Ornament Review: Donkey Kong - 2018 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Perfectly captures a classic video game

Cons: Flaws with some, but none in mine

The Bottom Line:

Must rescue the girl

Memories with ornament

Shrinks classic arcade

Jump at Your Chance to Get this Arcade Ornament

About a decade ago, Hallmark released two arcade ornament replicas.  It was right before I started seriously collecting Hallmark ornaments, and I back collected both of them very quickly.  I’d given up on them releasing any new arcade ornaments, but they did just that with this year’s Donkey Kong.

The ornament itself looks just like an arcade machine.  In this case, it is created to look like the Donkey Kong machine, which means it is light blue with decals showing Donkey Kong with the girl he’s kidnapped over his shoulder climbing away from Mario, or Jumping Man as he was known back then.  The front has a screen and the simple controls – a joystick coming out of the machine and the buttons.

As much fun as the ornament is to look at, it is even more fun because it is a magic ornament, complete with light and sound.  When the three button batteries are in the compartment in the back of the ornament, all you have to do is press the one/two player buttons to start the magic.  When you do, you’ll find that the sign at the top of the game and the screen light up, showing an image of a game in progress.  You get the music from the start of the game and then sound effects as Mario tries to climb and rescue the girl.  The entire thing lasts just under 30 seconds, and it is guaranteed to give a little rush of nostalgia to anyone who grew up on video games.

That’s why I was so happy to add this ornament to my collection.  While I don’t play very many video games these days, I loved them back in the day, and this ornament captures those happy memories.

I have been reading about issues people have had with this ornament.  Sometimes the stickers are crooked.  Worse, I have read about lines in the display screen when it lights up.  I haven’t seen any of these things myself, but do be sure to check out yours quickly when you get it.

And I recommend that you get it quickly.  I obviously wasn’t the only one hoping for more of these classic arcade ornaments.  This one has been flying off the shelves.  It is already hard to find, and I suspect that any reorders that do come in between now and Christmas will disappear just as quickly.  So if you want one, buy it when you see it and test it immediately.

Since this is an arcade game shrunk to ornament size, you shouldn’t be surprised to find that it stands up straight, perfect for enjoying year round.  And when Christmas rolls around, you’ll find that it hangs perfectly straight on your tree as well.

Those who love classic video games will absolutely love this Donkey Kong ornament.  I know I certainly do.

Original Price: $19.99