Rarity And Black Hair Is All That Differentiates The 1995 Barbie Debut (Brunette) Ornament!

The Good: Accurate sculpt, Vivid coloring, Exceptional balance, Collectible Value
The Bad: Dull, No flexibility, No imagination with sculpt.
The Basics: In 1995, Hallmark Keepsake reused the same mold as their first Barbie ornament, recolored the hair and sold it to collectors . . . who have kept its value high since!


It’s hard to critique Barbie dolls or licensees of Barbie for being lazy with collectibles. After all, I am a trading card collector and fans in that market geek out about getting an autograph card with a signature in blue as opposed to black or a card where all that differentiates it from another is the precise color of a fabric swatch contained within it! So, even though it might seem exceptionally lazy of Hallmark, the first real collectible ornament they attempted for Barbie was the 1995 Club Exclusive Barbie Debut (Brunette) ornament. If the ornament seems at all familiar to ornament fans, it might not be because you have seen it before; it is identical in sculpt and coloring, save the hair, to the original Barbie Debut ornament that made its debut the year prior! Yes, for the first exclusive to the fanbase, Hallmark just repainted the hair on the ornament those fans already had. But, again, I’m not complaining. Hallmark managed to limit the ornament enough that the cheap repaint actually held its value over the years!

For those unfamiliar with them, Barbie dolls have been a leading trademarked doll (and model for unrealistic female bodytypes!) from Mattel for over sixty years. Hallmark Keepsake picked up the Barbie license in order to produce Christmas ornaments and Barbie Debut (Brunette) was the first of many exclusive Barbie ornaments offered to club members.

Basics

The brunette Barbie Debut ornament recreates the Barbie Debut doll that was put on the market in 1959. The ornament features the recognizable visage of Barbie, save that she has black hair, with her black hair pulled back and brown eyes taking up a disproportionately large percentage of her face, along with a disturbingly high forehead. This Barbie is has the black pony tail with a slight upward curl at the back of it and bright red lipstick which is pretty iconic for the doll's head. The ornament has Barbie wearing a simple black and white striped bathing suit with a 1950s cut to it.

The Hallmark Barbie Debut ornament is made of a durable plastic and has the feminine icon standing alone, holding a pair of sunglasses in her right hand. Her swimsuit is colored bright white and a deep, contrasting black and her unrealistic proportions end in two tiny feet with black heels which are fused to a black disc that tells collectors exactly what the ornament is. The Barbie Debut also features a neck that is disproportionately long. The detailing of the sculpt is decent and it is enhanced by two wire earrings (one in each ear).

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, Barbie Debut 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 fans of Barbie. I think it's disappointing that Barbie Debut does not have any articulation to her limbs. It was well within the abilities of Hallmark to make the ornament articulated at least at the shoulders or neck, but they opted for a boring statue look for the ornament and that disappoints some.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake Barbie Debut ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Barbie Christmas Tree, the Barbie Debut ornament is a completely unnecessary redundancy.

The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top center of the character's head. From there, one hangs the ornament and this Barbie ornament is perfectly balanced! Unlike the doll itself, which is almost impossible to get to stand up, the Barbie Debut ornament has great balance and hangs 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 (reviewed here!). Since then, they have branched out into every major franchise from Barbie to Gone With The Wind to Twilight. The Barbie Debut ornament sold well-enough to collectors and was limited enough to make those who did not get their hands on it eager enough to keep its value inflated for almost twenty years, which is pretty impressive in my book. Now that the Barbie ornament line has been terminated and there is a finite collection, I suspect this ornament will actually appreciate a little bit more. If one can find it inexpensively, now is the best time to get one to hoard it as an investment piece; usually after a collection ends, collectors start looking to fill in the gaps in their collection and are willing to spend to do so (or, conversely, fans who are pissed about a collection ending, sell off their collection to be rid of it!). Either way, despite how lame the ornament itself is, it might well be a wonderful investment piece.

Overview

Fans of the Barbie franchise, even those with retro reminiscences of their old Barbie Debut dolls are likely to be largely neutral to the brunette Barbie Debut ornament. It is a good recreation of Barbie, but it really is just the first Barbie ornament with two repainted elements. It is hard to get excited about that.

For other Barbie ornament reviews, please check out:
2012 Brava, Ballerina! Barbie
2012 Holiday Celebration Barbie (Black)
2012 Holiday Celebration Barbie (Caucasian)
2012 Matinee Fashion Barbie - Final In The Series!
2012 Tweed Indeed Barbie
2011 Celebration Barbie (Black)
2011 Campus Sweetheart Barbie
2011 Prima Ballerina Barbie ornament
1996 Enchanted Evening Barbie ornament
1994 Barbie Debut ornament

6.5/10

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.
| | |

Overpriced And Underdetailed, The Romulan Warbird Ornament Is One To Avoid!

The Good: Good sculpt, Good balance
The Bad: Woefully inadequate light effects, Coloring issues
The Basics: Cast in the wrong color, lacking in details and underwhelming with its light effects, there is almost nothing to recommend the Romulan Warbird Christmas ornament.


I have absolutely no problem with claiming to be the Alpha Geek in my life. Yes, I am a proud Geek and around the holidays I get excited because I can show off my geekdom by making up a science fiction Christmas tree. Yes, I am the one for whom Hallmark makes ornaments like the Star Wars "Imperial AT-AT And Rebel Snowspeeder" ornament (click here for that review!) and the Star Trek "Klingon Bird Of Prey" ornament (click here for that review!). But when I set up the tree this year and I had to make some tough choices about what ornaments were hung and which ones I opted not to, I let the Romulan Warbird go unhung.

For those unfamiliar with the Romulan Warbird, this was one of the defining starships of Star Trek: The Next Generation era in the Star Trek franchise. Introduced in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Neutral Zone" (reviewed here!), the Romulan Warbird instantly made an impression. The Romulan Warbird has a double hull design, connected by a beak-like bridge section and recessed nacelles and an aft drive section. As a result, the ship looks like a bird with its innards torn out or a skate that has been inflated and popped and frozen in such an exploded way. The starship captured the imagination of fans and was one that made for an obvious choice from Hallmark; it is a shame they produced such a disappointing version of it.

Basics

The "Romulan Warbird" ornament faithfully recreates the famed Romulan starship in solid green pearlescent plastic. The ornament, released in 1995, is a strange disappointing work, though, lacking in some significant surface detail and a bit off in its coloring. Measuring six inches long, four and one-quarter inches wide and one and three-quarters inches tall, the Romulan Warbird ornament is one of the essential Star Trek ships and most fans of the ship and the franchise quickly realized that $24.00 was an awfully steep price given the quality of this ornament. As a result, discerning collectors at the time waited and this was one of the first Star Trek ornaments to be bought en masse as part of after-Christmas sales. In other words, it was Hallmark Keepsake's first real Star Trek flop.

The Hallmark "Romulan Warbird" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has the starship on its own, as is typical for Hallmark's starship line of Star Trek ornaments. Unlike previous Star Trek ornament releases, this one does not have the date stamped or painted on it. This ornament plugs into the standard light strand of Christmas lights in order to light up.

The Romulan Warbird is detailed adequately, at first glance. However, loyal fans of the series who pay attention will note that the window holes on the ship are missing and while they are a source of illumination in the series, the detailing here is more of a broad stroke, lacking the finer details, including those holes. As well, the Romulan Warbird is slightly off in hue, lighter than the actual starship and this has a finish that is almost pearlescent, which further reduces its appeal to the die-hards. Yes, Hallmark did not make it the precise color and that is a drawback, especially considering how well they did on many of their other ships.

That said, the Romulan Warbird is a pretty easy ship to get right in that it is a solid color, save the Romulan Star Empire symbol at the front crest. This appears on the ornament as little more than a black blob of paint. At least it is in the right place.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, the "Romulan Warbird" has a light function. Fans of the ornaments might be a little disappointed that this ornament has a light function, but no audio one. Many of the Star Trek ornaments both light up and play a sound clip. The "Romulan Warbird" does not. It does, however, have a five inch cord that is attached completely to the underside of the ornament. This green electric cord is embedded into the bottom aft section and it allows the ornament to be plugged into a Christmas light strand.

Plugging the ornament in (one needs to remove a single light bulb from the strand, then slide the male end from the ornament into the female end on the strand) activates the light effect on the "Romulan Warbird." The light effects on this starship ornament is remarkably simple; the tips of the warp nacelles light up a bluish green. This is where the ornament truly falls down. The forward plasma weapon port does not light up, nor do the tiny windows that did in the show, leaving this ornament mostly dark and . . . a shadow of the great and original vessel from the show.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "Romulan Warbird" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Star Trek Christmas Tree, the "Romulan Warbird" ornament is an essential piece. The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top center of the Warbird, which is the most stable point on the ornament. As a result, the ornament, when affixed to a tree with a hook, hangs perfectly balanced from that loop.

This is a well-balanced ornament and even when plugged in to a light strand, it sits flat, looking like it is cruising through the galaxy!

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 of the major starships from the franchise and they have all been more mass produced than that first one. The "Romulan Warbird" ornament was a colossal failure commercially. Despite the popularity of this starship with fans, the general public which is not as familiar with the Star Trek starships largely passed this one by. The result was that it was overproduced and when dealers and collectors gobbled them up, they became readily available (and still are) on the secondary market, at deflated prices. In other words, this is not an ideal investment piece! As well, many fans will not purchase it because it is not as good as any number of other Star Trek ship ornaments.

Overview

Fans of the Star Trek franchise, Romulans and the Romulan Warbird specifically are likely to be largely disappointed by the Romulan Warbird ornament; it is a poor recreation of one of the most original starships and it deserved better treatment from Hallmark.

For other “Star Trek” ship ornaments from Hallmark, please check out my reviews of:
2010 U.S.S. Enterprise (Star Trek refit)
2009 Klingon Battlecruiser
2005 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-A
1992 Shuttlecraft Galileo

4/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my index page here!

© 2010, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |