The house always wins. The house is Don.

The DorseyCard.

A once-a-year vehicle for self-expression since 1977 — and a good indicator of Don's frame-of-mind in any given year.

How it began

It all began in 1977…

"It all began in 1977 when, frustrated by my inability to find a single commercial Christmas Card to my liking, I decided to make my own. Because of my work with the Disney folks and others, there was a certain almost-economy to the production in the quantities of cards I needed. DorseyCard became a once-a-year vehicle for self-expression, as well as the opportunity to create a unique 'gift' for my friends and business associates. Those of you who know me already realize that DorseyCard is a good indicator of my frame-of-mind in any given year. There are many levels to each creation, and each year holds a special meaning for me. The process of doing the research, planning, and in most cases, much of the actual design and detail work myself is cathartic. The assembly and stuffing of massive quantities of envelopes is an annual ritual of tedium which actually provides much-needed brain relaxation. I am grateful for the friends who regularly show up on short notice to help me get the darned thing out, year after year. And, of course, to those designers, artists, photographers and advisors who help me craft, polish, and realize the concepts, my sincere thanks. To the adventurous printing establishments I've worked with over the years, my appreciation. And to the world, events and individuals that provide constant inspiration and ideas: look out, you are potentially my next victim!"

"DorseyCard is always a work in progress. At any given time, I have a dozen or so ideas in development, sometimes working years ahead. Some ideas are awaiting new technology, others the right moment to be sprung. Often, a planned Card will be set aside at the last minute to make way for a more timely (or more urgent) concept. I hate when that happens, but I love the results. Planning is all well and good, and very comfy, but deadlines invigorate me."

— Don Dorsey

Twenty-five years, on file

The title archive.

The tradition runs from 1977 to today; the titles below are the run that survives on the record so far, 1977 through the 25th Don-niversary in 2001. (Two-and-a-half decades further of puns are presumed to exist. We're working on Don for the rest.)

The 1997 DorseyCard, “Wokking in a Winter Wonderland”
1997 — “Wokking in a Winter Wonderland,” one year of twenty-five
1977Rainbow
1978New Ideas
1979Hoe Hoe Hoe
1980Vibrations
1981Reversable
1982Actions
1983Directions
1984All-Powerful
1985Anticipation
1986Bust Wishes
1987Endless Greetings
1988Delirium
1989Scratchers
1990Christmas Cod
1991Recession
1992Credit
1993King of Kings
1994The Bill
1995Good Lives
1996Cookie
1997Wokking
1998Silent Knight
1999The Millennium Rocks (DC2K Part 1)
2000Celebrate, Pen in Hand (DC2K Part 2)
200125th Don-niversary
One from the vault — 1999

DC2K Part 1 — The Millennium Rocks!

This "card" was part of a scheme to bookend the year 2000 with something unique and meaningful. Don's plan was to do the first part with something looking backwards in time, and the second part with something looking forwards. DC2K Part 1 consisted of a small box containing a large rock, and a teeny-tiny pebble. The rock represented a current-day "full-scale replica" of the tiny pebble, which was itself, at some point in the very distant past, a large rock. Together, these two artifacts represent a powerful display of the passage of time.

Of course, Don's sense of humor would not allow him to simply give two rocks, amusing as that is in itself. To relate the rocks to the holiday season, Don postulated that the tiny pebble was, at one time very long ago, an actual holiday "greeting" delivered to one cave person by another, and the large rock was a carefully-crafted replica of that original "greeting." The large rocks were actually brought here from China, so that DC2K Part 1 could also include an "international" flavor.

The DorseyCard slot machine

Pull the lever.

Twenty-five years of titles, shuffled. Land on a real one and the archive above will show you exactly which year you hit.

Insert nostalgia. Pull to play.

DorseyCard: The Slot Machine

BACHORBUST
The reels are warmed up. Give it a pull.
Keep going

Two more rooms.

The Work

Every credit, every chart position, every client.

Walk the wing