[grandma lise]

There's quite a few Halloween themed ornaments this year.

There are two Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas ornaments this year: "This Is Halloween" releases on July 12th... http://shop.hallmark.com/christmas/christmas-ornaments/this-is-halloween-1995QXD6116.html#start=121&sz=60 The fountain glows neon green and plays music! I attended a Sneak Peak last night. Of all the Nightmare ornaments to date, this is my favorite. What's NOT in the Dreambook is a second ornament that will release on October 4th as a limited-quantity, "Jack's Pecullar Pet"... http://newsroom.hallmark.com/Multimedia/Item/Jacks-Peculiar-Pet

Note: Most ornaments release on July 12th, the rest typically on October 4th. Limited-quantity ornaments are not featured in the Dreambook, and sometimes sell out the morning of release.

Here's more Halloween ornaments including a skull confection ornament, all original designs by Hallmark... http://shop.hallmark.com/keepsake-ornaments/#prefn1=holiday&prefv1=Halloween 10/31 "Happy Halloween!" features a ghost in his furnished, carved pumpkin home, 2nd in series, perhaps the first Halloween series for Hallmark. The first five ornaments release July 12th. The sixth, "Bewitching Daisy" (Disney), releases September 2014, and the seventh, "Waiting for the Great Pumpkin", part of a monthly Peanuts series that released July 2013 - June 2014, released in September 2013, but is still available in some stores - (I'd call your closest Hallmark and ask).

And then there's also a number of licensed ornaments, some feature sound or other effects. Again, most release on July 12th, the rest typically on October 4th.

High-Flying Hero (The Rocketeer) - (Not in Dreambook, releases July 12 as a limited-quantity)... http://shop.hallmark.com/products/high-flying-hero-1495QXE3723.html
Great White Menace (Jaws)... http://shop.hallmark.com/christmas/christmas-ornaments/great-white-menace-1795QXI2786.html
Wizard of Oz... http://shop.hallmark.com/keepsake-ornaments/#prefn1=characters&prefv1=THE WIZARD OF OZ™ Not a good year for WOZ but they're okay. Note: Two ornaments release July 12, Ruby Slippers releases October 4
Jessica Rabbit (Disney Who Framed Roger Rabbit)... http://shop.hallmark.com/christmas/christmas-ornaments/jessica-rabbit-1795QXD6123.html
The Sorting Hat (Harry Potter)... http://shop.hallmark.com/christmas/christmas-ornaments/the-sorting-hat-2495QXI2543.html This one is not a favorite, but I'll add it to my Harry Potter themed Halloween tree.
Frankenstein's Monster (Universal Studios Monsters)... http://shop.hallmark.com/christmas/christmas-ornaments/frankensteins-monster-1495QXI2753.html
Sloth (The Goonies)... http://shop.hallmark.com/christmas/christmas-ornaments/sloth-1495QXI2736.html
Godzilla... http://shop.hallmark.com/christmas/christmas-ornaments/godzilla-1795QXI2553.html
Cornelius (Planet of the Apes)... http://shop.hallmark.com/christmas/christmas-ornaments/cornelius-1495QXI2773.html
Alien, 35th Anniversary... http://shop.hallmark.com/christmas/christmas-ornaments/alien-1795QXI2783.html
Star Trek - ("Vina" from the pilot episode of the original Star Trek series; not in Dreambook; it's a limited-quantity and releases July 12th)... http://shop.hallmark.com/keepsake-ornaments/#prefn1=characters&prefv1=Star Trek
Star Wars - (the "Cantina Band" is a favorite this year)... http://shop.hallmark.com/keepsake-ornaments/#prefn1=characters&prefv1=Star Wars™
Star Wars "Wampa", available at San Diego (July) or New York City (October) Comic Con only, very hard to get, will sell online on Ebay in the $200 range, to see scroll through three pictures in this link... http://corporate.hallmark.com/News-From-Hallmark/Hallmark-Introduces-2014-Event-Exclusive-Keepsake-Ornaments

I'm a long-time Hallmark ornament collector. It's exciting to see Hallmark producing Halloween ornaments again. I hope you enjoyed this overview of this year's Halloween collection.

Here's a link to most of the collection...

http://shop.hallmark.com/keepsake-ornaments/

And here's a thread started here discussing some of the ornaments for 2014...

http://www.halloweenforum.com/general-halloween/133844-frankenstein-universal-monsters-ornament-hallmark-3.html?highlight=hallmark

Lisa

 

[Spookywolf]

Lisa, thanks so much for posting the info. I've bought Hallmark ornaments in the past whenever I happened to stop in, but this is the first year I'm planning to go to the premier event. FYI that my store said they would be opening 2 hours early, so call your store to check their hours. There are quite a few cute Halloween ornaments offered this year. I'm thinking of doing a Halloween tree if I could find something small enough that wouldn't take up much room. Anyone here done something similar?

 

[RCIAG]

Oh I will TOTES be at my Hallmark store on Saturday morning!! I have my list & will spend more money than I should. I haven't been impressed with the previous years selection of ornaments in general but last year they released the Halloween stuff & I just had to buy them along with the usual ornaments I buy.

I usually purchase 2 of any ornament having to do with the fire service for gifts (they usually have 1 or 2 a year) & then I get the NBC ornament. In previous years that's been about it for me. But they're making up for it this year with the POTA & Frankenstein & all the other Halloween ornaments.

I'm also gonna guess that ALL of the Frozen ornaments will be gone as soon as they hit the shelves so if you've got a kid or an adult that's into it buy them sooner rather than later.

 

[grandma lise]

Spookywolf, thank you for mentioning that many, if not ALL, of the stores will open early on July 12th. My store is also opening 2 hours early. If you find a black tree, I hope you post a picture. I have a 3 foot one and a couple of smaller ones, but already feel the need to go bigger!

RCIAG, one of our son's is a firefighter.

if you've got a "Frozen" fan, mark your calendar: Olaf releases October 4 and Elsa, not in Dreambook, releases in November - (check with your local store for a release date; if it's not a limited-quantity ornament, many stores will pull and hold ornaments for you when they come in)...

Elsa - (click on link and scroll down)... http://www.hallmark.com/keepsake-ornaments/
Olaf... http://shop.hallmark.com/christmas/christmas-ornaments/olaf-1495QXD6153.html

Did you get the Halloween ornament, "Stand-up Skeleton" last year? http://www.pinterest.com/pin/54043264251495964/ The artist, Jake Angell, is a new Keepsake artist, though he's worked for Hallmark for 13 years. Hoping to see MORE Halloween ornaments from him in the future. Last year, I found this Hallmark display stand for the ornament, Every Kid's A Star! http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=hallmark+every+kid's+a+star!&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xhallmark+every+kid's+a+star!+display+stand&_nkw=hallmark+every+kid's+a+star!+display+stand&_sacat=0 If a jump ring is added to the ornament, it's just the right size to display Stand-up Skeleton. Got it for the grandchildren too.

I'll be lined up at the door tomorrow. By the way, I've heard that stores only received a limited number of Halloween ornaments for release on July 12th, but stores can order more later this year, SO, if you don't see them displayed on Saturday, they may have them in the backroom. Also, if you aren't able to get what you want on Saturday, let them know so they can order, pull it, and hold it for you later this year.

All that said, there will be Halloween ornaments in stores on Saturday, July 12th. Ask for them if you don't see them.

Would like to know what you think and what came home with you on Saturday. Happy Premiere!

Lisa

 

[RCIAG]

I love that ornament! That was the first one I bought out of that series then went back & got the rest later.

What I need are the storage boxes. We have 3 of the older storage boxes, 2 with handles, & we keep all of our Hallmarks in them but the last couple of years they haven't had the boxes, I missed them or they weren't up to the old standards & I skipped them.

We have one of these & 2 of the older version that have metal handles.

We keep all the ornaments in their original boxes so they store easier & don't break so it's sorta like a giant jigsaw puzzle but we get them back in the same way every year. But since we've outgrown the 3, some of the larger Jack ornaments get put elsewhere then I can't recall which box they're in. I'd love to see them bring back the snap together boxes with handles. Even without handles they're great storage for the ornaments.

 

[grandma lise]

Oooh, wish I'd collected The Nightmare Before Christmas ornaments. They're going to take me a while to back collect.

In December, Hallmark will have a new Keepsake Ornament Storage Box - (no handles though )...

http://shop.hallmark.com/christmas/christmas-ornaments/keepsake-ornament-storage-box-1495LPR3396.html

Years ago, Hallmark sold three-drawer storage containers. I pick them up in thrift stores when I see them. The outside is cream with a Christmas greenery pattern, and the drawers are a cranberry color. I wasn't able to find a picture, but here's a similar storage system - (the inserts are removable)...

http://www.ornamentbox.com/

I think this year's storage box is a good one.

Lisa

 

[boobird]

Lisa, thanks SO much for the info about the second Nightmare ornament!! Would never have gone back to check after this weekend!

 

[pumpkinking30]

Thanks for the update, grandma lise. I will be at Hallmark tomorrow morning. I look forward to this event every year. This always kicks off the holiday buying season for us. My wife and I are so corny, we listen to Christmas music all the way over to the store. This event has always been the only Christmas decoration purchasing that I will do before Halloween.

They have lots of ornaments that will go better on my Halloween tree than Christmas. I love the Frankenstein ornament, and the Nightmare Before Christmas ornament is awesome. Also, their dedicated Halloween ornaments are cool too.

I do miss the days when Hallmark did the themed collections of Decorantions and Ornaments for Halloween like the "Mansion on Ravenwood Lane" set and the Hauntington collection. They were so neat that I couldn't imagine them having not sold well.

 

[RCIAG]

This always kicks off the holiday buying season for us. My wife and I are so corny, we listen to Christmas music all the way over to the store. This event has always been the only Christmas decoration purchasing that I will do before Halloween..

Same here, except for the Christmas music. It's usually the only gifts I buy this early.

This year we really hit the fire department jackpot with 3 ornaments so even if I only bought those that's 6 ornaments right there which is nealry $100!! Since I plan on buying the NBC one, Cornelius, Frankenstein & a few of the metal birds & who knows what else I'll need a couple of those storage boxes & a higher credit line!!

I hope they're a sturdy cardboard. The last one they put out was kinda flimsy. I might buy that one anyway since the handle ones are going for crazy $$$ on Ebay.

Here's a Polar Express one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hallmark-Exclusive-2004-Polar-Express-Keepsake-Storage-Box-VHTF-QSR1651-/220925443185?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33702ebc71

 

[pumpkinking30]

Wow RCIAG I didn't realize that the ornament boxes were in such high demand. We got several of those Polar Express boxes on discount after the holidays when we were still living in NC. They are packed away somewhere in all our storage stuff. It was OK, but the side snap thing didn't work all that great. My wife and I just keep our ornaments in their packages during and put the packages in rubber-made tubs when they are not being used. It is a little bit of a bulky storage solution, but we don't have a lot of ornament fatalities either. My Mom used to store her ornaments in plastic ornament boxes that she got at Walmart. She would put several ornaments in each compartment. No matter how gently they were handled, we still started every Christmas season with the bottle of super glue.

My plan for tomorrow is to pick up the Limited Quantity ornaments that I want and the large snowman. I figure the other ornaments will be there for the season and the store will be able to reorder them for a while at least. Since we are planning a short trip near the end of the month, the pumpkin queen tells me that I cannot blow the budget tomorrow.

 

[grandma lise]

Thank you. Leaving the house now - (I'm on the west coast). What did you think today? What did you get?

Lisa

 

[boobird]

I got the three I wanted: Nightmare Before Christmas, Frankenstein, and the sweet skull. I had to buy the display of the sweet skull, and I was the second person in the store! They did not get many halloween ornaments at mine.

One of the employees shared with me that my store is only getting 2 of "Jack's Peculiar Pet", and that it is very limited. He also told me that the store will not hold any for anyone, nor will they be available to purchase by wishlist for KOC members. According to him they will not be able to order more after they sell out. Looks like I will be lining up early for that one! Thanks again for the heads up Lisa!

Hope everyone was able to get everything they wanted!!

 

[pumpkinking30]

I got one of each of the Halloween ornaments and the Limited Quantity ornaments. I was still under strict orders to not blow the budget, so I put everything on layaway until later.

Our store had a bunch of the Skull, although people were picking them up quickly. I was going to wait until after I got paid to get the Halloween ornaments, but the way they were going, I wasn't sure if they would last. They had a decent amount of all the limited quantities there. I was the 6th one in, and there were still plenty. The Humming Bird was the most limited at our store. I only saw 3 of those. The surprise for me was the display stand for the Disney year-round series. Our store only had about 4 of them, so I went ahead a put that on layaway too.

It was nice to hear a man talking in front of me in line about how he used to grab everything in sight and sell on Ebay (his words exactly), but with the change in the economy, that just wasn't profitable anymore. I hate that his business ventures didn't work out, but when your healthy profit margin requires you to disappoint families and collectors who wanted to come to their local store and find a memorable object for their holiday celebration; its better that you find something else to do. He was saying that he and his wife now collect the ornaments, themselves, and no longer sell them. That to me is a much better reason to go out to get ornaments.

 

[grandma lise]

Well, glad I decided to focus on limited-quantity ornaments and Halloween for Premiere!

Was one of seven at the door seconds before the opening - (forgot to turn ON the alarm !). Went for the limited's first, but they weren't all on the cart. I know the corporate stores aren't allowed to pull them for wish lists, so was really confused. FINALLY figured out that there were some on a nearby display, so got the five I wanted. Whew...

High Flying Hero (The Rocketeer) - This one's going on my nursery rhyme and storybook character theme tree, love it!
Kisses for Kacey
Winged Wonder (Beauty of Birds)
"Who You Callin' Chicken"? (Looney Tunes)
Toymaker Santa - I really like this one better in person, so glad I got it. Nicely detailed.

The Halloween ornaments were no where to be seen, so asked. There were a total of three left, the rest had been committed to customer's wish lists... Of the five, only was able to get Itsy Bitsy Cupcake and Hangin' With Count Snoopy. (I love EVERYTHING about this ornament, particularly Snoopy's classic "he-he-he-he-he" at the end of the music.)

Later, a customer found a Happy Halloween! in their wish list bag and kindly gave it to me. Yay! I like this one even more than the 1st in series. Just need Sweet Skull now. I'm on the list so all is good.

Next I picked up Frankenstein's Monster, which is made of a rubber like material so shouldn't break if it falls over, and This Is Halloween (The Nightmare Before Christmas). Adore the eerie neon green glow of the water in the fountain. I plan to collect the next limited quantity ornament, Jack's Peculiar Pet, in October too. Thanks for the heads up that this one is REALLY going to be limited.

For Christmas, I got...

Cheerful Snowman tabletop display - looks great on my coffee table!

Baltimore Oriole (mini, Beauty of Birds)

FREE - A Spring Surprise

Snow Fun Ferris Wheel - This was a had to have favorite that did not disappoint though I did have to search for a Legacy cord once back at the house! When hooked to the cord, the hub of the wheel rotates two colors at a time; when the cord is pulled it's the hub rotates through one color at a time and the base alternates lighting with the music. All of the snowman are posed differently on the ride. My husband most liked the snowman holding both arms high in the air. I so enjoy Tracy Larsen's artwork!

I don't know how many other ornaments I'm going to collect this year, probably not much until I find a new job. The Reward Certificates helped a lot today. Used them all!

I hope you all were able to find all the ornaments you wanted.

Now all I have to decide is which Halloween ornament to put on my desk at work.

Lisa

 

[RCIAG]

I rolled into my Hallmark around noon & bought:

-2 each of the Noelville Fire Station
-2 each of the 972 GMC Fire Engine
-2 each of Mickey's Fire Brigade
-the small Baltimore Oriole
-the Sweet Skull
-Frankenstein's Monster
-the NBC ornament
-the Happy Halloween ornament (the little ghost in a pumpkin) which was in with the other ornaments, not with the Halloween ones.

As I'm sitting here looking at the bag full of ornaments I realized I missed Cornelius, was he a July or October release?

I also didn't get a storage box since I didn't see them.

I've never had a problem finding any ornaments at that particular store. All the employees were dressed up in costumes. One was Minnie Mouse, another had angel wings, one guy was in an original Star Trek costume.

 

[RCIAG]

I just checked & I didn't miss Cornelius, he's an October release. I'll pick him & Zero up then!!

 

[kittyvibe]

thanks to this thread for getting me to spend some money, lol. got the NBC one but didnt see the sugar skull. I forgot about it until reading this thread, anyone have a live pic of it vs the store pic? Any thoughts on it?

 

[kprimm]

Just got back, for starters I got, Frankenstein, Nightmare before Christmas fountain, and the Ghost ornament. Going next week to get Jaws.

 

[RCIAG]

It's exactly like the pic.

 

[Spookywolf]

Okay, somebody should have warned me that going to the Hallmark Premier would be so ADDICTIVE! I'll confess I went a little, um...nuts! I really only planned on buying 1 or 2 ornaments. That's it. I ended up making 2 trips to the store. The first pass I got the 2 I thought I wanted...plus a few extra I hadn't planned on buying. I did the typical put stuff in my basket, take them back out and put back on the shelf routine. "Not going to spend that much money," I said with a strong backbone of discipline and control. And then....I went home and thought about the ones I put back. And thought some more. And did the "But what if they SELL OUT!!!" thing...and yup, like the spineless addict I am, I went back again this evening to buy them plus another 1 or 2 I hadn't planned on getting, LOL! And I have no idea how Fonzie managed to jump in my basket, but he did and I love him. OMG, tell me there's therapy somewhere for this! Here's a picture of my haul.