First Two 2021 Hallmark Muppet and Sesame Ornaments Now Available!

As we first reported on April 1st - (No Joke), the first two Hallmark 2021 Muppet and Sesame Street ornaments premiered this weekend. 

Sesame Street® Cookie Monster Ornament:

Product Details: 

Everyone's favorite baked-goods-loving Sesame Street resident wears a Santa hat as he carries an armful of chocolate chip cookies in this delightful Christmas tree ornament. Add the playful Cookie Monster decoration to your collection to delight young and old Sesame Street fans—and cookie enthusiasts—everywhere.

• This artist crafted Keepsake Ornament comes pre-packaged in a box for easy gift giving, preservation and storage. Dated 2021 in copyright.

• Plastic Christmas tree ornament measures 2.73" W x 4.06" H x 2.16" D.

The Muppets Kermit's Holiday Hug Kermit and Miss Piggy Ornament:

Product Details:

Miss Piggy has never been shy to declare Kermit as her main squeeze! It's only fitting that she snatch up Kermit the Frog in a zealous bear hug to wish him and everyone a merry Muppet Christmas in this festive Christmas tree ornament. Makes a great holiday gift for fans of the beloved Muppets characters.

• Artist crafted by Robert Chad, this Keepsake Ornament comes pre-packaged in a box for easy gift giving, preservation and storage. Dated 2021 in copyright.

• Plastic Christmas tree ornament measures 2.37" W x 3.93" H x 1.87" D.

There is still one more ornament to be released featuring Elmo. 

Sesame Street® Elmo’s Magic Piano Musical Ornament:

Product Details:

Fans of the friendly Sesame Street character, Elmo, will be tickled to hang this Christmas tree ornament of him with a crayon-colored piano. Press the button and sing la-la-la-la along with the cheerful "Elmo's World" theme song (battery-operated). The lovable red monster makes a timeless addition to your holiday decor.

Magic Sound Christmas tree ornament. Press the button on the ornament to hear a version of the Elmo’s World theme song. Requires two (2) LR44 batteries, included.

• Artist crafted by Nello Williams, this Keepsake Ornament comes pre-packaged in a box for easy gift giving, preservation and storage. Dated 2021 in copyright.
  
  
  
  
  
• Plastic Christmas tree ornament measures 2.64" W x 2.99" H x 2.78" D.

The Cookie Monster and Miss Piggy and Kermit ornaments are available now at Hallmark stores and using the links above. Elmo’s Magic Piano Musical Ornament will be available October 2. 

Hallmark Keepsake Kermit and Elmo Ornaments Now Available!

Hallmark released their first wave of ornaments this weekend including new versions of Elmo and Kermit.

The Muppet Show Musical Ornament

Ladies and gentlemen, it's Christmas time—and it's "The Muppet Show" on your tree! Fans of the beloved Jim Henson characters will love to make this Christmas ornament a very special guest star in their holiday decorating. Capturing the iconic TV show's opening scene, Kermit the Frog shares a smile and a wave from his perch in the "O" of the ornate title card, while a version of "The Muppet Show Theme" song plays when you press the button (battery-operated).

The Muppet Show theme song used is the same first season version used on the original Muppet soundtrack album.

Deck the Halls With Elmo

Elmo is definitely ready to deck the halls this holiday season! Fans of the friendly Sesame Street character will be tickled to hang this Christmas tree ornament of him holding a festive string of garland. The lovable red monster makes a timeless addition to your holiday decor.

Artist crafted by Nello Williams, this Keepsake Ornament comes pre-packaged in a box for easy gift giving, preservation and storage. Dated 2020 in copyright.

Coming in October is Sesame Street Cookie Monster's Foodie Truck Ornament With Sound

Young Sesame Street fans will recognize the iconic Foodie Truck, where everyone's favorite cookie-craving blue monster and his friend Gonger learn about different types of food. Commemorate Cookie Monster's recurring segment of the beloved television show with this Christmas tree ornament that plays phrases from the foodie fellow (battery-operated). Mmmmm, me want cookie now!
Also of note, this year Hallmark redesigned their packaging and it's extremely disappointing. The images of the ornaments are small and shoved to the bottom.

Below you can see boxes for "The Muppet Show":

The box for "Deck the Halls With Elmo" is slightly better with more information taking up space, while The Muppet Show box looks depressingly empty and features generic connect  on the back.

The Muppet Show Musical Ornament and Deck the Halls With Elmo are available now, while Sesame Street Cookie Monster's Foodie Truck Ornament With Sound will be released October 3rd. 

Hallmark Rowlf Ornament Now Available!

Hallmark's Rowlf ornament is now available!

The 3 inch ornament will play "Eight Little Notes," as performed by Jim Henson as Rowlf, from The Muppet Show.

Below is Hallmark's official description:

Looking for a notable gift that a Muppets fan will love? This Christmas tree ornament, which features Rowlf the Dog tickling the ivories and singing the memorable tune "Eight Little Notes," will be music to their ears. Just don't expect to hear any woofs or barks from this piano-playing pooch!

The ornament costs $19.99 and is available in both Hallmark stores and online.

Hallmark's 2017 The Muppet Christmas Carol Ornament!

With the release of their first wave of 2017 ornaments next month, Hallmark released new images of their ornaments. 

As we previously reported, instead of continuing with The Muppets in their "Muppet Show" settings/costumes, this year Hallmark decided to honor the 25th anniversary of The Muppet Christmas Carol.

The ornament features Kermit and Robin as Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim singing "Christmas Scat" from the film's soundtrack.

"Celebrate 25 years of The Muppet Christmas Carol with this Christmas ornament that features Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit and his nephew Robin as Tiny Tim Cratchit. Movie collectors will cherish this Hallmark Keepsake Ornament that plays audio clips from the heartwarming holiday movie of a miser's redemption on Christmas Eve."

No word yet though on whether Hallmark will continue with Muppet Christmas Carol ornaments or return to The Muppet Show.

The 2.95" W x 4.6" H x 2.2" D ornament will be available July 15th and cost $19.95.

Head over to Hallmark's website for more information and to hear the slightly different version (less echo?)  of "Christmas Scat" the ornament will play. 

Sneak Peek 2017 Hallmark Keepsake Muppet Ornament!

While we didn't see it at NY Comic Con, next year's Hallmark Keepsake Ornament has been now been revealed!

'Merry Christmas Everyone' is Hallmark's 2017 Muppet Keepsake Ornament. As you can see, it features Kermit and Robin in their Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim roles from The Muppet Christmas Carol.
Hallmark artist Ken Crow, who also sculpted the Animal (2010), Beaker (2011), Fozzie (2012), and Electric Mayhem Bus (2016) ornaments, created the ornament.

It's a departure from the classic Muppet Show feel of the last few ornaments, and is the first Muppet Keepsake Ornament to be brandished with a logo specifically from a Muppet movie. Even though this year's Electric Mayhem bus was the first movie specific Muppet ornament.

Ken obviously used both Palisade Toy's mini PVC and this image from the movie's promotional materials for reference:

It's worth noting that the ornament bears a little more of a resemblance to the actual source material then the Palisades figure does.

This could be the start of whole new line of Muppet Christmas Carol ornaments which kinda makes more sense as Christmas ornaments then the Muppets being depicted as their everyday Muppet Show selves.

Special thanks to Nate Downs for the heads up.

What do you think of this potentially new direction?

Review: Hallmark Electric Mayhem Bus Ornament!

The Electric Mayhem Bus, this year's Hallmark Muppet ornament, is now available and we got a first hand look at the completed tree decoration.

I was hoping the inside shots of the Muppets were just temporary, but sadly, they are not and they're even worse close up. 

First off, the bus itself looks great. The paint and attention to detail on the bus itself are top notch. It's missing some elements, but for the most part its pretty close. 

The images of Floyd and Fozzie are OK, but Animal and Piggy are over used stock images. Animal's coloring doesn't even fit. He looks flat and needs shading. 

The opposite side fares better with Janice singing with a chicken and Zoot peering out the window (while playing on handed?). But that blank space and not including Rowlf or Lips? For shame. 

There are no Muppets peering out the back looking for sweet nothings? Seriously?

The front features a stock photo Kermit with another chicken(?) and he doesn't appear to be looking at anything in particular - just having a conversation with himself. Since Gonzo is NOT included on the bus, maybe Kermit's looking up for him and his balloons!

Easily the worst part of the ornament though, is the image of Dr. Teeth. It's literally a photo of the puppet that travelled around the country and is now on display in Atlanta. 

His hands are just dangling, barley holding the wheel at all. 

Take a look at the images above and then at the ornament. Hallmark kept them in the exact same pose!

For every detail on the bus itself, there a serious LACK of attention to the images of the characters and which are included. 

The ornament plays a sample from the original recoding of "Can You Picture That?" Which is fine, but we've all heard it numerous times. The Muppets recorded new versions with the current performers, so a updated version would have been nice to hear, but I understand why they used the original. 

The sculpts on past Hallmark ornaments were all pretty great and I expected more from Hallmark. Again, the bus itself has great paint and detail, but everything else about it is a disappointment. 

You can order it online or find it at your local Hallmark store.