Hallmark Peanuts Wireless Band Review: All 5 Members

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Fun Christmas carols alone but stronger when together
Cons: Expensive to buy since sold out
The Bottom Line:
Peanuts gang working
Together to make music
For a fun result

Peanuts Wireless Band Makes Beautiful Music Together

Each year, Hallmark has several of what they call continuity series.  The idea is to release several related items over the course of two or three months in order to get you coming back into the story and buying more things.  For 2011, they released the first four members of the Peanuts Wireless Band, and then in 2012 they released a fifth.

The members of this band are a bit larger than Hallmark ornaments and are not designed to hang on a tree.  Instead, they are designed to be set around a room or all together.  Personally, I have all five of mine under a tree.  But they will still communicate with each other if they are set in the four corners of a room.

This band isn’t just decoration – they actually do play music together.  There is a button on the front of each one.  Each member of the band starts two different songs, but all the others join in and add their instrument to the mix, making a fun harmony.

Just who are the members of the band?  There’s Schroeder on piano (obviously), Lucy on flute, Charlie Brown on sax, and Snoopy on guitar.  This year, they added Linus on trumpet.

And what songs might you hear?  “Up on the Housetop,” “Silent Night,” “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” one verse of "The Twelve Days of Christmas," and "Deck the Halls" to name a few.  All told, these guys can play a total of 10 songs.  As I said, each member leads two different songs, but everyone chimes in.  Most of the songs are upbeat renditions, and they only last about 20 seconds or so, but they are fun.  I enjoy playing one or two at random every so often.

Each member of the band requires 3 AAA batteries to operate.  I still have the batteries from the ones I bought last year, and they are working just fine.  If I set them up to play continuously (which is an option), I’m sure I’d drain the batteries faster.  (My roommate and I would also be annoyed since they’re in the same room as the TV, but that’s another story.)

Each piece features the member of the Peanuts gang on a base made to look like a hardwood floor.  Schroeder is sitting, but everyone else is standing.  Snoopy is even standing on an amp, so he’s the tallest.  Everyone is decked out in festive red and green.  Each piece is roughly 4 inches tall, so they aren’t especially large, but they are bit enough to enjoy.

And how do they sound?  All of the instruments sound like electronic versions of themselves, not the real thing.  And the flute, trumpet, and sax can sound very similar to each other at times.  However, all the parts do blend together well, and they make for a nice combination.

Each member of the band was originally $29.95 or $14.95 with a purchase.  Of course, they've been out of stores for a couple years now, so tracking them down will be a bit problematic.

But they are worth it.  I’m enjoying my Peanuts Wireless Band for the second year and plan to enjoy them for many more years to come.