Hallmark 2016 Dreambook

The birds are singing, flowers are sprouting. Spring is in the air!

And it's once again that time of year when Hallmark sends out their annual Keepsake Dreambook that previews some of the upcoming holiday ornaments for the year.

I'm going to run down just a few pages of neat-o pop culture related things you can hang from, or put atop, your Christmas tree. Or whatever winter holiday related plant you may have in your home.

Hallmark once again flips the bird to collectors by making some really cool ornaments only available at Comic Cons where you can wait in line for hours and still not get one. Exclusive ornaments are what got me to stop being all in on Star Wars ornaments. Thank you, Hallmark for saving me money and space.

I can't even begin to image how much the Prototype Boba Fett is going to go for on the secondary market. I'm guessing $100 for the low end.

Continuing the Nightmare Before Christmas series is Dr. Finklestein. Next to him is The Muppets' Electric Mayhem tour bus which plays a snippet from "Can You Picture That?" I would have gone with "Movin Right Along" but that's just me.

And then we have three more additions to the Chevy Chase collection. Not really a thing, but they seem to be cranking out at least one Vacation and one Caddyshack ornament every year now. The gopher is one of those solar mover things.

Ladies and gents, I present to you Bugs Bunny from "What's Opera, Doc?"! Possibly the first and only time you'll see an ornament with a male cross dressing character. Although I'm not sure if they'd ever made a Mrs Doubtfire ornament.

Michigan J Frog is one you could probably keep on your desk year round just to annoy your co-workers. Yes, it has sound! Yes, it's exactly what you think it is.

Scooby-Doo's Mystery Machine plays the original theme song, of course! The Flintstones one also plays the theme but I"m really hoping it starts with the work whistle to complete the Fred leaving work scene.

Then you've got what's pretty much the Trinity of 80s youth: He-Man, Grimlock, and Jem. Who would have thought there would ever be a Jem ornament?
Sadly, she does not play any music.

Here are the Star Wars ones that you don't have to go to a con and stand in line for. BB-8 is a no-brainer but I can't believe he doesn't have sound! Han...yeah ok. I probably would have gone with FN-2187 or Rey, which I'm sure we'll get at some point.

Poe's X-Wing has "battle sounds" which might cause me to pass on it because it cranks the price up to $33. The stormtrooper head has "memorable dialog" and of course the Leia/Vader scene does as well. Very curious to see what the Rogue One ornament is going to be. Will it be a ship, character, or something else?

And if you've got an extra $100 burning a whole in your pocket, you can top your tree with a Death Star! It does come with its own power cord so you could sit it on a shelf too. It also has a remote control to start a light show synchronized with either the Main Title or Imperial March. Depending on how cool this looks in person, I may wait for a post-holiday clearance.

There's still a good amount of more pop culture ones including DC, Marvel, Peanuts, and more. July 9-10 is the ornament premiere weekend if you want to be among the first to see these in person.