Several years ago, my mom and I stumbled upon Tomy's Peek-a-Pooh line of
vending machine toys at a local KMart. I collected a number of them
from various machines around town until it occurred to me that perhaps I
could make things easier on myself and buy them by the set online. As
it happened, I was right. Most of the sets are inexpensive, and it's a
whole lot easier than trying to snag one of each from a vending machine.
One of the sets I was drawn to was the tenth, the series of seven
Christmas-themed Poohs. I knew that come December, I'd be making good
use of them.
Peek-a-Poohs are tiny plastic Winnie-the-Pooh
figures, about one and a half inches tall, wearing costumes that follow a
certain theme, depending on the set. Occasionally, other characters are
incorporated as well, but most Peek-a-Poohs only feature the silly old
bear. Some of them stand flat, while others are designed only to dangle.
Many people use them as cell phone decorations, but each can hang from
any type of hook or knob that will accommodate the golden thread
suspending it. When I put mine out as part of our Christmas decorations,
I hung them on the knobs of the kitchen cabinets, where they fit
perfectly.
There are seven figures in this set, which is a bit
of an unusual number; most sets have six or eight figures. While the
possibilities for Christmas-related costumes certainly are not exhausted
within these pieces, there's a nice variety of figures here. Four of
them stand freely. There's the poinsettia, which features a smiling Pooh
peeking out from the center of a potted poinsettia plant. He's
stretched out and grinning in a bright green present, and he's winking
as he heads down the chimney as Santa Claus.
Finally, the Yule
log is brown on the bottom and white on the top, and it looks as though
Pooh is fast asleep, stretched out cozily inside his costume. (I
particularly enjoy this one because it reminds me of the song my brother
and his friend used to sing in French class to the tune of the carol Chantez Noel:
"Zut! Je m'appelle Bouche de Noel!" Which means something to the effect
of "Darn! My name is Yule Log Cake!" Doesn't make much sense, but it
always got them giggling!)
The less self-sufficient figures
include the stocking, which has a laughing Pooh with closed eyes peering
out from within a red stocking overflowing with gifts; a wreath with a
large red bow, in which a Pooh who is either singing or is very
surprised peers open-mouthed from the center; and a pale blue star
decorated with tiny, dark blue stars, in which Pooh's expansively
smiling face appears in the middle. This one looks especially nice as a
dangling decoration.
Cabinets are only one possibility for
where these could hang. They could go on the banister or be hung from
lamps. Naturally, they could also be suspended from the branches of a
Christmas tree. If you're an especially avid Pooh fan, it might be worth
it to purchase a small artificial tree just for your Peek-a-Poohs. I'm
still trying to figure out the best way to display mine year-round.
This nice little set only set me back about six dollars, and if you're
looking to buy several at once, you can save quite a bit on shipping
costs. This particular set may be best displayed toward the end of the
year, but it's never too early to start getting ready for the next
December!
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