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Flashback Friday Part 1: The 1970s
Hero Arts
Hero Arts is celebrating 45 years in business this year! What an incredible journey it has been. YOU are a wonderful part of our history, and now that our anniversary is here, we'd like to invite you to celebrate this milestone alongside us! In the next several weeks, join us for fun, contests, behind-the-scenes content, lots of giveaways, new products, and more. Let's get this party started, friends!
The start of it all? Flashback Fridays. Over the course of five Fridays, we'll be sharing the story of our five decades as a company.
The setting: Berkeley, California, mid-1970s. Let's hear about the earliest days of Hero Arts from our CEO, Aaron Leventhal:
"Hero Arts was founded in May of 1974, near the end of the school year, when my mother (Jackie) decided she would try out her hobby at local craft fairs. Early designs included funky cartoon images, irreverent messages, and drawings from friends and family, including Betty Boop, cartoon monkeys, a cow by 4 year-old Aaron, and more. Most of the stamps were handmade in our bathroom, where our vulcanizer sat, that pressed rubber. The rubber was then cut and assembled in Jackie's bedroom, before being sent out via mail or sold at fairs."
Wondering what the first catalogs looked like? Well, they were actually fold-out posters...
Here's a closer look at the inside and back of the 1978 Hero Arts product poster.
Aaron even found this photo showing an early craft show booth from the late 1970s!
If you're interested in hearing more of the Hero Arts story, grab a beverage and enjoy this interview from a few years ago, when Aaron sat down for an Online Card Classes Crafty Chat. We think you'll enjoy hearing this story directly from him!
When did you start stamping? Let us know in a comment below and we will pick one winner at random to receive a $25 Hero Arts gift card! Comment by Thursday, April 25 at 11:59pm PT and you'll be entered to win.
Tomorrow we'll begin sharing peeks from our upcoming 45th Anniversary Summer Catalog! That's right, this year's Summer Catalog is one big anniversary celebration that we can't wait to share with you.
Thank you for joining us today!
I started stamping 19 years ago. I first started scrap-booking but found it was not the right fit for me. I took a stamping class at my local Joann’s store and have been hooked ever since. I am a fan of the Hero Arts products and have accumulated quite a collection over the years. Thank you for producing a quality product that lasts.
1997 💌
I started stamping last year in May and I am loving and enjoying it so much. Being a stay-at-home mom to 3 little boys, crafting like card making is my time for myself. I have used stamps in making cards for family, friends and my sons’ class. I have tried using stamps on a canvas, too. My boys love stamping and coloring and making their own cards as well. Guess, I’ll continue to stamp as long as I live. Thanks to your beautiful stamps and Happy 45th Anniversary, Hero Arts!!! You live with your name, truly a hero to everyone. Cheers to more years in the business! 🥂❤️
I started stamping back in grade school. That would have been in the late 1970’s. Probably when I was nine or ten: so that would have been 1978 or 1979. I loved doing craft projects and would go to Ben Franklin and check out all the markers, pencils, oils, stamps, needle point; anything on display and try to figure out how I could get my Mom to buy it for me if I did not have enough allowance to buy it myself. I found one of my first stamps a few years ago, it was a teddy bear sitting next to a striped ball.
Now I stamp mostly and used to scrapbook but have not really been consistently scrapping. Cards are my real main focus now, so I buy a lot of stamps and dies! From you guys lately! Happy Anniversary Hero Arts!
Happy Anniversary Hero Arts! I started stamping in 2002 with a Hero Arts stamp set. It was a set of flowers and I made mother’s day cards. I need to see if I still jave that set.