The Good: Collectible, Well-balanced, Good casting of the character
The Bad: A bit pricey, No special features
The Basics: A decent ornament, the limited edition Greedo hangs on the tree looking badass . . . for those who want to risk an investment piece on their tree!
Every now and then, Hallmark does something special to surprise those who collect their ornaments. Last year, on the premiere weekend when Hallmark released its 2009 line-up of ornaments, they released a limited edition Star Wars ornament that did exactly what Hallmark hoped it would; it was bought up almost immediately and has since begun appreciating surprisingly quickly in the secondary market, much like this year’s Lando Calrissian Limited Edition ornament (click here for that review!). As a collector of trading cards, I am used to limited edition and exclusive items, but this was the first time I managed to get my hands on one of limited edition Hallmark ornaments. That ornament was Greedo.
Greedo is a limited edition, exclusive Hallmark ornament, and it is not one of the usual ornaments considered # in a series. Instead, this is outside the regular numbering and truth-be-told, the best place to find it is on-line; trying to find it in stores is an almost impossible task given that they sold out at virtually every location that they were shipped to.
Hallmark Keepsake has a line of collectible ornaments from major franchises, like Star Wars and Star Trek. From the Star Wars line comes the Greedo limited edition ornament. Fans of the Star Wars Trilogy will easily recall Greedo. He was the bounty hunter in the Cantina in A New Hope (click here for my review of the film!) who met his untimely end when he tried to collect money from Han Solo for Jabba the Hutt. Greedo drew a gun on Solo, but Solo shot first, killing poor Greedo. Hallmark captures Greedo as alive and menacing!
Basics
The Greedo ornament recreates the menacing bounty hunter in solid plastic. The ornament, released in 2009, is a fairly recognizable bounty hunter with his pistol drawn! He has his green skin and bright orange vest and his elongated fingers are half-extended. Hallmark insisted on something like $18.00 for the ornament originally and it easily sold out at that price. Given that the ornament was designed for fans, this is an ornament that appeals to collectors and Greedo is easily recognizable to them.
The Hallmark Greedo ornament is made of a durable plastic and has him holding a small blaster pistol in one hand and his other is open, by his waist. His feet are arranged in a solid stance and if this were an action figure, it would not stand on them. Greedo looks coldly menacing, ready to shoot first and to take what he wants. Given that he is a green lizard-man, this means he is largely inscrutable.
Greedo is detailed exceptionally in the body, in the accessory and on the costume. Greedo looks like he did in the movie when his head was just made of a latex mask. His vest looks puffy and the flightsuit beneath looks sleek. Fans are likely to be excited by the detail of such things as the bumps and antennae on Greedo's head and the glossy green of his eyes. Hallmark took a lot of care in decorating the Greedo ornament, including the blaster pistol.
Features
As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, Greedo could have a function like a sound chip or light effect, but does not. This is just an ornament, a low-cost (comparatively) option for those who might not want to shell out for the starship series of Star Wars ornaments. This is Greedo simply hangs. Greedo's gun may not be removed from his hand and there are no additional weapons or accessories for the ornament.
This ornament does come with a collectible trading card featuring the picture from the front of the box on it. This is a cute gimmick and it appeals to trading card enthusiasts as it does to ornament collectors.
Balance
As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake Greedo ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Star Wars Christmas Tree, the Greedo is very much a luxury; Greedo was not an essential character in the original Star Wars Trilogy by any means and any merchandising of Greedo is very much for the die-hard fans. The ornament has a brass hook loop embedded into the top center, slightly back, of the character's skull. From that hook, the Greedo ornament hangs perfectly balanced. It is impressive and the ornament sways when rocked, but otherwise sits stable in the right position!
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!). Since then, they have branched out into other popular franchises like Star Wars and The Wizard Of Oz. The Greedo ornament is very limited and has already increased in price by about a third in the secondary market. At this point in the Star Wars ornament collections, the primary characters have all been done and the popular secondary characters are being explored. Greedo was short-produced, though the exact numbers have not been released, but it's pretty hard to meet the demand of all the Star Wars fans.
This is a great investment piece and it is already appreciating, so one suspects that even buying it now would be a good investment.
Overview
Sure, Greedo has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas or any winter holiday, but most collectible ornaments do not. Greedo appeals to science fiction fans and while it would be nice to have a sound chip (even with Greedo getting shot) this is an excellent basic ornament that looks precisely like the character it is supposed to. That makes it easy to recommend to anyone who collects the Star Wars or science fiction ornaments!
For other Star Wars Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2008 Emperor Palpatine
2009 Luke’s Landspeeder
2009 “A Deadly Duel”
8/10
For other holiday ornament reviews, please check out my index page by clicking here!
© 2010, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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