Ornament Review: Death Star - Star Wars Storytellers - 2017 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great looking Death Star with clips from the movie

Cons: Plug keeps it from sitting out

The Bottom Line:

New technology

Brings Star Wars movie to life

Worth buying for fans

Star Wars Fans Take Note: You’ll Want This Ornament (and Series)

Hallmark is out to make me poor.  Oh, they would probably say it is all about making money for them, and as an accountant, part of me completely understands that.  However, they keep coming out with new things that I just have to have.  For example, I was going to resist their new Storytellers line, but one look at the ornaments, and I was hooked.  That includes all three of the Star Wars releases for this year, including the Death Star.

The ornament itself is a little larger than a typical Hallmark ornament; it’s almost four inches in diameter.  And, just as you’d expect, it is a sphere.  What’s cool about it is that they have all the ridges you’d expect from the Death Star.  Looking at it, it looks just like the ship in the movie, and the ridges make it extra cool.

Now, this isn’t the first time that Hallmark has done the Death Star.  So, what makes this one special?  It’s the new Storyteller technology.  They have a special cord (sold separately) that you plug into this ornament.  Up to seven ornaments can be plugged into one cord.  And when you do, you’ll find that these ornaments interact.  They have released three Star Wars ornaments this year, with two more to come for the next two years, making a total of seven.

When you press the button on this ornament, you’ll heard dialogue from the scene from early in Star Wars when Princess Leia sees just what this new weapon can do.  And the Death Star itself lights up and changes color as the scene plays out.

If you just have this ornament, you’ll get the one scene that lasts about a minute ten.  However, if you have all three of the ornaments released this year, all of them play their scenes when you press any of the buttons.  They also release additional dialogue so all three go for about four and a half minutes, so it’s worth getting all of them.

Earlier, I called this ornament a sphere, but that’s not quite true.  It has a flat bottom, so you would think you could set this ornament out to be displayed.  Unfortunately, that’s where the cord fits into the ornament, so it doesn’t actually sit flat.  On the other hand, it hangs perfectly straight, and since the button that starts the show is on the bottom, hanging the ornament allows better access to that.

Of the three they released this year, this one is my favorite for one simple reason, it is the one that lights up the most.  I love lights on my tree and having ornaments that light up is even more fun, so this one is perfect for me.  The scenes are a nice touch.  I can wait to see what additional dialogue we get with the four additional ornaments that will be released.  Yes, these ornaments are on the expensive side, but they are just so cool.

So, if you are a Star Wars fan, you’ll definitely want to start getting these with the Death Star and start saving your pennies for the next few years to complete your set.

Original Price: $39.95