'Tis the Season to Be Ozzy


© Karen Barker Crowley
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You're not a true Oz fan 'til your Christmas tree is decorated with lions and witches and scarecrows, oh my!

Every year since 1994, Hallmark has included several Wizard of Oz ornaments in its Keepsake Ornament Collection. Oz fans can trim their tree with their favorite characters, re-create scenes in the tree's branches, or even watch their ornaments sing and dance.

The Hallmark ornaments usually fit one of three design categories: Detailed reproductions of the characters - including everyone from Dorothy to Miss Gulch to the Munchkin Coroner; charming miniatures, such as sparkly Ruby Slippers, the Tin Man's heart, and a teeny-tiny Toto; and high-tech gadgets that feature lights, music, voices, or moving parts.

For Christmas 2002, Hallmark has introduced one of each type:

Horse of a Different Color

This is truly an ornament of a different color. It re-creates the scene in which Dorothy and her friends first enter the Emerald City and take a ride with a happy, green-clad cabby and his most unusual horse. Simply plug it into a string of miniature tree lights and watch the magic begin.

"The carriage lamps glow with light," says the Hallmark web site, "and the horse seems to change color automatically and continuously."

Press a button on the ornament's base, and you can hear actual dialogue from the movie's soundtrack. The voice of Frank Morgan, the actor who played the Cabby as well as the Wizard and several other characters, says, "Cabby, Cabby-Just what you're lookin' for. Take you any place in the city we does. He's the horse of a different color you've heard tell about. Ha, ha, ha!" The ornament is 3 and 3/4 inches high and 4 and 7/8 inches wide. It retails for $36.

Dorothy and Scarecrow

This ornament is similar to the separate Dorothy and Scarecrow ornaments released in 1994, but now both characters are together in their memorable, "To Oz? To Oz!" pose. All of the details are perfect, down to Dorothy's glittery shoes. This ornament is 3 and 1/2 inches high and 2 and 3/4 inches wide. It retails for $15.95.

Miniature Tin Man

This year, a shiny, silver-plated version of the Tin Man joins the miniature ornament collection. It's less than two inches high, but it's big on charm. This one retails for $6.95.

All of these ornaments are available at Hallmark stores. If you don't have one near you, you can also purchase them online at www.hallmark.com

Want to see the entire collection of all Oz ornaments introduced since 1994? Visit http://www.hookedonhallmark.com/ornament...

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Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: View all related messages

2.   Jan 2, 2003 11:57 AM
In response to message posted by raynecajun:

I'd love to see photos of that tree! Thanks for writing, and happy new year!

Karen ...


-- posted by karenbc


1.   Dec 31, 2002 2:22 PM
I got hooked on the wizard of oz when I became a grandmother. I have been collecting wizard ornaments for the past couple of years and this year we put up a complete wizard tree. I just obtained the ...

-- posted by raynecajun





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