Ornament Review: Skylar A. Woolscarf - Snowtop Lodge #1 - 2005 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Creative take on a snowman ornament

Cons: None

The Bottom Line:

A snowman series

Starts with this gentlemen who

Is dressed to impress

Skylar Gets Snowtop Lodge Off to a Warm Start

I don’t need any new series to read.  Oh wait, wrong review.  I don’t need any new Hallmark series to collect, either.  Which is one of several reasons I’ve been resisting back collecting Hallmark’s Snowtop Lodge series since I started collecting their ornaments in 2010.  I lasted six years.  That’s pretty impressive.  But I finally caved this year.  The series kicks off with Skylar A. Woolscarf, and it’s a great sign of things to come.

The idea behind this series, at least on the box, is that the Snowmen are all meeting up at a lodge to survive the summer, each one carrying with them a bit of their home in their name and the scene captured on them.  While I do love the names of these ornaments, it’s the designs I love most.

Skylar is a traditional snowman is some respects.  He’s three balls of snow, for example, with a carrot nose and black top hat.  But it’s the rest of him that makes him so much fun.  In keeping with his last name, he’s wearing a big wool scarf.  But that’s just part of his outfit.  He’s wearing a vest, he has a pocket watch hanging from his vest, and he’s holding an umbrella at his side with one hand.  He’s one of the few snowmen in the series to feature stick arms, and he’s wearing white gloves on his hands.  He’s obviously ready for a night out on the town.

And in keeping with that theme, there’s a street scene on the bottom snowball.  You can see several high rises and a house or two as well.  In front of the buildings, there’s snow and a tree or two.

I’m actually surprised I was able to resist starting this series for as long as I was.  I love the creativity that Hallmark artists show when they take a theme and tweak it year after year in a series.  (Hence my addiction to their series ornaments.)  This series is another perfect example of that, taking a snowman and dressing him up around a theme.  The execution is perfect, too.  The painting on the ornament looks lovely, the accessories are a blast, and yes, the scarf is actually made out of fabric.

The ornaments in this series are made out of porcelain.  That makes them a little more fragile and a little heavier.  Keep that in mind when you go to display the ornament.

The ornament does have a nice flat base, so it is easy to set Skylar out as part of a display.  The series marker is on the bottom, and it is painted on since it would be hard to add something that small to the mold.  Having said that, the buildings on Skylar are actually raised out of the snowball base, which is a very fun touch.

The loop for hanging the ornament is at the front of Skylar’s top hat.  With it’s placement there, you’ll find that he tips forward slightly.  This is a feature of the series since most of them do it, but I wish they hung straight since it would allow you to see the painting on him better.

Just like I say with book series when I find a new one I love, I may not need another new series to collect, especially a 12 year (and running) series to back collect, but I couldn’t resist any more.  Skylar A. Woolscarf is a delightful start to this wonderful series.

Like this ornament?  You'll want more of the Snowtop Lodge series.

Original Price: $18.95