Category Archives: Ornaments by Theme

03) 1993 U.S.S. Enterprise D

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Original Retail:

Artist:

Novelty:  String light

Box Text:   The U.S.S. Enterprise from the TV program STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, voyages to your galaxy to light up your tree.  This unique starship, with its blinking and glowing lights, will fill your holiday with Keepsake Magic!

Serial #:  QLX741-2

Lynn Norton…“At the time, Paramount would send me original blueprints and photos of the filming model as it was being constructed. I had access to detail that wasn’t readily apparent on our TV sets in those days, and I was able to explore and appreciate the design. I always imagined how I wanted to be part of the teams that built those studio models. It was thrilling for me to see the materials they were sending me. What appealed to me most was the level of detail visible on the hull and nacelles. The original was very simplistic in nature, and I had no problem with that. On the D, everything was busy.

“The Aztec patterns on the hull caused us some concern. What people are imagining on these end products is an extension of what happens in real life. Much of the hull plating is prefabricated and painted at the factory and there are little bits of variation in the paint lots, so there is a small difference in tone for each plate. Also, as plates go over curves, reflectivity changes. It happens on metal aircraft, so we’re familiar with seeing it. Even if you have no paint, the fact that metal when formed will change its lighting characteristics just slightly enough that it ends up with a patchwork look. But on an ornament, capturing that look can add literally hundreds of decoration steps, whether spray masks or pad printing or however you choose to do it. We chose not to.” – See more at: http://www.startrek.com/article/hallmark-sculptor-lynn-norton-on-the-storied-history-of-trek-keepsake-ornaments?ecid=PCID-2617611&pa=affcj#sthash.ddrwZLeO.dpuf

02) 1992 Galileo

The follow up to the 1991 Starship Enterprise ornament, the Shuttlecraft Galileo Hallmark ornament was released in 1992, and was also a huge hit with Star Trek collectors. Not only did the cockpit of the NCC-1701/7 light up, but it also features a special holiday message from the First Officer of the USS Enterprise, Mr. Spock.

To hear Spock’s message, “Shuttlecraft to Enterprise, Shuttlecraft to Enterprise. Spock here. Happy Holidays. Live long, and prosper,” press the button on the bottom of the shuttlecraft.

01) 1991 Starship Enterprise

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Original Retail: 

Artist:

Novelty: String light

Box Text: This unique ornament, with its bright blinking lights, commemorates the 25th anniversary of STAR TREK and celebrates the holiday season.

Serial #:  QLX719-9

Lynn Norton…”From the beginning, Star Trek imagined that we had overcome the problem of a ship having enough energy not only to propel yourself but to give yourself a comfortable living environment. As a design, it captured our excitement from the notion of flying saucer and the way we had come to imagine what a deep-space vehicle might look like. When you start thinking of the physics of propelling an object through space, it doesn’t have to look aerodynamic. It can be purely functional. The fact that it was a flying saucer is one of the things that captured my imagination right away. All space movies are really submarine movies. The Enterprise reflects all the elements of a submarine crew’s experience — living in close quarters in a hostile environment with nothing but a thin metal skin between them and oblivion — and put it in space seamlessly.

“At Hallmark, Don Palmiter, Dill Rhodus and I brought fine scale model-making to the ornament business. We really had to convince our art directors we could go beyond cute and traditional and make really believable small models to be used as ornaments. Our commitment to high quality fit right into the Hallmark ideals for product. Now, I also had to fight the initial idea of having a string of garland hanging along the edge of the primary hull, and Santa Claus popping out of the bridge — true story! I wanted to make it as accurate as possible. I’m very aware of the changes to that first ornament. Because it had big, thick circuitry inside for lights, the ornament had heat dissipation problems. We had to build a big cavity into it so the circuit board would not melt the plastic. Also, the ornament had to fit into a ‘printer’s box’ store display with a limited space, and I had to shorten the nacelles for it to fit. I beat that poor design nearly to death, but it got us started and it was very popular with fans of Star Trek and of Keepsake Ornaments. When we reissued the ornament in 1996 for the show’s 30th anniversary, we used the same design.”
– See more at: http://www.startrek.com/article/hallmark-sculptor-lynn-norton-on-the-storied-history-of-trek-keepsake-ornaments?ecid=PCID-2617611&pa=affcj#sthash.wtngTAh1.dpuf

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Inscriptions

on top of ornament: U.S.S. ENTERPRISE / NCC-1701 on front of packaging: MAGIC / BLINKING / LIGHTS! / Hallmark / KEEPSAKE / ORNAMENT / STAR TREK / 1991 / 25th ANNIVERSARY/ Saucer / Lights Blink / Starship Enterprise on back of packaging: Hallmark / KEEPSAKE / ORNAMENT / Handcrafted – Stardated 1991 / This unique ornament, with its bright blinking lights, commemorates the 25th anniversary of STAR TREK and celebrates the holiday season. / Lights blink automatically and continually. / Ornament plugs easily into any of the light bulb sockets on a miniature tree light string. Use only with standard U.L.-listed light strings of 3.5-or 6-volt bulbs. / Attached connector cord allows for easy placement on your tree. / Not for use with blinking lights. / Complete display instructions enclosed. / $20.00 on bottom of packaging: (C) 1991 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved. / STAR TREK is a Registered Trademark of Paramount Pictures. / Mfd. for Hallmark Cards, Inc., Authorized User. K.C., MO 64141 / Ornament Made and Assembled in China / Connector Cord Made in Taiwan / Connector Cord U.S. Pat. No. 4,544,218 / Circuitry U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,079 / QLX719-9