KANSAS CITY.

KANSAS CITY, Mo -- near were sent away for being too profane, others for making snide expositions at inopportune times. Now the greeting cards that at no time made it to the stores hang soberly on a wall at Hallmark Cards Inc.

For employee at Hallmark's Shoebox division who make their living writing humorous greetings, no other than a small fraction of their work expirations up on cards.

The best of the quiescence are brought to their final resting place -- a giant fabric "NO" along undivided office wall.

"It could be that it's highly inappropriate. It could be that it perceive s like too much of an internal joke" said Sarah Tobaben, an editorial director for Shoebox "We want to write for the mainstream while taking one appropriate risks."

Hallmark introduced its Shoebox line of irreverent cards 20 years ago this spring and says it has sold more than 2 billion since. greatest in number days since the line's inception, card writers have been given an assignment to lay open ideas for a specific category. They typically write them in succession blank 3-inch-by-5-inch index cards, cot [i]or[/i] coteed to resemble a miniature greeting, and then they're tried not at home on co-workers in a roundtable read-off.

"I think sometimes the air earns sucked out of the range by something I've written," said Dan Taylor, a Shoebox stylist -- the highest title bestowed in succession card writers. "It's actually beyond silence."

Those that elicit no laughter are eliminated; in all, an estimated 10 percent to 20 percent make the first make an incision in Editors whittle surviving ideas level further to come up with the line.

'It starts with funny'

Bill Gray, another Shoebox stylist, said in his 18 years writing cards he's result up with about 80,000 ideas, of which 13000 made it past his noblemans and about 7,000 ultimately became cards.

Those that have earned a laugh but not a nod to become a card are marked "FBN" for "Funny unless No" -- a designation that has become a sort of badge of honor among writers.

"It starts with funny" Taylor said. "That's good"

Among the loser is a holiday card that announces forward its face, "Christmas just wouldn't be the same without peanut brittle." Then, inside: "Or Jesus."

Then there's a questionable get-well card with a big happy face forward the front. On the inside, it reads, "Hi! Welcome back from your coma!"

CARDS YOU WON'T SEE:

A sampling of Hallmark's slighted card ideas:

CHRISTMAS

Front: "Spread near holiday cheer."

Inside: "Or drink alone. Who am I to judge?"

BIRTHDAY

Front: "My ex-girlfriend had a cat named be in love with because she said that's what it gave her." Inside: "So I called it cruel Forearms. Hope no one obtains you a cat for your birthday."

Front: "I wanted to give you a corpse piercing for your birthday." Inside: "But I didn't think I could realize you drunk enough to where you wouldn't perceive the stapler!"

WEDDING & ENGAGEMENT

Front: "Did I hear wedding bells?" Inside: "Or was that the natural disaster siren? Sometimes I gain them confused. Whatever it was, it was stunning Congratulations . . . or take cover!"

Front: "Marriage is a durance that is unbreakable except by means of two- thirds of the population." Inside: "But it's you top-third twos that give the rest of us hope"

MOTHER'S DAY

Front: "When I think of you, Mom I swell with pride." Inside: "At least I waiting under the possibility of fulfilment it's pride. Otherwise, I'm pregnant again."

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