Chicken
Nine Hallmark ornaments for the chicken — a creature that has appeared on the Keepsake tree in more contexts than almost any other animal. A Little Drummer Boy chicken playing music in 1989. A rooster on a weathervane. An expectant hen, an expectant rooster. A whole Chicken Coop Chorus playing Jingle Bells. A Nature's Sketchbook entry by Marjolein Bastin. An Easter egg nest. A parent chicken couple in 2006. And the Chicken Dance in 2008, because of course. Nine ornaments. One bird. Bawk.
1996 Chicken Coop Chorus (QLX · Jingle Bells)
2008 Chicken Dance (battery · Magic Sound)
1992 Mom-to-Be · hen on eggs
2006 Parents-to-Be · couple expecting
1996 Birds' Christmas Tree · Marjolein Bastin
1998 Easter Egg Nest · QEO Easter series
Bawk — A Complete Census of Hallmark's Chicken Catalog
The Hallmark chicken ornament collection is one of the most improbably varied in the Keepsake catalog — nine entries across nineteen years, covering five distinct registers: musical chickens, expectant parent chickens, folk art chickens, nature-art chickens, and one thoroughly silly chicken. The founding entries arrived in 1989 as a pair: the QLX "Little Drummer Boy" chicken — a Magic ornament featuring a chicken playing the drum in a scene from the Christmas Classic Series, powered by any light string socket — and the Rooster Weathervane, a decorative standard Keepsake with the folk-art aesthetic of a traditional farm rooster atop a painted weathervane.
The 1992 pair is the collection's most heartwarming: "Dad-to-Be" (a rooster) and "Mom-to-Be" (a hen sitting on a nest of eggs), a matched set for expectant parents with a sense of humor about the barnyard metaphor. Hallmark returned to this concept in 2006 with "Parents-to-Be" — a chicken couple in the same tradition, updated for a new decade. The 1996 Magic Chicken Coop Chorus is the collection's most elaborate entry: three hens laying eggs while a fourth chicken conducts, and when plugged into a miniature light strand, the coop plays Jingle Bells at 4 inches tall. The conductor chicken. Running the whole operation. And in 2008, Kristina Gaughran's "Chicken Dance" — 3¼ inches tall, three LR44 batteries included, playing the most inescapable wedding reception song of the 1990s from a Christmas tree ornament. The chicken, at last, dancing.
"A cute ornament featuring a Chicken coop with three hens laying eggs while another chicken is the conductor. The ornament plays Jingle Bells. Plug the ornament into a miniature light strand to make the ornament play."
— The Ornament Shop description, 1996 Chicken Coop Chorus · Magic · QLX7491 · 4" H · Plug into miniature light strand · Plays Jingle Bells · Conductor Chicken included
Tips for the Collection
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01The 1996 Chicken Coop Chorus needs a light string socket — position it near a strand. The Chicken Coop Chorus features a chicken coop with three hens laying eggs while another chicken conducts, and plays Jingle Bells when plugged into a miniature light strand. White and multi-colored lights work best. Place it close to a light strand and ensure the connector reaches. When lit and connected, Jingle Bells plays from a chicken coop. This is peak Hallmark Magic and should be displayed accordingly.
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02The 2008 Chicken Dance is the one guests will press without being asked. The Chicken Dance ornament is 3¼" H, requires 3 LR44 batteries (included), designed by artist Kristina Gaughran. Position it at a reachable height on an outer branch. The Chicken Dance is involuntary — anyone who hears it will reflexively do the arm motions. This is a feature, not a bug. Place it where people can reach the button easily.
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03Display the 1992 Dad-to-Be and Mom-to-Be as the matched pair they were designed to be. The 1992 duo — a rooster (Dad-to-Be, QX4611) and a hen on eggs (Mom-to-Be, QX4614) — were released as companion ornaments and read best together. Adjacent branches or the same branch. They are the collection's most heartwarming entry when displayed as a pair. The 2006 Parents-to-Be (QXG2853) can join them as the three-entry expecting-parents cluster.
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04All 9 chicken Hallmark ornaments — 1989 through 2008 — are at Already Christmas. The drummer boy, the weathervane, the expectant parents, the chorus conductor, the Bastin birds, the Easter eggs, the 2006 couple, and the Chicken Dance. Nine ornaments. One magnificent bird. All nine here.
Every Chicken Hallmark Keepsake
Drummer · Weathervane · Dad & Mom · Chorus · Bastin Birds · Easter · Parents · Dance. Click any to shop.
A chicken playing the Little Drummer Boy on the light string in 1989. A rooster on a weathervane the same year. A pregnant hen and an expectant rooster in 1992, a matched pair for every barnyard parent. A whole coop playing Jingle Bells in 1996 under the direction of a conductor chicken. Marjolein Bastin's birds around a Christmas tree the same year. An Easter egg nest in 1998. A chicken couple expecting chicks in 2006. And in 2008, Kristina Gaughran's Chicken Dance — 3¼ inches tall, three LR44 batteries, the song playing from the tree. Nine ornaments. The most unexpectedly complete single-animal catalog in the Keepsake tradition. All nine here. Bawk.
✦ Part of our Collection: Hallmark Animal & Nature Series, Explored ✦