Fancy an “isodate” this Valentine’s Day? Or how about “a socially distanced sanitised face covered kiss”? With gags about face masks, temperature checks and social distancing, pandemic-inspired cards feature among the traditional romantic offerings this year as couples in Britain prepare for Valentine’s Day under lockdown.
Designs on greeting card company sites like Thortful and Moonpig include depictions of a socially distanced couple in hazmat suits, a mask-wearing heart or a couple long-used to lockdown at home. One card asks: “Will you be my quarantine?” Panda & The Prince designer Amanda Hallam played on temperature checks for one of her cards on Thortful, drawing a heart-emblazoned digital thermometer accompanied by the words “I’m so hot for you right now! Isodate?”.
“If a card can raise a smile and give people a laugh in slightly challenging times, I think that would be perfect,” the Nottingham-based designer said. With limited socialising for most of 2020, people have increasingly turned to cards to stay in touch with friends and family. Hallam said she had seen a 200% increase in demand for her cards last year. At Moonpig, COVID-19 stay home-themed cards represent 5% of overall sales, according to the company. “Some of these cards have shot straight into our best-selling designs this year,” it said.
