Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Hallmark Makes A Perfect Ornament With The 2012 Catwoman Batman Ornament!


The Good: Collectible, Well-balanced, Good casting of the character, Decent coloring detail, Inexpensive
The Bad: No special features
The Basics: Well-balanced and cool, Hallmark hits perfection again with the 2012 Catwoman ornament!


Not long ago, I finally found a perfect Hallmark ornament for 2012 in the Star Wars TIE Interceptor ornament (reviewed here!) and for those who are looking for a simpler ornament but want perfection, it is the Batman franchise that delivers the next perfect ornament of the season! While my wife rolled her eyes at seeing the Catwoman ornament, claiming it was just a cheap ploy related to the release of The Dark Knight Rises (reviewed here!), but I recognized the pose as an iconic image of Catwoman from The New 52. And Catwoman, with her whip flailing around her makes for a very cool ornament.

Basics

The Catwoman ornament recreates the cool, sexy cat burgler in solid plastic. The ornament, released in 2012, is an amazing recreation of the female character who has pretty incredible popularity. She is mostly covered by her tight bodysuit, with only her face exposed. Catwoman is posed looking like she is leaping through the air, perhaps while snatching at one last valuable to steal! The ornament, like the character, is dominated by black and the ornament is very cool in how it mixes matte black for most of the outfit (making it look like leather) and glossy on her boots. The Catwoman ornament is appropriately detailed on the face, eyes and lips, though.

Hallmark insisted on $14.95 for the ornament originally and it is a steal at that price. For an ornament without any sound chip or light function, this still feels like a value given the quality and intricacy of the ornament. The Catwoman ornament is 4 1/2" tall, 4 1/4" wide and 2” deep and she looks great from her goggles to her boots. The Hallmark Catwoman ornament is made of a durable plastic and has her with one hand on her whip and another reaching out. Her legs are in a leaping pose, knees bent and feet back.

Catwoman is detailed exceptionally in the body and on the costume. Catwoman looks like she does in the comics from the red lipstick to her exceptionally detailed eyes. Hallmark took a lot of care in decorating the Catwoman ornament and they succeeded. Her whip is perfectly in proportion and looks amazingly molded. The detailing is exceptional for such a thin piece of molded plastic.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, Catwoman could have a function like a sound chip or light effect, but does not. This is just an ornament, a low-cost (comparatively) option for those who might not want to shell out for the more expensive ornaments. This Catwoman simply hangs.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake Catwoman ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate DC Universe Christmas Tree, Catwoman is becoming more and more essential; hell, she had her own movie and has appeared in two Batman films! In fact, DC Universe villains have been underrepresented, which might be why this one is selling as well as it is! The ornament has a brass hook loop embedded behind her shoulderblades. From that hook, the Catwoman ornament hangs perfectly balanced. It is impressive and the ornament sways when rocked, but otherwise sits stable in the right position!

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (click here for my review of that!). Since then, Hallmark has gotten into every major franchise from Disney to The Simpsons to the DC Comics universe. The Catwoman ornament is fairly common, but with the popularity of The Dark Knight Rises and the quality of the ornament, I would l not be surprised if it sold out fairly fast. This is one of the Hallmark ornaments this year I am betting on a sell-out, so unless one wants to pay a premium, they might want to pick it up while they can!

Overview

Catwoman is an exceptionally detailed ornament that is priced right to please! Well worth picking up!

For other DC Universe superhero Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2012 "Beware My Power" Green Lantern ornament
2012 The Dark Knight Rises
2011 Batman Takes Flight
2011 Green Lantern
2010 Limited Edition Harley Quinn
2009 Wonder Woman ornament

10/10

For other ornament and toy reviews, please check out my index page!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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