Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Too Lightly Detailed And Possessing Poor Balance Sink The Fisherman Snoopy Ornament.


The Good: Good sculpt, Reasonable price
The Bad: Balance issue, Coloring is a little off, Seems small for the price.
The Basics: The 2012 Fisherman Snoopy ornament may continue the popular Spotlight On Snoopy series, but it does not do so in a remarkable way.


It has, to be fair, been a while since one of the basic Snoopy Peanuts ornaments has wowed me. The little ornaments from the Spotlight On Snoopy series – or other ones that simply have Snoopy on his own – have often seemed small, slightly overpriced, and underdetailed. It is almost as if at some point Hallmark decided that no ornament would ever again be under $10 and I suppose the more I think of how a person making minimum wage would have to work at least two hours (three realistically accounting for taxes being taken out) to afford the Fisherman Snoopy ornament, the more disappointed in the ornament I become.

Part of my disappointment, though, comes from the advertising. The box and advance photographs show Snoopy with a brown fishing rod. Each and every Fisherman Snoopy ornament I opened up to look at had an orange rod. That was, I suppose, only the final disappointment in relation to this ornament for me.

Basics

The Fisherman Snoopy ornament features Snoopy from Peanuts wearing a fishing vest and hat and carrying a very simple fishing pole in his left hand. Snoopy stands before Woodstock, who is proudly showing Snoopy his fish. Exactly what Snoopy’s facial expression is supposed to indicate is an absolute mystery to me. His eyes are presented as thin lines, almost as if he was smiling, but his eyebrows are raised, so I’m left baffled. Conversely, Woodstock is clearly happy with his fish.

Measuring two and one-eighth inches tall, one and one quarter inches wide and one and one-half inches deep, the Fisherman Snoopy ornament is a pretty average-sized Peanuts ornament. At $12.95, it is actually one of the least expensive Peanuts ornaments produced for the 2012 holiday season.

The Hallmark Fisherman Snoopy ornament is made of a durable plastic and has the characters cast in very bright plastic. The sculpting is very simple (the fish does not, for example, have molded scales) and the coloring is all done in monotones. That Snoopy has a fishing hat with no lures molded in or painted on seems odd to me.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, Fisherman Snoopy could have a sound or light function, but it does not. This is a very basic ornament intended to be one of the more affordable options without flair. In that regard, it is fine; it does not need a light or sound function.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake Fisherman Snoopy ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Peanuts Christmas Tree, the Fisherman Snoopy ornament is mediocre at best on its own and poor when balance is added as a factor. Hallmark has the standard brass hook at the logical point, the top of Snoopy's fisherman’s had. However, it seems like the hook was placed too far forward and not close enough to the fishing pole side. As a result, the pole weighs down the ornament and it ends up with a 15 – 30 degree diagonal pitch!

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!). Since then, they have made ornament replicas of virtually everything that has ever had collectibles associated with it (and some that Hallmark has pioneered). The Fisherman Snoopy ornament seems like it would appeal well to Peanuts fans, but I have yet to see any of the recent Snoopy ornaments appreciate significantly in value. It is unlikely this will be a great investment piece.

Overview

The lack of exceptional detailing, coupled with the price and the balance issue, make the Fisherman Snoopy a much tougher sell than one might initially think. Outside the die-hard fans, it is hard for me to guess who might truly enjoy this ornament.

For other Peanuts holiday ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2011 Snoopy Claus
2011 Ho! Ho! Ho! Tasty Snow!
2010 "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!"
2009 Just The Right Tree

4/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my index page!

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