The Good: Adorable, Well-rendered, Good balance
The Bad: EXPENSIVE!
The Basics: The 2015 "Big Box Of 64! Crayola Crayons" ornament is worth it for those who love art, but Hallmark makes us pay!
One of the delightful thing about marriage is that one's spouse - even after years of being together - may still have the capacity to surprise. In my case, before Ornament Preview Weekend back in July, I handed my wife the Hallmark Dream Book and said, "please, make it easy on me this year." Last year, I got her a reusable Christmas tree and now she seems quite happy with the idea of making sure it gets covered in ornaments she'll love year after year. When I went through the Dream Book with her, I found myself very surprised. In addition to her not circling the Ariel's Thingamabob's ornament (reviewed here!), she had circled the Big Box Of 64! Crayola Crayons ornament. I was pretty surprised . . . and even more surprised when that was the first one she wanted as "payment" for the day out getting ornaments on Preview Weekend!
The 2015 Big Box Of 64! Crayola Crayons ornament is a cute ornament that looks exactly like what it is supposed to. Those who grew up doing art and using Crayola Crayons will probably be as drawn to this adorable ornament as my wife was (I'm still surprised it has sold out at so many of my local Hallmark stores!). And, the truth is, despite the initial price, it's worth it for the nostalgia value.
Basics
The Big Box Of 64! Crayola Crayons ornament is an ornament that features a box of crayons that opens up to reveal sixty-four different colored crayons (they are not actually crayons, nor are they removable). The box is the iconic goldenrod and olive green Crayola box that I recognize from growing up in the 1980s (and it was probably around even before that!). The ornament, released in 2015, is a standard-release ornament that came out during Ornament Preview Weekend and seems to be selling out at many Hallmark Gold Crown stores.
Hallmark made a wonderful attempt at a precise execution of the ornament with the Big Box Of 64! Crayola Crayons ornament. The simple hinged box top is made of a remarkably solid plastic and seems as durable as any Hallmark Keepsake ornament. Measuring two and five-eighths inches tall, three and one-eighth inches wide and one inches thick, the "Big Box Of 64! Crayola Crayons" ornament is a medium-sized Hallmark ornament that is deceptively light. Unfortunately, this is also one of the proprotionally more expensive Hallmark ornaments. It originally retailed at $17.95, which is a lot for an ornament that does not have a light or sound feature. One supposes it was costly to make all the colors of crayons and license the Crayola name . . . but still, it seems expensive.
The Hallmark "Big Box Of 64! Crayola Crayons" ornament is made of thick plastic for the case and the crayons seem sharp (but not painfully so). Hallmark cheated the crayons by only producing the front side of each crayon, but the illusion brilliantly holds. Hallmark even included the hole on the back where the sharpener would go (though there is no sharpener there).
Features
As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "Big Box Of 64! Crayola Crayons" could have a sound effect, but it does not. That makes some sense as there is no iconic sound to these crayons, so it's forgivable. One wishes the ornament would have been less costly as a result, though!
Balance
As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "Big Box Of 64! Crayola Crayons" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas tree. And the "Big Box Of 64! Crayola Crayons" ornament is a good option for anyone who likes children's artwork. The ornament has the brass hook loop embedded into the center of the front of the hinged top. From that point, the Big Box Of 64! Crayola Crayons is very well-balanced, allowing the ornament to hang with the box open and the crayons inside perfectly visible.
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. "Big Box Of 64! Crayola Crayons" is a non-genre ornament that is not part of an annual series. Given how fast it has sold out at many of my local Hallmarks, despite my believing its initial price is high, it has real investment potential as the target audience seems unphased by the price! This might actually be a good ornament investment in the long term.
Overview
Fans of cute ornaments, children's artwork, Hallmark ornaments, and generic Christmas ornaments are likely to find the Big Box Of 64! Crayola Crayons ornament worthwhile; it has rapidly become my wife's favorite ornament of the year!
For other non-genre Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2015 Happiness Makes Magic ornament
2015 Season's Treatings ornament
2015 Black Barbie Celebration ornament
8.5/10
For other ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!
© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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