The Good: Good sculpt, Awesome balance, Cute as hell! Inexpensive
The Bad: Noticeable seam, Lack of collectible values
The Basics: The 2013 "Mint Chocolate Chipmunk" ornament is probably the cutest ornament ever . . . despite the obvious seam and lack of collectible value!
When it comes to Hallmark Christmas ornaments, I have a tendency to review the genre ornaments almost exclusively. The genre ornaments interest me the most and I have experiences with the subjects of most of them outside the ornaments that make me have an appreciation for them. Recently, though, I bought my wife a Christmas tree for her to have (one of the synthetic ones that will probably last her entire lifetime). After I picked her up her ideal Christmas tree, I figured out that at some point, she’d probably need some ornaments of her own. To that end, I started getting her some. The first monthly ornament for her that I picked up was the Mint Chocolate Chipmunk.
Both my wife and I love mint chocolate (everything) and my wife has an affinity for chipmunks. My wife’s dog, the one she had when our marriage began and I had a few decent years of getting to know before our geriatric cocker spaniel gave up the ghost at sixteen years old, Mitzie, used to love chipmunks. Mitzie would only dig after chipmunks in our yard and she tried to point them out to my wife and I whenever she saw them. So, the Mint Chocolate Chipmunk ornament was one that my wife instantly was drawn to and I was super psyched when I found after Christmas for 75% off!
And this is a super-cute, awesome ornament for anyone who likes cute animals.
Basics
The Mint Chocolate Chipmunk ornament is a smiling chipmunk that is holding a big ice cream cone! The ornament is just Mint Chocolate Chipmunk, a chipmunk standing on an ice cream sandwich with a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone. The ornament, released in 2013, is a ridiculously cute chipmunk standing on his hind legs, holding his ice cream cone in his two paws with his little pink tongue ready to lick the ice cream cone. This ornament is a monument to cute.
Hallmark clearly made quite an effort on Mint Chocolate Chipmunk, but the ornament is very simple and clearly assembled; there is a troublingly obvious seam that goes all the way around the ornament (laterally). The seam is really the only problem with the ornament’s construction. Measuring three and one-eighth inches tall, one and one quarter inches wide and one and three-quarter inches deep, the "Mint Chocolate Chipmunk" ornament is a medium-sized Hallmark ornament. This is also one of the least expensive Hallmark ornaments. Originally, it retailed at $14.95, which might have been expensive, but there were so many left after the holiday season that most are available easily for in the $4 range (which is a perfect price for the small plastic ornament).
The Hallmark "Mint Chocolate Chipmunk" ornament is made of a durable plastic, but the coloring is done entirely in monotones, which is fine. Most of the chipmunk is appropriately brown, but the white on his fur is replaced with mint green that makes it look like the chipmunk ate so much mint chocolate it turned! The cone and ice cream in the ice cream sandwich upon which the chipmunk is perched are bright green with brown speckles in it. This is a very cute ornament and well-colored.
Features
As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "Mint Chocolate Chipmunk" could have a sound effect, but it does not. Instead, this is a less-expensive option that is just the cute animated character.
Balance
As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "Mint Chocolate Chipmunk" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas tree. And the "Mint Chocolate Chipmunk" ornament is a great option for anyone who wants a family tree or who loves animals. The ornament has the plastic hook loop embedded into the top center of Mint Chocolate Chipmunk's hatted head. This is fairly obvious and necessary for the ornament. Hanging there, the ornament is absolutely perfectly balanced. This Mint Chocolate Chipmunk ornament also comes with a green ribbon that helps it hang perfectly.
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 that review!). Within a few years, every major franchise from Star Wars to A Nightmare Before Christmas to Indiana Jones started making Hallmark ornaments. "Mint Chocolate Chipmunk" is a non-genre ornament that is not intended to have collectible value and, instead, is a generic, family-friendly ornament that Hallmark produced. It will probably never get back up to its original retail price for value, which is fine because it is a great inexpensive ornament.
Overview
Fans of mint chocolate, chipmunks, Hallmark ornaments, and pretty much anything that is adorable will find the Mint Chocolate Chipmunk ornament to be a nice one worth hunting down now that it is inexpensive and easily available at Hallmark stores even now!
For other Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2012 Michael Oher Baltimore Ravens ornament
2013 Milton Waddams Office Space ornament
1995 Barbie Debut (Brunette) Club Exclusive ornament
8.5/10
For other ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!
© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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