Ornament Review: Central Perk Couch - 2020 Hallmark Release

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great clips, perfectly captures the couch

Cons: Does tip a little to the left

The Bottom Line:

A tribute to Friends

Couch reconstructed and shrunk

With sound clips added

Invite Your Friends to Sit on Your Tree

I must admit, even as a fan of the TV show Friends, I’m still a little surprised at just how popular it continues to be.  Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy laughing when I catch a rerun of the show.  But the fact that we are still getting merchandise for the show twenty-six years after it debuted surprises me a little.  Not that it kept me from adding Hallmark’s Central Perk Couch to my wish list to make sure I got it.

Any fan of the show will immediately recognize the couch.  It is a perfect replica of the orange couch the gang would sit on when they were visiting their favorite coffee place – Central Perk.  (Yes, the ornament’s name kind of gives it away).  What did surprise me about the ornament is that it is covered in fabric, much like a real couch would be.  Honestly, I was rather expecting plastic until I saw it in person.  Instead of legs, the couch is sitting on a tan box with Friends written on in just like the logo of the show.

That box is important since it holds the workings for the magic element of the ornament.  It does require two button sized batteries to work, and your first set is included.  I will say that it took more work than normal to get the batteries in mine.  The spring just didn’t want to go back.  I’m guessing it is just mine.  At least I hope so.

When you press the button on the side of the ornament, you’ll hear six different clips from the show.  Some are short, some are longer, but all of them make me smile if not laugh.  The clips are coming directly from the show, so for the longer ones, you can hear the audience laughing.  Yes, you do hear all the friends at least once, although some appear more than others.  All six clips total to about a minute and a half, so there is an impressive amount of content for the magic portion.

Naturally, this ornament will sit out anywhere to be displayed.  Since this is a pop culture ornament, you really could enjoy it year round.

The loop to hang the ornament is sticking out of the back, which would make it mighty uncomfortable for the friend sitting in the middle of the couch.  Unfortunately, when you go to hang it, you’ll find it does tip slightly to the left, although that should be easy enough to hide with tree branches.

Fans of Friends will love Central Perk Couch.  I know I am glad I got it and looking forward to enjoying it for many seasons to come.