Ornament Review: R2-D2 and Jawa - Star Wars #11 - 2007 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Nice touches make this ornament better than it sounds on paper

Cons: Tips slightly

The Bottom Line: 

This ornament is

Not an obvious choice but

It really looks great

This is Why You Don't Just Run Blindly Across a Foreign Planet

2007 marked the 30th anniversary of the original Star Wars film.  Hallmark marked the occasion with several ornaments based on that movie.  They even made sure the ornament from their official line was from that first movie, hence R2-D2 and Jawa.

Early in the first movie, R2-D2 is given a message by Princess Leia to deliver to Obi-Wan Kenobi on the planet Tatooine.  In his efforts to do his mistress' bidding, he blindly takes off across the desert planet and right into a band of Jawas.  These creatures are scavengers who capture robots who are all alone and sell them to others, and that's just what happens to R2-D2.

And that's also what this ornament depicts.  Really, it's two figures connected together.  The first is R2-D2.  The short round robot has appeared in the series before, but this time he's got some red dust on him to show that he's been out in the desert.  At a quickly glance, you might think the ornament itself it just dirty, but when you really start to look at it, you'll see that the dirty is applied in nooks and crannies, making it a purposeful choice.

The other half of the ornament is a Jawa.  Honestly, he don't know for sure what these creatures look like since they are always wearing robes with hoods pulled over their heads.  And that's what we've got here.  The Jawa is wearing a chocolate brown robe that pretty much covers him.  His hands are sticking out.  One of them is holding on to a nob on R2-D2 and the other has a remote control in it.  If you tip the ornament back, you can see the face, which is dark brown.  The only real features in the face are two white eyes.  That's pretty much all we ever see of them in the movie, so that's accurate.

Since this is the eleventh ornament in the official Star Wars ornament line, you'll find an 11 in a Christmas tree on the bottom of one of R2-D2's feet along with the copyright information on the other.  The feet are also streaked with the reddish dirt color, so this information stands out a bit more than it otherwise might.  However, you still have to be looking directly at the bottom to see it.

Since both characters are standing on their own two feet, this ornament has a nice flat base in case you want to display it year round on a shelf.  In fact, not only are the two characters joined by the hand the Jawa is using to hold onto R2-D2, but their feet are touching as well, giving the connection extra strength.

There's actually a silver hook on R2-D2 you can use to hang it on your Christmas tree.  It's sticking out the side of his head toward the Jawa.  Sadly, the ornament isn't quite balanced and tips slightly to the Jawa.  Honestly, I think for things to really be balanced, you'd need the hook right between the two characters, and there's just no place to put one between them.  While the tipping is noticeable, it's not bad enough to really detract from the ornament.

I've got to admit, this isn't a moment I would have expected from the official series at all, but I like it.  The dust adds a nice touch to R2-D2, distinguishing him from the ornament we got earlier in the series.  There are nice details on the robe the Jawa is wearing, and his face is the perfect amount of creepy to match how the characters look in the movie.  (Tell me I'm not the only one who has found them mildly creepy.)

So while the scene depicted in R2-D2 and Jawa wouldn't leap to mind as something for an ornament, I like the way this one turned out.  And it was a great way for Hallmark to mark the 30th anniversary of Star Wars.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Star Wars ornament series

Original Price: $15.00