Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Great sculpt with little details right from the short
Cons: Already hard to
find so value rising
The Bottom Line:
No Traffic Troubles
Just a great ornament that
Captures Mickey short
Mickey's "Traffic Troubles" Become a Limited Hallmark Ornament Worth Fighting Traffic to Own
Hallmark has had a license to create Disney ornaments for
years, but in 2012 they started a new series of ornaments focused exclusively
on Mickey Mouse's shorts. In addition to
releasing the first in the series this year, they also released Traffic Troubles, a limited edition piece focusing on one of Mickey's old black and
white adventures.
I have to admit that I had to pull out my DVD of the short
to watch it again. The short finds
Mickey working as a taxi driver with a run down old car. Several things go wrong with the car as he
tries to get two fares, the second one being Minnie, to their destinations.
This ornament features Mickey driving his taxi. The back of the car is enclosed, so we can't
tell who is back there, but Mickey is sitting up front with his hands on the
wheel. The front of the car has eyes in
the headlights and a small smile at the bottom of his grill. Yes, the car in the cartoon is alive, and
this ornament captures that as well.
Mickey is sculpted to look like his 1931 self, so not quite the way he
looks today, but also not as rough as he was in 1928. When you look at the back of the car, you see
the license plate from the cartoon (O-Heck) and details on the canvas covering
for the passenger section. And all four
wheels have patches on them, which is accurate as well. The wheels actually turn, and the patches make
for a rough ride for Mickey and the car.
Also, did I mention that the ornament is in sepia
tones? The original short was in black
and white, and that's reflected here.
While Mickey is truly black where he should be (ears, arms, etc.), the
car is mostly shades of gray. The canvas
top is darker than the body. Ironically
enough, the wheels are white.
Assuming you don't have the wheels sitting on the patches,
the ornament will sit flat. And you can
roll it and play with it if you really wish, although I wouldn't recommend it
as a toy for kids. I'm sure Mickey would
break easily if you weren't careful with it.
The ornament is best used for its intended purpose, hanging on the tree.
You'll find the hook for hanging on the top of the taxi near
the sign in front. The ornament is
perfectly balanced, and if there's a lean or dip anywhere, I sure can't find
it.
As a fun added detail, you can find the name of the cartoon
and release year painted on the bottom of the car. It's a little easy to see, although in the
middle of tree branches you probably won't notice.
You'll want to be sure to put this one on a sturdy branch
because it is heavier than it looks, but not so bad that it won't stay on a
medium or larger sized branch.
I don't know if Hallmark is officially considering this a
companion piece to their new Mickey's Movie Mousterpieces series, but I know I
am. It fits perfectly with the idea of
featuring Mickey is a scene from one of his classic shorts. The only reason I am not completely certain
is that this ornament was sculpted by Don Palmiter while the official series
piece was sculpted by Ken Crow. Maybe
they'll both be working on the series?
Only time will tell. All I know
was I wanted to add this to my collection.
And I wasn't the only one.
Fortunately, I had one set aside for me because by the time I was able
to go ornament shopping in the afternoon on the day of release, all the stores
I went to had sold out of this one.
Frankly, that surprises me because being in black and white, I figured
it wouldn't be that popular.
I guess there are enough Disnerds like me out there to make
it popular. An ornament themed around a
particular Mickey Mouse short is a must have.
And it really is great. The
detail is wonderful, and the sepia colors are perfect. Obviously, Don really studied the cartoon as
he was sculpting this because all the little details are perfect. I love it.
So if you happened to miss the Traffic Troubles ornament,
you'll want to be sure to track one down.
It will have a proud place in my Disney ornament collection.
Check out the rest of the Mickey's Movie Mousterpieces series.
Original Price: $14.95
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