Ornament Review: Toymaker Santa #2 - Doll and Tea Set - 2001 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun ornament, especially for girls

Cons: Could have been two ornaments; tilts

The Bottom Line:
Tea party for dolls

Might have been better as two

Still, fun for young girls




Toymaker Santa is Hosting a Dolly Tea Party

While there are several ornaments in the Toymaker Santa series from Hallmark that are gender neutral, there's only one that is really made for girls.  That ornament was the second one in the series, released in 2001.

The ornament depicts Santa all ready for a tea party for dolls.  He's standing and has a doll hooked in his left arm with a cup and saucer balanced on her stomach.  His right hand is holding a tea pot with 2001 written on it.  Santa himself is hatless but has a full white beard and eyes scrunched up from smiling.  He's got a noticeable belly under his tan toy making apron.  You can also tell he's wearing a green shirt, red pants, and red and white striped socks.  He's even got a teddy bear in his apron's pocket.

I'm of two minds about this ornament.  I get that girls love to host tea parties for their dolls, which was probably the inspiration for combining to the two.  But since sculptor Ken Crow obviously has problems finding ideas for girls for this series, it's a shame he didn't use these are two different ideas.

On the other hand, I don't connect with this one as much as some of the others, probably because I was never hoping to find a doll or tea set under the Christmas tree.  So maybe the fact that it's just one ornament is a good thing.

On the third hand, it looks really busy, like Santa's about to drop that tea cup.  Apart from that, I can't fault how it looks.  It's a nice sculpt, and the teddy bear is a fun touch.

The ornament does have a 2 in a Christmas tree since this is the second in the series, but you need a magnifying glass to read it.  Also look for Ken Crow's initials.

You can balance the ornament on Santa's feet, but I wouldn't recommend it; he doesn't seem very steady at all.  When you hang him, he tilts a little to the right, but with the slight angle to his head, he actually looks like he's hanging straight.

Despite all my reservations about the ornament, I do like the second in the Toymaker Santa series.  It's not my favorite, but it's quite good and will be a favorite with those who loved hosting tea parties for their dolls.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Toymaker Santa series.

Original Price: $14.95