At Christmas it was a tradition for Fleischer staff to exchange these cards with each other. These mini works of art were drawn and often hand-colored by the animators themselves. They featured studio stars like Betty Boop or Popeye, photos of spouses and children— or sometimes they’re just a gag about Christmas! The many marriages that happened between Fleischer staffers are reflected in some of these cards.

Most of the Christmas cards here were drawn by men. In the early 1930’s there were no women animators at any of the studios. Women were only hired to do other jobs, such as painting and coloring cels. In 1933, Fleischer Studios was the first animation studio to hire a female animator!

This card is from Max and Dave Fleischer, the brothers and pioneers in early film, who eventually formed Fleischer Studios. Max was President and Dave was Vice-President.

All images on this site are part of the Fleischer Studios Collections
*All occurrences of Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Bluto are © 2011 King Features Syndicate, Inc. TM Hearst Holdings, Inc.