Owl Is Ornery But Festive Nonetheless

In my collection of Winnie the Pooh Hallmark ornaments from 1993, most of the residents of the Hundred Acre Wood are engaged in fairly strenuous activities. Pooh, Kanga and Roo are skiing and Rabbit is snowshoeing. Eeyore, who I don’t have, is headed down the hill on a sled. But Owl, that self-important bird who loves to hear himself talk, has a much different plan for enjoying his winter. Always a solitary creature, we see less of him than most of his fellow woodlanders, and it seems that in this case he has opted to keep away from his friends’ festivities, or at least to merely observe rather than participate.

I imagine Owl standing in his house, perhaps at the window, making condescending remarks about the frivolity occurring in the great snowy outdoors. But he could also be in the snow himself, perhaps standing on a boulder and offering commentary on the technique of his friends. His wings are folded across his chest in a gesture that says both “I’m cold!” and “I disapprove!”

His arched eyebrows seem to confirm the latter interpretation, while the former is supported by his red knit cap (topped with a white ball of fluff with a loop for the ornament hook in front) and his green scarf. The biggest tip-off that he is not a fan of this weather comes in the form of the object attached to his midsection. Some white string (plastic to us) ties a salmon-colored water bottle to Owl’s front, making his a most sedentary pursuit. He simply wants to stay warm.

Owl is a little less involved than the other ornaments in this group, but not by much, and the color and detail on him is wonderful. Most of his feathers are a rich, chocolaty brown, as are his feet, while his lower section boasts feathers the same shade of yellow as Rabbit’s fur, a fitting similarity since those are the two most authoritarian figures in the Wood. Owl’s hooked beak is a honey-colored shade of orange, and he has bags under his sharp little eyes. He looks a mite cross, like he woke up on the Grinchy side of the bed this morning.

Owl is nearly four inches tall and about two inches wide. He sits on flat surfaces and hangs well on the tree, though I wonder whether he might hang better if the loop were on the top instead of the front of the cap. Because Owl is so inactive, the ornament isn’t quite as dynamic as the others in the series, and the lack of extra features is more missed. Since talking is what Owl does best, a little rambling sound clip of the loquacious bird would serve this ornament well. However, without it, this is still a very nice ornament, and one that really can be displayed at any time of the year.