Monday, July 30, 2012

One Of The Better Gone With The Wind Ornaments In Recent Memory Comes When Scarlett Meets Her Match!


The Good: Good balance, Good detailing on Rhett, Good sound chip
The Bad: Seems very expensive, Detailing on Scarlett
The Basics: The Scarlett Meets Her Match Gone With The Wind ornament is actually one of the best ornaments from the film that I have reviewed!


Ever since I started reviewing Hallmark Christmas ornaments, I have included the Gone With The Wind ornament on the list of ornaments I make a priority to review. I’m not exactly sure why; I am not a fan of the film and that admission alone usually garners a pretty nasty reaction by those who are (surprisingly opinionated fanbase, those Gone With The Wind fans!). Fortunately, for 2012, the Hallmark ornament offering for Gone With The Wind is one that objectively holds up quite well. It is the Scarlett Meets Her Match ornament and it is one that is surprisingly easy, even for a non-fan of the film, to like.

For those unfamiliar with the film, Gone With The Wind (click here for my review!) includes a scene wherein Clark Gable’s character Rhett Butler squares off with Scarlett O’Hara. Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett banter with one another and for the first time, Butler effectively puts O'Hara in her place.

It is Rhett Butler, standing before a shocked Scarlett that is the subject of the Scarlett Meets Her Match Hallmark Ornament. To add extra value to this one, Hallmark provided this ornament with a very impressive sound chip.

Basics

The Scarlett Meets Her Match ornament includes only Rhett and Scarlett, connected by his right foot abutting her dress, all cast in solid plastic. The ornament, released in 2012, has drastically varied executions, as it has a decent and generally accurate sculpt of the characters, good detailing on costumes, and Rhett’s face looks good. Unfortunately, Scarlett is presented almost like a cartoon (not animated, but comic strip quality) execution of the character for facial detailing and coloring.

Measuring four inches tall, three inches wide and two and three-eighths inches deep, the Scarlett Meets Her Match ornament is a decent-sized Hallmark ornament. Unfortunately, at the original issue price of $24.95, it is a bit expensive, especially compared to other Gone With The Wind ornaments that featured more of the scenery for the same or less money. Scarlett’s dress, while well-detailed, seems bulky and the ornament seems heavier than many of the other ones released this year.

The Scarlett Meets Her Match ornament has the two characters looking at one another with Rhett looking like he has just said the most deeply ironic thing in the world and Scarlett looking like she was scandalized by it. Rhett’s outfit matches Scarlett’s for quality with Hallmark including detailing like the polka dots on his tie. Scarlett’s dress looks good with subtle detailing around the edges of the ruffles on her dress adding an additional layer of realism to the ornament. The faces are recognizably sculpted and while Rhett looks like Clark Gable, this Scarlett does not look like Vivian Leigh. Given how much detailing the rest of the ornament possesses, it is somewhat surprising that Hallmark did not get Scarlett’s face quite right.

This ornament remains fairly easy to find at Hallmark stores, so there is no reason (yet) to look for it in the secondary market. This ornament features a battery to power the sound effects.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, Scarlett Meets Her Match has a sound effect, but no light effect. There is a button, rather oddly placed right on the front of the ornament on Scarlett’s dress, when pressed, activates the sound chip. The sound chip actually contains a single sound clip from Gone With The Wind. The chip has several seconds of actual dialogue from the scene the ornament represents that plays with sufficient volume out the bottom of the ornament. As a result, when one depresses the button, Vivian Leigh as Scarlett verbally spars with Rhett Butler. The sound chip is more than adequate, but the clip is not one of the many iconic moments from Gone With The Wind. Still, it’s better than having a sound clip that involves Rhett breaking Scarlett’s heart!

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake Scarlett Meets Her Match ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate movie nostalgia Christmas Tree, the Scarlett Meets Her Match ornament is a somewhat expensive option that looks good beside ornaments from The Wizard Of Oz and prior Gone With The Wind ornaments. The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top center of Rhett's head and it is pretty much the only option for the ornament, though it looks unfortunately obvious there. The Scarlett Meets Her Match ornament hangs level when hung properly and because it is so heavy, it hardly sways unless it is really knocked.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (click here for that review!). Within a few years, virtually every classic film franchise jumped on the bandwagon and began merchandising with Hallmark as well. Classic properties like Barbie, Disney, The Wizard Of Oz and Gone With The Wind have been made into Hallmark Keepsake Christmas ornaments. Scarlett Meets Her Match is one of the only Gone With The Wind ornaments on the market and the only one mass produced for the franchise in 2012. Fans of the book and film seem to be neutral to the Scarlett Meets Her Match ornament; it is still exceptionally easy to find in the Hallmark stores at this time. Given that only the Limited Edition Gone With The Wind ornaments have appreciated, this mass-produced ornament is not likely to be a great investment piece.

Overview

Fans of Gone With The Wind, Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, and Hallmark ornaments are likely to be split on this ornament. The sound clip is interesting and fans of Rhett Butler will be thrilled by the level of detail on him. But for those who love Scarlett, the Scarlett Meets Her Match ornament is more disappointing than anything else.

For other Gone With The Wind Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2011 Almost A Kiss
2010 Scarlett O’Hara
2009 “Frankly My Dear”

7/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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