Holiday hoedown

It’s another musical ornament, but this time, in place of the snowman, a reindeer joins the penguin and Santa in the ensemble. The trio plays “Deck the Halls” with a country beat.

  

Hallmark Keepsake Magic ornament, Jingle Jamboree

Acquired: July 11, 2010, Jill’s Hallmark, Broadheadsville, Pa.

Number: 0782

Size: 3.75 inches tall

Price: $32.95

One more time

For the second day in a row, we have a penguin hanging out with Santa and a snowman, but this time they’re all together on one ornament. There’s a lot going on here. The three Christmas pals are singing karaoke in front of a giant (to them) picture frame and the whole thing is recordable. I could sing a song into it and play it back later. I could also find a photo of my own to go in the frame, but I haven’t decided what that picture might be. Any ideas are welcome. This is one of Hallmark’s “Magic” ornaments. The characters might dance around a little bit, but I’m not sure, because I haven’t tried it out yet. The ornament is one of a bunch I bought during Hallmark’s ornament premiere weekend last summer.

Hallmark Keepsake Magic “North Pole Karaoke” 2009 recordable poto holder , Nello Williams, artist

Acquired: July 11, 2010, Jill’s Hallmark, Broadheadsville, Pa.

Number: 0781

Size: 3.375 inches tall, 3.75 inches wide

Price: $5 (75 percent off)

Snowboard, Santa and snowman

I went a little crazy last year with the Hallmark ornaments after I found out they have events starting in the summer to release each year’s Keepsake ornaments. I made sure I got to the Hallmark store early so I wouldn’t miss out on any of the penguins, and there were a lot of them. One of the benefits of going ornament shopping in summer was that Jill’s Hallmark had a big discount aisle in addition to the new releases for 2010. This set of ornaments, featuring a snowboarding penguin with a dancing snowman and Santa was marked down. I know, it’s three ornaments, but I only assigned it one number, because there’s only one penguin in the set. I used the penguin on the winter sports tree at the Trolley Museum, but left the snowman and Santa in the box. Next year, I’ll probably find a place where I can hang them together again.

Hallmark “Santa’s Merry Crew”

Acquired: July 11, 2010, Jill’s Hallmark, Broadheadsville, Pa.

Number: 0780

Size: 1.75 inches tall, 1.5 inches long (penguin)

Price: $3.75 (75 percent off)

Double header

What are the odds I would find back-to-back baseball penguin ornaments? The number on yesterday's penguin and this one are two apart, but that's only because I bought another ornament when I was in Cooperstown. This wooden Dad penguin came from an antique store in Jim Thorpe, Pa. I didn't write down the name of the store, but I think I can find it the next time I go  for a visit. The town named for the famous Olympic athlete and baseball player is about 40 minutes from where I live.

Wood baseball player Dad
Acquired: April 21, 2010, Jim Thorpe, Pa.
Number: 0777
Size: 3 inches tall
Price: $3

Batter up

I like this ornament because it came from Cooperstown, N.Y., home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. I also like it because it’s a penguin painted on a tiny wooden baseball bat. They also had Santa and, I think, snowman bats, but I only needed the penguin, of course.

Handpainted wooden bat

Acquired: May 15, 2010, Christmas Around the Corner, Cooperstown, N.Y.

Number: 0775

Size: 6 inches tall

Price: $12.99

Inside out

Just like my other Ne’Qwa ornament, this one came in a velvet box and it’s painted on the inside. But it has a very different, more whimsical look than the other one. I might not have bought it, but it was on sale and it was the last one in the store. And besides, I like it.

Ne’Qwa “Penguins,” Claire Mackie, artist
Acquired: April 18, 2019, Christmas Past, New Hope, Pa.
Number: 0774
Size: 6 inches tall
Price: $26.95 (60 percent off)

Grin and bear it

This is a cute little stuffed penguin that I bought on a trip to New Hope, Pa. I have a routine when I’m going to or passing through New Hope. I drive by the Christmas store to see if it’s open, then turn right into the alley just past it. Parking in a touristy Colonial town like New Hope can be difficult, but there's almost always an empty spot in this little known alley off the main street. This particular visit, the store was clearing out stock to make room for new goods, so there weren't many penguin ornaments, but they were all 60 percent off.

Bearington Collection Tiny Tux stuffed penguin with red and green knit scarf
Acquired: April 18, 2010, Christmas Past, New Hope, Pa.

Number: 0773

Size: 4.5 inches tall

Price: $3.20 (originally $7.95)

Penguin Obsessed

When I started My Penguin Tree last January, I estimated that it would take about a year to get all of the ornaments posted online. A year and a few weeks later, I’ve reached that point. All the ornaments that I owned then are now archived here. Last week, my friend SallyAnn asked me what I was going to when I run out of penguins. Well, we don’t have to worry about that just yet, because since last year, I’ve added almost 150 penguin ornaments to the collection (although some of them have already been posted) and there’ll no doubt be more in the months ahead. After that, I’ve got a lot of other Christmas penguins that aren’t ornaments. Plates. Towels. Coasters. Tree skirts. Mugs. A lot of mugs. (What do you think, Becky, mypenguinmugs.blogspot.com?) At some point this year, I will run out of penguins or at least the flood will be reduced to a trickle. Then we’ll see what happens. Meanwhile, here’s the latest addition to the family, a sweet gift from our friend Ashley over at Decorating Obsessed. She has a penguin tree and a good eye for excellent penguin ornaments, among other things. This penguin seems like it’s made of gingerbread and it looks good enough to eat. You know, it’s hard to believe that after 900 of these, an ornament like this can come along and knocks my socks off. Thanks, Ashley.

Little gingerbread penguin

Acquired: January 22, 2010

Number: 0912 (changed from 0911 on Feb. 23, 2011)
Size: 4 inches tall (added Feb. 23, 2011)

Big Christmas

The stylish white ceramic ornament is from Jonathan Adler, who also designed a similar salt and pepper shaker as well as a larger penguin figurine. It makes me wish there were a black ornament too, just like the salt and pepper set. This was just one of three ornaments my sister and brother in law gave me one Christmas. The other two were a tiny snow globe penguin and a crafty felt ornament, both form Crate and Barrel, I think, and both excellent additions to my penguin tree.

Jonathan Adler unglazed white porcelain stylized penguin

Acquired: December 22, 2009, gift from Xena and John Galietti, my sister and brother-in-law

Number: 766

Size: 3.5 inches tall

Crate and barrel tiny snow globe body with red glass hat and scarf

Acquired: December 22, 2009, gift from Xena and John Galietti

Number: 0767

Size: 2.25 inches tall

Crate and Barrel wide-stitched felt pengun with big red hat , red and white scarf, big brown beak and yellow feet

Acquired: December 22, 2011, gift from Xena and John Galietti

Number: 0768

Size: 6 inches tall

Pine cone penguin

If I were giving out awards, this pine cone penguin would probably win best use of natural products in making a penguin Christmas tree ornament. It’s a beauty.

Pottery Barn pine cone body with bottle brush head, black beak and eyes, wooden wings and feet

Acquired: December 22, 2009, gift from niece Jenny Parsons

Number: 0765

Size:

Pieced together

You’d think a store called The Christmas TreeShop would be full of penguin ornaments, but that wasn’t the case. I had to paw through a few bins to scrape together a complete set of these rubbery particle penguins. I guess they are very fragile, because most of the leftover ornaments had holes punched in them or heads broken off or the lights punched out or not working at all. Hey, they were all real cheap at least.

I found some similar rubbery particle ball penguins later on and there was a similar problem with breakage, although the carnage was not nearly as bad as what I saw at the Christmas Tree Shop with a few shopping days left before Christmas.

Four fragile rubbery particle ball penguins with lights

Acquired: December 19, 2009, Christmas Tree Shop, Allentown, Pa.

Number: 0760 0761 0762 0763

Size: 3.75 inches tall

Price: $1 each, I think

White rubbery particle ball penguin with light

Acquired: November 7, 2010, Target, Stroudsburg, Pa.

Number: 0842

Size: 4 inches tall

Price: $3

Black and white rubbery particle ball penguin with light

Acquired: November 21, 2010, Walgreens, Stroudsburg, Pa.

Number: 0878

Size: 4 inches tall

Price: $1.99

Light headed

It would be nice to have a bunch of these ornaments. It’s a penguin head that screws onto an ordinary Christmas light. The body lights up when it’s on tight and it turns off when you loosen it a little bit. Wouldn’t that be a cool way to light a penguin Christmas tree? Unfortunately, the Christmas ornaments were picked through by the time I went to the Christmas Tree Shop. One more thing: I just spent about 20 minutes looking for this ornament so I could measure it, but I had to give up. Yes, the trees are still up, but their days are numbered.

Light bulb body that twists on and off

Acquired: December 19, 2009, Christmas Tree Shop, Allentwon, Pa.

Number: 0759

Size:

Price: $1

Light headed

It would be nice to have a bunch of these ornaments. It’s a penguin head that screws onto an ordinary Christmas light. The body lights up when it’s on tight and it turns off when you loosen it a little bit. Wouldn’t that be a cool way to light a penguin Christmas tree? Unfortunately, the Christmas ornaments were picked through by the time I went to the Christmas Tree Shop. One more thing: I just spent about 20 minutes looking for this ornament so I could measure it, but I had to give up. Yes, the trees are still up, but their days are numbered.

Light bulb body that twists on and off

Acquired: December 19, 2009, Christmas Tree Shop, Allentwon, Pa.

Number: 0759

Size:

Price: $1

Snowboardin' in style

I think I was shopping for picture frames the day I found this and another penguin ornament. Penguins. They’re everywhere.

Timeless Treasures by Nicole snowboarder with a huge red bow tie and long orange beak

Acquired: December 17, 2009, A.C. Moore craft store, Stroudsburg, Pa.

Number: 0758

Size: 5.25 inches tall

Price: $2

Last-minute bargains

It’s always risky buying something for yourself so close to Christmas, but it would be worse, in my honest opinion, to let ornaments like these slip through my fingers, especially when they’ve been heavily marked down. I don’t even remember what took me to Kmart, but I’m pretty sure I checked off several items on my shopping list that day.

Celebrations by Radko fuzzy blown glass penguin with blue Santa hat and green and silver scarf on a glittery candy cane

Acquired: December 15, 2009. Kmart, Stroudsburg, Pa.

Number: 0753

Size: 5.5 inches tall

Price: $5.99 (40 percent off)

Celebrations by Radko glittery penguin with a big beak straddling a snowball, red and silver scarf and red hat

Acquired: December 15, 2009, Kmart, Stroudsburg, Pa.

Number: 0754

Size: 6 inches tall

Price: $5.99 (40 percent off)

Two shiny skaters, one graceful, one fallen, with silver skates

Acquired: December 15, 2009, Kmart, Stroudsburg, Pa.

Number: 0755 0756

Size: 3.25 and 4 inches tall

Price: $2.39 each

Triple treats

Marge and Jen Babaz went with me two Christmases ago to scout out the Festival of Trees in Scranton. It was too late to enter a tree that year, but it gave me the information I needed to enter a tree last year. We also hit the malls for some Christmas shopping and I found this sweet set of penguin ornaments on one of our stops.

Mary Englebreit sugar coated trio with gingham ribbon hangers, one dressed like a clown, one rolling on the floor laughing and one dancing a jig with a candy cane and green top hat

Acquired: December 12, 2009, Michael’s craft store, Dickson City, Pa.

Number: 0750 0751 0752

Size: 3 to 4 inches tall

Price: $1.99 each, originally $4.99

Another one

As I was getting this post ready, I was certain that I had already written about this penguin. I didn’t have to look very far to find three similar ornaments that I posted on January 1. This one isn’t a perfect match, but it’s more alike than not. My guess is that they all came out of the same factory in China.

Felt penguin with red scarf and hat with gold bow

Acquired: December 9, 2009, Duane Read drug store, Port Authority Bus Terminal, New York

Number: 0749

Size: 5 inches tall

Price: $1.99

On the move

I didn’t keep very good records on these three, because I don’t remember if I bought them all at the same kiosk, at least the first one. The other two came from the same shop though. The razr rider  was the last one on the rack and the skater was hanging in the doorway. I had the owner cut it down so I could buy it.

Shopping pair on red scooter, red and green scarf and red Santa hat

Acquired: December 3, 2009, Santa NYC, Bryant Park, New York

Number: 0746

Size: 4 inches tall, 4 inches long

Price: $16.01

Razr rider with stack of presents

Acquired: December 3, 2009, Bryant Park, New York

Number: 0747

Size: 5.75 inches tall

Skater with black boots, red hat, green and red scarf, holding candy cane

Acquired: December 3, 2009, Bryant Park, New York

Number: 0748

Size: 5.5 inches tall

Hallmark hallmarks

Every year brings a new crop of Hallmark Keepsake penguin ornaments. Some are a little over the top, but there are usually one or two real standouts in the bunch. The little Goody Gumdrops ornament is probably one of my top ten overall favorites. It’s an excellent example of good things coming in small packages. The goofy ones with the tall Christmas tree hat and the two-wheeled cart show a lot of originality and are high up on my list of favorites. The Disney Club Penguin ornament mystifies me. I ended up with a bag full of penguins when I bought this batch, including one that is No. 30 in its series. I must certainly have one or two others that go with it, but I’ll have to look back to see which ones.

Tall Christmas tree hat with gold star, red bow tie and buttons

Acquired: November 30, 2009, Jay’s Hallmark, Port Authority Bus Terminal, New York

Number: 0740

Size: 5.75 inches tall

Price:$5.95

Santa hat and wreath on 2-wheeled cart

Acquired: November 30, 2009, Jay’s Hallmark, Port Authority Bus Terminal, New York

Number: 0741

Size: 3 inches tall

Price: $5.95

Goody Gumdrops Hallmark Keepsake ornament

Acquired: November 30, 2009, Jay’s Hallmark, Port Authority Bus Terminal, New York

Number: 0742

Size: 1.5 inches tall

Price: $8

Disney Club Penguin 2009 Hallmark Keepsake blue penguin juggling human heads

Acquired: November 30, 2009, Jay’s Hallmark, Port Authority Bus Terminal, New York

Number: 0743

Size: 3 inches tall

Price: $12.50

Hallmark Frosty Friends, No. 30 in series

Acquired: November 30, 2009, Jay’s Hallmark, Port Authority Bus Terminal, New York

Number: 0745

Size: 2.5 inches tall

Price: $12.50

Bluebirds

I probably wouldn’t have a blue penguin Christmas tree if it weren’t for Target. It seems like every couple of years they come out with a series of penguin ornaments featuring blue penguins or blue highlights. (Did I mention that I really love that little blue penguin tree?) The blue pouch ornament could probably be used to hold a gift card or other small gift. I managed to squeeze a 10 percent discount off the papier mâché penguin because it had a little chip off the plastic coating on the brim of his top hat.

Target penguins aren’t exclusively blue. I bought the flat metal ornament the same day I got the blue ones.

Light blue felt bag with red scarf, handle and trim

Acquired: Nov. 22, 2009, Target, Stroudsburg, Pa.

Number: 0736

Size: 5 inches square

Price: $3.99

Blue felt stuffed penguin with red polka dotted scarf

Acquired: Nov. 22, 2009, Target, Stroudsburg, Pa.

Number: 0737

Size: 3.75 inches tall

Price: $1.99

Blue papier mâché penguin with red polka dot scarf, holding upside down top hat

Acquired: Nov. 22, 2009, Target, Stroudsburg, Pa.

Number: 0738

Size: 4.25 inches tall

Price: $2.69 with 10 percent discount

Flat painted metal penguin on skates with corrugated belly and scarf

Acquired: Nov. 22, 2009, Target, Stroudsburg, Pa.

Number: 0739

Size: 6.5 inches tall

Price: $3.99

Red sledder day

This ornament weighs a ton and a half, but it’s a beauty. The three penguins have black flocking on their backs heads and wings and white glittery bellies. Their red sled is covered with glitter and it’s pointing downhill like there’s no tomorrow. I bought this ornament at a jewel box of a Christmas shop, or maybe it’s just a gift shop, in New York City’s West Village. It’s been open for decades, but I never noticed it until recently. The owner sounded like the end might be near. I didn’t go by this past Christmas, so I don’t know if they had any new penguins for me or even if the store is there anymore.

Three realistic emperor penguins on a red glittery sled

Acquired: November 21, 2009, Caravansary, New York City

Number: 0735

Size: 3.75 inches tall and 6.75 inches long

Price: $20.69

Cirque du penguin

I could probably fill a small tree with circus clown penguin ornaments. What? Penguins aren’t funny enough without putting them in big shoes and funny hats? Here are a bunch of comical penguins I bought on a trip to the mall. Some came from Macy’s and others came from Penney’s. That was two Christmases ago. Wait ‘til you see what theses two stores did to me last year. (That’s a few months away.)

Clown-like penguin with green coat and purple hat sitting on a big blue ice cube

Acquired: November 19, 2009, Macy’s Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall, Pa.

Number: 0725

Size: 5.75 inches tall

Price: $8.50

Flying penguin with butterfly wings and purple pants

Acquired: November 19, 2009, Macy’s Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall, Pa.

Number: 0726

Size: 3.5 inches long

Price: $8.50

Rocketeer wearing red helmet with white stars

Acquired: November 19, 2009, Macy’s Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall, Pa.

Number: 0727

Size: 3.5 inches long

Price: $8.50

Falling or jumping penguin in a yellow raincoat with a splash

Acquired: November 19, 2009, Macy’s Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall, Pa.

Number: 0728

Size: 4 inches tall

Price: $8.50

Red Santa hat and coat with papoose

Acquired: November 19, 2009, Macy’s Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall, Pa.

Number: 0729

Size: 3.5 inches tall

Price: $8.50

Mini red Santa hat and coat with papoose

Acquired: November 19, 2009, Macy’s Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall, Pa.

Number: 0730

Size: 2 inches tall

Price: $8.50

Red jingle bell body, green boots and coat with rainbow-striped top hat and legs, wearing big red bow and holding peppermint candy

Acquired: November 19, 2009, JC Penney, Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall, Pa.

Number: 0731

Size: 5.5 inches tall

Price: $4.99 (originally $9.99)

Same as No. 731, but no jingle bell body and holding candy cane

Acquired: November 19, 2009, JC Penney, Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall, Pa.

Number: 0732

Size: 5.25 inches tall

Price: $3.99 (originally $7.99)

Penguin in red and green striped ring with wire hands and blue and white bead legs

Acquired: November 19, 2009, JC Penney, Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall, Pa.

Number: 0734

Size: 6 inches tall

Price: $4.99 (originally $9.99)