The 2014 The Daring Princess The Princess And The Frog Ornament Holds Up!

The Good: Decent sculpted details, Cute glitter, Affordable
The Bad: No sound clip, Slightly back-heavy
The Basics: The 2014 "The Daring Princess" from The Princess And The Frog ornament is a well-sculpted, well-colored ornament is cool, but somewhat simplistic.


For no reason I can determine, Hallmark ornaments from The Princess And The Frog tend to get reviewed by me later in the season. I only realized this as I sat down to review this year’s The Daring Princess ornament. Hallmark has an extensive line of Disney-themed holiday ornaments and a number of them are wonderful. The Daring Princess is this year’s The Princess And The Frog and it is actually one of the better ones this year.

For those unfamiliar with The Princess And The Frog (reviewed here!), the young waitress Tiana slowly gets over her preconceptions about life, relationships and work. After an adventure with a transformed man where she is transformed into a frog by a voodoo prince, Tiana is more open minded and adventurous. At that point, she tries kissing the frog/prince and it is Tiana kissing the frog that is the subject of the Hallmark The Daring Princess ornament.

Basics

The "The Daring Princess" ornament recreates Tiana as she appeared at the end of The Princess And The Frog, in the climactic and iconic pose of Tiana kissing the frog. The ornament, released in 2014, is a very accurate sculpt of Tiana the waitress turned princess in the act of kissing the frog. While it is simplistic, it is accurate for the subjects and the frog actually has pretty impressive detailing.

Measuring three and three-quarters inches tall, two and one-quarters inches wide and deep, the "The Daring Princess" ornament is an average-sized Disney character ornament. As well, it is one of the more affordable ones at only $14.95.

The Hallmark "The Daring Princess" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has Tiana, with her gloved hands raised, frog in her right palm, lips about to touch the frog. The ornament is sculpted accurately and looks wonderful, with wonderful detailing for the sash and texturing on the hair. In addition to the costume, Hallmark did an incredibly job with the sculpt of the tiara on Tiana’s head. The Daring Princess is colored in monotones, though there is a little bit of depth and shading to her lips and cheeks. The dress and tiara have glitter on it and the paintjob is good. Tiana’s eyes are perfectly rendered and the coloring on the frog is impressive given how small the frog is!

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "The Daring Princess" could have a sound effect, but it does not. Instead, this is a less-expensive option that is just the character.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "The Daring Princess" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Disney movie Christmas Tree, the "The Daring Princess" ornament is arguably the best of the The Princess And The Frog ornaments. The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top center of Tiana’s head. This is fairly well-obscured by the character’s tiara and obviously, it is necessary for the ornament. Unfortunately, at that position, The Daring Princess hangs just a little off. The ornament is a little back-heavy, so Tiana is essentially leaning up.

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 (reviewed here!). Within a few years, every major franchise from Star Wars to A Nightmare Before Christmas to Indiana Jones started making Hallmark ornaments. "The Daring Princess" is one of many The Princess And The Frog ornaments the company has released and one of several Disney ornaments on the market for 2014. This ornament has not sold out at any of the local Hallmarks I’ve been to, but it might still be one of the better investments for collectors as ornaments from The Princess And The Frog have historically held their value at the very least; if found on clearance, the market should bounce back pretty quickly.

Overview

Fans of The Princess And The Frog, Disney, Tiana, and Hallmark ornaments are likely to want the The Daring Princess ornament, which is likely to meet expectations, at the very least.

For other Disney-themed Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2014 Queen Elsa Frozen Limited Edition
2014 Jack's Peculiar Pet The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament
2014 Rapunzel's Long Locks Tangled ornament
2014 The Little Mermaid 25th Anniversary ornament
2014 "This Is Halloween" The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament
2014 All Eyes On Belle Beauty And The Beast ornament
2014 Olaf Frozen ornament
2013 Under The Sea The Little Mermaid
2013 The Nightmare Before Christmas Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares
2013 Tiana's Party Dress The Princess And The Frog ornament
2013 Beautiful Belle Beauty And The Beast
2013 Fierce With A Frying Pan Tangled ornament
2013 Ariel's Big Dream The Little Mermaid ornament
2013 Merida The Archer Brave ornament
2012 The Circle Of Life The Lion King ornament
2012 Jack Sneaks A Peek The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament
2012 Monsters, Inc. ornament
2012 Merida Brave ornament
2012 It's All About The Hair Tangled ornament
2011 Rapunzel Tangled ornament
2011 CLU’s Light Cycle from Tron: Legacy ornament
2011 Up ornament
2011 A Snowy Surprise The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament
2011 Captain Jack Sparrow Pirates Of The Caribbean ornament
2010 Tron: Legacy Light Cycle ornament
2009 Welcome To Christmastown The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament

7.5/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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