12 days of Snowbabies

Department 56 produced a 12 Days of Christmas series with their adorable white bisque porcelain Snowbabies representing the gifts in the Christmas carol. This ornament is called “Four Playful Penguins.” The inscription on the base says “4 penguins.” I don’t remember what the other numbers in the limited edition looked like, but this is the only one featuring penguins. I wonder if some collector has the other 11 pieces and can’t find the penguin ornament to complete the set. The series was reintroduced recently, but has been retired again. Here are the other numbers:

Twelve Drummers Drumming

Eleven Icy Igloos

Ten Clocks-A-Chiming

Nine Sledders Sledding

Eight Candles Burning

Seven Babies Singing

Six Gifts For Giving

Five Caribou

Three Shining Stars

Two Puffins Playing

One Baby In A Snowsuit

I bought this one about a year after my other Snowbabies ornament. I stayed in Anaheim on my way home from Australia specifically to go shopping in Downtown Disney for a Spode platter with Disney characters for my sister that I had seen the year before and couldn’t find anywhere else, including online.

Department 56 Snowbabies Four Playful Penguins from 12 Days of Christmas series

Acquired: December 2, 2004, Downtown Disney, Disneyland, Anaheim, Calif.

Number: 255

Size: 4.5 inches tall

Price: $15.50

Snowbabies

Department 56’s Snowbabies series consists of white bisque porcelain figurines for holiday decorating, mostly featuring toddlers in wooly onesies frolicking in the snow with each other and sometimes with arctic creatures like polar bears and penguins. This baby even has angel wings. Kristi Jensen Pierro is the artist behind Snowbabies, which were first introduced by Department 56 in 1987. Some Snowbabies are tree ornaments, but I have only found two with penguins, including this one that I bought at the Department 56 store in Downtown Disney at Disneyland while I was in Los Angeles for a convention. You have to click on the picture and zoom in to see the amazing detail, especially on the baby’s face. The box, which looks like a small green hardbound book, has the number XV on its spine and this poem on its back:

“Best Friends” are we,

My little penguinand me.

Standing closely together,

Treasured memories forever.
I've been to Disney World countless times and lived "next door" in Kissimmee for nearly a year, but this was my first visit to Disneyland, fulfilling a childhood dream of riding the Matterhorn roller coaster.

Department 56 Snowbabies “Best Friends” mini ornament

Acquired: September 10, 2003, Downtown Disney, Disneyland, Anaheim, Calif.

Number: 206

Size: 2.375 inches tall

Price: $12.50 

Belly blizzard

It’s hard to make out, even when you zoom in, but it almost looks like there’s a snowstorm going on inside this small solid glass penguin’s belly. It’s reminiscent of the cloudy patterns in some of the glass marbles we cherished in childhood. The delicate red scarf is a nice finishing touch. Christmas Past in New Hope, where I bought this ornament, is one of my favorite regular stops when I’m in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Department 56 solid glass penguin with snowy belly and skinny red scarf, made in China

Acquired: October 14, 2007, Christmas Past, New Hope, Pa.

Number: 389

Size: 2.75 inches tall

Price: $7.50