Ornament Review: O Christmas Chipmunks! - 2010 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great design of Chip 'n Dale

Cons: Rare and fragile

The Bottom Line:

Chip 'n Dale ready

To spend Christmas in your tree

It's a lovely set

Now You Can be Like Mickey and Bring Home Chip 'n' Dale in Your Tree

I've just started collecting Hallmark ornaments, but already I've noticed that there are some characters they include in their line every year.  Chip 'n Dale made a rare appearance with this year's O Christmas Chipmunks!  They are even rare since this is a limited edition ornament set.

The ornament set is inspired by the classic Mickey Mouse short "Pluto's Christmas Tree."  In it, Mickey accidentally picks Chip 'n Dale's home for his Christmas tree.  He takes it home and decorates it before the two chipmunks come out and start exploring their new surroundings.  Pluto quickly notices them, and the ensuing chase causes Christmas mayhem in Mickey's house before he realizes what is going on.

This ornament set features the two chipmunks in the tree before the chase with Pluto really gets going.  Chip (the one with the black nose) is holding a candy came over his left shoulder.  Frankly, the candy cane is as big as he is.  Dale (red nose) is holding a small branch of the tree with a blue ball ornament hanging on the end.

As I mentioned, this is a two ornament set.  Each chipmunk is their own ornament.  However, I can say with certainly that neither ornament was designed to be displayed anywhere but your tree.  Chip is in the process of walking, and his feet aren't anywhere near flat or positioned is a way to balance.  And Dale?  The ornament he is holding is so heavy that there's no way he stayed upright for any length of time if you could position him just right so he'd stay up.

Beside, since they are in the tree in the short, they really should be in the tree, right?  And here's where the set is perfect.  Both of them hand naturally from the little brass hook.  Chip's is on the top of his head.  Dale's is almost on the end of the branch, but it allows the ornament is be perfectly balanced.

I mentioned this was a limited edition set.  As far as I know, it's sold out at this point, so it would be a challenge to track it down.  However, the set might become even rarer in the future.  The ornaments aren't made from the normal Hallmark steady plastic.  Instead, they are made from plaster, so if you aren't careful with them and drop them, they could break.  It's too bad since these ornaments are sure to be popular with kids.

The fragile nature of the set is the only flaw I can find.  I couldn't wait to snatch Chip 'n Dale up and hope to enjoy O Christmas Chipmunks! in my tree for many years to come.