Ornament Review: Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree - 2016 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great looking ornament with motion and sound

Cons: Doesn’t come with honey

The Bottom Line:

Pooh is a rain cloud

Commemorates fiftieth

Motion, song fun too

Celebrating 50 Years of Winnie the Pooh

Being the DisNerd I am, I can’t resist Hallmark’s ornaments that incorporate Disney songs.  The ornaments are even more special when they incorporate an anniversary.  And when the piece is as much fun as Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, I’m glad I splurge for these ornaments.

Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree was the original short from Disney to feature the bear.  (Of course, I say short, but it was really close to 30 minutes.)  And it came out 50 years ago, which is why this ornament was released.  In one of the early scenes, Winnie the Pooh is trying to steal honey from a bee hive by using a balloon to fly up to the hive while disguised as a rain cloud.

And that’s the scene that Hallmark has captured for the ornament.  It is a large tree with Winnie the Pooh and his blue balloon hanging from one part of the tree.  He’s just the right height to swing over and reach his hand into that honey tree to steal some honey.

In addition to the song clip, this ornament includes some motion.  Specifically, when you press the button, Winnie the Pooh rocks back and forth trying to get close enough to that tree to reach the honey.  While he is rocking, a clip from “I’m Just a Little Black Rain Cloud” plays.  The entire show lasts just 20 seconds, but it is enough to get that song stuck in your head.  Trust me.

Normally, Hallmark’s magic ornaments require button batteries.  In this case, the ornament needs 3 AAA batteries to operate.  I don’t know, but I’m guessing the motor to move Winnie the Pooh is the reason.

Purists will point out that Winnie as presented in this ornament is clean, not muddy like he is in the scene in the movie.  (He rolled in mud to help with is rain cloud disguise.)  And that bothered me for about half a second.  Honestly, I would rather have Winnie the Pooh with his normal look of golden yellow fur and red shirt than covered in mud gray.

And this ornament looks great.  Any fan of Pooh will love it because of how perfectly it captures that scene.

You’ll also appreciate the fact that it has a nice, flat base.  After all, there’s really nothing specifically Christmassy about it and you can display it all year long if you so desire.  It does have a little plaque in the front of base commemorating the 50th anniversary of the movie, and the base is rather large.  I’m sure that for the batteries and other electronics needed for the magic part.

And yes, you can hang the ornament as well.  The loop is in the top of the tree, and you’ll find that it hangs straight.  It’s a little heavy, so you’ll want to make sure it is on a sturdy branch when you hang it.

While definitely on the expensive side, this ornament looks wonderful.  Personally, I find Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree to be well worth the money.

Original Price: $29.95