One Of The Cutest Ornaments EVER! The 2013 Mint Chocolate Chipmunk Ornament Is Astonishingly Still Available!

The Good: Good sculpt, Awesome balance, Cute as hell! Inexpensive
The Bad: Noticeable seam, Lack of collectible values
The Basics: The 2013 "Mint Chocolate Chipmunk" ornament is probably the cutest ornament ever . . . despite the obvious seam and lack of collectible value!


When it comes to Hallmark Christmas ornaments, I have a tendency to review the genre ornaments almost exclusively. The genre ornaments interest me the most and I have experiences with the subjects of most of them outside the ornaments that make me have an appreciation for them. Recently, though, I bought my wife a Christmas tree for her to have (one of the synthetic ones that will probably last her entire lifetime). After I picked her up her ideal Christmas tree, I figured out that at some point, she’d probably need some ornaments of her own. To that end, I started getting her some. The first monthly ornament for her that I picked up was the Mint Chocolate Chipmunk.

Both my wife and I love mint chocolate (everything) and my wife has an affinity for chipmunks. My wife’s dog, the one she had when our marriage began and I had a few decent years of getting to know before our geriatric cocker spaniel gave up the ghost at sixteen years old, Mitzie, used to love chipmunks. Mitzie would only dig after chipmunks in our yard and she tried to point them out to my wife and I whenever she saw them. So, the Mint Chocolate Chipmunk ornament was one that my wife instantly was drawn to and I was super psyched when I found after Christmas for 75% off!

And this is a super-cute, awesome ornament for anyone who likes cute animals.

Basics

The Mint Chocolate Chipmunk ornament is a smiling chipmunk that is holding a big ice cream cone! The ornament is just Mint Chocolate Chipmunk, a chipmunk standing on an ice cream sandwich with a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone. The ornament, released in 2013, is a ridiculously cute chipmunk standing on his hind legs, holding his ice cream cone in his two paws with his little pink tongue ready to lick the ice cream cone. This ornament is a monument to cute.

Hallmark clearly made quite an effort on Mint Chocolate Chipmunk, but the ornament is very simple and clearly assembled; there is a troublingly obvious seam that goes all the way around the ornament (laterally). The seam is really the only problem with the ornament’s construction. Measuring three and one-eighth inches tall, one and one quarter inches wide and one and three-quarter inches deep, the "Mint Chocolate Chipmunk" ornament is a medium-sized Hallmark ornament. This is also one of the least expensive Hallmark ornaments. Originally, it retailed at $14.95, which might have been expensive, but there were so many left after the holiday season that most are available easily for in the $4 range (which is a perfect price for the small plastic ornament).

The Hallmark "Mint Chocolate Chipmunk" ornament is made of a durable plastic, but the coloring is done entirely in monotones, which is fine. Most of the chipmunk is appropriately brown, but the white on his fur is replaced with mint green that makes it look like the chipmunk ate so much mint chocolate it turned! The cone and ice cream in the ice cream sandwich upon which the chipmunk is perched are bright green with brown speckles in it. This is a very cute ornament and well-colored.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "Mint Chocolate Chipmunk" could have a sound effect, but it does not. Instead, this is a less-expensive option that is just the cute animated character.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "Mint Chocolate Chipmunk" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas tree. And the "Mint Chocolate Chipmunk" ornament is a great option for anyone who wants a family tree or who loves animals. The ornament has the plastic hook loop embedded into the top center of Mint Chocolate Chipmunk's hatted head. This is fairly obvious and necessary for the ornament. Hanging there, the ornament is absolutely perfectly balanced. This Mint Chocolate Chipmunk ornament also comes with a green ribbon that helps it hang perfectly.

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, every major franchise from Star Wars to A Nightmare Before Christmas to Indiana Jones started making Hallmark ornaments. "Mint Chocolate Chipmunk" is a non-genre ornament that is not intended to have collectible value and, instead, is a generic, family-friendly ornament that Hallmark produced. It will probably never get back up to its original retail price for value, which is fine because it is a great inexpensive ornament.

Overview

Fans of mint chocolate, chipmunks, Hallmark ornaments, and pretty much anything that is adorable will find the Mint Chocolate Chipmunk ornament to be a nice one worth hunting down now that it is inexpensive and easily available at Hallmark stores even now!

For other Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2012 Michael Oher Baltimore Ravens ornament
2013 Milton Waddams Office Space ornament
1995 Barbie Debut (Brunette) Club Exclusive ornament

8.5/10

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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Mumbling Through Christmas: Milton Waddams Is An Esoteric Hallmark Ornament!

The Good: Generally good sculpt, Basic coloring, Includes a sound clip
The Bad: Mediocre balance, Poor sound quality, Seems expensive
The Basics: One of October’s weirdest Hallmark ornaments was the Office Space ornament of Milton Waddams, which was a mediocre execution of the subject!


In milking various franchises for fan dollars, it is interesting to me to see which movie studios license which films. While there are a number of fans of the movie Office Space, it always seemed like an odd film (to me) to try to make merchandise for. Before Hallmark licensed with 20th Century Fox to produce the Milton Waddams ornament in 2013, the only Office Space merchandise I was really aware of was found at Spencer’s Gifts or Hot Topic and catered to the stoner/drinking college freshman crowd. In other words, the (previously) target(ed) market for Office Space merchandise hardly seems to be the Hallmark Gold Crown-shopping demographic. So, between the inherent quality (or lack thereof) of the Milton Waddams ornament and the previously-known spending habits of the target demographic, it was no surprise to me that this was an ornament still pretty easily found locally after the Christmas clearance from Hallmark.

Hallmark and 20th Century Fox created an ornament that embodies the fantastic Stephen Root as Milton Waddams from Office Space for the Milton Waddams ornament. For those not familiar with Office Space (reviewed here!), throughout the workplace comedy, Milton Waddams is psychologically beaten down by his boss and his beloved stapler is messed with. Waddams becomes a catalyst for change at his job by snapping when he is pushed too far one day.

Basics

The Milton Waddams ornament faithfully presents Milton Waddams in his shirt, tie, and pocket protector. This version of Milton Waddams has the character standing, on a yellowish base (which represents a stack of papers) that says “Office Space.” The sculpt is fairly detailed and entirely recognizable for anyone who has seen Office Space (even if one cannot recall the character’s name!). The ornament, released in 2013, is good in that it looks just like Stephen Root with his plastered-down hair, thin glasses, drooping mustache and tightly-cinched belt. The ornament includes such sculpted details as the pocket protector, wristwatch, and hands which are clutching Milton Waddams’ precious stapler. Measuring four and a half inches tall, the Milton Waddams ornament is one of several non-genre movie-related Hallmark ornaments released in 2013 and it does seem to be one of the least popular (given how many I was able to find after the fact!). The Milton Waddams ornament came with an original retail price of $17.95 and given that I am finding them for at least 75% off with some frequency still, this was not a tremendous value at its original retail price.

The Hallmark Milton Waddams ornament is made of durable plastic. Milton Waddams’s shirt is light blue and his pants are black, just like in the movie. Unfortunately, the skin tones for Milton Waddams are monotonal; the pale color is hardly lifelike and details like Milton’s lips are virtually absent on the coloring front, despite the well-painted mustache just above them! The watch is not incredibly detailed, nor is the stapler, though Milton Waddams’s pocket protector and badge seem to be well-colored.

The Milton Waddams ornament features a version of Milton Waddams who looks more like the animated character than the man who actually appeared in the live-action film Office Space. The skin tones on the face and forearms are monotonal as opposed to having rich coloring, which is unfortunate and undermines the potential realism of this ornament. The hair color is also solidly brown as opposed to having realistic depth and shading.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, Milton Waddams has a sound chip, but not a light-up function. Milton Waddams ornament comes with batteries and with the push of a button on the paperstack base, a speaker on the base plays clips from Stephen Root. Unfortunately, because the character mumbles, these audio clips are virtually incomprehensible. Waddams says something about his stapler, but I can’t understand what he’s saying! The volume is not the problem; Hallmark chose a character with severe enunciation issues to give an audio-based feature ornament to!

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake Milton Waddams ornament is to be hung on a Christmas tree. For those creating the ultimate movie-themed Christmas Tree, the Milton Waddams ornament . . . is still utterly unnecessary. In addition to being a very obscure character, the balance for the ornament is a little off. Unfortunately, because Milton Waddams is a little heavyset and he has his hands in front of him with his stapler, the ornament is a little frontheavy. The ornament has the standard metal hook loop embedded into the top, back, of Milton Waddams’s head at a pretty obvious position. From there, the ornament, when affixed to a tree with a hook, swings very easily and is clearly weighted more to the front side of the ornament.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, they have made ornament replicas of almost all major franchises like DC comics, The Wizard Of Oz and Harry Potter. The Milton Waddams ornament was one of the October ornament releases and given how Office Space, like most comedy films, is not a merchandising cash cow, it is unsurprising that it did not sell out during the holiday season at full price. When the balance and paintjob issues are factored in, it is hard to bet on this being a good investment piece for the foreseeable future, if ever.

Overview

Despite a pretty awesome sculpt and the effort of making a battery-operated audio feature for the ornament, fans of Milton Waddams, Stephen Root, and Office Space are likely to find the Milton Waddams ornament unimpressive and a bit of a letdown. That makes it one that even fans passed by and might make 20th Century Fox or Hallmark think harder about the properties they license!

For other film-based Hallmark ornaments from 2013, please check out my reviews of:
Under The Sea The Little Mermaid ornament
The Joker The Dark Knight ornament
Mockingjay The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ornament

4/10

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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Too Late To Grab Its Audience, The 2013 Under The Sea The Little Mermaid Ornament Was A Successful Failure!

The Good: Decent sculpted details, Good balance, Cool sound clip
The Bad: Did not hold its value at all!
The Basics: The 2013 "Under The Sea" ornament from The Little Mermaid was a commercial failure only because it was released too late in the season!


Every year, Hallmark does two main releases of its holiday ornaments: there is the first big push in July during Ornament Preview Weekend and then an autumn push for Ornament Release Weekend. In 2013, it made sense that Hallmark released two different ornaments from The Little Mermaid, given that 2013 was the Blu-Ray debut of the film. The first ornament was the Ariel’s Big Dream and it was okay. In October, though, Hallmark released its second The Little Mermaid ornament and it was much better than the earlier release. The second ornament was Under The Sea and it was one of the best Disney ornaments in years . . . but few people bought it. The Under The Sea ornament reveals the flaw in Hallmark’s marketing strategy; the point of the two release times is to get customers coming back into Hallmark stores more than once a year, but if collectors do not go back or do not know to go back for the second wave, then some of the gems from later in the year may be missed. The Under The Sea ornament was a miss, which had nothing to do with the quality of the ornament itself!

For those unfamiliar with The Little Mermaid (reviewed here!), Sebastian was the crab advisor of the King who was sent to keep an eye on Ariel. Known for his song “Under The Sea,” Sebastian provided comic relief and him standing on a crab is the subject of the second The Little Mermaid ornament in 2013.

Patricia Andrews did an amazing sculpt for the ornament and with the addition of a sound chip, the ornament became a real steal at $17.95 . . . and is a super steal at clearance prices now!

Basics

The "Under The Sea" ornament recreates Sebastian as he appeared in The Little Mermaid, though not from a specific scene or iconic moment. The ornament, released in 2013, is a generally accurate sculpt of Sebastian the crab with about as fine detailing as the actual subject given the somewhat simplistic animation of The Little Mermaid.

Measuring four and a half inches tall from the bottom of the clam to the top of the raised claw, the "Under The Sea" ornament is a slightly larger than normal-sized Disney character ornament. As well, it is one of the more affordable ones at only $17.95 (which is pretty awesome for an ornament that has a sound chip).

The Hallmark "Under The Sea" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has Sebastian, one claw down, one claw raised, standing atop a barely open clam or scallop. The ornament is sculpted accurately and gets the look of Sebastian perfectly right! Sebastian and the clam on the Under The Sea ornament are colored in monotones, which is accurate for the character. The ornament looks great and is on par – detailwise – for the rest of the Disney themed Hallmark ornaments.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "Under The Sea" is wonderfully accented by a sound chip. Powered by a watch-style battery that the ornament comes with, a press of a button on the back of the clam activates the sound chip. The song “Under The Sea” plays out a speaker on the bottom of the clam and I was pleasantly surprised by the volume on the song. The sound clip is long enough to entertain and clearly embody the character of Sebastian.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "Under The Sea" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Disney movie Christmas Tree, the "Under The Sea" ornament could be the essential The Little Mermaid ornament, if for no other reason than it might be the only one with a feature. The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top center of the back of Sebastian’s head. This is fairly obvious and necessary for the ornament. Fortunately, at that position, the Under The Sea ornament hangs perfectly level. The balance for this ornament is incredible, save when one pushes the button to activate the sound chip.

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, every major franchise from Star Wars to A Nightmare Before Christmas to Indiana Jones started making Hallmark ornaments. "Under The Sea" is one of many The Little Mermaid ornaments the company has released and one of several Disney ornaments on the market for 2013. This ornament has by no means sold out. In fact, it appears to have been massively overproduced for an October release ornament. Every Hallmark in my area has plenty of the Under The Sea ornament available for cheap on clearance, even now! Sadly, then, despite the quality of the ornament, this is not likely to be a good investment ornament, at least not for a few years.

Overview

Fans of The Little Mermaid, Disney, Sebastian, and Hallmark ornaments are likely to love the Under The Sea ornament and will be thrilled to find it inexpensively now. It is one of the rare gems of the Disney Hallmark line and well worth hunting down now.

For other Disney-themed Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
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

8.5/10

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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Bulky, Goofy, Burtonesque: The 2013 The Nightmare Before Christmas Ornament – Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares – Is Average-At-Best

The Good: Looks interesting, Big, Affordable
The Bad: Balance issues, Breakable, Not iconic
The Basics: "Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares" is a troublingly imbalanced ornament from Hallmark from The Nightmare Before Christmas, though it can be found dirt cheap now.


Hallmark knows its audience very well. They seem to know who their reliable customers are when it comes to their holiday ornaments. One of their annual ornaments is always from A Nightmare Before Christmas and 2013 was no exception; Hallmark released the “Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares” ornament. Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares is an all right ornament for fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas, though it is unbalanced and seems to be one of the more breakable Hallmark ornaments . . . ever. While inspecting Hallmark ornaments for review late last year, I found three Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares ornaments with breakage to the sled’s blades.

For those unfamiliar with The Nightmare Before Christmas (reviewed here!) Jack Skellington, a denizen of Halloweentown finds himself transported to Christmastown in a bizarre turn of events and there the spirit of Christmas (or, at least, an obsession with Santa Claus) reaches Jack and he tries to bring that back to Halloweentown. It is Jack, seated at the helm of his absurd sled/tank with goggles on that is the subject of "Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares." The Hallmark "Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares" ornament is a very basic ornament and not one that is iconic of The Nightmare Before Christmas, though for fans who can find it inexpensively now, it is different than all the other The Nightmare Before Christmas ornaments Hallmark has produced.

Basics

The "Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares" ornament recreates Jack Skellington seated at the helm of the weird drill-like tank-like sleigh he rode briefly in The Nightmare Before Christmas. The ornament, released in 2013, is as authentic as it can be considering it is based upon an animated work for the source material. Because everything in A Nightmare Before Christmas is colored in simple solid colors (without human shading or details), the ornament appropriately does not have any coloring depth or shading to it.

Still, Hallmark clearly made an effort on the "Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares" ornament and almost everything about the ornament looks good and functions well. Jack Skellington has adequate detailing in his lips and mouth and in his spindly legs and his arms. The ornament even has Jack’s coattails hanging down between the main sleigh and the sleigh with the bag of gifts that trails it! The character's arms in his distinctive striped jacket's sleeves are visible and there are even the weird cranks molded into the side of the sleigh. At 3" tall and almost twice as long, the "Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares" ornament is the same price as similar size ornaments (originally released at $19.95, but now found at half price pretty easily).

The Hallmark "Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares" ornament is made of plastic, though it is not as durable as collectors might hope. The finely molded sleigh blades descend from the ridiculous green sleigh and they are so fine that if the ornament falls, they may break off. As previously noted, having visited six Hallmark stores and found three broken ornaments, the fragility of the Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares ornament cannot be overstated. The coloring on the Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares ornament may be accurate, but it looks very plastic and ridiculous with its bright, olive green nose.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares" has no light effect or sound effect. The ornament is just fragile plastic and fine detailing (like the treads on the sleigh!), without the need for any light or sound function; there was no organic place for a light effect and a sound chip would have probably driven the price up to well over the $19.95 original issue price.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Christmas Tree for A Nightmare Before Christmas, the "Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares" ornament is an extravagance. It is utterly unnecessary. The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top front of the second sled. It is actually a pretty discrete position for the hook loop, but from there, the ornament is ridiculously front-heavy. The ornament pitches downward at a pretty extreme angle and I was not able to get any of them to hang level or less than thirty degrees descending; usually, it hangs closer to a 45 degree angle pointing downward!

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, virtually every major studio with a marketable property jumped on the bandwagon and began merchandising Christmas ornaments, including Disney, which produced The Nightmare Before Christmas. "Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares" was the only The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament released in 2013 and fans seemed pretty neutral to it. As a result, I have been able to find this ornament easily after the holidays at clearance prices. I suspect it will be one of the few The Nightmare Before Christmas ornaments that does not appreciate in value any time soon, if at all.

Overview

Despite the fact that "Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares" was manufactured with pretty incredible attention to detail, the balance issue is enough to sour casual fans on it. The Nightmare Before Christmas might be a reliable subject for Hallmark ornaments, but in 2013, Hallmark missed the mark with their ornament based on the film. Fans who are considering picking it up anyway should be sure the one they are getting is intact, given their fragile nature.

For other The Nightmare Before Christmas ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2012 Jack Sneaks A Peek
2011 A Snowy Surprise
2009 Welcome To Christmastown

4.5/10

For other ornament reviews, please check out my Toy And Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Keeping The Princess And The Frog Fresh In Disney Fans’ Minds, The Tiana’s Party Dress Ornament Succeeds!

The Good: Decent sculpted details, Great balance, Cute glitter, Affordable
The Bad: Sloppy paintjob.
The Basics: The 2013 "Tiana’s Party Dress" from The Princess And The Frog ornament is a well-sculpted, well-balanced ornament that unfortunately is rough around the edges as far as the paintjob goes.


As the holiday season rushes to its peak, Hallmark ornaments are (predictably) flying off the shelves. One of the ones that I am unsurprised has been selling remarkably well locally is the Disney Tiana’s Party Dress ornament. Hallmark has a pretty decent-sized line of Disney holiday ornaments this year and the Tiana’s Party Dress ornament is easily one of the best.

For those unfamiliar with The Princess And The Frog (reviewed here!), the young waitress Tiana goes to her rich friend’s birthday party in order to get enough money to buy her own restaurant. After a transformation with the visiting prince, Tiana ends up as a Princess and wears a beautiful gown in the film’s climax. It is Tiana in her powder blue dress with evening gloves and a tiara that is the subject of the Tiana’s Party Dress ornament.

Hallmark got all of the broad strokes right with Tiana’s Party Dress and sculptor Katrina Bricker accented the simple ornament with a fun amount of glitter for the dress.

Basics

The "Tiana’s Party Dress" ornament recreates Tiana as she appeared at the end of The Princess And The Frog, though not with an iconic pose. The ornament, released in 2013, is a very accurate sculpt of Tiana the waitress turned princess that suffers from a mediocre paintjob, at least on the ones I found.

Measuring four inches tall, two inches wide and one and one-half inches deep, the "Tiana’s Party Dress" ornament is an average-sized Disney character ornament. As well, it is one of the more affordable ones at only $14.95.

The Hallmark "Tiana’s Party Dress" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has Tiana, lifting her gloved right hand to her chin almost bashfully. The ornament is sculpted accurately and looks wonderful, as if there are legs under the dress with lines of force indicated by contours in the dress’s skirt. As well, Bricker expertly sculpted the tiara on Tiana’s head. Tiana’s Party Dress is colored in monotones, though there is a little bit of depth and shading to her lips and cheeks. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the dress has glitter on it, the paintjob is very sloppy. The gloves and bustline have overlapping browns (from the skin) and blues/whites (from the dress and gloves). The three ornaments I looked at all had paint abnormalities and none quite had Tiana’s eyes flawlessly rendered.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "Tiana’s Party Dress" 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 "Tiana’s Party Dress" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Disney movie Christmas Tree, the "Tiana’s Party Dress" ornament could be the essential The Princess And The Frog ornament (though I have not reviewed any of the others from this film!). The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top center of Tiana’s head. This is fairly obvious and necessary for the ornament. Fortunately, at that position, Tiana’s Party Dress hangs perfectly level. The balance for this ornament is excellent; Hallmark got the physics of this ornament just right!

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. "Tiana’s Party Dress" is one of many The Princess And The Frog ornaments the company has released and one of several Disney ornaments on the market for 2013. This ornament has sold out, at least locally, so it might be one of the better Disney ornament investments of 2013.

Overview

Fans of The Princess And The Frog, Disney, Tiana, and Hallmark ornaments are likely to want the Tiana’s Party Dress ornament, though they should confirm first that they are getting one with a decent paint job before purchasing.

For other Disney-themed Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
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

5/10

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

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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A Tragedy Of Underwhelming Elements: The 2013 Beautiful Belle Beauty And The Beast Ornament Disappoints

The Good: Decent sculpt
The Bad: Balance issue, Seems expensive, Lack of coloring detailing
The Basics: The 2013 "Beautiful Belle" from Beauty And The Beast ornament is a disappointment for Disney fans.


Every year, Hallmark produces hundreds of Christmas ornaments and, given how the company makes so many, they cannot keep all of them at the same level of quality. As a result, some of their licenses suffer from quantity over quality issues. Disney Hallmark ornaments have an erratic sense to them, especially this year. Arguably the worst of the Disney ornaments from Hallmark in 2013 is the Beautiful Belle Beauty And The Beast ornament.

For those unfamiliar with Beauty And The Beast (reviewed here!), Belle is a scholarly young woman who is taken to the castle of a transformed prince. In one of the film’s big sequences, Belle and the beastly prince dance. It is Belle in her ball gown that is the subject of the 2013 Beautiful Belle ornament.

Basics

The "Beautiful Belle" ornament recreates Belle as she appeared in Beauty And The Beast during the ball scene with her long brown hair laying over her right shoulder, wearing her golden yellow dress, with bows in her hair. The ornament, released in 2013, is a generally accurate sculpt of Belle that is augmented by remarkably few surface details. The Beautiful Belle ornament lacks all but the most basic surface details.

Measuring three and one quarter inches tall, three inches wide and two and one-quarters inches deep, the "Beautiful Belle" ornament is an average-sized Disney character ornament. As well, it is one of the more affordable ones at only $14.95, though given its lack of real detailing it seems expensive even at that price.

The Hallmark "Beautiful Belle" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has Bellein a seated position, petticoats peeking out from beneath the dress as she awaits the Beast’s return. The ornament is utterly underwhelming in the in the sculpted details and the colored details are disappointing. Beautiful Belle’s dress, for example, has the ribbon along the bottom of the dress and hair that is not at all augmented by coloring details. As a result, the hair looks something like a helmet. All of the colors are monotones, including the skin tones (which Hallmark gets around largely because Belle is wearing ball gloves that are one color as well). While the sculpt is recognizable, the lack of detailing – especially on the coloring front – makes Belle look underwhelming.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "Beautiful Belle" 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 "Beautiful Belle" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Disney movie Christmas Tree, the "Beautiful Belle" ornament should have been incredible, but its poor quality does not make it essential. The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top center of Belle’s head. This is fairly obvious and necessary for the ornament. From that position, Beautiful Belle hangs with a fifteen degree forward pitch, making the ornament hang poorly.

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, every major franchise from Star Wars to A Nightmare Before Christmas to Indiana Jones started making Hallmark ornaments. "Beautiful Belle" is one of several Beauty And The Beast ornaments (though the only one from this year) and one of several Disney ornaments on the market for 2013. This ornament has by no means sold out and I suspect with its quality deficiencies, it will not.

Overview

Fans of Beauty And The Beast, Disney, Belle, and Hallmark ornaments are likely to be largely disappointed by the Beautiful Belle ornament and it is not one that is likely to be worthwhile for ornament investors either.

For other Disney-themed Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
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

1/10

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

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Above All, Fun! The 2013 Fierce With A Frying Pan Tangled Rapunzel Ornament Is A Hit!

The Good: Great sculpt, Generally good coloring, Comparatively inexpensive, Great balance!
The Bad: Coloring details at bottom of dress
The Basics: The 2013 "Fierce With A Frying Pan" from Tangled ornament is easily the best Disney ornament to hit Hallmark Keepsake stores this year, though it is not quite perfect!


As Christmas rapidly approaches, I find myself considering more Disney Hallmark Keepsake ornaments than usual. This might be because the Barbie ornament line has ended and I’m stretching out in a different direction (and that Hallmark might have one or two additional Disney-themed ornaments this year to compensate for the demise of the Barbie line). Regardless, I noticed that I had tackled reviewing two of the less impressive Disney Hallmark ornaments for the year and thought I would buck that trend by jumping right to the best! This year’s “must have” Disney-based Hallmark ornament is the 2013 Tangled Fierce With A Frying Pan ornament!

For those unfamiliar with Tangled (reviewed here!), it is the musical story of Rapunzel. Kept in a tower by the woman who abducted her as a baby, she has exceptionally long hair that is the source of the magic that keeps her "mother" young. Fierce With A Frying Pan features Rapunzel, ready to swing the frying pan at the face of Flynn Ryder (perhaps for a second or third time?) after he invades her tower sanctuary.

Basics

The "Fierce With A Frying Pan" ornament recreates Rapunzel, as she appeared in Tangled with her long hair swirling around her, standing flatfooted in an obvious battle pose with a frying pan raised in both her hands! The ornament, released in 2013, is a very cool and accurate sculpt of Rapunzel at the ready with her frying pan-turned-weapon, in her lavender and purple dress, wit her trademark hair billowing around her.

Hallmark clearly made quite an effort on Fierce With A Frying Pan as Rapunzel has great detailing on the eyes, which are molded and colored to connote a sense of mischief in them, and with the lacing up the front of her bodice. Measuring three and seven-eighths inches tall, three inches wide and two inches deep, the "Fierce With A Frying Pan" ornament is one of the larger Disney character ornaments this year, though it is generally in scale with prior Tangled ornaments. As well, it is surprisingly affordable at only $14.95.

The Hallmark "Fierce With A Frying Pan" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has Rapunzel looking delightfully defensive with her frying pan ready to smack the unseen Ryder Flynn. The ornament is incredibly detailed in the sculpted details and the colored details are generally good. Fierce With A Frying Pan escapes the usual critique about the lack of realism to the skin tones, because she is an animated character. The ornament's eyes are bright green and wonderfully detailed. The hair is beautifully colored and I was especially impressed by how Rapunzel’s big toe is molded onto the ornament! The ornament has well-hidden hair seams from where the hair meets the character’s head.

In fact, the only real detraction I’ve found is in the detailing at the bottom of the character’s dress. While it has the molded on brocade, it is not colored accurately. As a result, there is a weird raised pattern at the bottom of the dress that does not match the rest of the detail quality of the ornament.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "Fierce With A Frying Pan" 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 "Fierce With A Frying Pan" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Disney movie Christmas Tree, the "Fierce With A Frying Pan" ornament is an incredibly fun and affordable option that can only enhance the tree of those who love Disney. The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top back of Rapunzel’s head. This is fairly obvious, though obscured at some angles by the raised frying pan and necessary for the ornament. Fierce With A Frying Pan hangs perfectly perpendicular to the ground when properly hung from that hook point and it is actually amazing how good the balance is on it!

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, every major franchise from Star Wars to A Nightmare Before Christmas to Indiana Jones started making Hallmark ornaments. "Fierce With A Frying Pan" is one of only a few Tangled ornaments on the market and at least the fourth of Rapunzel. Mandy Moore fans and fans of Disney movies are very happy about the "Fierce With A Frying Pan" ornament, with good cause; it’s a fun ornament. This ornament has not sold out at any of the Hallmark stores I have been to yet, but given the quality level of this Tangled ornament, it is an easy “recommend” for the “must buy” list!

Overview

Fans of Tangled, Disney, Rapunzel, Mandy Moore, and Hallmark ornaments have good reason to be thrilled with the Fierce With A Frying Pan ornament; it is one of the few Disney-themed Hallmark ornaments that truly captures the character of the character it represents!

For other Disney-themed Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
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

9/10

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

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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If They Were Delaying It Anyway . . . Why The 2013 The Joker Ornament Is Not All It Should Have Been!

The Good: Generally good sculpt, Basic coloring, Good sound clip, Generally affordable
The Bad: Mediocre balance, The paint job lacks any subtlety or realism (sloppy looking!)
The Basics: For one of the final ornaments of 2013, Hallmark released a The Dark Knight ornament of The Joker which was better in theory than in execution!


Every year, Hallmark releases its ornaments in waves. The bulk of the ornaments are actually released in July for Hallmark’s Ornament Preview Weekend. In October, the remainder of the ornaments make their debut and in addition to some limited edition ones, the October releases often try to bring back fans of certain genre works back to Hallmark stores. So, while fans of DC comics and the movies based upon them were drawn into Hallmark stores for the Preview Weekend’s two DC Comics-themed ornaments, to bring them back in October Hallmark withheld one of its advertised ornaments, The Joker. In addition to an exclusive, limited edition ornament of The Bat-pod, Hallmark released the unlimited The Joker ornament.

Hallmark and DC created an ornament that is evocative of the film persona of Heath Ledger as The Joker from The Dark Knight for the Joker ornament. For those not familiar with The Dark Knight (reviewed here!), the villain was the Joker, an agent of chaos played by Heath Ledger. Terrorizing Gotham City and the Batman, The Joker had a whimsical and psychopathic sense to him. Hallmark used the character from The Dark Knight , without choosing a single iconic moment for their sculpt of The Joker in ornament form.

Basics

The Joker ornament faithfully presents The Joker in his purple and green suit, which was the film character’s costume. This is The Joker in his suit, which is layered enough to include the green vest, periwinkle blue shirt and a necktie underneath the rich purple suit coat and pants. The sculpt is simple, but recognizable for anyone who has seen The Dark Knight. The ornament, released in 2013, is fair for an ornament based upon the costume used in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight film. With such a rich three-dimensional model, Hallmark was able to create an ornament with a good general form. However, the pants and vest lack a realistic texture that Hallmark is capable of, but seemed unwilling to do for this ornament, making it an oversimplified ornament. Measuring four and three-quarters inches tall, the Joker ornament is one of four DC super hero-based ornaments released by Hallmark in stores (there was a San Diego Comic Con exclusive one as well) in 2013, but it has a serious flaw. The paint job on the The Joker ornament is incredibly sloppy, especially for the face. The lips on the Joker are painfully overpainted and problematically undertextured (so they do not look like scars). The Joker ornament came with an original retail price of $17.95 and I suspect that there will be enough left over at the end of the season for those who want to pick it up cheaper.

The Hallmark The Joker ornament is made of durable plastic. The Joker’s suit costume is colored in bold purple and muted green, blue, and gray. As appropriate, the character’s natural skin is only visible for the underside of the neck while the face is covered in white make-up. The lips are extended ridiculously far as a smooth red paint line, which looks less like the Joker than a disturbed clown. The Joker ornament has the Joker holding a single card in his right hand and a foot midstep atop what appears to be a manhole cover.

The Joker ornament features a version of The Joker who looks more like the animated character than Heath Ledger. The skin tones are monotonal as opposed to having rich coloring, which is unfortunate and undermines the potential realism of this ornament.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, The Joker has a sound chip, but not a light-up function. The Joker ornament comes with batteries and with the push of a button on the manhole cover, a speaker on the base plays clips from Heath Ledger. The ornament plays four different clips from The Dark Knight of The Joker’s speech, including the iconic line, “Why so serious?” The volume from the ornament is quite loud and clear and while the ornament’s clip does not have any holiday value, it perfectly embodies the Heath Ledger version of the Joker!

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake The Joker ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate superhero Christmas Tree, the Joker ornament should have been an indispensible villain ornament. Unfortunately, because the ornament is cast with the Joker in mid-step and the placement of the hook loop, this ornament leans about thirty degrees, so it is virtually impossible to balance it. The ornament has the standard metal hook loop embedded into the top of right side of The Joker’s head at a pretty obvious position. From there, the ornament, when affixed to a tree with a hook, swings very easily and is clearly weighted more on the right side (looking at the ornament).

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, they have made ornament replicas of almost all major franchises like DC comics, The Wizard Of Oz and Harry Potter. The The Joker ornament just began selling a few weekends ago and it has been selling very slowly, at least locally. Given the problems with the balance and paintjob for this ornament, it is doubtful it will be a sell-out and appreciate in value any time soon.

Overview

Fans of The Joker, Christopher Nolan’s vision of The Joker, Heath Ledger, and DC comics characters are likely to find the The Joker ornament underwhelming compared to the idea of it. Many other DC Comics based ornaments have realistic depth and shading that this ornament lacks. As a result, it is less likelt to fit in well around other DC-themed Hallmark ornaments one has. As a result, it is a letdown redeemed by an amazing sound chip and its instantly recognizable qualities.

For other DC Universe superhero Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2013 San Diego Comic Con Man Of Steel Exclusive ornament
2013 Man Of Steel Superman
2013 Descending Upon Gotham City Batman ornament
2012 The Bat The Dark Knight Rises Limited Edition Ornament
2012 Catwoman ornament
2012 "Beware My Power" Green Lantern ornament
2012 The Dark Knight Rises
2011 Batman Takes Flight
2011 Green Lantern
2010 Limited Edition Harley Quinn
2009 Wonder Woman ornament

5/10

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

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Intriguing Coloring And Collectible Value Do Not (Overly) Enhance The San Diego Comic Con Exclusive Man Of Steel Ornament!

The Good: Generally good sculpt, Basic coloring, Collectible value
The Bad: Obvious seam, Mediocre balance, Flesh coloring is incredibly simple
The Basics: The San Diego Comic Con Exclusive Man Of Steel ornament is the same sculpt as the common ornament with a variant color scheme that proves Hallmark has little regard for DC Comics fans.


With its release on DVD and Blu-Ray, I find myself once again considering Man Of Steel. At this time of year, I also find myself considering any number of Hallmark ornaments that I simply had not gotten around to reviewing yet and one of the most obvious ones was the San Diego Comic Con Exclusive Man Of Steel Hallmark ornament. Arguably, this one ended up late in the review queue because it is identical to the common release Man Of Steel ornament (reviewed here!), except in its coloring. Hallmark has an unfortunate track record in recent years for every fandom but Star Wars; only Star Wars fans are treated to unique sculpts for their exclusive ornaments. Star Trek fans this year were given a cheap recoloring of the U.S.S. Kelvin ornament (the “battle damaged” U.S.S. Kelvin ornament is reviewed here!) and the Battlestar Galactica ornament a few years back was a gold casting (reviewed here!) of the prior year’s silver Cylon! So, it is pretty unsurprising that the San Diego Comic Con Exclusive Man Of Steel ornament is just the common-release ornament in a different color, in this case the black outfit from the film.

Hallmark and DC created an ornament that is evocative of the film persona of Henry Cavill as Superman for the Man Of Steel ornament and reused it for the San Diego Comic Con Exclusive variant. Using finalized images from Man Of Steel (reviewed here!), Hallmark sculpted a very basic Superman ornament with only a general similarity to Henry Cavill. While the ornament features molded details and general coloring that helps indicate this is supposed to be the black costume seen in Man Of Steel, the facial sculpt does not look at all like Henry Cavill, any more than the common release version of the ornament did.

Basics

The San Diego Comic Con Exclusive Man Of Steel ornament faithfully presents Superman in his black and gray Kryptonian underarmor costume. This is the Superman in his textured black suit, ornamented only with the gray “S” symbol on the chest and the iconic cape in black. The ornament, released at the San Diego Comic Con in 2013, is fair for an ornament based upon the costume used in Zack Snyder’s Superman film. With such a rich three-dimensional model, Hallmark was able to create an ornament that features decent surface details and coloring. Measuring four inches tall, three and a quarter inches wide and three and one-quarter inches deep, the San Diego Comic Con Exclusive Man Of Steel ornament is one of three Comic Con ornaments released by Hallmark in 2013, but it has a serious flaw. Like the common release ornament, the San Diego Comic Con Exclusive Man Of Steel ornament has a pretty deep seam at the leg and butt juncture.

The Hallmark San Diego Comic Con Exclusive Man Of Steel ornament is made of durable plastic. Superman’s costume is colored in solid black. He is ripped with well-defined stomach and leg muscles underneath his costume. The San Diego Comic Con Exclusive Man Of Steel ornament has the traditional Superman symbol on his chest and it is molded in to negate any potential paint issues.

The San Diego Comic Con Exclusive Man Of Steel features a Superman who looks more like the animated character than Henry Cavill. The skin tones are monotonal as opposed to having rich coloring, which is unfortunate and undermines the potential realism of this ornament.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, the San Diego Comic Con Exclusive Man Of Steel ornament could have a sound chip or a light-up function. He has neither, but honestly it would have been a hard sell to make a gimmick for this ornament.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake San Diego Comic Con Exclusive Man Of Steel ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate superhero Christmas Tree, the San Diego Comic Con Exclusive Man Of Steel ornament is a pretty ridiculous luxury ornament. The ornament has the standard metal hook loop embedded into the top of Superman’s cape at a pretty obvious position. From there, the ornament, when affixed to a tree with a hook, swings very easily. This back-heavy ornament is not as well-engineered as fans would hope.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, they have made ornament replicas of almost all major franchises like DC comics, The Wizard Of Oz and Harry Potter. The San Diego Comic Con Exclusive Man Of Steel ornament was limited to 1300 pieces and consumer demand for it has not been intense enough to make its value skyrocket. In fact, it remains easily obtainable in the secondary market, making it an unlikely to succeed investment piece, especially compared to the Star Wars and Star Trek options this year.

Overview

Fans of Superman, Zack Snyder’s vision of Superman, Henry Cavill, and DC comics characters are likely to find the San Diego Comic Con Exclusive Man Of Steel ornament not worth the effort of hunting down. One suspects most fans will go with the common release ornament (with its flaws and all) and not leap to shell out the extra dough on this one.

For other DC Universe superhero Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2013 Descending Upon Gotham City Batman ornament
2012 The Bat The Dark Knight Rises Limited Edition Ornament
2012 Catwoman ornament
2012 "Beware My Power" Green Lantern ornament
2012 The Dark Knight Rises
2011 Batman Takes Flight
2011 Green Lantern
2010 Limited Edition Harley Quinn
2009 Wonder Woman ornament

4/10

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

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Average Ornament: “Ariel’s Big Dream” Is Not All Is Should Be For Disney Fans!

The Good: Decent sculpted details, Great balance, Tail
The Bad: Hair, Lack of coloring detailing
The Basics: The 2013 "Ariel’s Big Dream" from The Little Mermaid ornament is a well-sculpted, well-balanced, underdetailed ornament that has a more rushed than refined feel to it.


With the holidays so rapidly approaching, it is actually shocking to me that it has been almost a month since I last reviewed a Hallmark ornament! And yet, the The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Mockingjay ornament (reviewed here!) was reviewed a while back! Well, no more! I shall rededicate myself to reviewing ornaments in order to aid holiday shoppers in making some of the best decisions possible with gifting Hallmark ornaments! Arguably, one of the biggest DVD and Blu-Ray releases for Disney this year was The Little Mermaid, so it is entirely predictable and reasonable that Hallmark would release an ornament from The Little Mermaid to capitalize upon the renewed popularity of that film. That ornament is Ariel’s Big Dream and while it is most certainly good, it is not great, nor the best Disney Hallmark ornament released for 2013.

For those unfamiliar with The Little Mermaid (reviewed here!), the young Princess Ariel is a mermaid living under the sea, who dreams of going on land and experiencing the airbreathing world. She gets her wish, thanks to the cruel witch Ursula, but at the cost of her voice. During the opening sequences of the film, she muses about the world above the sea, most notably during the song “Under The Sea” and it is the playful, yet contemplative, pose of Ariel flitting about that is the subject of this year’s The Little Mermaid ornament.

Hallmark got all of the broad strokes right with Ariel’s Big Dream, but sculptor Katrina Bricker did not quite get the hair right and did less detailing on the actual tail (though the tail end is very cool!) than the rest of the ornament.

Basics

The "Ariel’s Big Dream" ornament recreates Ariel as she appeared in The Little Mermaid, though not from a specific scene or iconic moment. The ornament, released in 2013, is a generally accurate sculpt of Ariel the mermaid that is lacking in fine details (though, to be fair, the source material was not live action or incredibly detailed), though it does have a very neat feature, which is a translucent tail end, which makes the tail look translucent, like an actual fish.

Measuring three inches tall, two inches wide and one and one-quarter inches deep, the "Ariel’s Big Dream" ornament is an average-sized Disney character ornament. As well, it is one of the more affordable ones at only $14.95 (though, I just noticed all of them seem to be!).

The Hallmark "Ariel’s Big Dream" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has Ariel, mid-turn, her tail coming up as she rises. The ornament is sculpted accurately and gets the tail generally right, though it lacks scales and the hair was produced in broad strokes. As a result, the hair looks bulky, as opposed to an assemblage of individual fibers and the net result is more like the appearance of a helmet than actual hair! Ariel’s Big Dream is colored in monotones, though there is a little bit of depth and shading to her cheeks, creating a more lifelike blush to her cheeks. Otherwise, her skin, shell top, hair, and tail are all colored in single colors, as is the fork she is holding in her right hand. The ornament does not look bad, but it looks less-detailed than many of the other Hallmark Disney ornaments and that is a bit of a letdown.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "Ariel’s Big Dream" 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 "Ariel’s Big Dream" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Disney movie Christmas Tree, the "Ariel’s Big Dream" ornament could be the essential The Little Mermaid ornament (truth be told, I’m not sure I’ve reviewed any other ones from this film!). The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top center of Ariel’s head. This is fairly obvious and necessary for the ornament. Fortunately, at that position, Ariel’s Big Dream hangs perfectly level. The balance for this ornament is incredible and it is impressive given the direction of the arms and tail; Hallmark got the physics of this ornament just right!

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, every major franchise from Star Wars to A Nightmare Before Christmas to Indiana Jones started making Hallmark ornaments. "Ariel’s Big Dream" is one of many The Little Mermaid ornaments the company has released and one of several Disney ornaments on the market for 2013. This ornament has by no means sold out, at least locally. However, given the enduring popularity of The Little Mermaid, it is hard not to imagine that Ariel’s Big Dream will be a decent seller in the long run. I’d bet on this as a good investment ornament with the after-the-holiday discounts, even if it is not likely to skyrocket in value.

Overview

Fans of The Little Mermaid, Disney, Ariel, and Hallmark ornaments are likely to have mixed feelings with the Ariel’s Big Dream ornament, though it is not a bad overall ornament. Younger, less discriminating, fans are likely to enjoy it more than those who hold Hallmark to a high (though reasonable) standard.

For other Disney-themed Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
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

5/10

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

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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