Ornament Review: Toymaker Santa #8 - Slot Car Race Track - 2007 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Easy nostalgia combined with fun.

Cons: A slight tilt, but nothing too bad.

The Bottom Line:
Slot racing car set

Whether memories new or old

Ornament brings grins

What Boy Doesn't Dream of a Slot Car Race Track for Christmas?

There are some toys that are universally popular, and for boys one of those is an electric race car set.  You set up the track and then race your friends to see who can get around the track faster.  I tend to fall off the track on the regular basis, but I still loved them then and I love them now.  And those slot car race tracks are the basis for the eighth in the Toymaker Santa series from Hallmark.

Santa is dressed like he always is for this series - with a tan apron over his green shirt and red pants.  But in this case, he's kneeling by the figure 8 race track.  He's got a controller in each hand - after all he has to make sure it works right.  The track is black, and the big curves have a yellow railing on them.  They're also slightly banked to help keep the cars on the track.  There's a hump in the middle so you can keep racing without worrying about crashing.  The red car is currently winning, it's just gone under the flag with 2007 written on it, the year this ornament came out.  But the blue car isn't that far behind it.  One crash will let the blue car catch up.

I can't help but smile as I look at this ornament.  I love the idea of Santa testing this out and having a blast as he does.  And it brings back many happy memories of racing on these myself.

I like to think the figure 8 track was in honor of this being the eighth in the series, but Hallmark did put the official 8 in a Christmas tree on the bottom.

Because Santa is kneeling next to the track, this one has a very large and flat base.  You could set it on any flat surface and it would stay with no problems at all.

However, if you want to hang it on your tree, you can use the brass ring on the top of Santa's head.  I've got to admit I expected him to tip forward, but the ornament is actually pretty well balanced.  He tips slightly to the right, but not enough to really ruin the effect of the ornament when you hang him on your tree.

So for all the boys out there who remember the joy of finding a slot car racing set under the tree on Christmas morning, Toymaker Santa #8 is for you.

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

Original Price: $12.50