A sweet score

I'm usually not looking for anything specific when I shop for penguin ornaments, but I had been trying to find Pittsburgh Penguin candy cane ornaments for years. Sure, I could probably have looked for them on the internet, but that takes some of the fun out of collecting. Besides, I often browse for penguin ornaments just to see what's out there and I never stumbled upon these online. So, I had an extra bus ticket from my final monthly commuting pass and decided to ride into New York before the ticket expired just to have a fun no-work day in the city. Also, I wanted to mail my Christmas cards from the United Nations post office and keep my annual tradition going at least one more year. On the way back to Times Square I discovered the NHL store and I saw the ornaments through a window.

Six plastic Pittsburgh penguin candy cane ornaments

Acquired: December 20, 2011, Reebok NHL store, New York City, N.Y>

Number: 1029 through 1034

Size: 5 inches tall

Price: $18/set

Woodwork

Before leaving Christkindlmarkt in Bethlehem, I found a couple more penguins. The woman at the booth was meticulously personalizing a couple of other ornaments for another customer when I brought mine to the counter. She seemed almost relieved that I didn’t need an inscription. I was tempted though, because she was doing a very good job. It’s possible that I have the name of the shop wrong, but I was trying to figure it out after the fact using a sketchy diagram of the fair. I’ll probably go back next year and try to double check.

Two flat, painted wood penguins with blue hat and scarf and red hat and scarf

Acquired: Dec. 18, 2012, Wild Duck Pottery, Christkindlmarkt, Bethlehem, Pa.

Number: 1023 1024

Size: 5 inches tall

Price: $7 each

Jingle bells . . . all the way

This is where I get into trouble. I was in the local Lowe's looking for some practical household items, but I couldn't help stopping by the Christmas decorations department. They had a display of these penguin jingle bell ornaments with about 20 different varieties of penguins celebrating different walks of life, like motherhood, golfing, nursing, beach bumming, etc. I tried to stick with the most generic Christmas themes, but I couldn't resist the cowboy.

Eight jingle bell penguins, three with green hats, 2 with red hats, 1 with earmuffs, 1 with top hat, 1 cowboy
Acquired: December 9, 2012, Lowe's, Bartonsville, Pa.
Number: 1006 through 1013
Size: 2.5 inches tall
Price: $2.97 each

Third time’s the charm

I bought four circular penguin ornaments together on a trip to Target, but then found out on the store's website that there was a fifth color in the set. That meant three trips to Target this season just to buy penguin ornaments. Part of the problem was the mysterious rush on penguin ornaments in the stores near where I live. Look at this rack of ornaments at the same Target store where I bought the purple disc ornament. The empty row is where they had the penguins like the one I posted a couple of days ago.

Plenty of ornaments left, but just one penguin. Hmm.

Magenta, blue, green and turquoise Merry Market round, flat penguins with googly eyes

Acquired: November 21, 2011, Target, Stroudsburg, Pa.:

Number: 0994 0995 0996 0997

Size: 4 inches in diameter

Price: $2 each

Purple Merry Market round, flat penguin with googly eyes

Acquired: December 8, 2011, Target, Stroudsburg, Pa.:

Number: 1005

Size: 4 inches in diameter

Price: $2 each

Let’s celebrate

How about a set of penguins in blue polka dot top hats to help celebrate on New Year’s Eve? Clip-on ornaments are cool, but you don’t see very many of them and almost never penguins. I have one other clip-on penguin and it was nice to find this set at Target. I had a little mishap after I took this picture and broke the hat on one of them. I saved the pieces, however, and might be able to glue it back together. If not, well, I still have three more.

Glass clip-ons with blue top hats

Acquired: November 21, 2011, Target, Stroudsburg, Pa.

Number: 0988 0989 0990 0991

Size: 2.5 inches tall

Price: $9.50/box (originally $10)

Head set

This set of penguins came in a box. I thought the bumps on the side were stubby wings, but after I unpacked them, I realized they were glittery, color-coordinated earmuffs.

Pink, green and blue flat, round, snow-filled glass with glittery earmuffs

Acquired: November 21, 2011, Target, Stroudsburg, Pa.

Number: 0985 0986 0987

Size: 4.5 inches tall

Price: $7.60/box of 3
(originally $8)

Bullseye

Target came through again this year with a number of nice penguin ornaments. You already know that I crossed the 1,000 mark, thanks to Target, and now you get to see the other ornaments that led to the big milestone. First up, a set of beautiful blue and silver glass penguins. Yeah, blue. Target seems to always have blue penguins and often multiples and these are a nice addition to the blue tree.

Silver, turquoise and blue glass penguins, glittery white bellies

Acquired: November 21, 2011, Target, Stroudsburg, Pa.

Number: 0982 0983 0984

Size: 4 inches all

Price: $9.50/box or three (originally $10)

Who’s snatching all the penguins in the Poconos?

The Corningware store at the nearby outlet center is a regular stop in my annual hunt for penguin ornaments. They always seem to have a few good penguins, not to mention a lot of other tempting gewgaws and gadgets for the holidays. I’m glad I checked in early to get this set of four. There were only a few penguins left on the tree after I picked it clean and not enough to make a complete set like this one. “You probably have more of these,” I said to the clerk. “No,” she said.  “That’s probably all we’ll get.” Selling out of penguins so early? It was the same story at my Target store. There must be somebody out here besides me grabbing them up.

Four penguins with green and red striped hats

Acquired: November 14, 2011, Corningware Corelle store, The Crossings Premium Outlet, Tannersville, Pa.

Number: 0974 0975 0976 0977

Size: 3 to 3.5 inches tall

Price: $4.99 each

A thousand penguins

Here they are, penguin ornaments No. 999 and No. 1000. I don’t know which one is which, and I don’t care, because it would be impossible to pick one over the other.  I almost reached the big milestone a few days ago when I saw these very ornaments on a charity tree at my local Target store. I even asked the staff if they had any more for sale, but we couldn’t find any. So today I stopped in another Target on my way to the Peace Candle lighting in Easton, Pa., where there was a bin full of them.

Two plastic ball heads with top hats and bow ties
Acquired: November 25, 2011, Target, Lower Nazareth, Pa.

Number: 0999 1000

Size: 4 inches tall

Price: $2 each

Crazy for candy canes

I’m almost certain I have enough penguins with candy canes to put together a themed tree around them and these three will stand out from the rest. Even if the low number shown in my blog index is correct, I should have enough other candy and sweets ornaments to fill out the tree. I’ll have a blue tree again this year and a wooden tree. Maybe I’ll redo the winter sports tree from last year’s Festival of Trees. A sweet tree would be . . . well . . . sweet. I’ve already stocked up on candy canes for all the trees, including blue ones for the blue tree. The others have traditional red stripes, red and green stripes, rainbow stripes and stripes that kind of look like they belong on a necktie. I still need a box of those yummy chocolate mint canes that Hershey makes for the wood tree.

Blossom Bucket rustic candy cane trio

Acquired: September 23, 2011, Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, Frankenmuth, Mich.

Number: 0950 0951 0952

Size: 2.5 to 3.5 inches tall and wide

Price: $4.99 each

Small things, nice package

Nice things come in small packages, but this time it works the other way around too. I like the package on this set of penguins almost as much as the tiny glass ornaments. I don’t know how they attached the little penguins on the card however, because it was very difficult to get them off. I was afraid I might crush them if I pulled to hard. Although the set includes six penguins, there are only three designs: two with Christmas trees (top and bottom middle), two with candy canes (middle right and bottom left) and two with what looks like a pickle.

Krebs International set of six glass ornaments

Acquired: September 23, 2011, Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, Frankenmuth, Mich.

Number: 00944 0945 0946 0947 0948 0949

Size: 1.75 inches tall

Price: $8.99/set

Funny foursome

Here are four very different little glass penguins in a set: Red and white striped scarf with green package, earmuffs with red coat and green scarf, Santa hat and gold scarf, and purple hat and coat. I didn’t realize what characters these guys were until I saw the photo close up. The expression on the purple one cracks me up. You have to click on the photo to see. They’re going to look good on the mini-tree I’m planning this year.

Miniature glass penguins

Acquired: September 23, 2011, Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, Frankenmuth, Mich.

Number: 0939 0940 0941 0942

Size: 2.25 inches tall

Price: $11.99/set of 4

Oopsy

This was a set of four ornaments, but I broke one barely out of the box. I was trying to set it up for a picture when it slipped out of my hand and shattered to pieces. This has happened before, but in this case I still have three ornaments left. Like the blue painted penguin balls from yesterday’s post, this set had two frosty and two shiny ornaments. Now it only has one shiny ball. I don’t assign the broken ornament a number, because it never made it onto a tree.

Three red glass balls with penguin in stocking cap

Acquired: September 23, 2011, Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, Frankenmuth, Mich.

Number: 0936 0937 0938

Size: 2.5 inches in diameter

Price: $7.99/set of 4 (one broken while unpacking)

The Bronner’s bonanza

For the next couple of weeks, I’ll be displaying the haul of penguin ornaments that I bought at Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland on my trip home from Chicago in September. You can read more about Bronner’s here and see a few pictures. You really have to visit yourself for the full experience. It’s the world’s largest Christmas store, with wall-to-wall decorations in five football fields of space. These two sets of glass ball ornaments are a good way to start. I only photographed one of the four clear balls, but you can see most of the painted scene on the blue ones. The clear set has four identical balls and the blue set has two frosty and two shiny ornaments.

Penguins on ice, white on clear glass balls

Acquired: September 23, 2011, Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, Frankenmuth, Mich.

Number: 0928 0929 0930 0931

Size: 2.5 inches in diameter

Price: $6.99/set of 4

Penguins on ice, white on blue glass balls

Acquired: September 23, 2011, Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, Frankenmuth, Mich.

Number: 0932 0933 0934 0935

Size: 2.5 inches in diameter

Price: $6.99/set of 4

Late to the peppermint party

Here’s how bad I am. I was riding in the backseat and gave my niece and her boyfriend driving directions that would “accidentally” take us by the Christmas Factory not far from where I live. They had some penguin ornaments, but this is the only one I could find that I didn’t already own. It was in a basket with a bunch of other broken up ornaments, two of which (a chef and a hot chocolate drinker) I had bought three years ago, also at the Christmas Factory. I dug through the basket looking for an ornament that wasn’t broken, but this was the only one on candy cane skates holding a couple of candy cane sticks, obviously broken. At the bottom of the basket I found a bunch of broken off penguin feet and other pieces, including one piece that looked like a pinwheel. I decided to buy the broken ornament and the loose piece and glue them together when I got home. I thought it would fit better than, but as I’m writing this post, I’m realizing that I glued it on the wrong end. It’s supposed to be a ski pole, not a pinwheel. It’s too late for me to fix it now, but I’ll get to it later and post an update.

Candy cane skier

Acquired: September 3, 2011, The Christmas Factory, Marshall’s Creek, Pa.

Number: 0924 (matches 0476 and 0477)

Size: 4.5 inches tall

Price: $4.99, but reduced because it was broken

The “Jingle Bells” problem

I recently found out there’s a difference of opinion over the meaning of the first line of the song “Jingle Bells,” which is not the original title by the way. Are we describing the kind of bells when we sing the song, or are we telling the bells what to do? The second line leaves no room for interpretation. We want those bells to “jingle all the way.” I don’t care either way, but I am facing a jingle bell decision of my own. Do I have enough jingle bell penguin ornaments for a whole tree? Maybe there are enough for a small one. Imagine what it will sound like when you shake it.

Two TJ’s Christmas elongated jingle bells, one with white belly and Santa hat, the other with silver belly and tree hat

Acquired: June 30, 2011, Trinkets & Treasures, Durango, Col.

Number: 0918 0919

Size: 3 and 3.5 inches tall

Price: $6.95 each

Tinsel scarves

Now that I look at these penguins again, they look something like a set of ornaments that I saw in a window in Manhattan last year. I wanted to go back when the store was open, but I never made it. Just as well, because I’m pretty sure these are the same. At least I’ll keep telling myself that.

News alert: I got a new penguin ornament today. It’s due up in a few days anyway, so stay tuned.

Small glass flocked penguins with tinsel scarves, green hat and red scarf, red hat and blue scarf, silver hat and scarf

Acquired: December 10, 2010, La Ti Da Kidoodles, Steamtown Mall, Scranton, Pa.

Number: 0901 0902 0903

Size: 3.75 inches tall

Price: $9.99 each

Blue clown bonanza

I went for some lunch and Christmas shopping after setting up my entry in the Festival of Trees in Scranton. I found most of these blue clowns (and one green one) at J.C. Penney that day. A couple of days later at a J.C. Penney closer to home, I found a couple more. The green one looks like it’s left over from a previous year, but it also had a 2010 tag on it like all the blue ones. I almost bought a second wood pull string clown at the second Penney’s because the one I got in Scranton doesn’t really work. I was hoping I might be able to take it apart some day and fix it.

North Pole Trading Co. wood blue clown pull toy

Acquired: December 4, 2010, J.C Penney, Viewmont Mall, Scranton, Pa.

Number: 0888

Size: 8” long

Price: $3.56 (originally $11.99)

North Pole Trading Co. papier mâché snowman-shaped blue clown

Acquired: December 4, 2010, J.C. Penney, Viewmont Mall, Scranton, Pa.

Number: 0889

Size: 5.5 inches tall

Price: $2.37 (originally $7.99)

North Pole Trading Co. rubbery blue clown round picture frame ornament

Acquired: December 4, 2010, J.C. Penney, Viewmont Mall, Scranton, Pa.

Number: 0890

Size: 7 inches tall

Price: $2.17 (originally $7.99)

North Pole Trading Co. blue clown drummer

Acquired: December 4, 2010, J.C. Penney, Viewmont Mall, Scranton, Pa.

Number: 0891

Size: 3.5 inches tall

Price: $1.78 (originally $5.99)

North Pole Trading Co. blue clown clay dough ornament

Acquired: December 4, 2010, J.C. Penney, Viewmont Mall, Scranton, Pa.

Number: 0892

Size: 5 inches tall

Price: $1.78 (originally $5.99

North Pole Trading Co. blue felt clown

Acquired: December 6, 2010, J.C. Penney, Stroud Mall, Stroudsburg, Pa.

Size: 9 inches tall

Price: $3.49 (originally$9.99)

Green clown with jingle bell body and dangly legs

Acquired: December 6, 2010, J.C. Penney, Stroud Mall, Stroudsburg, Pa.

Number: 0894

Size: 4.5 inches tall

Price: $3.49 (originally $9.99)

Mountaineers

It’s a short drive over the mountain from my house to the outlet shopping center where I found this winter sports trio of penguins. They joined the collection just in time to join the other winter fun penguins on the tree at the Trolley Museum in Scarnton.

Penguin trio on snowshoes, skis and sled, with flowing scarves and glittery bellies, “Let it snow” on snowshoe penguin

Acquired: November 27, 2010, Corningware Corelle Revere Store, The Crossings, Tannersville, Pa.

Number: 0884 0885 0886

Size: 3 inches tall

Price: $6.73 total (50 percent off)

More Macy’s madness, part 7: Overnight overload

The penguin at the top is another ornament I found on Day 1 at Macy’s, and I thought I had another one-of-a-kind. When I went back the next day I found the two glass ornaments I wanted and the missing reindeer Lollysticks penguin But there was more. It turns out that I either missed an entire section of ornaments the first day, or the busy elves at Macy’s put up a whole new section overnight. As you can see, I found plenty more ornaments that matched this style. I really like the one with the snowflake halo floating over its head.

Glass, sparkly ball body with multicolored knit scarf and red glittery earmuffs

Acquired: November 19, 2011, Macy’s Herald Square, New York

Number: 0847

Size: 4.25 inches tall

Price: $6.80 (originally $13)

Clear starry glass body filled with sequins with multi-colored knit scarf and green earmuffs with red band

Acquired: November 20, 2011, Macy’s Herald Square, New York

Number: 0862

Size: 4.5 inches tall

Price: $6.48 (originally $10)

Scarf with multicolored triangles, red hat with purple trim and gold snowflakes

Acquired: November 20, 2011, Macy’s Herald Square, New York

Number: 0867

Size: 4.75 inches tall

Price: $5.94 (originally $11)

Plastic snowflake halo

Acquired: November 20, 2011, Macy’s Herald Square, New York

Number: 0870

Price: $5.12 (originally $9.50)

Skater on a snowflake with multicolored scarf, red earmuffs

Acquired: November 20, 2011, Macy’s Herald Square, New York

Number: 0871

Size: 3 inches tall

Price: $5.13 (originally $9.50)

Stuffed plush penguin with white snowflake tutu and multicolored scarf

Acquired: November 20, 2011, Macy’s Herald Square, New York

Number: 0872

Size: 7 inches tall

Price: $7.02 (originally $12)

Snow globe on light blue ice base with dancer in pink tutu and red and gold scarf

Acquired: November 20, 2011, Macy’s Herald Square, New York

Number: 0869

Size: 2.75 inches tall

Price: $7.02 (originally $13)