Good Pals Valentine’s Playing Cards
A thoughtfully designed and elegantly presented Valentine’s gift deck.
Good Pals originated in summer of 2021 as an apparel store, but soon diversified into limited edition playing cards. This Good Pals Valentine's deck was released on Kickstarter in time for Valentine's day 2026. Instead of standard Bicycle courts, an Anglo-American playing card look is enriched with a warm, romantic sensibility in reds, blacks, corals and muted creams. Its clean-lined graphics with friendly motifs include hearts, love letters, floral bouquets, boxes of chocolates and plenty of ornamental detailing. The work of Indonesian graphic designer Dewo Shalahuddin, this deck successfully achieves a charming Valentine theme with a boutique or gift-market appeal.
Note: raised foiling on the hearts and diamonds is actually in a bright ruby red that unfortunatley doesn't show well in the scans.
The ace of hearts is the main card in the deck, showing the Good Pals logo in raised foil and contemporary handwriting-calligraphy to make it stand out. The indices use a clean, fairly neutral serif with well-proportioned letterforms. Romance is subtly woven into the court details in the form of bouquets and heart motifs incorporated into the costumes. The four Queens appear to be blushing, whilst the Jacks & Kings have a lipstick mark on their cheeks, as do the Jokers' skulls. The deck also remains perfectly usable for magic, cardistry or card games.
Above: Good Pals Valentine’s playing cards designed by Dewo Shalahuddin and released on Kickstarter, produced by Ezra Card, China, 2026. 52 cards + 2 jokers + 2 extra cards in tuck box.
This collectible deck features a gold foiled number seal from 001-350 on each deck, with unique numbering on each box.
Links
Dewo Shalahuddin: artist's website ►
Good Pals: online shop ►
Kickstarter: Good Pals Valentine’s Playing Cards ►
By Simon Wintle
Spain • Member since February 01, 1996
I am the founder of The World of Playing Cards (est. 1996), a website dedicated to the history, artistry and cultural significance of playing cards and tarot. Over the years I have researched various areas of the subject, acquired and traded collections and contributed as a committee member of the IPCS and graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal. Having lived in Chile, England, Wales, and now Spain, these experiences have shaped my work and passion for playing cards. Amongst my achievements is producing a limited-edition replica of a 17th-century English pack using woodblocks and stencils—a labour of love. Today, the World of Playing Cards is a global collaborative project, with my son Adam serving as the technical driving force behind its development. His innovative efforts have helped shape the site into the thriving hub it is today. You are warmly invited to become a contributor and share your enthusiasm.
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