Ornament Review: Baker's Dozen - Keepsake Cupcakes #13 - 2016 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun and creative bonus piece

Cons: Can be a little creepy

The Bottom Line:

Baker as cupcake

Closes out keepsake series

With this bonus piece

A Cupcake Set Needs a Baker’s Dozen Piece

With the last name Baker, I learned early on what a baker’s dozen was.  So when Hallmark first announced that they were doing a yearlong cupcake series, I immediately thought to myself that they had to find a way to do thirteen cupcakes.  We were on the same wave length since they did indeed release Baker’s Dozen.  It’s not quite as cute as it wants to be, but it is still fun.

This ornament features the baker who has been making all the cupcakes we’ve been collecting this year – the baker cupcake that is.  Yes, it’s another cupcake.  While we can’t see any of the cupcake itself, we can see the silver cupcake liner, the blue frosting topped by a huge amount of pink fondant.  There’s a face in this fondant with a tongue sticking out of the smile.  The cupcake is wearing a white top hat and holding a bowl of frosting and a spoon with some frosting on it in his hands.  The blue frosting matches the color of the bit of frosting we see on this cupcake.

I like the idea of this design.  It’s fun to think of a cupcake making the rest of the cupcakes in the series.  The way the tongue is sticking out makes it look like this baker is concentrating on the finishing touches of one of the creations.  (I’ve also heard that he is licking his lips because things look so tasty, but I prefer to stick with my idea.)

However, the execution is a bit problematic.  The pink head of the cupcake is really large, making it seem larger than the rest of the series.  It’s also just a little on the creepy side.  It can be cute or creepy depending on the mood I am in when I look at it.  I still like it, but it’s not nearly as good as it could have been.

Of course, one thing that makes me like it is the price.  This piece was originally free with the purchase of the rest of the ornaments in the series.  Since I planned to collect the rest of the series, I got this one without any extra work.  Can’t complain too loudly about that, can I?  And it is what a baker’s dozen is in any bakery, right?  Yet Hallmark definitely considers this part of the series since there is a 13 in a Christmas tree series marker on the bottom of the ornament.

Speaking of the bottom of the ornament, it’s flat like the others in the series, so you can put it out as part of a display.  If you do want to hang it, you’ll find the loop in the chef’s hat.  It hangs straight.

While this isn’t quite the best finish for the series, it is still an overall fun ornament.  As a collector, I’m not really complaining about the bonus that is a Baker’s Dozen.

Enjoy all the cuteness with the rest of the Keepsake Cupcakes ornaments.

Original Price: Free with purchase of rest of series