Precious Moments Company, Inc. (PMI) is an American catalog order company that sells giftware. The company was formed in 1978 by the illustrator Samuel J. Butcher, as a licensing company.

History

Illustrator Sam Butcher, with his business partner Bill Biel, sold greeting cards at Christian book fairs under the company name of Jonathan & David. They partnered with Enesco, Corp. to sell giftware. In 1991, the company created a series of seasonal animated specials, starting with the Christmas special ''Timmy's Gift'', which focuses on an

angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

named Timmy following a star which will lead him to the newborn prince (later to be revealed as

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

) he has to send a gift to. In 1993, a sequel was made, titled ''Timmy's Special Delivery''. Other seasonal specials were made throughout the 1990s, including the Easter special ''Simon the Lamb'' (1994), the Thanksgiving special ''Little Sparrow'' (1995), ''Who's Who at the Zoo?'' (1995), and ''The Story of Joseph'', based on the story of the same name seen in the

Book of Genesis The Book of Genesis (from Greek language, Greek ; ; ) is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its incipit, first word, (In the beginning (phrase), 'In the beginning'). Genesis purpor ...

. In 2004, PMI and Enesco ended the licensing contract. In addition to its original licensing duties, PMI's functions became product design, marketing, warehousing, and distribution. In 2008, PMI launched its new line of "Precious Girls Club" products, written by Cindy Kenney. The following September,

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer Shannon Clemmons sued the company for

copyright infringement Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of Copyright#Scope, works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the c ...

and

breach of contract Breach of contract is a legal cause of action and a type of civil wrong, in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other part ...

. In October 2008, the federal judge assigned to the case dismissed 15 of 18 claims against PMI in the suit, and in November 2008, a jury cleared PMI of any wrongdoing with regard to the remaining counts. In 2021, it was announced an animated series based on the line is in production.

The Chapel

The Precious Moments Chapel in

Carthage, Missouri Carthage is a city in Jasper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 15,522 as of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Jasper County and is nicknamed "America's Maple Leaf City." History Jasper County was formed in 1841. ...

, is a theme park run by PMI. The "Chapel" itself is a structure within the park and was completed in 1989. The chapel features paintings by Sam Butcher, depicting children or childlike figures cast as Biblical prophets, angels, or figures from the

parable A parable is a succinct, didactic story, in prose or verse, that illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles. It differs from a fable in that fables employ animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature as characters, whe ...

s of Jesus. In January 2007, PMI announced the discontinuation of many of its attractions, including the "Fountain of Angels", due to "financial difficulties arising from diminished numbers of paid visitors resulting from higher gas prices and the general decline of the brand". Other closures include the "Wedding Island", "The "RV Park", "The Gallery", and "Souper Sam’s". In Spring 2007, "The Gallery" was remodeled, renamed "The Samuel J. Butcher Museum" and reopened. The Chapel, Gift Shop, and Visitors Center continue to be open to the public.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1978 establishments in Missouri Companies based in Missouri Fictional angels Retail companies established in 1978