‘Humor and magic’: How a Hallmark ornament designer creates elaborate holiday keepsakes
Sharon Visker isn’t someone most people would recognize on the street. But to her devoted fanbase, she’s nothing short of a celebrity.
That’s because she is one of the 18 designers behind Hallmark’s signature Keepsake ornaments: collectible holiday ornaments that often include special features like lights, sound and movement.
While holiday ornaments are just one division of Hallmark’s sprawling empire, they combine the talents of dozens of model-makers, engineers, sound designers, editors, voice actors, salespeople and artists like Visker.
The Kansas City-based company produces around 450 new Keepsake ornament designs every year, covering themes from sweet treats to holiday humor to brand partnerships with popular TV, movie, sports and gaming franchises.
“My favorite lines to work on are humor and magic,” Visker said during The Star’s recent visit to Hallmark’s corporate offices in Crown Center. “Everybody’s humor is a little bit different, so there’s a little bit of risk that goes into it … but that’s part of the fun.”
Her favorite one of her own designs to hit store shelves recently is the $22 Mistle-Toad ornament, featuring a frog on a lily pad with puckered red lips, long eyelashes and her front arms folded into a heart — which Visker says was inspired by the trend of young people flashing a heart symbol with their hands when taking photos.
A sprig of mistletoe hangs from the tip of the frog’s Santa hat, and the press of a small button plays an instrumental rendition of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” interspersed with frog croaks and cartoon kissing noises.
Other 2024 designs of Visker’s include a tiny dog in a Santa hat, a reindeer driving a dump truck full of snow, two reindeer playing on a tire swing and a buff “abdominal snowman” complete with six-pack abs and a golden trophy.
These colorful creations are each the result of a two-year production process.
Visker begins by brainstorming and sketching potential designs, drawing inspiration from art, antiques and popular culture. Once Hallmark’s art directors approve a design, she sculpts a prototype out of a clay-like wax that she softens in a toaster oven in her Merriam home studio.
Next comes a monthslong collaborative process to bring the ornament to life. Editorial staff write a story for each character featured on each ornament, engineers incorporate lights and movement, and an in-house sound studio brings in voice actors to record each character’s lines.
“I’d love to say I singlehandedly do it, but that’s not the case for anything,” Visker said. “Sometimes I don’t even know the (ornament’s) story until I push the button and see what it does.”
Visker designs around 15 ornaments per year, each one labeled with her signature on the back of their sleek white and red box. It’s more personalized exposure than a product designer usually gets. And for good reason: — Visker and the other ornament artists are well known by Hallmark’s passionate community of superfans.
“We have this huge following of super fanatical people who love, love, love what we do,” Visker said. “They know my name, they follow me in the elevator, they want my signature — I mean, it’s crazy.”
Since 1987, Hallmark has run a keepsake ornament club that offers members special discounts and early access to new ornaments. Unofficial chapters of this club have popped up around the country, where Hallmark lovers gather to trade ornaments and host designers like Visker for meet-and-greets, artist talks and ornament signings.
“Every artist has particular people that love what they do,” she said. “They’ll follow you, even years after you retire.” And after 25 years designing ornaments, Visker can recognize her most devoted followers.
There’s the blind fan from the U.K. who films video reviews of each ornament he collects.
And there was the pair of teenagers with homemade Sharon Visker T-shirts in Albuquerque nearly 15 years ago, one of whom is now married with kids and still attends Hallmark ornament meetups.
Some fans bring packets of ornament suggestions or pitch ideas while Visker signs their newest ornaments — some so small that only her initials will fit. Other fans have shown up in costume as one of her ornaments, or dressed up their pet to resemble a recent design.
It’s not often that visual artists are given this type of star-studded treatment — so it’s no wonder Visker names interacting with fans as her favorite part of the job.
“We get spoiled a lot (by the fans),” she said. “It’s a great little ego boost to have people love what you do.”
Do you have more questions about art & design in Kansas City? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
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