The Good: Good sculpt, Good balance, Decent cloth element, Good hair coloring
The Bad: Very obvious seams at the shoulders, Seems expensive
The Basics: The 2016 Celebration Barbie Hallmark ornament is a pleasant surprise for fans of Barbie ornaments!
Every year, one of the surprises from Hallmark is the Holiday ornament that is based upon the Holiday Celebration Barbie doll. For 2016, the Holiday Barbie ornament is one of the best that Hallmark has produced. Sometimes, simple works best and in the 2016 Holiday Barbie ornament is a great example of that.
Basics
The 2016 Celebration Barbie ornament recreates this year's limited edition caucasian Celebration Barbie doll in ornament form, which allows collectors to get a more affordable version of the popular doll in ornament form. The ornament was released with an original issue price of $19.95, which is a bit pricier than other ornaments in the Barbie line, at least from the prior years when Hallmark had the license to produce Barbie holiday ornaments. The 2016 Celebration Barbie ornament is 4 5/8" tall by 3 1/2" wide by 3" deep.
The 2016 Celebration Barbie ornament has a white and green dress with an enhanced cloth element for the dress below Barbie's waist. Barbie's hair cascades over her shoulders and the dress is so big and poofy below the cloth element. As a result, the base of the ornament is solid; the character does not have shoes or legs below the dress. Barbie's red lips pop, contrasting her pale skin with the bright red. The Holiday Barbie ornament looks great, though the arms have an obvious seam at the shoulders.
One of the coolest elements of the 2016 Holiday Barbie ornament is that the hair has a beautiful pearlescent quality that looks awesome. The rest of the character's skin tones are fairly solid, but Barbie's face has a decent- surprisingly subtle - make-up on the face. This is a Barbie ornament where the character looks good, without appearing overly made-up or at all garish.
Features
As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, the Celebration Barbie ornament could have a function like a sound chip or light effect, but it does not. This is just the ornament, with its pretty cool fabric elements accenting it. I've long thought that it was disappointing that the Celebration Barbie ornaments do not have any articulation to her limbs. The Barbie ornament is an ornament that does not emulate the doll for articulation at all.
Balance
As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake 2016 Celebration Barbie ornament is that the ornaments will be hung on a Christmas Tree. For those creating the ultimate Barbie Christmas Tree, the Holiday Barbie ornaments become necessary for the die-hard collectors. Barbie has a brass hook loop at the top of her head and from there she hangs perfectly level! Because of the flat base for the character ornament, the ornament hanging level would be noticeable if it were at all off; fortunately, it is not.
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!). Since then, they have branched out into every major franchise from Barbie to Gone With The Wind to The Hunger Games. The Holiday Barbie ornament was released at the October Ornament Release Weekend and it has sold out at several of the Hallmark stores I've been to. Already the 2016 Holiday Barbie ornament has begun to appreciate in the secondary market, so getting it at its original release price - which I thought was a bit steep - is a better deal than waiting for it to possibly get clearanced at the end of the season. The quality of the ornament and consumer demand for it seem to be making it one of the most valued in recent years.
Overview
The 2016 Barbie Celebration ornament is well-made and well-balanced and, despite the original release price seeming a bit high for me, it is one of the best Barbie ornaments produced since Hallmark Keepsake got the license back last year!
For other Barbie ornament reviews, please check out:
2016 Cherry Pie Picnic Barbie ornament
2015 Celebration Barbie (Black)
2015 Barbie Celebration Set (2013/2014 Celebration Barbie)
2012 Barbie Provencale
2012 Brava, Ballerina! Barbie
2012 Holiday Celebration Barbie (Black)
2012 Holiday Celebration Barbie (Caucasian)
2012 Matinee Fashion Barbie - Final In The Series!
2012 Tweed Indeed Barbie
2011 Celebration Barbie (Black)
2011 Campus Sweetheart Barbie
2011 Prima Ballerina Barbie ornament
1996 Enchanted Evening Barbie ornament
1995 Barbie Debut (Brunette) - Club Exclusive
1994 Barbie Debut ornament
8/10
For other ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!!
© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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