Johnny Appleseed Playing Cards by Midnight Cards

The Johnny Appleseed Playing Cards are a tribute to the legendary American folk hero and pioneer John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed. Designed by Randy Butterfield of Midnight Cards, this deck celebrates Chapman’s life and legacy, particularly in connection with the Johnny Appleseed Festival held annually in Fort Wayne, Indiana... where Chapman spent his final years and is laid to rest.

Randy, who lives in the Indianapolis area with his family, created the deck in honor of the 50th anniversary of the festival. His goal was to design a classical and tasteful deck that feels familiar and highly playable, while still paying homage to Johnny Appleseed’s story and values.

Inside, the face cards present a vintage set of court characters enhanced with thoughtful details. Each court card includes either a whole apple, a half apple, a male or female cardinal, chosen both as a symbol of Chapman’s love for animals and as a nod to Indiana’s state bird, and a delicate vine watermark, red for Hearts and Diamonds, green for Clubs and Spades. 

The Ace of Spades showcases the full apple tree artwork from the tuck box and back, while the Jokers feature an etched portrait of Johnny Appleseed himself. The back design features the same engraved apple tree artwork, arranged in a traditional mirrored layout with green leaves woven into the pattern to reflect Chapman’s ties to nature.

The tuck box is adorned with an engraving-style illustration of an apple tree, framed by green vine motifs and completed with an old-fashioned script typeface for the deck’s title. 

Johnny Appleseed Playing Cards will be printed by Shuffled Ink Playing Cards and pledge starts at $15 on Kickstarter.