For 2017, Hallmark Gets Around To Lock, Shock & Barrel For A Good Nightmare Before Christmas ornament!

The Good: Good sculpt and coloring, Neat sound clip
The Bad: Seems expensive, Slight balance issue
The Basics: Fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas are likely to be excited by the new “Lock, Shock, & Barrel” ornament!


This year, The Nightmare Before Christmas was on a lot in my home preceding Halloween. As a result, this is one of the first years where the characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas are fresh in my mind when I sit down to review the ornament from that film. For 2017, the The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament is Lock, Shock, & Barrel and the truth is, it is somewhat surprising that it took Hallmark so long to get around to the devilish trio!

For those unfamiliar with The Nightmare Before Christmas (reviewed here!) Lock, Shock, & Barrel are the three goons who are tasked by Jack Skellington to capture Santa Claus. The three creepy hoodlums work together over multiple attempts, to kidnap Santa Claus and bring him back to Skellington in their walking, clawfooted, bathtub.

It is Lock, Shock, and Barrel, in their tub that is the subject of the singing The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament in 2017.

Basics

The "Lock, Shock, & Barrel" ornament recreates all three goons, masked, inside the bathtub. The ornament, released in 2017, is as accurate as it can be considering it is based upon an animated work for the source material. Because everything in The Nightmare Before Christmas is colored in simple solid colors (without human shading or details), the ornament appropriately does not have complex shading to it.

Still, Hallmark clearly made an effort on the "Lock, Shock, & Barrel" ornament and almost everything about the ornament looks good and functions well. Measuring three and three-quarters inches tall, three and one-quarter inches wide and two inches deep, the "Lock, Shock, & Barrel" ornament is a little larger than some of the other The Nightmare Before Christmas Ornaments.

The Hallmark "Lock, Shock, & Barrel" ornament is made of a durable plastic, with some pretty decent sculpted details. The actual claw feet on the bathtub stand out as creepy and well-executed. The three characters look good, just like they did in the film. The Lock, Shock & Barrel ornament features a weird water element in the tub, which allows the details below the busts of the three antagonists to be cheated out, that looks just a little off. This ornament remains fairly easy to find at Hallmark stores, so there is no reason to look for it yet in the secondary market, despite the fact that The Nightmare Before Christmas is pretty popular. This ornament features a battery to power the sound effect.

The “Lock, Shock, & Barrel” ornament has coloring that is generally simplistic. The characters look accurate, but simple without any realistic depth and shading to them. The source material is fairly simplistic, so it is unsurprising that most of the ornament is simplistically colored.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "Lock, Shock, & Barrel" has a sound effect. On the side of the bathtub, there is a very obvious button. The button, when pressed, activates the sound effect. The Lock, Shock, & Barrel ornament features the song the trio sings when they go off to abduct Santa Claus and it is probably the best possible sound clip for this particular ornament.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "Lock, Shock, & Barrel" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Christmas Tree for The Nightmare Before Christmas, the "Lock, Shock, & Barrel" ornament is a smart addition that almost all fans of the film will want to add to their collection. The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top of Shock's witch's hat.

The placement of the loop is somewhat obvious, but fairly necessary given the characters on the ornament. From that vantage point, the ornament hands with a slight right and backward bias. The tub and its characters do not hang perfectly level, but this is not exactly a dealbreaker for this ornament given how off-balance the characters are in many shots in the film.

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 The Nightmare Before Christmas. "Lock, Shock, & Barrel" was the only The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament released in 2017 and fans seemed to like it, though it is quite common. Even so, this ornament appears to be more than adequately produced and is not likely to be a great investment piece. This is an ornament that might be better to wait until after the holiday is over and pick it up at half-price!

Overview

This year’s The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament recreates “Lock, Shock, & Barrel” and might well be the last essential characters from the film to be given ornament form. If that is the case, they were certainly well worth the wait!

For other The Nightmare Before Christmas Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2016 Dr. Finklestein ornament
2016 Sally - Limited Edition!
2014 "This Is Halloween" ornament
2014 Jack's Peculiar Pet - Limited Edition!
2013 Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares
2012 Jack Sneaks A Peek ornament
2011 A Snowy Surprise The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament
2009 Welcome To Christmastown

8/10

For other ornament reviews, please check out my Ornament Review Index Page!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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I Finally Get Around To The Delightful 2016 A Girl's Best Friend Tangled Ornament!

The Good: Excellent sculpt, Good balance, Good detailing
The Bad: Comparatively expensive for its size, No function
The Basics: The 2016 "A Girl's Best Friend" from Tangled ornament is a fun Disney ornament, even if it does not quite fit the scale of other Disney ornaments.


2016 was a huge year for me with Hallmark ornament reviews. In fact, it was such a big year that I ended up with a number of reviews that took a while to get around to actually processing. Finally, though, I have ended up at the end of my reviews of Hallmark ornaments from the 2016 season. The last ornament I had to review was the 2016 A Girl's Best Friend Tangled ornament and it is definitely going out on a high note.

For those unfamiliar with Tangled (reviewed here!), it is the musical story of Rapunzel and on her journey out into the larger world, Maximus is one of the guard's horses that is hunting Flynn Rider. Maximus, more diligent and competent than the human guards, is vigilant but ultimately comes to the aid of Rapunzel.

It is Rapunzel, hugging Maximus, that is the subject of the 2016 A Girl's Best Friend Tangled ornament.

Basics

The "A Girl's Best Friend" ornament recreates Rapunzel, as she appeared in Tangled with her long hair cascading all around her as and into a coil under her feet as she hugs a seated Maximus, who is nuzzling her back. The ornament, released in 2016, is a well-executed and accurate sculpt of Maximus with his saddle and Rapunzel in her iconic purple dress, with the character and hair looking instantly recognizable. Both characters look recognizable and accurate for the sculpt, which allowed Hallmark to not make it incredibly detailed. Despite that, Hallmark paid attention to such details as the rivets on Maximus's saddle and the buckle on his saddle bag.

Hallmark made a significant effort on A Girl's Best Friend as Rapunzel's hair is sculpted with texture to make it look more realistic - despite its supernatural length. Measuring two and a half inches tall and wide and one and one-quarter inches deep, the "A Girl's Best Friend" ornament is one of the smaller-scale Disney character ornaments from 2016 and it was comparatively expensive at its initial release price of $17.95.

The Hallmark "A Girl's Best Friend" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has Rapunzel hugging the seated horse. A Girl's Best Friend escapes the usual critique about the lack of realism to the skin tones, because Maximus and Rapunzel are both animated characters. Rapunzel's eyes are bright green and wonderfully detailed; she looks truly joyful as she smiles while looking away from Maximus. The paint job on things like the stirrups are incredibly well-executed. Despite the smaller scale, the A Girl's Best Friend was immaculately painted!

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "A Girl's Best Friend" could have a sound or light effect, but it does not. Instead, this is a less-expensive option that is just the two characters in a smaller scale.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "A Girl's Best Friend" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Disney movie Christmas Tree, the "A Girl's Best Friend" ornament is a decent Tangled option that can enhance the tree of those who love Disney. The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top center of Maximus's arched back. The placement of the hook loop is fairly obvious and necessary for the ornament. A Girl's Best Friend hangs perpendicular to the ground when properly hung from that hook point and while the ornament has a very minor bias in favor of Rapunzel, the ornament has generally good balance. For the scale, the balance is actually quite good.

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. "A Girl's Best Friend" is one of only a few Tangled ornaments on the market and at least the sixth to feature Rapunzel. This ornament is long sold out at every Hallmark, but it has not really appreciated in the secondary market, which suggests that the initial release price was exactly right - or a little high - for the ornament.

Overview

Fans of Tangled, Disney, Rapunzel, horses, Mandy Moore, and Hallmark ornaments are likely to be thrilled with the “A Girl's Best Friend” ornament, despite its size; the quality of the sculpt and coloring more than make up for its initial price!

For other Tangled Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2015 Rapunzel And Pascal ornament
2014 Rapunzel's Long Locks ornament
2013 Fierce With A Frying Pan ornament
2012 It's All About The Hair ornament
2011 Rapunzel ornament

8.5/10

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

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Hallmark Has Another The Little Mermaid Ornament Winner With The 2017 Ariel's World!

The Good: Decent sculpted details, Affordable, Neat coloring accents
The Bad: Slight left-bias, Sloppy paint job on scalp for Ariel
The Basics: The 2017 "Ariel's World" ornament from The Little Mermaid is a good argument for why Hallmark can get away with churning out yet another Ariel ornament; it's that good!


For the last several years of reviewing Hallmark Keepsake ornaments, I have kvetched about the annual ornament featuring Ariel from The Little Mermaid and begged Hallmark to produce ornaments based on other characters from The Little Mermaid, namely Ursula and King Triton. In 2017, Hallmark seemed to split the difference by finally making a limited edition Ursula ornament (reviewed here!) and producing yet another Ariel-themed The Little Mermaid ornament. The standard release The Little Mermaid ornament is called Ariel's World and it is quite good!

For those unfamiliar with The Little Mermaid (reviewed here!), Ariel and her fish companion, Flounder, head from a sunken wreckage to a small island where they meet a seagull. After eluding the villainous sharks in the sunken ship, Ariel swims with the fork she found and Ariel's world seems to encapsulate the moment when Ariel and Flounder are nearing the surface of the water with Ariel's new "treasure."

The 2017 Ariel's World is actually a very cool mobile style ornament that features the surface of the water from which hangs Ariel, Flounder and strands of beads meant to represent bubbles! This is a very cool ornament and it is surprisingly well-executed.

Basics

The "Ariel's World" ornament recreates Ariel, holding a fork, Flounder, bubbles and a translucent disk that they hand from which appears to be the surface of the ocean. The ornament, released in 2017, is an incredible sculpt of the mermaid Ariel, especially for the smaller scale, and is instantly recognizable to anyone who loves The Little Mermaid.

Measuring five inches tall, two and a half inches wide by two and a quarter inches deep, the "Ariel's World" ornament is on scale with the majority of the other Disney ornaments. Even with an initial release price of $17.95, Ariel's World feels like a value for the quality of the ornament.

The Hallmark The Little Mermaid "Ariel's World" ornament is made of durable plastic and wire and has Ariel, swimming up toward the ocean surface, with Flounder hanging similarly nearby. Ariel holds a fork in one hand and is sculpted with a big smile on her face. Hallmark got all of the sculpted details absolutely right, from the subtle veining on Ariel's tail to the fine cute nose on her face. Flounder is featured with fine fins on his side and top and decent sculpting for his smile.

The paint accents on the "Ariel's World" are generally good. Ariel has a blush to her cheeks and Flounder is painted with sharp, distinct lines. Both characters have incredibly well-rendered eyes. Ariel's tail has some sparkle accents to it, which are very cute! Unfortunately, while Founder has very clear lines for his blue stripe, the three copies of Ariel's World that I looked at each had sloppy painting where Ariel's hair meets her head. All three featured orange paint that was well off the hair portion of the ornament and onto Ariel's face. Given the attention to detail on the rest of the ornament, this is noticeable, but not a dealbreaker for fans.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, The Little Mermaid "Ariel's World" could have a sound or light function, but Hallmark opted to make a less-expensive ornament option for fans of The Little Mermaid instead of augmenting it with a feature. The mobile structure of the ornament is feature-enough for most!

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake The Little Mermaid "Ariel's World" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Disney movie Christmas Tree, the "Ariel's World" ornament is a great addition, despite having a minor balance issue. The ornament has the standard steel hook loop embedded into the top center of the top of the water, the uppermost portion of the mobile. Unfortunately, from that vantage, the ornament has a left bias; Ariel and her bubbles are a little heavier than Flounder and his bubbles. Because of the flat surface of the water, the balance issue is noticeable, but even this is not a dealbreaker with the ornament; I quickly discovered that the hanging bubbles can actually be used to wedge up Ariel and Flounder in such a way that the balance issue gets fixed . . . even if it slightly alters the appearance and free-floating mobile nature of the ornament.

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. "Ariel's World" is one of many The Little Mermaid ornaments the company has released and one of several Disney ornaments on the market for 2017. This ornament appears to be resonating with fans and has sold out at several of the Hallmark shops I have gone to! As a result, I was unsurprised to find it already increasing in value on the secondary market. That suggests that it will be a good investment piece, even at its full, original release price.

Overview

Fans of The Little Mermaid, Disney, Ariel, and Hallmark ornaments are likely to love the The Little Mermaid Ariel's World ornament, despite the minor balance and hair-paint issues. If Hallmark keeps making ornaments of this quality alongside future limited edition The Little Mermaid ornaments like Triton and the chef (with a sound clip of Rene Auberjonois singing "Le Poisson"), it will be okay that we end up with an armada of Ariel's!

For other Disney's The Little Mermaid Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2016 Under The Sea ornament
2015 Ariel's Thingamabobs ornament
2014 The Little Mermaid 25th Anniversary ornament
2013 Under The Sea The Little Mermaid
2013 Ariel's Big Dream The Little Mermaid ornament

9/10

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

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The 2017 Dead Men Tell No Tales Pirates Of The Caribbean Ornament Is A Mixed Bag Of Booty!

The Good: Great sculpt, Generally good coloring detail, Decent sound clip
The Bad: No light effect, Right-heavy, Bead coloring is incongruent with the rest of the ornament
The Basics: The 2017 "Dead Men Tell No Tales" ornament is all right, but still leaves fans chasing an elusive perfect Pirates Of The Caribbean ornament.


It seems like sometimes, Hallmark makes a decent bet on a franchise that has pretty much burned itself out. The Pirates Of The Caribbean film franchise seems pretty well played-out, but Disney keeps churning out films. To match the studio's lack of creativity, Hallmark did an ornament for the latest film that is a virtual recycling of an earlier Pirates Of The Caribbean ornament. The 2017 Dead Men Tell No Tales ornament is unlikely to thrill even the die-hard fans, but it is not at all the worst ornament that could have been done for the new film.

For those unfamiliar with the idea of the ornament, Dead Men Tell No Tales is the Pirates Of The Caribbean skull with the crossed bones behind it from the logo and promotional materials for Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (reviewed here!). To the best of my knowledge, the symbol does not actually appear in the film this time around

Basics

The "Dead Men Tell No Tales" ornament recreates the skull with the earrings and crossed bones behind it. The ornament, released in 2017, is completely accurate in its sculpting and looks appropriately rendered in three dimensions, which makes sense because the original logo skull was a computer-generated effect and could thus be made into a 3-D framework for an ornament exceptionally easily. But Hallmark made sure to get details precisely right, like the depth of the mouth cavity and shape of the teeth in the skull. The beads are well-molded, so much so that one would expect them to be flexible and mobile they look so much like they are hanging appropriately from the skull (which says something given that the skull has no ears!).

The Hallmark "Dead Men Tell No Tales" ornament is made of a durable plastic and is colored precisely. The skull is not a black and bronze, which is accurate to the logo. While the skull is impressively detailed like the logo from Dead Men Tell No Tales, the rest of the ornament has more plain coloring and the bright contrast on the earrings looks terrible compared to the rest of the ornament. Each of the beads on the earring is painstakingly colored, but they look unworn compared to the coloring for the skull.

Given that the Dead Men Tell No Tales ornament is 3 7/8” wide by 3 3/4” tall and 1 3/4” deep and the ornament has a sound feature, the $19.95 initial price is not bad at all.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "Dead Men Tell No Tales" has a sound effect, but not a light effect. Given that the eyes could be made to light up, it is a little disappointing that the battery-operated effect does not include a light component. As it is, though, the sound clip is impressive. When the button is pressed, a sound clip for the Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales soundtrack and it lasts for about thirty seconds. I was impressed – in addition to the quality of the sound – by the volume of the sound clip! This is one of the loudest ornaments Hallmark has produced!

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "Dead Men Tell No Tales" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate movie nostalgia Christmas Tree, the "Dead Men Tell No Tales" ornament is very much unnecessary. The ornament has the standard steel hook loop embedded into the top center of the skull. This is fairly obvious and necessary for the ornament. Hanging there, the ornament is a bit biased on the right side. The right heavy aspect of the ornament is not overwhelming, but it is noticeable.

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. "Dead Men Tell No Tales" is one of only a few Pirates Of The Caribbean ornaments on the market and it is one of a few not to feature Jack Sparrow. Given that the ornament that was very similar that was released years ago did not appreciate in value, it is hard to believe that this one will - especially now that the franchise is on the downswing.

Overview

Fans of the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise, pirates in general and Hallmark ornaments are likely to be split on the Dead Men Tell No Tales ornament; it is well-sculpted, has a cool sound function, but the coloring is distinctly split and the balance is not at all perfect.

For other Pirates Of The Caribbean ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2013 Pirates Of The Caribbean ornament
2012 On Stranger Tides ornament
2011 Captain Jack Sparrow ornament

7.5/10

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

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Hallmark Listened! I Start The 2017 Hallmark Ornament Season With The Ursula Ornament!

The Good: Amazing balance, Decent sculpted details, Collectible value, Good coloring
The Bad: Seam on one leg.
The Basics: The 2017 "Ursula" ornament from The Little Mermaid is almost perfect, making it a great argument for future limited edition Disney villain ornaments!


For years, I have been reviewing Hallmark ornaments and from almost the first moment I began reviewing the Disney Hallmark ornament line, I have lamented the plethora of Disney princesses and companion ornaments without any real villains. Long, long ago, Hallmark mortgaged the idea that genre fans had to have Christmas trees that were exclusively populated by protagonists - Darth Vader, The Emperor and Khan from Star Trek easily saw to that. So, the idea that Disney villains have not been the subject of Hallmark Keepsake ornaments has been an issue with me. I most frequently mentioned my disappointment in the lack of Disney villains when I would review the annual Hallmark ornament that was inevitably focused on Ariel from The Little Mermaid. I have long advocated that Hallmark should produce an Ursula or King Trident ornament.

Finally, in 2017, Hallmark showed they were listening! I decided to reward that responsiveness with dedicating my first Hallmark ornament review of the 2017 ornament season being the new, limited edition Ursula ornament!

For those unfamiliar with The Little Mermaid (reviewed here!), Ursula is the primary villain in the film. She is the sea witch who tempts Ariel with a Faustian bargain - legs and the ability to live on land in exchange for the mermaid's voice if she is unable to get a kiss. Ursula is half woman, half octopus with a sly demeanor and a wicked smile.

Sharon Visker sculpted the limited edition Ursula ornament and the ornament is the devious character on her own.

Basics

The "Ursula" ornament recreates the sea witch Ursula in a pose that implies that she is singing or laughing. The ornament, released in 2017 as a limited edition ornament, is an incredible sculpt of Ursula and is instantly recognizable to anyone who loves The Little Mermaid.

Measuring three and one-quarter inches tall by three and a half inches wide by two and a half inches deep, the "Ursula" ornament is a slightly smaller than most of the Disney ornaments, though it is a little bigger than some of the Ariel ornaments in recent years, which is nice. At only $15.95, it is one of the more comparatively expensive Disney ornaments for its size.

The Hallmark The Little Mermaid "Ursula" ornament is made of durable plastic and features Ursula on her own. The character ornament features spiked white hair and a giant smile. Ursula has six tentacles and Hallmark's attention to detail was so impressive that the tentacles have little suckers on them! Ursula's teeth are actually sculpted in, which is impressive - especially when one looks at her head from the side. The sculpted details are augmented by the sharp and accurate cut of Ursula's nose and the shell on her necklace! The real amazing aspect of the sculpted detailing is the fact that Ursula's dress and legs are textured exceptionally subtly - like squid skin - while her human flesh is perfectly smooth!

Honestly, the only thing that robs the 2017 Ursula ornament of a perfect rating is the lone tentacle that is clearly attached and has a deep seam on the top. The underside of the ornament has a seam where the bottom was attached, but that is only visibly by truly looking for it. From the front, the ornament's one seamed tentacle can be fairly easily observed.

The coloring for the Ursula ornament is perfect. Ursula was colored in the film The Little Mermaid in monotones and Hallmark got them perfectly right. The lines are sharp for Ursula's lips, the necklace and shell on it. Hallmark even painted Ursula's bright red fingernails with remarkable precision!

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, The Little Mermaid "Ursula" could have a sound or light function, but Hallmark opted to make a less-expensive ornament option for fans of The Little Mermaid instead of augmenting it with a feature.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake The Little Mermaid "Ursula" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Disney movie Christmas Tree, the "Ursula" ornament is a great addition! The ornament has the standard steel hook loop embedded into the top center of Ursula's head. The upswept bangs of the Disney villainess hides the hook loop well. Fortunately, from that point, the ornament is perfectly balanced. Ursula's tentacles essentially create a base and that base is perfectly level when using the hook loop on the ornament!

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. "Ursula" is one of many The Little Mermaid ornaments the company has released and one of several Disney ornaments on the market for 2017. This ornament is a limited edition and the first real villain ornament, making it a virtually guaranteed sell-out for Disney and Hallmark ornament fans.

Overview

Fans of The Little Mermaid, Disney, Ursula, and Hallmark ornaments are likely to love the The Little Mermaid Ursula ornament, despite the minor seam issue. If that is the only genuine problem, fans have a lot to be thrilled about with the ornament. This is a must-buy for Disney and The Little Mermaid fans!

This is an ornament I proudly sell in my online store. For my current inventory of them, please check out my Ursula Ornament Inventory!

For other Disney's The Little Mermaid Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2016 Under The Sea ornament
2015 Ariel's Thingamabobs ornament
2014 The Little Mermaid 25th Anniversary ornament
2013 Under The Sea The Little Mermaid
2013 Ariel's Big Dream The Little Mermaid ornament

9.5/10

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

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Joyful Perfection Makes For A Wonderful Anniversary Tribute! (My 300th Ornament Review!)

The Good: Surprisingly good balance, Excellent sculpt and coloring, Great size for the price, Impressive audio clip (for duration, volume, and quality!)
The Bad: None that I can find (though it is magnetized)
The Basics: The 2016 Beauty And The Beast 25th Anniversary ornament is a perfect ornament, much to my surprise!


As I make preparations for the whole new season of Hallmark ornament releases, I am finishing up the last of last year's ornament evaluations. 2016 was my biggest year for Hallmark ornament reviews and I was very excited by the width and breadth of the Hallmark ornament line. As I began to recognize just how many ornament reviews I had done and how many I had left, I decided that for my 300th ornament review, I wanted to review a truly special ornament. So, when I pulled out my wife's 2016 Disney's Beauty And The Beast 25th Anniversary ornament today for review, I was prepared for special; I was pleasantly surprised by perfection. The 25th Anniversary "Beauty And The Beast" ornament is wonderful and, perhaps unsurprisingly, perfect.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, “Beauty And The Beast” is a holiday ornament that features the the title characters dancing in front of the castle's somewhat expository stain glass window. Those who love the Disney animated film Beauty And The Beast (reviewed here!) will instantly recognize the scene and characters depicted in the ornament. The protagonists, a portion of the floor and the windowframe backdrop are all effectively incorporated into the 2016 Beauty And The Beast ornament.

Basics

“Beauty And The Beast” recreates dance scene between Belle and the Beast on a piece of the castle floor right in front of the stain glassed window that shows Belle dancing with the Prince. The sculpt is incredible, with all of the characters looking incredible and accurate. Measuring 5 1/2" tall, 4 1/8" wide and 2 1/8" deep, the “Beauty And The Beast” is comparatively huge and sold out fast from most Hallmark Gold Crown stores at the original issue price of $24.95. Despite 2016 being pretty well flooded with Disney ornaments, the 25th Anniversary Beauty And The Beast ornament was a pretty fast sell-out.

The Hallmark “Beauty And The Beast” ornament is made of a durable plastic and has the floor, windowframe and characters incredibly well-sculpted and then attached to one another. One of the instantly impressive aspects of the 2016 Beauty And The Beast 25th Anniversary ornament is that there are no noticeable seams on the ornament. The 2016 Beauty And The Beast 25th Anniversary ornament features instantly recognizable characters for Belle, with even the most subtle smile molded into her face, and the Beast. The castle floor and windowframe are molded with deep lines between the stones, which makes it look real, like it was constructed. The 2016 Beauty And The Beast 25th Anniversary ornament is molded precisely and accurately, making for one of the highest-quality Disney ornaments Hallmark ever produced.

On the coloring front, the Beauty And The Beast ornament is incredible. The window would seem to be the weak spot of the 2016 Beauty And The Beast 25th Anniversary ornament as it is a sticker instead of a translucent plastic insert (which other ornaments have done in the past). Rather incredibly, the sticker matches the tone and coloring of the characters on the ornament and the castle portion frame looks incredible with the coloring. The shading and depth of the rocks plays beautifully off the pearlescent quality to Belle's yellow dress. Every line of the colors for the Beast's outfit is crisp and clean; this is an immaculately colored ornament, down to the pin on the Beast's front ruffles.

The sculpt and coloring of the 2016 Beauty And The Beast 25th Anniversary ornament is incredible.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, “Beauty And The Beast” has a battery-powered sound effect and it comes with two watch batteries to activate the sound effect. The sound effect is simple: pressing a button concealed that is fairly well-concealed in the rocks on the front right of the ornament causes the main song "Beauty And The Beast" to play from a speaker on the bottom of the ornament. This is Angela Lansbury singing the main song from the line "Tale as old as time . . ." through one chorus of the song. Despite the fact that Lansbury's character is not on the ornament, the sound clip works! The sound is clear and instantly recognizable to the fans.

Hallmark includes the batteries needed to operate the ornament. There is no light effect to the 2016 Beauty And The Beast 25th Anniversary ornament, but it is wonderful on its own without one.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake “Beauty And The Beast” ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Disney Christmas Tree, the “Beauty And The Beast” ornament is an incredible ornament. The ornament has a steel hook loop that comes out of the top of the windowframe backdrop. From that position, the ornament hangs perfectly level. This is an exceptionally stable ornament that only sways when it (or the tree) is bumped or the button on the base is pressed.

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 delved into virtually every other collectible franchise in an attempt to cash in on every major license. The Disney line-up has had a ton of ornaments made for it, with Beauty And The Beast being incredibly well-represented long before the 2016 Beauty And The Beast 25th Anniversary ornament. Despite that, the 2016 Beauty And The Beast 25th Anniversary ornament has exploded in value, arguably because of its quality. This ornament was one of the few non-limited edition Disney ornaments that was a sell-out in 2016 and fans seem to have responded to that. This was an incredibly pricy ornament initially, though it appreciated in value already. While the 2016 Beauty And The Beast 25th Anniversary ornament might seem expensive even at collectible prices, it is worth it!

Overview

2016 Beauty And The Beast 25th Anniversary ornament has a great sound clip, incredible balance and looks good in both sculpt and coloring, making it one of the best Disney - and best Hallmark - ornaments ever!

For other Disney Beauty And The Beast Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2016 Lumiere Beauty And The Beast (Limited Edition)
2014 All Eyes On Belle Beauty And The Beast ornament
2013 Beautiful Belle Beauty And The Beast

10/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page, there you will find an organized listing of all the ornaments I've reviewed!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Not A Great Tribute To The Good Dinosaur, The 2016 Arlo And Spot Ornament Flops.

The Good: Generally good sculpt, Good balance
The Bad: Detailing on Spot, Assembled appearance, Seems expensive, Coloring on Arlo
The Basics: The 2016 "Arlo And Spot" ornament from The Good Dinosaur is a good idea with a mediocre execution.


When it comes to Disney-themed Hallmark ornaments, it is interesting to see how the newer films are actually represented. While some of the older Disney films have been over-represented, many of the new films lack iconic characters or moments needed to make interesting ornaments. Unfortunately, one of the problems with some of the ornaments made for some of the newer films is that they are rushed to market. That is what happened, arguably, with the 2016 Arlo And Spot ornament.

For those unfamiliar with The Good Dinosaur (reviewed here!), Arlo and Spot are a boy and a dinosaur who team up for a journey home. Basically, The Good Dinosaur is a buddy comedy that teams up a neanderthal boy and an apatosaurus.

Basics

The "Arlo And Spot" ornament recreates Arlo the apatosaurus and Spot the child as they appeared in The Good Dinosaur, though not from a distinct moment and not nearly as much detailing. The ornament, released in 2016, is a fairly accurate sculpt of Spot riding Arlo.

Measuring four inches long, two inches deep and three and a half inches tall, the "Arlo And Spot" ornament is a larger than normal-sized Disney character ornament, but about on scale with the other Pixar Legends ornament. Arlo And Spot is a standalone Disney Pixar ornament. Unfortunately, Arlo And Spot feels a bit more expensive than its quality with an original release price of $15.95.

The Hallmark "Arlo And Spot" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has Spot riding Arlo. The sculpt of Arlo looks very assembled with noticeable seams at the legs. Similarly, the sculpt of Spot looks more like a caricature of the character than a version based upon the digital model of the character. Spot looks unfortunately simplistic in ornament form.

The coloring on the Arlo And Spot ornament is very simple as well. One of the impressive aspects of The Good Dinosaur is that the textures for Arlo were incredible. On the 2016 Arlo And Spot ornament, the coloring is simplistic and the dinosaur looks very plastic. The coloring on the entire 2016 Arlo And Spot is very basic, lacking in the sophisticated depth and shading of the characters in the film.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "Arlo And Spot" could have a sound or light function, but this ornament has neither. The lack of a sound clip for the ornament seems comparatively expensive and less ambitious than Hallmark could have done.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "Arlo And Spot" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Pixar movie Christmas Tree, the "Arlo And Spot" ornament is very average, but not at all essential (the film is not exactly a timeless masterpiece). The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top, back, of Spot's head. From there, the ornament hangs fairly level.

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. "Arlo And Spot" is one of several Disney ornaments on the market for 2016. This ornament did not seem to be a big seller, arguably because of the quality issues, and it has not appreciated in the secondary market yet.

Overview

Fans of The Good Dinosaur, Disney, and Hallmark ornaments are likely to be largely unimpressed by the 2016 Arlo And Spot ornament. Hallmark ornament fans have, generally, come to expect more from the ornaments than something so simple and unremarkable as the 2016 Arlo And Spot ornament.

For other Pixar-themed Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2016 Inside Out ornament
2015 WALL-E
2014 Bank On Hamm Toy Story ornament
2012 Monsters, Inc. ornament
2011 Up ornament

4/10

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

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Still Trying To Market Inside Out, Hallmark Finds A Way!

The Good: Awesome sculpted details, Accurate coloring
The Bad: Expensive, Balance issue
The Basics: The 2016 "Inside Out" ornament from the Pixar Legends Hallmark ornament line is a fair, but not exceptional, ornament.


As 2016 moves to eclipse 2015 for sheer volume of Hallmark Keepsake ornaments I've reviewed, I realized I have been neglecting the many, many Disney ornaments I have to review. Today, I am righting that by checking out the 2016 Inside Out ornament. The Inside Out ornament is only the second ornament from Hallmark Keepsake to try to capitalize on the popularity of Inside Out and the ornament producer opted again for the safety of Joy for the subject of the ornament (much like they produce Olaf ornaments from Frozen fairly frequently).

For those unfamiliar with Inside Out (reviewed here!), Joy and Sadness are two of the four personality aspects within residing in Riley's head, directing the emotions she feels. Through their adventure in Riley's conflicted emotions in the film, Joy and Sadness have to work together. It is Joy and Sadness sitting back to back in a non-film inspired concept shot that is the subject of the 2016 Inside Out ornament.

Basics

The "Inside Out" ornament recreates Joy and Sadness as they appeared in Inside Out, though not from a distinct moment. The ornament, released in 2016, is an incredibly accurate sculpt of Joy and Sorrow with an incredible amount of sculpted and surface coloring detail, entirely accurate to the computer animated subjects of Inside Out.

Measuring two and three-quarter inches tall and wide by one and a half inches deep, the "Inside Out" ornament is a larger than normal-sized Disney character ornament, but about on scale with the other Pixar Legends ornament. Inside Out is the sixth ornament in the Pixar Legends ornament line. Unfortunately, Inside Out is one of the more expensive ornaments with an original issue price of $17.95 (which is pretty hefty for an ornament that does not have a sound chip).

The Hallmark "Inside Out" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has Joy and Sorrow sitting back to back. Joy is, predictably, smiling, while Sorrow frowns deeply. Sorrow's hair is beautifully sculpted with fairly incredible detailing, as are her glasses. On Joy, Hallmark got the physics of her dress absolutely perfect with the slope of the fabric looking amazingly realistic.

The coloring on the Inside Out ornanent is accurate, which is predictably simple and monotonal for the skin of both characters and the dress Joy wears. Sorrow's sweater looks decently colored with layers of coloring to it that enhance its textured appearance and both characters have good hair coloring to them.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "Inside Out" could have a sound or light function, but this ornament has neither. Given that it is the same price as some of the Disney/Pixar ornaments that do have a sound clip, this seems comparatively expensive and less ambitious than Hallmark could have done.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "Inside Out" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Disney movie Christmas Tree, the "Inside Out" ornament is all right, but hardly essential (the film is not exactly considered a timeless masterpiece yet, even if it has been merchandised like one!). The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top, back, of Joy's head. From there, the ornament hangs with a right bias; clearly Sadness was a bit heavier than Joy!

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. "Inside Out" is one of several Disney ornaments on the market for 2016. This ornament actually seemed to sell out during its primary release, though it has not appreciated noticeably on the secondary market. This might have been a Hallmark ornament with ideal production numbers as I could not find any at my local Hallmark stores after the holidays, but the demand for it has not driven the price of it up. As a result, it might only be a worthwhile investment piece for those who are able to find it still at their Hallmarks at discount prices.

Overview

Fans of Inside Out, Disney, and Hallmark ornaments are likely to have mixed feeling about the 2016 Inside Out ornament. It is generally well-sculpted and colored, but it is balanced awkwardly and is expensive. That makes for a pretty average ornament in my book!

For other Pixar-themed Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2015 WALL-E
2014 Bank On Hamm Toy Story ornament
2012 Monsters, Inc. ornament
2011 Up ornament

5.5/10

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

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Olaf Talks Back, But The 2016 Olaf Peekbuster Ornament Is A Tough Sell!

The Good: Decent sculpted details, Fun vocals, Glitter
The Bad: Expensive, Sloppy paint job, Slightly off-balance
The Basics: The 2016 Olaf Peekbuster Hallmark ornament is a fun concept ornament from Frozen that is just a little off to keep it from being truly worthwhile.


Today is the first day of the big Hallmark ornament clearance event and now that I am back from my annual outing to the local Hallmark Gold Crown stores, I'm back to review another ornament! Usually, I try to pick an ornament that is a good investment for collectors and investors to pick up as ornaments hit 50% off and despite the flaws in the 2016 Olaf Peekbuster ornament, it might well fit into that category. The flaws in the Olaf Peekbuster ornament are minor enough that it is generally in the average range for ornaments, but the price made me consider it as just a little below average.

For those unfamiliar with Frozen (reviewed here!), Olaf was the magically-created sentient snowman who accompanied Anna and Kristoff on their quest to find Elsa. Olaf provided comic relief and the snowman on his own is the subject of a new peekbuster style talking ornament in 2016.

Basics

The "Olaf Peekbuster" ornament recreates Olaf as he appeared in Frozen, though not from a specific scene or iconic moment. The ornament, released in 2016, is an entirely accurate sculpt of Olaf the snowman, albeit in a larger scale than normal, in a seated position attached to a base of snow. The subject of the ornament was a computer-generated snowman who sang and danced and the sculptor did an exceptional job of capturing the curved, animated look of Olaf with a realistic looking snow base!

Measuring four and one-quarter inches tall and two and a half inches wide and deep, the "Olaf Peekbuster" ornament is a larger scale ornament than most of the other Disney character ornaments and many of the other peekbuster-style ornaments. As such, it was one of the more expensive Disney themed Hallmark ornaments at $19.95.

The Hallmark "Olaf Peekbuster" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has Olaf, twig arms lowered as he touches his toes. The Olaf Peekbuster ornament has the appropriately goofy, open smile on his mouth. The ornament is sculpted accurately and gets the look of Olaf perfectly right! This ornament is augmented by glitter that some of the other ornaments of Disney characters who appeared in snowy environments possessed! For accuracy, Olaf is made pretty awesome by the fact that non-snow elements, like his coal buttons, eyes, mouth, carrot nose, and twig arms and hair do not have any glitter on them! I checked out four copies of the Olaf Peekbuster ornament and all of them had sloppy paintjobs around the eyes and many had orange from the carrot painted well off the seam where it connects to the head.

The snowy base that the Olaf Peekbuster ornament is on looks generally good and matches the quality of the Olaf figure that sits upon the mound of snow.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, the "Olaf Peekbuster" has a sound function that is the key selling point of this ornament. The Olaf Peekbuster has vocal clips that sound just like Josh Gad (who voiced Olaf in Frozen) admonishing people about keeping the surprise of the gifts the ornament is guarding. The bottom of the snow mound has a little button that when slid into the "on" position activates the peekbuster ornament. When the ornament is on, movement made within a few feet of the sensor on the front of the Olaf Peekbuster activates the sound function. Olaf delivers one of (at least) seven sound clips related to loving surprises and not trying to peek at the presents. The ornament certainly sounds like Olaf in both vocals and in the tone/character of the sound clips.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "Olaf Peekbuster" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Disney movie Christmas Tree, the "Olaf Peekbuster" ornament is essential! The ornament has the standard steel hook loop embedded into the top center of the back of Olaf’s head. From that position, the Olaf ornament hangs with a slight left bias, as if the hardware for the sound function is off-center and slightly heavier than the rest of the ornament. The balance for this ornament is slightly off, which is made noticeable by the base Olaf is on, which does not hang level. The balance issue is not excessive, but it is recognizably off.

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 "Olaf Peekbuster" is the latest Frozen ornament and one of two from Hallmark released in 2016. The Olaf Peekbuster sold out a many Hallmarks I visited long before they could ever be clearanced. At the original $19.95 issue price, the Olaf Peekbuster seemed expensive. Despite the paint job issue and the slight bias in the balance, if one can find it on clearance now, it might be worth it. But it seems unlikely it would appreciate in value above its original issue price, so getting it discounted seems like the most probable way to make one's money back as an investment piece.

Overview

Fans of Frozen, Disney, Olaf, and Hallmark ornaments might love the concept of the Olaf Peekbuster ornament, but the execution is not flawless and the ornament is a bit expensive comparatively. That said, Olaf has been over-merchandised and even with the minor quirks, the Olaf Peekbuster ornament is a little tougher sell than it might have been had it been released a few years ago.

For other Frozen Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2015 Let It Go
2015 Princess Anna
2015 Olaf In Summer
2014 Queen Elsa
2014 Olaf

4/10

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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Under The Sea Or Not, The New The Little Mermaid Ornament Is Pretty Cool!

The Good: Decent sculpted details, Affordable, Neat coloring accents
The Bad: Slight tight bias, Some of the basic coloring detailing
The Basics: The 2016 "Under The Sea" ornament from The Little Mermaid is one of Hallmark's nicest Disney-based ornaments released this year!


One of the staple Disney ornaments each year from Hallmark seems to come from The Little Mermaid. What is interesting to me about this is that the film has been around long enough that I would assume all of the characters have been produced to death in ornament form. And yet, every year, Hallmark finds a new ornament to make. As near as I can tell, there are no King Triton or Ursula ornaments from Hallmark Keepsake, but there are many ornaments of Ariel. This year is, oddly enough, no exception and the Under The Sea ornament is Ariel with seahorses. In addition to having several ornaments of Ariel, there are several The Little Mermaid ornaments called Under The Sea, which is equally unimaginative as another Ariel ornament.

For those unfamiliar with The Little Mermaid (reviewed here!), Ariel is a mermaid who lived in peace and harmony with other undersea life, including seahorses. It is Ariel maintaining her position, with three seahorses rising out of her left hand that is the subject of the 2016 Under The Sea ornament.

Basics

The "Under The Sea" ornament recreates Ariel and seahorses on their own. The ornament, released in 2016, is an incredible sculpt of the mermaid Ariel, including seahorses, and is instantly recognizable to anyone who loves The Little Mermaid.

Measuring three and three-quarter inches tall by one and three-quarter inches wide by one and a half inches deep, the "Under The Sea" ornament is in scale with most of the Disney ornaments. At $15.95, the Under The Sea ornament feels a little expensive, though it gets far more right than not.

The Hallmark The Little Mermaid "Under The Sea" ornament is made of durable plastic and has Ariel, swimming upward, essentially hovering (I'd say she looks like she is treading water, but she has no legs!) while holding the seahorses in her left hand. The sculpt is accurate enough to make the mermaid look perfectly recognizable. And the seahorses look like seahorses, so the sculpt is decent all the way around!

The painted accents on the "Under The Sea" ornament are a mixed bag. Ariel has a blush to her cheeks and the character's eyes are well-detailed and colored, as are the colors on the seahorses. The tail is pearlescent and the base of the tail is translucent, which looks impressive. Ariel's hair, however, is monotonally colored in a way that contrasts the sophisticated coloring of the rest of the ornament.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, The Little Mermaid "Under The Sea" could have a sound or light function, but Hallmark opted to make a less-expensive ornament option for fans of The Little Mermaid instead of augmenting it with a feature.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake The Little Mermaid "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 is a great addition, despite there being so many Ariel ornaments and the minor balance issue for the ornament. The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top center of the back of Ariel's hair. From that point the ornament is slightly heavier on the right side. As a result, Ariel does not quite hang level and she looks like she is swimming slightly lopsidedly 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. "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 2016. This ornament appears to be resonating with fans and has sold out at several of the Hallmark shops I have gone to! But given how many ornaments there are of Ariel, basic ornaments like the 2016 Under The Sea ornament seem not to appreciate much in value after the season is over. I would not expect it to go above its initial release price for some time given how the starting price for the ornament is more than in previous years.

Overview

Fans of The Little Mermaid, Disney, Ariel, and Hallmark ornaments are likely to like the The Little Mermaid Under The Sea ornament, but those who are looking for an ornament to cut from their want list - who have other Ariel ornaments - will likely make this one the one that does not make the cut.

For other Disney's The Little Mermaid Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2015 Ariel's Thingamabobs
2014 The Little Mermaid 25th Anniversary ornament
2013 Under The Sea The Little Mermaid
2013 Ariel's Big Dream The Little Mermaid ornament

7/10

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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