PlanetArt Acquires Award-winning Personalized Children’s Book Publisher, I See Me!

CALABASAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PlanetArt^® announced today that it has acquired Minneapolis-based I See Me!^® from the McEvoy Group in a move that signals the company’s deepening commitment to custom children’s products.

I See Me! publishes more than 60 personalized children’s books, as well as other products for children, each of which can be customized via its website with information such as a child’s name and birthday. The result is a finished product that builds both learning and confidence, consistent with the company’s mission to bring smiles to customers’ faces by making each person feel special in their own way.

“I See Me! is, quite simply, the best in its class,” said Todd Helfstein, PlanetArt’s president. “There are a number of companies in the personalized children’s books space but no other with the quality and innovative product development for which I See Me! has become renowned. These are not just books that lay down black ink on uninspired backgrounds.” Citing an example of the company’s personalization technology, Helfstein continued, “I See Me! books are beautifully illustrated and richly customized with children’s names spelled out in the stars or with letters on flags carried by just the right number of mice.”

Customers can also select from options for skin tone and hairstyle so that the main character of a book more closely resembles their child.

Of note, I See Me! has won more than a dozen awards, including the Family Choice award and Mom’s Choice award, and the product line has included a New York Times bestseller.

PlanetArt, operator of such brands as Personal Creations^®, FreePrints^®, Simply to Impress^® and CafePress^®, saw what they determined to be unrivaled technology features in I See Me! products, as well as an obvious cultural connection.

Maia Haag, I See Me!’s co-founder and president, noted, “It’s really a wonderful fit. Apart from the obvious synergies and the years-long partnership I See Me! has had with Personal Creations, our missions align perfectly. Both companies are committed to the positive emotions evoked by truly innovative personalized products.”

I See Me! produces a number of other unique custom products for children, including coloring books, puzzles, games, growth charts and board books for infants and toddlers, and PlanetArt foresees tremendous synergies, including the opportunity to leverage its broader product catalog to create new customizable products for I See Me! customers.

“I See Me! is a highly accomplished publisher consistently producing innovative and immersive personalized titles. In addition, they have proven to be great colleagues to our many McEvoy Group employees,” noted Jack Jensen, president of the McEvoy Group. “They will be sorely missed, but PlanetArt will provide magnificent advantages in technology and market reach, both here and abroad, that will provide substantial growth opportunities for the I See Me! business and its dedicated staff. The PlanetArt group will be an excellent new steward of this great business, and we are certain the future of I See Me! is in wonderful hands.”

The financial aspects of the deal will remain private.

About PlanetArt

PlanetArt is a leading technology platform in the personalized products industry. Founded in 2010, the company develops and operates ecommerce brands across a number of websites and mobile apps for iOS and Android, including FreePrints®, Ink Cards®, Personal Creations®, SimplytoImpress®, CafePress® and Gifts.com®. All of the company’s brands support the vision of allowing consumers to forge closer, more meaningful relationships with family and friends and the following manifesto:

At PlanetArt we believe a greeting card can form a meaningful connection, a photo can preserve a precious memory, a coffee mug can start a conversation, and a T-shirt can ignite a movement.

PlanetArt is unique in its space with a large emphasis on mobile transactions and a presence in 14 countries.