Ornament Review: Candy Land - Family Game Night #3 - 2016 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Perfectly captured sweet nostalgia

Cons: Slight tip forward when hung

The Bottom Line:

This sweet board game now

A nostalgic ornament

Perfect Christmas fun

Ready for a Sweet Family Game Night?  You will be with This Ornament

So far, each entry in Hallmark’s Family Game Night series has been wonderful.  They’ve captured a game I loved to play as a kid in a fun and creative way.  Candy Land, the third in this series, is no different.

As with most of the games that have lasted a long time, Candy Land has had a variety of covers and boards.  This one harkens back to I’m guessing the 60’s and the board game cover that looks familiar, although it wasn’t the one on the market while I was growing up.  It features two kids, a boy and a girl, looking at a bush with various sweet treats growing on it.  Behind them is a gingerbread house.  I’m basing my guess that this is the 60’s on their clothes (she’s wearing a dress and he’s wearing a sweater over a collared shirt), but it might even be 50’s, which would make it an early version of the game.  (My good friend Google let me down when I was trying to research it.)

Sticking out of this game box is a corner of the game board.  We get about a half of the game board, and it’s the start corner.  We can see parts of the colorful, winding path you take from start to finish and parts of a couple of the fun characters we meet along the way.  Someone’s ready to play the game since the green and blue gingerbread men you use to navigate the board are standing on the board.

Okay, so most people don’t play Candy Land after they hit elementary school, but I still have fond memories of playing it as a kid, and this ornament brings it all back.  About the only thing that could have detail from a sculpting standpoint are the game pieces, and they look just like I remember the game pieces looking.  Of course, the artwork on the piece itself is perfect as well, which really helps.

Since the board sticks out of the bottom of the box, you could actually set this out to be displayed and enjoyed anywhere.  If you are looking for the series marker, you’ll find the three in a Christmas tree on the back of the box.

With the board sticking out from the box, you might expect the ornament to tip when you go to hang it.  Surprisingly, it is hangs straight, a testament to hard work making sure it balances.

Hallmark’s Family Game Night series continues to be a delightful bit of nostalgia, and Candy Land adds to that tradition.  I will be smiling every time I see this one on my tree.

Looking for more nostalgic game fun?  Check out the rest of the Family Game Night series.

Original Price: $15.95