th century.
The Waterford company was first established in 1783 on land adjacent to
Merchants' Quay in the heart of the Irish harbor town of Waterford. Its
founders were two brothers, William and George Penrose, who were
important developers and principal exporters in the city. Their vision
was to "create the finest quality crystal for drinking vessels and
objects of beauty for the home."
They employed 50 to 70 people, led by a fellow Quaker, John
Hill, from Stourbridge in England, and succeeded in producing crystal
with a purity of color unmatched in Ireland or England. Merchant ships
sailed regularly from Waterford's port with cargoes of crystal bound
for Spain, the West Indies, New York, New England and Newfoundland.
Waterford Crystal today has strong links with its illustrious
predecessor, maintaining the same dedication to excellence, in terms of
the purity of color and design inspiration. The traditional cutting
patterns made famous by the artisans of Waterford became the design
basis for the growing product range of the new company.
America's profound respect for Waterford quality was
reaffirmed in November 2000 when Waterford Crystal was named the top
world-class brand in the United States by a survey conducted among
30,000 people by the Princeton, New Jersey-based independent market
research company, Total Research Corporation. American consumers chose
Waterford as the brand with the highest quality out of 19 world-class
brands, including Rolls-Royce. Among the American icons immortalized in
Waterford Crystal are the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball, the Super
Bowl XXXVIII trophy and the 2003 World Series trophy.
Indeed, Waterford Crystal has become practically synonymous for the
finest quality crystal, sought after by collectors and connoisseurs all
over the world. Each piece can be recognized by the Waterford signature
on the base.
Today, Waterford's principal manufacturing plant stands on a
40-acre site on the outskirts of the city made famous by its glittering
product. There are also two other manufacturing plants in County
Waterford. |
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About the Artist
Charles Wysocki, whose distinctive style has inspired a number of
Teleflora keepsakes, was born in 1928 in Detroit, Michigan. From the
time he was a tot, he wanted to be an artist. His father, Charles Sr.,
a Polish immigrant who worked on the assembly line at Ford Motor Co.
for over 35 years, was not thrilled about his son's artistic
aspirations. Most of the young man's encouragement came from his
mother, Mary.
After studying art at Cass Technical High School, Wysocki worked for a
time as an apprentice in Detroit art studios. Then, following a stint
in the armed forces, he attended the Art Center in Los Angeles on the
G.I. Bill, where he majored in design and advertising illustration.
Later, he formed an advertising agency with three other artists called
"Group West." The agency was a huge success and during this time
Wysocki won numerous awards for his illustrative talents.
Then something happened that completely changed his life - he met his
future wife, Elizabeth. A recent graduate from the UCLA School of the
Arts, Elizabeth was working at an ad agency in Los Angeles when she
heard about a hotshot young illustrator who was coming in to do some
freelance work. When she and Wysocki met, it was love at first sight.
Soon they were traveling to meet Elizabeth's parents, one of the first
farm families to settle in the picturesque San Fernando Valley. He was
immediately smitten by the simplicity of farm life and its wholesome
values, and through this experience and Elizabeth's support, his genius
for primitive art was beginning to blossom.
Although Wysocki continued to work successfully in commercial art
during the early 1960s, his interest lay increasingly in the primitive
style. After a one-man show at which he sold every painting, he decided
to leave commercial art for good and focus on his Americana art. During
this time he, Elizabeth and their three children moved from Los Angeles
to Lake Arrowhead, where he eventually opened his own gallery.
After a number of highly productive years and many prestigious awards,
he began painting at his own pace so he could spend more time with his
family and friends.
Wysocki painted his whole life, up to his death at the age of
73 on July 29, 2002. He will be sorely missed by many, but his artwork
will live on. Teleflora is privileged to offer his beloved Christmas
art on this year's Wysocki Sleigh Bouquet and the Wysocki Merry
Christmas Bouquet. |
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