JibJab Laughs All the Way to the Bank

JibJab, the musical comedy video maker that’s branched out into customizable online greeting cards, has raised $7.5 million in Series C funding.

Venice, Calif.-based JibJab has aggressively staked out a way to make money that goes beyond its regularly viral hit videos — subscriptions for “sendable,” customizable, and exclusive content of $15.99 per year, as well as other paid goods like custom mugs. The company finagled its way into OfficeMax’s massively popular holiday ElfYourself video campaign this year. (Though sadly, upon reading the site tonight, I learned that ElfYourself videos expire Jan. 15. Sadness!) See above for a (free) example video I just quickly made of Obama as B-boy in triplicate.

In an email, JibJab claimed more than 100 million visits to its site in the last year and 6 million registered users, though it didn’t disclose the number of paying users.

The new funding comes from Overbrook Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and previous investor Polaris Venture Partners. JibJab didn’t previously disclose details of its funding, but it was reported that its first round, raised in 2006, was worth $6.4 million, and its second round, raised in 2007, was worth $3 million.