Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments

More than 300 new and unique ornament designs are available in 2008.

According to Hallmark research, 88 percent of consumers decorate a Christmas tree.

According to Hallmark research, the top five reasons for buying and displaying Christmas ornaments are: 1) to commemorate a milestone, 2) to recall a special memory, 3) to represent a child or grandchild on the tree, 4) to one day pass along the ornaments as heirlooms, and 5) to express the individual's personality.

Industrywide, one out of every three ornaments sold is purchased for a child.

Hallmark introduced Keepsake Ornaments in 1973.

2008 Product News

Many Keepsake Magic Ornaments feature lights, sound and/or motion. In the “Home for Christmas” ornament, for example, trains and a sleigh move around a village while lights softly glow and the song “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” plays. “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” is an example of the new Sounds of the Season Keepsake Ornaments. Or turn the crank on new Spin-a-majigs™ ornaments to see the winter scenes come to life.
Nostalgic ornament designs are reminiscent of favorite childhood toys. This year’s “Little Red Tricycle” ornament has functioning pedals. The Fisher-Price “Play Family Farm” features the cows’ authentic “moo” sound. Other retro toys offered are the classic ”View-Master®”, a “Pac-Man®” arcade with lights and music, and the “Magic 8 Ball®”, complete with a fortune inside. Retro cartoon ornaments such as The Muppets, Looney Tunes and Jonny Quest also are available.
Popular licensed properties such as Hannah Montana, High School Musical, Barbie™, Spider-Man™ and Scooby-Doo™ appear. Several ornaments feature characters from popular movies in 2008 such as Iron Man, Indiana Jones, Speed Racer, and Batman in The Dark Knight. Classic licensed properties such as Peanuts, Disney, Warner Brothers, Wizard of Oz, Star Trek™ and Star Wars™ can also be found in the 2008 line.
Keepsake Ornaments also help give back. “Joy for All,” which depicts children joining hands around a gold star, helps UNICEF aid children worldwide. “The Angel’s Prayer,” an African-American angel holding a wreath, benefits the Sickle Cell Association of America, “True Beauty,” featuring a porcelain butterfly, contributes to Komen for the Cure® to support breast cancer research. A red glass heart etched with the word “Inspi(RED)” benefits PRODUCT (RED)™ to help people living with AIDS in Africa.
Car and train enthusiasts have many ornament options to choose from, including a 1908 Ford Model T, a 1970 Chevrolet® Chevelle™ SS™, Lionel® trains, Harley-Davidson® Motorcycles, an Ercoupe plane, a water sport boat and more.
Hallmark offers Keepsake Ornaments that commemorate milestones and memories for friends and family in 2008. The line includes ornaments for a baby’s first Christmas, a couple’s first Christmas, or moving into a new home. Ornaments also recognize a variety of special interests, passions and occupations such as cooking, gardening and healthcare providers. Relationships are celebrated in many Keepsake Ornaments designed for specific family members and friends.

Product History

Christmas trees first appeared in America in the 1700s. Decorated trees were brought to America by Hessians – German mercenaries – fighting in the Revolutionary War, but they didn’t become widely popular until people saw the ornaments brought to America by families emigrating from Germany and England in the 1840s.

In 1973, Hallmark introduced six glass ball ornaments and 12 yarn figures as the first collection of Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments. The longest-running current Keepsake Ornament series is Frosty Friends, now in its 29th year.

Since the line’s inception, Hallmark has introduced more than 3,000 Keepsakes Ornaments and more than 100 ornament series – groups of ornaments that share a specific theme.

Nearly 600 local chapters of the national Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Club are active in the United States and Canada.