The Maxwell House Haggadah has been a fixture on Passover Seder tables for nearly 100 years. Almost every Jewish family in America has used a Maxwell House Haggadah at a Passover Seder, which would include the fictional family the Maisels from the TV series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It is a shared cultural artifact and common point of reference for the Passover holiday. Everyone has a memory of a Maxwell House Haggadah. This Haggadah book itself belongs to Midge, the main character of the series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She is rewriting the cultural rules in 1958; redefining what it means to be a woman, mother, wife, and comedian.

Like some of the best ideas, this one happened over a glass of wine with good friends. Fans and personal friends alike, expressed how much they loved the world of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The humor, the strong characters, the costumes, the design--they wanted to be a part of this world that delighted them, but in a meaningful way. With Passover coming up, it hit us. We should share Midge’s copy of her Haggadah for fans to include in their own Seder traditions, bringing two worlds together. We knew if didn’t feel authentic, it would be just another piece of promo material. That’s why it had to be the Maxwell House Haggadah. Maxwell House’s partnership creates cultural context, tapping into a shared American Jewish experience nearly 100 years old, while at the same time being created for a TV series that has captured the hearts of audiences today.

Midge, a female stand-up comedian in 1958, would certainly have some thoughts on the old traditions. We imagined her at the table, taking everything in as material for her act. So, we decided we should make Midge’s copy of the Haggadah, in her signature pink, thoughtfully detailed to her character with custom illustrations and ephemera including her “famous” brisket recipe. The craft and detail is evident, after all, Midge is used to the best. We partnered with Melcher Media, the designers behind immersive books for JJ Abrams and Stranger Things. We utilized the traditional Maxwell House Haggadah text, making it feel fresh with a larger, more open layout, design details between the text and included period accurate advertisements for Maxwell House coffees. Lastly, we designed the book to work as a traditional Haggadah on one side and the Maisel edition on the other. Either way, your Passover table is complete.

The success of this project is the Haggadah’s cultural context. At home in the show’s setting of 1958, and on Passover Seder tables in 2019, fans of the series have been going wild for the Haggadah, their nostalgia for a cultural icon intersecting with their love of the series. Available on 4/1/19, exclusively on Amazon with a Maxwell House coffee purchase, 40,000 copies were printed, completely selling out before the holiday.

While Amazon does not share platform data, Social posts kicked off conversation and continued through the month as fans received and posted photos of their copies being used on Passover! Facebook, Twitter and Instagram generated 19,770 engagements and 274,153 impressions. Maxwell House reported the Haggadah had garnered 330MM organic, earned impressions with no paid media was put behind promotion. Seeing fans’ delight across channels was the true measure of success, and an honor to have Midge’s Haggadah on their holiday tables.