Ornament Review: Officer Snoopy - Spotlight on Snoopy #17 - 2014 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Honoring police officers

Cons: A bit plain; forward tip

The Bottom Line:

Snoopy takes new job

Honoring the officers

With festive display

Officer Snoopy Says, "Stop and Look at This Ornament."

Once upon a time, the only Hallmark ornaments I collected regularly were the Spotlight on Snoopy series.  (And how my bank account longs for those days.)  While I quite obviously buy more than that these days, I do still make one of my first purchases the new ornament in this series.  For 2014, the entry is Officer Snoopy, and it's a nice companion to an earlier entry.

As you could probably guess from the title, this ornament features Snoopy as a police officer.  He's actually still mostly white, but he's wearing a blue police officer cap with a black bill and he's got a black vest on as well.  His left hand is holding a silver whistle, and his right hand is out in a stopping motion.

And just who is he stopping?  Why Woodstock, of course, who has also been in ever ornament in the series.  In this case, Woodstock is driving in a small red car that is actually attached to Snoopy's foot to hold the ornament together.

I mentioned earlier that this one shares a connection with a previous ornament in the series.  Five years ago, Snoopy was a firefighter.  Now he's doing another ornament honoring those who put their lives on the line to keep us safe.  From that stand point, I do like the ornament.

However, overall the ornament is a little plain.  If it weren't for Woodstock's red car, it would be easy to dismiss this one as completely black and white.  I know Snoopy is a white character, but usually they work in a bit more color than this.

The other issue with this ornament is a tip forward.  The loop is on the top of Snoopy's hat, which is located about two thirds of the way back in the ornament.  It's just not centered.  With most of Snoopy and the car in front of it, it's not that big a surprise.  It's not a bad tilt, and depending on how you place it on your tree, you might even be able to correct it or disguise it.  And I don't see how they could have repositioned the ring to correct it, either.

Another option would be to set it out for display.  Between Snoopy standing on his feet and Woodstock's car, the ornament stands upright with ease and is fairly steady.  You'll find the 17 in a Christmas tree series marker on the bottom of the car.

While Officer Snoopy is not my favorite entry in the series, it is a nice addition to it.  If only it didn't tip quite so much it would be even better.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Spotlight on Snoopy series.

Original Price: $12.95

This review is part of the 2014 Funny Pages Write-Off.