Ornament Review: Bluster B. Toboggan - Snowtop Lodge #2 - 2006 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Create ornament beautifully captures a fun winter activity

Cons: Rare, so expensive on the secondary market

The Bottom Line:

Sledding down a hill

This snowman loves toboggans

Rarer series piece

Bluster Will Race His way Into Your Heart

There is one reason I resisted starting the Snowtop Lodge series for so long – Bluster B. Toboggan.  No, it’s not that I didn’t like the ornament; it’s that he was so expensive on the secondary market.  But still, I’m thrilled to have him in my collection.

Bluster is the second entry in this series that features snowmen.  Of course, they are more than just snowmen.  As the Toboggan part of his name suggest, Bluster is all about the sledding.  In fact, he’s holding a toboggan against his side with his right hand.  His left hand is up in the air as he waves at friends.  The snowmen in this series have a scene on them, and the scene shows people walking up a hill and sliding back down to the bottom.  On his head, he’s wearing a knit hat, and he’s got a felt scarf with bells around his neck and star buttons on his front.

What’s really amazing to me is how much he looks like he is leaning.  Okay, so the middle ball of the snowman is slightly off to the side, however, what really makes him look crooked is the hill painted on him.  When you really look at Bluster, you’ll see that he is almost straight and most of the lean is an optical illusion.

And he looks great.  Sledding on a toboggan is a lot of fun, and this ornament captures that.  Once again, the scene on the ornament is enough to make me smile.  I just love the artwork!  It’s slightly raised and then painted, and it looks lovely.

Being a snowman, Bluster stands up just fine on his own.  You’ll want to be extra careful with where you put him since the majority of the ornament is made out of porcelain.  You’ll find the 2 in a Christmas tree series marker painted on the bottom of the ornament.

If you want to hang Bluster, you’ll find the loop on the top of his head.  Slip a hook through that, and you’ll find that he hangs straight.

Since I wasn’t collecting ornaments back in 2006 when this ornament was released, I don’t know just why it is so rare.  It certainly is more expensive than others in the series are selling for now, even the first.  Maybe they released fewer ornaments overall that year, or maybe people decided they loved Bluster and so bought more than had been produced.  Either way, if you decide you want him, be prepared to pay some money to get him or be patient and wait for a very rare deal to come along.

But for those who enjoy the creativity of the Snowtop Lodge series, they will be glad to have Bluster B. Toboggan in their collection.  That creativity results in another beautiful ornament.

If you like this ornament, you'll definitely want the rest of the Snowtop Lodge series.

Original Price: $18.50