Ornament Review: Cruella de Vil - Unforgettable Villains #1 - 1998 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Great sculpt of a fun villain

Cons: Slight yellowish color to the coat, unbalanced

The Bottom Line: 

A Disney villain

Ready for your Christmas tree

Just hide all the dogs

Darling, I'll Look as Fabulous on Your Christmas Tree as a New Fir Coat

The late 90’s brought two unsuccessful tries from Hallmark to create series ornaments based on Disney properties.  The second of these was the Unforgettable Villains series, and it started with the over the top Cruella de Vil.

Cruella, of course, appeared in 101 Dalmatians.  She was the over the top fur addict friend of Anita who decided she must have a black and white spotted fur coat made from Dalmatian skin and goes to great lengths to try to make that happen.  She was a good mix of over the top comedy with pure menace; some of the scenes in the film are tense.

The ornament just features our villainess herself.  Cruella is standing on her feet with a cigarette in her left hand.  She’s got a fur coat wrapped around her, and she looks like she is in the middle of charming someone out of something.  You can just hear her drawl, “Anita, darling.”

My only real complaint about the ornament may just be an issue of age.  The fur coat Cruella is wearing looks like it is supposed to be white, but at least on mine it is a slightly yellowish color.  It’s not enough to really ruin the ornament, but it does take away from the appeal.  Other then that, the ornament is sturdy and a great representation of this fun, over the top villain.

Despite the fact that Cruella is standing up, she does not stand on her own.  Her feet are just too small and at too weird an angle to support her.  Well, okay, if you hold your mouth just right, you could get her to stand, but the slightest bump would knock her over again, so I don't recommend it.

The ring for hanging her is on the top of her coat.  With it being back there, it's no realy surprise to me that she tips forward some.  Her balance is good, but it could be better.

Since she was the first in a series, she does have a very small 1 in a Christmas tree hidden on her.  You have to really look for it, but trust me it is there.

Maybe these would be better suited for a Halloween tree or decorating scheme, but I am surprised that the villains didn’t do better as a series.  Some people absolutely go crazy over them.

But those who are looking for some other Disney characters from their tree will want to track down the truly unforgettable Cruella de Vil.

Be sure to check out all of the Unforgettable Villains series.

Original Price: $14.95