Ornament Review: Toymaker Santa #5 - Wagon - 2004 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Fun memories captured with a red wagon

Cons: Still tips some (although not as bad as earlier entires)

The Bottom Line:

Santa and wagons

Two great Christmas memories

On one ornament

Wagon Full of Toys 

What kid doesn’t love owning a red wagon.  It’s full to fill it with stuff and then pull it all around.  The fact that they can be practical isn’t important to their fun.  And some little kid is in for a joyful surprise this Christmas thanks to the fifth entry in the Toymaker Santa series.

This ornament depicts a smiling Santa kneeling by a just completed red wagon.  And in order to test it out, he’s put a purple ball, a doll, and a teddy bear in it.  While Santa hasn’t tested the wagon yet, we can find out that it will work well since all four wheels spin.  I don’t recommend dragging the ornament around the table, however, because the ornament also rests on Santa’s knees and toes, so it doesn’t really roll.

It does rest comfortably if you set it out on a table, however, so you can display it any flat surface as well as on your tree.

As for Santa himself, he’s dressed like he always is in this series.  A tan apron is covering a green shirt and red pants.  He’s got a hammer on his apron.  He is wearing his traditional red hat for this ornament, something he doesn’t always do.

This ornament represents two firsts for the series.  This is the first time there is enough of a flat surface on the bottom of the ornament to hold the 5 in a Christmas tree and the copyright information on it.  As a result, it appears that artist Ken Crow didn’t put his initials on the ornament.

The other first is the balance.  Okay, so it’s not perfect and tips slightly to the right.  However, considering how far off the mark the series has been so far, it’s a huge improvement.  By the time you get this on a tree with lots of other ornament, you probably won’t even notice that it’s not perfectly straight.

While the wagon certainly makes you think of the famous Radio Flyer wagons, Hallmark must not have gotten permission to use their logo.  2004, the year of the ornament’s release, is painted in white on the side of the wagon, but it really doesn’t look like the Radio Flyer fount.  Still, I can’t help but think of the Radio Flyer wagon I had as a kid when I look at it.

And it’s just that nostalgia fun feeling that they are going for with this series.  This ornament perfectly captures it, and it hangs straight to boot.  That’s why I highly recommend the fifth entry in the Toymaker Santa series.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Toymaker Santa series.

Original Price: $14.95