Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Great detail and awesome sound clip
Cons: Tips back and to the left; lighting effect doesn't do
much.
The Bottom Line:
Harry's castle home
Shrunk to fit your Christmas tree
Fans will want this one
All Harry Potter Fans Will Want to Spend Christmas at
I don't consider myself a geek. I really don't. And yet, as soon as I saw this year's Hogwart's Castle ornament from Hallmark, I had to
get it. And I really like it.
The ornament features the castle that served as Harry's
school in the book and movie series. The
ornament is actually about half the castle and the other half the rock that the
castle sits on. That makes the castle a
bit small, but there is still plenty of detail to be seen.
Overall, the ornament is very brown. The rocks are brown, and the castle is tan
with a brownish green roof. But that is
the color of Hogwarts, so it fits.
If it were just the castle, the ornament would be fine, but
it is the magic that makes the ornament special. There is a sound clip that requires two
button batteries to operate. The first
set comes with your ornament. There is a
button in the front of the ornament almost hidden in the rocks. When you hit the button, you hear a sound
clip from "Hedwig's Theme."
Honestly, this is the music I associate most with Harry Potter, and the
clip sounds beautiful. You get a full 30
seconds of the theme when you press the button.
The ornament also has an optional lighting effect. You can stick a light from any Christmas tree
string in the back and see a glow - sort of.
A couple of the windows get a little light, but it really isn't that
much - you can barely tell the difference.
I'm not sure it is worth attaching to the light string, but you'll have
judge that for yourself.
There is a loop for hanging the ornament on a spire near the
middle of the castle. You'll find the
ornament hangs slightly back and to the left.
It's disappointing that it doesn't hang straight, but if you position it
right with a branch and/or light string, you can correct it easily enough
yourself.
The ornament does have a flat base, so you can display it
year round on a shelf if you so desire.
There are small knobs on the bottom, so the speaker that plays the music
isn't touching anything when it sits.
Trust me, there's still a nice volume when it is sitting out.
Yes, there are a couple of small issues with the ornament,
but overall I'm very happy with Hogwart's Castle. This is a fun ornament that any fan of Harry
Potter will enjoy for years to come.
Original Price: $24.95
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